How to Move Internet to a New House

In the past, moving your broadband connection when moving house was a pain. More often than not you’d be waiting days, or even weeks, for a technician to come over and get things set up for you. Now, with a little pre-planning, you can (usually) do it yourself in a pinch, and be up and running from the moment you walk through your new front door.

How to move internet to a new fibre-ready house

If you’re sticking with the same provider, it’s as simple as contacting them and letting them know you’re changing address and what date you want them to stop servicing your old address and start at the new one. Depending on who your provider is, you’ll be able to do this either online, or over the phone.

As long as your new address has fibre installed then, most likely, all you’ll have to do is plug in your modem, and your provider will handle everything else.

What if the new address isn’t fibre ready?

If the new address doesn’t have a fibre ONT installed (the box on the wall your modem plugs into) then you’ll need to arrange to have one installed.

Unfortunately, this may mean that fibre is not available at your new address. You can check what broadband options are available at an address here, on the Chorus website.

But if having fibre installed is an option, unfortunately, it’s likely to take time, which could leave you without internet for your first few days, or even weeks.

You can contact Chorus directly about having fibre installed at your home, or your broadband provider may be able to organise it for you.

Does having a fibre connection installed cost?

Most likely, no! Chorus offers free standard fibre installation in areas that have fibre in the street. So unless you live in an area that hasn’t had fibre come through it yet – which is unlikely unless you’re out in the wops – or your property has some unique quirks that complicate things, installation should should be free.

If there are likely to be costs involved, Chorus will inform you before anything gets underway.

Go wireless

Another option could be to go wireless. Wireless broadband utilises 4G and 5G networks – the ones that deliver mobile broadband data to your phone – to bring broadband into homes.

When you sign up to a wireless plan, you’ll receive a special modem from your provider, which can be set up quickly and easily.

However, before you get too excited, wireless broadband doesn’t compete with fibre when it comes to speed. If you’re on 4G – which is likely if your home can’t access fibre – speeds will be well below the 300/100Mbps on offer from most standard fibre plans.

Furthermore, not all broadband providers offer wireless broadband, so you’ll have to check if it’s even an option!

→Related article: Wireless Broadband: Is It a Good Option for Your Household?

What if I want to change broadband providers?

Moving home is a great chance to review your utilities. Not just broadband, but electricity and even gas too!

→Related article: Electricity Bundles: Should You Bundle Your Utilities?

If you do want to change broadband providers, the first step is to check your terms. If you’re locked into a fixed-term contract, you may be charged a break fee and/or have to cough up money to cover the modem you were using. Depending on how much all this costs, it might not be worth calling it quits until your contract comes to an end.

If you’re on an open-term plan, then it should be pretty straightforward.

Simply contact your existing provider and inform them you’re closing your account. If you were renting your modem, your provider should send you a prepaid packing slip in the mail for you to chuck it in and send back to them.

If you own the modem, then you can take it with you!

Once you’re free from your old provider, setting up a new one can be done online in a few minutes. If you already have a modem, just plug it in and you’re good to go (assuming it’s compatible). If you need a modem from the new provider then you’ll have to wait for it to arrive which, again, can lead to you being without internet for a few days.

Compare broadband providers for free with Canstar!

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Content Producer, Andrew Broadley. Andrew is an experienced writer with a wide range of industry experience. Starting out, he cut his teeth working as a writer for print and online magazines, and he has worked in both journalism and editorial roles. His content has covered lifestyle and culture, marketing and, more recently, finance for Canstar.