Easy Internet: Staying online when moving house

Sponsored by Vividwireless

Having great internet access at home is basically essential these days. Even a few days “offline” is enough to cause havoc in many households, with school work, businesses, communication and many other things so dependent on it. This is definitely the case in our house. With me working from home, the internet is critical.

We’ve just moved and when I went to get our cable connected I discovered it would take up to 14 business days. No internet for two-three weeks? Cue slight panic!

So when I received an email from Vividwireless offering to send me their wireless broadband kit that I could set up INSTANTLY, I took it as a sign.

I’ll admit upfront that I had never heard of Vividwireless and I was somewhat skeptical about wireless broadband. I envisaged dial up like speeds and generally average service quality but I figured something was better than nothing. Luckily I was wrong and it was actually awesome. Here’s how it worked out (plus check out my top tips for moving house while staying connected below)…

Vividwireless Internet Review

Set up

SO EASY! I literally connected it to the power, found the wireless signal and entered the password. Mine had already been activated online so I didn’t even need to connect anything. I was literally online in under five minutes. Probably more like three!

How it works

I figured I may as well jump in at the deep end and test it out for Netflix. I figured if it could manage streaming then it was pretty ok. Our new house is technically in an area not recommended by Vividwireless for coverage so I was worried it wouldn’t cope well as I only had a couple of bars of signal. I was pleasantly surprised when my show started streaming instantly and without any interruptions (even with me browsing Facebook on the computer at the same time).

Cost, speed and coverage

Currently (August 2016) Vividwireless has plans starting at $29 a month and they even offer unlimited internet for $89, which is pretty competitive. They advise speeds of up to 10mbps (which was pretty close to what we were with it even though we were in a slightly dodgy coverage area) and have a coverage map on their website to check if you can get service in your area.

My thoughts

We’ve so far had absolutely no issues with our new Vividwireless internet and so far I’m very impressed. It was the easiest internet set up I’ve ever experienced and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I think it would be ideal in situations where you don’t have access to more conventional internet connections, especially when moving house! It would also work wonderfully for travel.

Overall I’ve been really happy with the set up and I’ll be sad to send it back. We are fortunate to have a cable connection available at our home but if we didn’t and I needed an affordable and easy to set up wifi option I would be exceptionally happy with Vividwireless. I’m even looking into it for when we next travel!

If you are interested in checking them out you can find all the details on their website www.vividwireless.com.au

My top tips for staying connected when moving house

We haven’t moved house in nearly 10 years and it turns out there is a LOT to consider. Staying connected when moving is about more than just internet. Think mail, utilities, insurances and more. Here are my top tips.

Plan early

Start early by making a list of things you’ll need to disconnect and/or connect at your current and new home. A lot of things take much longer than you’d expect, allow several weeks for most services to change over and be prepared to wait on hold… a lot.

I started making a list based on mail and emails I received in the lead up to our move. If I got mail from a utility provider or similar, I added it to the list.

Review your options

Moving is a great time to check that you have the best deals on things like gas and electricity, phone, internet and insurances. Before you go to change your details with your current provider check whether there is a better deal out there.

Change your insurances

We moved less than 2km down the road but I was pleasantly surprised that our car insurance premiums dropped fairly substantially. Bonus! Remember to update your home and contents insurance and make sure you’ve got cover for both places if there is any overlap.

Don’t forget the mail

It takes a few days for mail holds and redirections to take effect so make sure you get in early. If you are making a long term move (especially if you’ve been in your current place for a while) I’d suggest choosing the 12 month option so that you get a full year of mail and can make sure even things that only come through once a year are covered.

Double check and be prepared for hiccups

A few days before the move check that your utilities are on track for connection and that you’ve got phone and internet services sorted (thanks Vividwirless for coming to the rescue when little miss organised here didn’t allow enough time!). Keep in mind that there will probably be hiccups with something. For us is was Australia Post losing our held mail (although they are still trying to convince me that they didn’t lose it and we only received three letters in the 10 days they were holding it… ummm sure).

Thanks again to Vividwireless for kindly sending out their fabulous modem for us to try. It was a lifesaver!