Stress - sorting internet for new house

[WTF0ver]

It's my own fault for dilly-dallying and getting bogged down in other stuff but we're getting the keys on Friday and I haven't sorted out internet yet.

Virgin can transfer our current package but they can't get an engineer in to fit the line or whatever it is for 2 weeks! We both WFH so need internet, we could go without for a day or 2 at the weekend but not during the week. In the meantime our furniture will be getting moved this Saturday and so that means we'd need to use internet at the current place but not have bed to sleep in/sofa here to sit on! And when it's eventually disconnected we'd be without internet for a day before the engineer comes, and he won't be over first thing either. So at least a day during the week without internet.

I'm wondering if we can rig something up at the new place with the current provider they have(BT) until the engineer arrives?

Cursing my unorganised-ness right now.

We are having the same problem. All internet providers are saying it takes 2 weeks but we won’t have 2 weeks between exchange and completion and we can’t work without WiFi. No idea what to do

Nightmare, as DH says it's like being without electricity or water. We might be able to pick up a hotspot at the new place, we're going to go over tonight and see. I have no idea about these things but DH says we can see if that works. Haven't sorted anything with VM yet just keeping things as they are until we've checked this. I hope you get yours sorted.

A PAYG dongle should do you for a couple of days. I was using one at the start of lockdown as didn’t have home broadband and it was perfectly adequate even for video calls.

What's your mobile data package like? I use my mobile as a hotspot to work from home. Very occasionally it cuts out on video calls, but then is fine if I turn the camera off.

Mobile phone/wifi hotspot is the answer. Yes it may cost a few pounds, but should be good enough to give you a half decent internet connection in most locations. You've got time to check how much it would cost on your existing phone/sim contract, and if it's exorbitant, you've got time to get a cheaper payg sim which you can use for a few days only - most firms send out the sim cards for next day delivery.

Are there any cafes / pubs with WiFi nearby that could offer you working space for those days? Lots of places did this during spring/summer lockdown to earn money on the side in a slightly unconventional way.

From my own experience of moving this year and the break in internet services as I went with a dongle plugged into a usb socket to use as a modem and it was the Smarty unlimited sim, tons of data with no speed or connection problems, no rolling contract so can cancel easily when not needed just one month at a time, that might work for you depending on where you live but if you can check if your new home has a good Three UK signal as Smarty works off it, £18 pm and I used approx 200gb+ a month with ease they buy back any unused data if you are a lighter user

I don't work for them this is just from my experience.

Thanks everyone, we went to the house tonight and checked the hotspot signal and it was ok. Might get a dongle too though just in case. And there are cafes nearby we could use in an emergency. Glad we have options and not panicking as much as we were this morning!