We include a router with home and business broadband, already set up for the line. We send Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 depending on your setup, so you get the best out of the service. That is not the same as claiming we have the permanently best box in the country. Models change every year, and a current box in a cupboard will lose to an older box on a landing. Judge the kit you will actually be sent: the right wireless standard for the house, Ethernet ports, a way to add mesh, and whether you can use your own.
The line and the router are different jobs
Broadband is the connection into the property. The router shares that connection over wifi and Ethernet. A gigabit full fibre line with a tired router still feels like 2016 in the back bedroom. A modest 150 Mbps line with a modern router in the right place feels fine for most houses. Broadband vs wifi is the distinction. Get it the wrong way round and you will pay for a faster plan you cannot use.
Test wired first. Plug a laptop into the router, close other traffic, run a speed test. If that result matches the contract, the line is doing its job. Anything worse over wifi is a radio problem: placement, walls, interference, or an old wireless standard.
What to look for on an ISP router
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The right Wi-Fi standard | We send Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 depending on your setup. A faster standard in a cupboard still loses to a slower box in the right room. |
| Gigabit WAN and LAN ports | A 100 Mbps Ethernet port will cap a faster line for any device you wire in. |
| Mesh or extra nodes | A second access point beats a louder router in a three-storey house. See what mesh wifi is. |
| You can use your own kit | Some providers lock you to theirs. We let you use your own if you prefer. |
| Replacement and support | A fancy box you cannot get replaced on a Saturday morning is a worse box. |
Big-brand hubs (BT, Virgin, Sky) are competent in 2026 and better than the units they shipped five years ago. Independent reviews still swing with firmware and with the exact model in the current box. A league table published last spring is already stale. Ask the provider which model you will receive, then search that model, not the brand.
Placement beats a new purchase
The engineer puts the fibre box where the fibre lands. That is often a cupboard, a utility room, or behind the TV. The router then sits on top of it. That is convenient for the cable and terrible for wifi. Raise it, bring it out of the metal cabinet, and keep it away from the microwave. How to boost your wifi signal is the free sequence: move, then mesh, then spend.
A "broadband speed booster" in the search results is usually an extender. Extenders are a cheap patch. They often create a second network name and a weaker backhaul. Mesh is cleaner if you have more than one dead room.
What we send you
Every home and business broadband install with us includes a router, set up for that line so it works when the service goes live. We use Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 depending on your setup, to get the best out of the service. 4G and 5G home broadband and holiday park broadband get kit matched to a SIM rather than a fibre box on the wall. You can use your own router if you want extra features. Most people keep the one we send because it is already set up.
We will talk through placement and mesh before assuming the line is too slow. That is the same diagnosis we want you to run on any provider: wired test, then wifi, then plan upgrade. Current packages are on the broadband page. The glossary entry on what a router does is the shorter definition.
Customers rate us 4.9 on Trustpilot from 600+ reviews. Call us on 0330 122 9488. A router question is a good test of support: you want someone who asks where the box is sitting before they sell you a faster plan.
Router FAQ
Which broadband provider has the best router?
There is no honest single winner. Router models change, and a good box in a cupboard still fails upstairs. Look for the right wireless standard for the house, enough Ethernet ports, and a mesh option if the house is large. We include a router with home and business broadband, set up for the line. We send Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 depending on your setup, to get the best out of the service. You can use your own if you prefer.
Is the ISP router good enough, or should I buy my own?
Start with the supplied router in a sensible place and test on Ethernet. If a wired test is healthy and wifi is not, placement or mesh will beat a new brand of plastic. Buy your own if you want extra ports, stronger radios, guest networks done your way, or a unit the provider will not replace. Check whether the provider still supports the line if you swap the kit.
Does a better router make broadband faster?
It can make wifi faster and more stable. It cannot raise the speed of the line coming into the house. If a laptop plugged into the router is slow, the line or the plan is the limit. If the laptop is fast on a cable and slow in the back bedroom, the router placement or the wifi standard is the limit.
Do I need Wi-Fi 6 in 2026?
Not always. Wi-Fi 6 handles a house full of devices better than Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 7 is useful close to the router on a gigabit line. We send Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 depending on your setup, rather than one standard for every house. Most UK homes still benefit more from putting the box in the right room than from chasing the newest number.
Does Inspire include a router?
Yes. We include a router with home broadband, business broadband, 4G and 5G home broadband, and holiday park broadband. We send Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 depending on your setup, to get the best out of the service, already set up for the line. You do not have to buy one to get online.
Keep reading
More guides like this
How to Boost Your Wifi Signal: A Practical Guide
Boost wifi by testing wired first, moving the router, then adding mesh only if rooms still drop. Most UK homes do not need a faster broadband package.
What is Mesh Wifi? Do You Actually Need It?
Mesh wifi is two or more access points that share one network name, so devices roam without dropping. It fixes dead spots, not a slow broadband line.
Broadband vs Wifi: The Difference Explained
Broadband is the connection into your home, wifi is how it travels around inside. The plain-English guide to the difference, wired vs wireless, Ethernet cables, phone lines and the kit that arrives.
Full fibre with a router included
We pick Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 7 for your setup so you get the best out of the line. If a room is still dead, we will talk mesh before we talk about a more expensive plan.