Being able to count on one Internet connection for your second home is increasingly important, especially during the summer. The market offers different solutions, with very different costs and characteristics based on the technology with which the connection is made. Lsurvey by the Observatory Segugio.it highlights the convenience associated with choosing a 4G/5G mobile connection for a second home. With the possibility of having 143 GB for just over 10 euros per month and without any restrictions. For an unlimited connection you need about 25 euros per month.
Internet for second homes: between limited and unlimited connection
An Internet connection in the second home is now essential. Staying connected during the weekend or in the case of an extended stay requires study, work and entertainment. There are various options available to users who need a connection for their second home. Based on the technology chosen, in fact, it will be possible to access a limited connection (in terms of Giga available in a month) but cheaper. Or an unlimited but more expensive connection. Even the speed and, therefore, the user experience is strongly linked to the chosen technology.
Internet for second homes: the survey by the Segugio.it Observatory
Discover the Vodafone offer for your home
The new investigation ofObservatory Segugio.it photographs the state of the telephony market. It highlights the average costs and characteristics of the various options available to users who need an Internet connection for their second home. The study is based on the rates available in June 2023 (including offers launched by operators for the upcoming summer period). Take into consideration the 4G/5G connections in addition to the technologies that characterize the sector of home Internet offers as the FTTH optical fiberthe mixed fiber rame FTTC extension and the network FWA.
4G/5G connection: low prices but limited Giga
The first option to consider for having Internet for a second home is represented by the activation of a SIM with amobile phone offerin order to take advantage of one 4G/5G connection. According to the data collected, a data SIM currently has an average cost of 10.37 euros per month granting access to an average of 143GB per month. Compared to last year, the price is substantially stable (-3.7%) while the Giga have increased significantly (+50%).
Furthermore, to save money, you can choose aoffer only 4G. In this way, the average price is reduced to 8.34 euros per month. Lower costs also translate into a slightly lower data bundle: 4G offers are available 138GB per month. Also in this case, the comparison with 2022 shows stable prices (-2.1%) and strong growth in Giga included (+78%).
Mobile SIMs have a low activation cost (5.20 euros in addition to the cost of the first month of the offer). This solution also there are no exit costs net of a few rates (less than 5% of the total) which include an activation fee in the monthly fee with a hidden installment payment. Finding a rate without constraints and exit costs, to be deactivated once the holidays in the second home, for example, are over, will be easy.
With mobile offers you can also bet on tariffs with unlimited Giga. In this case, however, an expense of 30.99 euros per month (-8.1% compared to 2022). Some fixed network operators offer their customers the possibility of activating a SIM with unlimited Giga on favorable terms. With the fixed + mobile convergence it is possible to reduce the cost of the SIM a 10.62 euros per month but it will be necessary to accept the “constraint” represented by the obligation to keep the subscription active with the network operator that manages the first home line.
FWA: a wireless connection for the second home, even prepaid
Another option available to users who need an unlimited connection for their second home is represented by FWA offer (Fixed Wireless Access). The technology that allows wireless access to the Internet from a fixed network is an important solution for accessing the Internet, especially in those areas not reached by the optical fiber (small towns, rural areas and low population density).
With the offers available right now, an unlimited connection via the FWA network costs 24.91 euros per month (+5.5% compared to 2022) with an initial activation fee of, on average, 35.97 euros. The FWA offers have a good maximum speed (on average 359 Mbps) but the subscriptions provide for different ones exit costs such as the deactivation fee (equal to a maximum of one month’s subscription) and the residual installments of the modem which could be included in the fee for some offers (in the event of withdrawal, these must generally be paid in a single solution).
Discover the Vodafone offer for your home
The market also offers rechargeable type FWA offers, with a prepaid top-up system that allows access to an unlimited connection for a certain period of time. Each operator offers different top-up denominations (1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 1 month, 3 months). Considering a 3 months prepaid service you have to take into account an average cost of 33 euros per month, without activation and exit costs. The maximum connection speed of these offers is 76 Mbps.
Optical fiber for second homes: unlimited connection for just over 25 euros per month
To have Internet in a second home, it is also possible to bet on a subscription that provides access to the Internet through FTTH optical fiber (or via FTTC or ADSL in case of unavailability of the fiber). This is a solution similar to those available for first homes: an FTTH fiber connection has an average cost of 25.85 euros per month (+4.6% compared to 2022) with a activation fee of 20.72 euros only one.
In case of unavailability of the FTTH fiber it is possible to fall back on FTTC extension which involves slightly higher costs. On average, in fact, the fee is 27.38 euros per month with an initial one-time activation of 25.89 euros. The speed of FTTH is very high (the download peak is equal, on average, to 2,405 Mbps) while FTTC stops at 200 Mbps and ADSL at just 20 Mbps (ADSL costs are in line with FTTC) .
In these cases, there are exit costs that should not be underestimated. In fact, interrupting a fiber optic subscription (or via FTTC or ADSL) requires the payment of a deactivation fee, equal to the maximum amount of the monthly fee, in addition to any residual modem installments that could be included in the monthly fee. For a short-term solution, therefore, a subscription of this type risks incurring higher costs.
Which technology to choose?
The analysis of costs and features allows you to get a complete overview of the options available to users for having Internet in their second home. Each option has advantages and disadvantages, to be taken into consideration in order to focus on the offer most in line with your connection and spending needs. An unlimited connection has higher costs and may come with a variety of exit constraints/costs. With a SIM 4G/5G costs are reduced and there are many more GB included than last year but a series of limitations must be taken into consideration.
The connection is, in fact, limited while the offers with unlimited Giga cost a lot or force you to choose the same fixed network operator. There fibra FTTH guarantees an unlimited and high-speed connection but has high costs in case of withdrawal and limited territorial coverage. With the FWA it is possible to surf without limits and at high speed even where FTTH fiber is not available. In addition, there are prepaid offers, useful for second homes. You have to take into account initial costs and high withdrawal costs (choosing the subscription version.