Zzoomm broadband review: Is it any good?

Dan Howdle | October 19th, 2023

Zzoomm (broadband) launched in 2019 as an altnet (a provider with its own network infrastructure). Starting in Henley-on-Thames it's subsequently rolled out to dozens of town and village locations across the country. Availability is going to be rare therefore, but if you can get it, the provider offers symmetrical connections up to an insane 2,000Mbps (2Gbps) while remaining inexpensive. Let's take a closer look at what's on offer.

Key features

Here’s a quick look at what you can expect to find in a Zzoomm broadband deal:

Download speeds	150Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps
Upload speeds	150Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps
Broadband	FTTP
Home Phone	No
Packages available	Broadband
Router	Zzoomm Wi-Fi 6 Hub (Icotera i4882)
Contract lengths	12 months
Prices from	£19.95 per month

Our review of Zzoomm broadband

As with may so-called 'altnets' (alternative networks), Zzoomm offer symmetrical speeds – your upload speed will be the same as your download speed. Installation is free, pricing is very reasonable (£30-£40 per month for a 1Gbps connection at the time of writing), and you can even get a 2Gbps connection from Zzoomm if you're a either crazy person or you're engaged in an intense one-upmanship battle with your neighbour. There's no real-world use for a 2Gbps connection beyond faster downloads and even then you may run into bottlenecks at the other end (on the servers sending you data and on the ports connecting your devices).

Zzoomm, also like many other altnets, is guaranteeing no mid-contract price rises, so pricing will remain the same throughout your contract, which is a refreshingly short 12 months. A lot of national providers are demanding you tie on for 24 months now, so if that sounds like too big a commitment (which it is), that will be music to your ears.

Availability

Zzoomm broadband is available to properties in:

Towns/Village	Postcode Area	County
Ascot	SL	Berkshire
Askern	DN	South Yorkshire
Bewdley	DY	Worcestershire
Bewdley	DY	Worcestershire
Bolton Upon Dearne	S	Greater Manchester
Calne	SN	Wiltshire
Cannock	WS	Staffordshire
Congleton	CW	Cheshire East
Crewe	CW	Cheshire East
Crowthorne	RG	Berkshire
Great Ayton	TS	North Yorkshire
Hemsworth	WF	West Yorkshire
Henley-on-Thames	RG	Oxfordshire
Kinsley	WF	West Yorkshire
Middlewich	CW	Cheshire East
Northallerton	DL	Durham
Northwich	CW	Cheshire East
Ripon	HG	North Yorkshire
Sandbach	CW	Cheshire East
Sandhurst	GU	Berkshire
Sherburn in Elmet	LS	West Yorkshire
South Elmsall	WF	West Yorkshire
Stokesley	TS	North Yorkshire
Sunninghill	SL	Berkshire
Tadcaster	LS	North Yorkshire
Tadcaster	LS	North Yorkshire
Thurnscoe	S	South Yorkshire
Upton	WF	Cheshire West and Chester

Sadly, if you don't live in one of these locations, you can't currently get Zzoomm. This list is of places Zzoomm says it has already reached or are in the process of reaching, so bear in mind that even if you live in one of these towns, villages or postcodes there's still no guarantee you can get it. If you can't, you can register your interest with Zzoomm, however. This list is correct at the time of writing, but we typically update these pages annually, so it's also worth checking if you can get it if you're nearby to one of these locations and some time has passed since this page's publish date.

Check availability

Broadband speeds

Zzoomm offers four different speeds, from a capable 150Mbps all the way up to an astonishingly fast 2Gbps (or 2,000Mbps). They are:

150 Full Fibre: Is a well-priced entrey-level offering. Of course, when you're talking about 150Mbps as 'entry level' you should take that with a pinch of salt. This speed is plenty for most households as you'll be able to do everything from gaming to streaming 4K on multiple TVs. How much faster you want to go than this will come down to how fast you want your downloads.

500 Full Fibre: 500Mbps is very fast. And yes, there are two faster packages here, but once again it's worth knowing there is nothing you can't do on a 500Mbps connection, and everything you do do will be super quick.

1Gig Full Fibre: The legendary 'one-gig' internet. This is incredibly fast, and only really of use to people who download and update a lot of very large files such as videogames, and even then it's only really going to lessen the time you have to wait to do so.

2Gig Full Fibre: We needn't really say anything here: It's just a silly speed. A typical modern AAA videogame is about 50 gigabytes in size on average. You'll be able to download that in three minutes and 20 seconds, but even then not onto a console, only on PC, since PlayStations and Xboxs only have a 1Gbps ethernet port. If that's worth paying nearly double for beyond the six minutes and 40 seconds you'd have to wait on the one-gig package, well, that's up to you.

Not sure which package to pick? Our guide to deciding what broadband speed you need has all the answers.

Upload speeds

All of Zzoomm's packages offer symmetrical speeds – that is, your upload speed is going to be exactly the same as your download speeds.

Typically, that's not the case, with most providers offering upload speeds within around 10-30% of their download speeds. This is because a typical home internet connection tends to pull a lot of information into the home, while sending out very little. Of course, some people use upload as much as download, but that's rare, and will tend to require a specific type of job such as videographer or draughts-person, where uploading large files and documents is the norm.

Landline calling packages

It is typical among altnets offering services on a full fibre network, you won't get a traditional landline with Zzoomm. Now, whether or not you need one will come down to your own circumstances, but it's worth bearing in mind this won't stop you from using third-party VoIP services for calling and receiving calls. But Zzoomm won't provide you with a landline and a phone number.

Zzoomm is not alone in not offering a traditional landline, with even large, national providers gradually phasing them out.

Routers and installation

Unlike many providers, ZZoomm offers whole-home wifi via two full-blown, high-spec Wi-Fi 6 routers. Many providers offer mesh wifi, using one main router and one or more simple extenders whose job is simply to repeat the wifi network or networks output by the main router. Two full-spec routers should cover even large households easily and, for the tech nerds, there is increased configurability as a result.

The Zzoomm Wi-Fi 6 Hub is actually an Icotera i4882 – two of them. Here is a quick rundown of the specs:

Zzoomm Wi-Fi 6 Hub (Icotera i4882) specs:

• Configuration: Enterprise 8x8 + 4x4 WiFi 6
• WAN: 1 x RJ45 10/100/1000/2500 BaseT(x)
• LAN: 2 x RJ45 10/100/1000 BaseT(x)
• Non-blocking Architecture: 2.5Gbps
• WiFi Data Link Speed: Above 8Gbps
• Low Power Consumption
• Custom Firmware

Installation

To establish a Full Fibre Zzoomm connection in your property, the connection originates from a Fiber box positioned on the road outside and extends into your home. Zzoomm will discuss the ideal placement of your connection hub during sign-up and installation.

Switching to Zzoomm is straightforward, provided you can get it. After placing your order, you can select the installation date and time. Typically, the service activation coincides with the installation of your connection hub. It's advisable to keep your current connection for a few days after the installation to ensure uninterrupted connectivity. If you currently receive TV or content services from another provider, you can continue using those services by transitioning to their TV-only packages, if they offer them.

Regarding installation costs, for most customers there are no charges. In specific cases where additional work is required for installation, Zzoomm conducts a survey and agrees any associated costs with you before initiating the work.

Customer service

Broadband providers with less than 1.5% market share aren't included in Ofcom's annual customer service reporting. However, you can see how it's doing on Trustpilot.

However, of all of the altnet providers we've been looking into of late, Zzoomm has the joint-highest (along with Lightspeed Broadband) Trustpilot score, with a commendable 4.8 out of five. Their customers love them – 93% of them awarding Zzoomm five out of five stars.

Our verdict: Excellent

There's a lot to like about Zzoomm. From it's reasonable pricing to its customer service and novel two-router mesh solution. Features like no price hikes across the contract, and indeed its short contracts earn big brownie points for the provider. Its website could do with some work though, if all you want to do is find out about its routers, where it's available etc. this information can be quite hard to find. If you just want to check availability and sign up though, Zzoomm has you covered just fine.

Almost no altnet offers a landline these days. They are dying off however, and this is just par for the course with the industry as of now.

And then there's that unspeakably fast 2Gbps speed available. It won't offer a lot extra functionally, since there simply are no applications beyond downloading huge videogames that might even be able to use such monstrous speed. And even then, you're not going to be able to download that fast to your game console, since you'll be bottlenecked by the manufacturer's servers for one, and no consoles have an ethernet port faster than 1Gbps. PC games on the other hand? Yeah, you have a shot at using that speed. Really, 2Gbps is a bragging-rights situation and nothing more.

We strongly recommend Zzoomm broadband if you're able to get it.

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