Is BT Full Fibre 500 Any Good? – Current Deals and Offers

Features

BT Full Fibre 500 is a full fibre FTTP connection, meaning fibre runs directly into your home. That gives you faster and more consistent speeds compared with part fibre FTTC broadband.

The package includes BT’s Smart Hub 2 router. It’s simple to set up and designed to deliver better Wi-Fi coverage across most homes. For larger houses or trickier layouts, customers can add Complete Wi-Fi to extend coverage.

As well as broadband-only, you can choose bundled deals that include a digital home phone or EE TV. TV packages range from entertainment channels to sport and premium extras, letting you combine services on one bill.

Premium features such as BT Halo and Complete Wi-Fi help households take full advantage of a fibre connection. Halo adds resilience with a mobile backup via EE, while Complete Wi-Fi ensures coverage in every room with a guarantee.

Latency on Full Fibre 500 is low, making it ideal for gaming and video calls, and the upload speeds are strong enough to handle large file transfers or cloud backups.

Finally, customer support is UK-based, and recent industry reports show BT getting better reviews for service quality compared with previous years, a sign of progress in this area.

BT Full Fibre 500 Options

BT offers flexibility in how you take the package. You can go broadband-only, which keeps things simple. If you want a landline, there’s the option to add BT’s digital home phone service for about £5 more per month — this is delivered through broadband rather than a copper line.

For TV, BT bundles EE TV with its broadband. The choice includes Sport, Entertainment, Big Entertainment and Full Works. Depending on the bundle, you’ll get access to TNT Sports, premium entertainment channels and streaming services such as Netflix or NOW. Packages can usually be switched month to month, which adds a bit of flexibility.

Router and Complete Wi-Fi

BT Full Fibre 500 comes with the Smart Hub 2 as standard. It’s straightforward to set up and designed to deliver a reliable connection throughout the home. The hub supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, automatically steering devices to the best signal available. It has seven antennae built in, four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections, and supports BT’s Digital Voice service if you choose to add a phone line.

One limitation is that the Smart Hub 2 does not support Wi-Fi 6, a feature now included with routers from some rival providers. Wi-Fi 6 offers better efficiency when lots of devices are connected at once, so if you have a smart-home setup with dozens of gadgets it may feel like a missing feature. For most households, though, the Smart Hub 2 provides plenty of performance.

If your home is larger, or you’ve got rooms where the Wi-Fi doesn’t reach properly, BT offers Complete Wi-Fi as an add-on. This system uses small mesh discs placed around your home to extend the signal and eliminate dead zones. Each disc connects back to the Smart Hub 2, creating a stronger network that adapts to where you use your devices.

BT backs this with a coverage guarantee. If you still don’t get a reliable Wi-Fi signal in every room after they’ve provided up to three discs, BT gives you £100 back. It’s a rare level of assurance in the broadband market and one of the standout features of BT’s setup.

For households that depend on strong Wi-Fi in every corner — whether for work calls, streaming on multiple TVs, or gaming upstairs — the combination of the Smart Hub 2 and Complete Wi-Fi can make a big difference to how well a full fibre connection performs in practice.

What Extras and Add-ons does BT offer?

BT broadband comes with a few extras that make the package more useful day to day. One of the most useful extras is access to over 5 million public Wi‑Fi hotspots across the UK. These are now branded as EE Wi‑Fi (replacing the older BT Wi-Fi name) and are available in cafés, train stations, shopping centres and other public spaces.

When you’re out and about, you can connect to one of these hotspots using your BT broadband login. Once you’ve signed in on a device, it will reconnect automatically when you’re in range again. It’s a good way to save on mobile data or stay connected when coverage is patchy.

Security is also included. BT Virus Protect, powered by Norton, comes free with your plan and helps block viruses, malware, phishing sites and suspicious links. It runs in the background and can also scan your Wi-Fi network to flag weak encryption or other risks.

You activate it through your My BT account and it works across multiple devices — including Windows, macOS and Android. There’s also a VPN-style app for iPhones, though some features are more limited on iOS.

BT also offers an optional upgrade in the form of BT Halo. This adds extra reliability for people who don’t want to risk downtime. It includes Hybrid Connect, which keeps you online using EE’s mobile network if your fibre connection ever drops. It switches over automatically, so you don’t have to do anything if your main line fails.

With Halo, you also get extra support perks like a dedicated UK-based team, annual health checks for your broadband setup, and faster engineer response times if something goes wrong. It’s not essential for everyone, but for home workers or families relying heavily on their connection, it adds peace of mind.

These extras — public Wi‑Fi, built-in security, and the option to add Halo — help BT stand out a bit more. They’re not gimmicks either; they’re practical additions that improve the everyday experience for households that use the internet constantly.

How Good Is BT Customer Service?

Customer service is always a factor. On Trustpilot, BT scores low — around 1.5 out of 5 from tens of thousands of reviews, with billing and call waiting often highlighted. That paints a negative picture, but it’s worth remembering Trustpilot reflects voluntary reviews rather than the whole customer base.

Ofcom’s annual report is more balanced. In 2024, BT generated 39 broadband complaints per 100,000 customers, slightly better than the industry average. The weaker points were call handling, with 14% of calls abandoned and longer waiting times than some competitors. Overall, BT performs close to average — not the best in the sector, but not the worst either.

Is BT Full Fibre 500 Any Good?

As a mid-to-high tier plan, Full Fibre 500 strikes a good balance. It’s fast enough to keep several heavy tasks running at once, with upload speeds that are a clear improvement on BT 150 and 300. For streaming, gaming, home working and downloads, it does the job reliably.

The extras — EE TV bundles, Complete Wi-Fi, free hotspot access and included security software — add value, though some cost more each month. The main downsides are the price rises, the lack of a Wi-Fi 6 router, and customer-service complaints that remain common. Still, for many households it hits the right mix of speed, features and availability.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Excellent plan for homes with multiple devices and home workers
• No setup fee; £0 upfront
• Reward Card included.
• Optional EE TV bundles and Complete Wi-Fi for wider coverage
• Free access to a large public hotspot network; security software included

Cons

• Price rises kick in during the contract
• Digital phone and TV add-ons increase the monthly bill; Complete Wi-Fi is extra BT
• Router lacks Wi-Fi 6 as standard
• Customer-service picture is mixed

Our Verdict

BT Full Fibre 500 is a great option for households that want more than 300 Mbps but don’t feel the need to stretch to gigabit. It’s widely available, comes with a solid upload speed, and supports all the heavy online activity a large family or shared home might throw at it.

It’s not the cheapest and the router could do with an update, but it delivers where it matters: speed and reliability. If you want symmetrical upload speeds or lower long-term prices, alternative providers like Hyperoptic or Community Fibre may be worth checking.

Alternatives

If you don’t need faster 500 Mbps speed, BT Full Fibre 300 is the next step down. It still offers fast speeds that easily handle 4K streaming, video calls, and everyday browsing. For smaller households or lighter users, it’s more affordable while still benefiting from the same full fibre technology and BT’s Stay Fast Guarantee.

At the other end, BT Full Fibre 900 is the top-tier plan for households with extremely heavy use — multiple gamers, 4K streams in every room, or large file uploads to the cloud. It delivers gigabit-level speeds and is a better fit if you want to future-proof your connection or run a home office that depends on consistent upload performance.

Virgin Media offers comparable plans like M500 or Gig1. These can match or exceed BT on download speeds in some areas, but their upload speeds are still lower and not symmetrical. Virgin uses its own network, which isn’t available everywhere, but in cabled locations they often offer bundle deals with TV that compete on value.

Alternative network providers like Hyperoptic, Community Fibre and CityFibre-based ISPs are also available as alternative options. These smaller providers often offer symmetrical speeds — meaning upload and download are the same — which is useful if you send large files or back up data regularly. Their monthly prices can also be cheaper than BT, but coverage is still limited to certain cities or postcodes.

FAQ — BT Full Fibre 500

Q: What upload speed should I expect?
A: Full Fibre 500 offers upload speeds of about 73 Mbps under typical conditions.

Q: What is BT’s “Stay Fast Guarantee” for Full Fibre 500?
A: BT promises a minimum download speed threshold under its Stay Fast Guarantee. If your line drops below that guaranteed speed and BT can’t fix it, you may get compensation (around £20) or the option to exit early.

Q: What router is provided, and can I boost coverage?
A: You receive the Smart Hub 2 router by default. If your home needs better coverage, you can add Complete Wi-Fi (mesh discs) to extend it.

Q: Can I bundle phone or TV with this plan?
A: Yes — you can add a digital home phone (for a monthly extra) or include EE TV bundles like Sport, Entertainment or Full Works.

Q: How good is BT’s customer service for Full Fibre?
A: It’s mixed. Ofcom reports place BT near average for broadband complaints; in 2024, BT generated 39 complaints per 100,000 customers (slightly below industry average) but had high call abandonment rates.

Q: If speed dips under the guaranteed level, what can I do?
A: You can make a claim under the Stay Fast Guarantee. BT will attempt remote fixes or send an engineer. If they can’t restore the guaranteed speed within 30 days, you may get compensation or leave without penalty.

Q: Is Full Fibre 500 available everywhere?
A: No — availability depends on your address. Use our postcode checker to see if your location can access full fibre.

Q: Do I need to claim the reward card separately?
A: Yes. For promotional offers, you usually need to claim your Reward Card (e.g. £80) via BT’s reward-portal within the period specified after installation.