BT Expert Setup for Business Broadband

What is BT Expert Setup?

Expert Setup is BT's on-site set-up service for business broadband. One of BT's engineers visits your premises to get your kit running properly from the start. BT says this can include setting up Complete Wi-Fi and extras such as mobile devices.

It is separate from the line installation. The line itself is installed or activated by Openreach or BT as part of your broadband order; see installation. Expert Setup is about what happens inside the building: the hub, the Wi-Fi and the devices that use them.

It is worth having if nobody in the business is comfortable setting up a router, if you are adding Complete Wi-Fi Plus discs and want them placed well, or if you are moving several computers and printers onto a new network at once.

Which plans include Expert Setup?

Expert Setup is available with BT Business Broadband plans, and BT includes a visit on some plans. BT's sources differ on exactly which plans include it, and offers change, so we confirm it in your quote rather than state it here.

What BT's terms say about the included visit:

• Duration: the included visit is a 90-minute visit.
• Select it at the time of ordering: to get an included visit, it must be selected when the order is placed. After that, BT charges for a visit.
• Timing: BT has up to three months from the order to fulfil the Expert Setup order.
• BT's discretion: BT says the included visit is offered at its discretion and that it can cancel it.
• Safety: the engineer can decline to work on site if they feel unsafe.
• Mainland UK only: Expert Setup is not available outside mainland UK.

BT Ultra Broadband is different: a longer Expert Setup visit is part of every Ultra order. See the Ultra section below.

What the engineer can help with

On a standard BT Business Broadband visit, the focus is the BT kit and the devices that connect to it:

• The hub: connecting and setting up your Smart Hub, including the Wi-Fi name and password.
• Complete Wi-Fi discs: placing and pairing discs so coverage reaches the rooms that need it.
• Devices: connecting computers, laptops and mobile devices to the new network.
• Getting the best from the kit: BT describes the visit as making sure you get the best out of your kit from the start.

The full list of tasks is in BT's Expert Setup terms, which apply to your visit. If you have systems that need specialist set-up, such as a server, VPN, CCTV or a firewall of your own, plan that with your IT provider; it is not what the visit is for.

Expert Setup on BT Ultra Broadband

Ultra puts Cisco Meraki equipment in place of the Smart Hub as your router and Wi-Fi, and BT's set-up for it is more involved. From BT's Ultra briefing:

• Two appointments: Openreach installs the broadband line, typically about two days before a 150-minute BT Expert Setup visit.
• Access points: the engineer installs your Wi-Fi access points (one ships with the equipment and the engineer can fit up to two more), and sets up the network name, password and guest Wi-Fi.
• Device migration: the engineer helps move up to 10 computers, 2 printers or copiers and BT-provided IP phones to the new network. Extra time can be booked in 30-minute blocks at an extra charge.
• Not included: CCTV cameras and controllers, till systems, building access, network attached storage and personal devices are for you or your IT provider to move.
• High ceilings: engineers carry a standard step ladder, so warehouses and workshops with high ceilings need discussing before the visit.
• Standard Fibre conversions: when an existing copper or FTTC line is converted to Standard Fibre 76, service may be unavailable between the Openreach visit and the BT visit. The Meraki kit can be self-installed using BT's guides to bridge the gap.

Our Ultra installation guide covers the Ultra visit in full.

Preparing for the visit

A little preparation makes the visit far more useful:

1. Have the right person on site. Someone who can make decisions about where kit goes, and who knows the passwords and logins for your devices.
2. Know where the line comes in and where the hub will live. Clear space near a power socket, in the open rather than inside a cabinet.
3. List the devices. How many computers, printers and phones need connecting, and which are wired.
4. Mark the problem areas. Note the rooms where Wi-Fi is weak today so discs or access points go where they are needed.
5. Line up other suppliers. If your IT provider needs to move other systems, schedule them for the same day.

Do you need Expert Setup at all?

Many businesses do not. Where no engineer is needed, BT says a self-installed service is activated by 23:59 on the agreed date and that installing the hub takes about 15 minutes. A single-room office or a small shop with a few devices can often manage the rest with the BT Business app.

Expert Setup is worth adding when the premises has several rooms or floors, when you are adding Wi-Fi discs, when you are moving a whole office onto a new network, or simply when nobody has the time. If you are unsure, tell us about the premises when you ask for a quote and we will give you an honest view.

Expert Setup, Enhanced IT Support and how we help

Three kinds of help are easy to mix up:

BT says Enhanced IT Support is available 24/7. Faults on the broadband itself are reported to BT and fixed under BT's Standard Care or Prompt Care levels. Our part is getting the order right in the first place, so the visit, the kit and the plan match the premises.

Booking Expert Setup through Forever Communications

We confirm whether an Expert Setup visit is included with the plan you choose, add it to the order at the right point so it is not missed, and help you prepare for the day. Pricing and inclusion are confirmed at quote. Contact us about BT Business Broadband with Expert Setup.