In short
Broadband for dental practices should put staying online first. On BT Business Broadband that means Prompt Care for BT's next-working-day fix target, Hybrid Backup for automatic 4G cover during short outages, Complete Wi-Fi Plus for surgeries over several floors, and Wi-Fi Security Controls or Ultra to control which devices join the network.
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Why a practice cannot run on a fragile connection
Most dental and clinic software has moved online or relies on the connection between sites and suppliers. On a normal day a practice may depend on the broadband for:
- Appointment books and patient records in cloud practice management software.
- Imaging, where scans and X-rays are uploaded to cloud storage or shared with labs and referrers.
- Prescriptions and referrals, sent electronically through the systems your practice uses.
- Payments and online booking, at reception and on the practice website.
- Phones, which now run over the internet as well.
A practice cannot simply close for a day when the line fails; patients are booked in and clinicians are waiting. So fault fixing and backup matter more than the top speed tier. Upload matters too, because imaging and record uploads travel the slower direction on a BT Business Broadband line: BT's upload figures run from up to 19Mbps on Standard Fibre to up to 104Mbps on Full Fibre 900.
Some clinical systems set their own connection requirements. Check with your system suppliers before you choose a plan, and tell us what they say.
Fault fixes: Standard Care or Prompt Care?
BT offers two care levels on BT Business Broadband, and for a practice the difference is worth looking at closely.
| BT Standard Care | BT Prompt Care | |
|---|---|---|
| Fix target | End of the second working day after the fault is reported | End of the next working day after the fault is reported |
| Reporting cut-off | Before 9pm on a working day | Before 9pm Monday to Saturday |
| Saturdays | Not counted as working days | Counted as working days |
| Which plans | Essential and Enhanced | Included with Pro and Ultra; an add-on for Essential and Enhanced |
| If BT misses the target | Rental credit under BT's Customer Service Compensation Scheme | Rental credit under BT's Customer Service Compensation Scheme |
These are BT's targets and BT's scheme, set out in BT's terms. For a practice that opens on Saturdays, or that would lose a full list of appointments to a two-day fault, Prompt Care is usually worth having. Read how BT business broadband support works for the reporting route.
Not sure which level fits? Ask us
Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right level for your organisation, with a quote.
Hybrid Backup: short-term cover, not a second line
Hybrid Backup adds a Hybrid Connect device that switches your broadband connection to 4G automatically if the fixed line fails. BT says your static IP and IP voice services keep working while it is active. It is included with Enhanced and Pro and is an add-on for Essential.
For a practice, it is better treated as cover for a short outage:
- Mobile speeds vary with location, coverage and demand, as BT points out, so large imaging uploads may be slow or better left until the line is back.
- It keeps the essentials moving: the appointment book, records lookups, payments and phones.
- Plan what to pause. Agree in advance which tasks, such as large uploads and backups, wait until the line is fixed.
If your practice needs the same upload as download speed for imaging, or a stronger service level than broadband offers, read when to upgrade from broadband to a leased line and our sister site on BTnet leased lines. Contact us if you want Hybrid Backup added to an existing line.
Wi-Fi across surgeries, floors and reception
Many practices sit in converted houses or over several floors, which is hard ground for Wi-Fi. A few principles help:
- Wire what you can. Imaging workstations, reception PCs and phones are steadier on a cable than on Wi-Fi.
- Smart Hub 3 with Complete Wi-Fi Plus. On Full Fibre, and on Standard Fibre with Pro, BT supplies its Wi-Fi 6 Smart Hub 3, which BT says supports over 100 devices. Complete Wi-Fi Plus adds discs to make one network across the building. It is included with Pro and, where you have Smart Hub 3, an add-on for Essential and Enhanced.
- Know the guarantee. BT's Complete Wi-Fi Plus guarantee covers the main building for six months from service start. If coverage is still weak, BT may send up to five extra discs or an engineer, and a Pro customer can then end the broadband contract. Outbuildings are not covered.
- Ultra on several floors. BT Ultra Broadband uses up to three Cisco Meraki access points, each covering roughly a 10 to 15 metre radius by BT's estimate. BT treats multi-floor and multi-building premises as a reason to check carefully before choosing Ultra.
Our business Wi-Fi guide covers placement in more detail.
Is BT Business Broadband the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Protecting patient data on the network
Health information is special category data under UK GDPR and needs extra care. Broadband features do not make a practice compliant on their own, but the network is one of the places where that care shows.
- Keep patients off the practice network. BT Guest Wi-Fi, included on every plan, gives the waiting room password-free Wi-Fi on a separate public network, with content filtering as standard.
- Switch on the basics. Content Controls and Web Protect come with every plan but are off by default; switch them on in My Account.
- Control which devices join. On Pro, Wi-Fi Security Controls let you approve devices before they connect, group clinical, reception and staff devices, block access on a schedule and see a dashboard. They filter websites, not apps.
- Managed firewall. On Ultra, BT's Cisco Meraki package adds a next-generation firewall, URL filtering, malware protection and intrusion detection and prevention, with BT making configuration changes on request.
- Protect the devices. BT's Endpoint Threat Protect is a paid per-device security add-on for any plan.
BT says Ultra is not intended for customers who want to keep an existing third-party firewall or who have complex or bespoke networks. If your IT provider already manages a firewall, Enhanced or Pro is the better place to start, and we can talk the set-up through with them. Our business broadband security guide sets out the full ladder.
Which BT plan suits a practice?
A quick guide. We confirm the right fit once we know your premises, your systems and who manages your IT.
| Your practice | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small single-floor clinic with a few cloud systems | Enhanced, adding Prompt Care | Hybrid Backup, a static IP and Enhanced IT Support included |
| Practice over two or three floors that needs Wi-Fi in every surgery | Pro | Smart Hub 3, Complete Wi-Fi Plus, Prompt Care and Wi-Fi Security Controls |
| Practice with an IT provider who manages its own firewall or remote access | Enhanced or Pro | Both include a static IP; agree with your IT provider how their kit connects before you order |
| Single-building practice that wants BT to manage a firewall and does not need a static IP | BT Ultra Broadband | Cisco Meraki security appliance, automatic cellular backup, Meraki Wi-Fi and Prompt Care |
See our page on using your own router with BT Business Broadband before replacing BT's hub. BT says that if you use your own router, Hybrid Backup, Complete Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi security features are not available, that its helpdesk does not support third-party routers, and that on Standard Fibre the Smart Hub 3 does not currently support modem-only mode.
How we help practices and clinics
We check what your practice's address can get, work through fault-fix levels, backup, Wi-Fi coverage and security with you (and with your IT provider if you have one), quote, place the order and help you through to installation day. We also help you list any alarms, lifts or other kit that still uses a phone line before the PSTN closes.
For practice phones, see BT Cloud Voice for healthcare on our sister site. Pricing is confirmed at quote. Contact us and tell us how your practice is set up.
Why buy BT Business Broadband from Forever Communications
Forever Communications is part of Forever Group and an Authorised Supplier for BT. We supply BT Business Broadband to businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations, and we help with each step from first enquiry to go-live.
- The right connection for your address: we check whether your premises can get Full Fibre or another access type, and explain what that means for speed; see checking availability
- A plan that fits how you work: we help you compare BT Business Broadband plans, including BT Business Ultra, and decide which add-ons such as Hybrid Backup or a static IP are worth having
- A clear quote: charges, minimum term and what is included set out in writing; see what affects the price
- Installation planned with you: we explain what happens before and on the day; see BT Business Broadband installation
- Connected services in one conversation: phones with BT Cloud Voice, Wi-Fi and security, or a BTnet leased line when broadband is no longer enough
BT Business Broadband is a business service. Speeds, features, service levels and availability are BT's and are confirmed at order.
Frequently asked questions
What broadband does a dental practice need?
A dependable line with a fast fault-fix target and backup matters more than the top speed. BT's Pro plan is worth a close look because it includes Prompt Care, Hybrid Backup, Complete Wi-Fi Plus and Wi-Fi Security Controls.
Is 4G backup enough for a dental practice?
It is useful short-term cover. BT's Hybrid Backup switches your broadband to 4G automatically if the line fails, but mobile speeds vary with location, coverage and demand, so large imaging uploads may need to wait until the line is fixed.
How quickly will BT fix a broadband fault at my practice?
With BT's Prompt Care, faults reported before 9pm Monday to Saturday are targeted for a fix by the end of the next working day. BT's Standard Care targets the end of the second working day.
Can patients use our Wi-Fi without risking practice data?
Yes, if they use BT Guest Wi-Fi. It is a separate public network from your practice network, password-free for patients and filtered as standard. It is included on every BT Business Broadband plan.
Does BT Business Broadband make my practice GDPR compliant?
No broadband plan does that on its own. Features such as Guest Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Security Controls and Ultra's managed firewall help you control the network, alongside your own policies and IT security.
Still have a question about BT Business Broadband?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.