Zen Broadband Reviews

Compare broadband providers in your area

Ultrafast FTTP & G.fast broadband

Unlimited Fibre 1

Guaranteed no in-contract price increases | Line rental included & EveryRoom Wi-Fi Boost included
  • 33Mb
  • average" speed
  • Unlimited
  • Broadband usage
  • £24.00
  • setup
  • 18
  • Month contract
View Deal
  • £41.99
  • per month
  • 1st year total £527.88

Unlimited Fibre 2

Includes FRITZ!Box 7530 Wifi Router | Line rental included & EveryRoom Wi-Fi Boost included
  • 67Mb
  • average" speed
  • Unlimited
  • Broadband usage
  • £24.00
  • setup
  • 18
  • Month contract
View Deal
  • £45.00
  • per month
  • 1st year total £564.00

Our review of Zen Broadband

Who are Zen Broadband?

Zen have been around longer than Google but it’s probably not the first ISP that you think of. Zen was founded in 1995 by Richard Tang and his brother David. The company started in Rochdale Lancashire and is the UK’s oldest ISP, Zen still retains its company ethos, which is to focus on people first and profit second. The Sunday Times listed Zen as the 44th best company to work for in 2020.

Zen’s passion to look after staff and foster an initiative approach to helping customers has led them to create an award-winning, resilient company. Zen have previously heavily focussed on delivering business broadband but is now pushing back into the consumer market and taking on the big four; BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media & Sky.

FRITZ!Box 7530 router from Zen Broadband

Zen Broadband options

Zen offer fast and reliable business and consumer broadband packages. Options include standard 10Mbps ADSL broadband, 35Mbps & 66 Mbps Superfast fibre & Ultrafast 900Mbps as well as G.fast connections which can deliver speeds of up to 330Mbps. Only a small handful of UK ISPs offer all of these options. Check if Zen Broadband is available in your area

Zen Broadband review logo

Zen Broadband Pros & Cons

Key features for Zen Broadband packages

Zen Broadband Pros

  • Knowledgeable & professional UK based customer support
  • Top notch router - FRITZ!Box 7530 router worth £130
  • Reliable ISP & Free static IP address

Zen Broadband Cons

  • Set-up fees vary and start from £19.99
  • Not the cheapest ISP but they are worth every penny
  • Currently Zen only cover 500,000 UK properties so not everyone will have the opportunity of switching to them

Zen FRITZ!Box router review

The FRITZ!Box 7530 is a high-end comprehensive router which comes free with any 12, 18, or 24-month Zen broadband contract. The router has a built-in DECT phone system which is compatible with all common wireless DECT telephones. Up to 6 cordless phones can be connected to the FRITZ!Box router. Alternatively, you can connect an analogue phone or fax via the RJ-11 port on the rear of the router. The FRITZ!Box router can seamlessly synchronise with your Google contacts so your home phone and mobile contacts are always up to date.

Rear FRITZ!Box 7530 router guideThe FRITZ!Box is a dual-band router that simultaneously transmits on 2.4-GHz (up to 400Mbps) and 5-GHz (up to 866Mbps) frequency bands. The smart auto channel search will find the optimum Wi-Fi channel to minimise interference from neighbouring WiFi signals. The connection quality is displayed for each device connected to the network. The router has 4-gigabit ethernet ports on the rear (WAN via LAN port 1). The router has one USB port to connect a network printer or share media storage. The FRITZ!Box has easy-to-use VPN functionality and great parental control features (see below).

FRITZ!Box Guest WiFi

Free guest QR code wifi login The FRITZ!Box has the option of a private guest WiFi network which is separate from your home or business network. You can even create a custom welcome page with your own image and welcome text; great for cafes, small shops or your guests at home. You can even opt for guests to consent to your terms and conditions via a check box before granting access. Traffic management options can be deployed to your guest network so its usage it limited to general web browsing and emails, avoiding user abuse. Access can also be gained by offering guests a convenient QR code image to log in. Join Zen and get a free FRITZ!Box router

Awesome and convenient parental controls

With the Zen FRITZ!Box router you can use tickets to allow devices to access the internet regardless of the time limit set in the FRITZ!Box parental controls. Each ticket consists of a randomly generated six-digit code. If a device redeems the ticket in a web browser, it's then granted a single, 45-minute extension of online time. It's an uncomplicated method of managing ad hoc screen time for surfing outside of parental control time slots without having to adjust the parental control settings in the router.

Free static IP address

All Zen customers get a free static IP address. This feature is typically something you require if you're running your own business and want to connect remotely to your office computers. With a static IP address, you can manage your home or business network via the FRITZ!Box router from anywhere in the world. Gamers will also benefit from the ability to host online gaming sessions.

Zen Home Phone

Zen include phone line rental with any broadband package that requires a phone line to work. This includes fibre broadband that utilises a traditional copper phone line. If you have a direct FTTP (fibre to the premises) broadband package it won't be included as standard. If you make a lot of calls from your landline, you can opt for a ‘Line Rental Plus’ bundle which gives you unlimited anytime calls to UK landlines starting with 01, 02, and 03 for an additional £6.51 per month. Mobile & International call bundles are also available. The caller display feature is available as standard, free of charge.

Zen Broadband customer reviews

The good the bad and the ugly. Read honest Zen broadband customer reviews
Compare Top 10 ISP Reviews

2.8
16 reviews
Post review
  • 7
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 6
  • Package price
    2.5/5
  • Customer service
    2.6/5
  • Broadband speed
    3.1/5
  • Overall satisfaction
    2.8/5
Zen broadband review
by MIALPHAS
ZEN FIBRE
  • Package price
    1.0/5
  • Customer service
    1.0/5
  • Broadband speed
    1.0/5
  • Overall satisfaction
    1.0/5
Review
After reading so many good reviews and Which recommendation i signed up for Zen Fibre. Previously for a period of 10 years I was with TalkTalk and i was looking forward to all Zen offered. However I strenuously and seriously warn you DONT SIGN UP WITH THIS COMPANY.
Show more
  • Add a comment
  • Share
  • Report
Zen broadband review
by John w
Great
  • Package price
    5/5
  • Customer service
    5.0/5
  • Broadband speed
    5.0/5
  • Overall satisfaction
    5.0/5
Review
Had Zen for a few years and have only had one issue the whole time. Have contacted support a couple of times, one for a disconnection and another to move to ipv6 and had fast and good quality service.
Would recommend.
Show more
  • Add a comment
  • Share
  • Report
Zen broadband review
by Ian Burnett
Yet another Which? recommended disaster
  • Package price
    1.5/5
  • Customer service
    0.5/5
  • Broadband speed
    1.5/5
  • Overall satisfaction
    0.5/5
Review
Maybe I should also review Which?, an organisation whose reviews are usually worse than useless, as they are fans of Zen Internet, probably the worst broadband provider right now.
Totally incompetent, cannot be contacted. We have been Zen customers for several expensive years. They are probably the slowest Broadband provider, and the most expensive, but their reputation for customer service was once good. Once our broadband speed fell below 5meg download, 0.2meg upload, we complained. No reply after a week. So we went to Sky - half the price, around 10x the speed. But they couldnt supply on the date agreed, or give a date in the future. So back to the fools at Zen. These incompetents have now accidentally cut off our phone and lost our phone number. Still no way to contact them. They dont respond - but they do send us spam marketing emails. Surely no other provider is this hopeless?
Show more
  • Add a comment
  • Share
  • Report
Zen broadband review
by Jason cheung
Avoid ZEN
  • Package price
    0.5/5
  • Customer service
    0.5/5
  • Broadband speed
    1.0/5
  • Overall satisfaction
    0.5/5
Review
I have been using Zen for 4 months and I have to move my apartment due to an unexpected problem (Issue with landlord).
I am trying to move with Zen but Zen have to charge me for 1 year cancelling fee!!!
No to mention the Zen is slow. I could get faster in this price!
How Zen is recommended by Which?
My recommendation is to not use Zen. Avoid them
Show more
  • Add a comment
  • Share
  • Report
Zen broadband review
by Allen
Shady.
  • Package price
    0.5/5
  • Customer service
    0.5/5
  • Broadband speed
    0.5/5
  • Overall satisfaction
    0.5/5
Review
I moved house and realised that I could get a faster, cheaper service in my area. I tried to cancel my zen internet. Even though the service hadn't gone live yet, I was told they'd signed me up to a new contract without telling me and now have to wait 12 months to leave. Thoroughly unimpressed with the customer service.
Show more
  • Add a comment
  • Share
  • Report