Community Fibre 500Mbps is an excellent option for people who regularly upload videos or back up large files. With an average download speed of 500Mbps and an average upload speed of 500Mbps, it can send a 25GB project in about 6 minutes 40 seconds. That is a considerable saving over the roughly 46 minutes needed on BT Full Fibre 500’s 73Mbps average upload speed.
For a home already well served by 300Mbps, the improvement is mainly shorter transfers and more bandwidth when several demanding activities overlap. The next package, 1Gbps, halves calculated transfer times and comes with a Wi-Fi 7 router. Neither upgrade is necessary simply to watch a few 4K screens.
Plan details
| Detail | Community Fibre 500Mbps |
|---|---|
| Average download speed / average upload speed | 500Mbps / 500Mbps |
| Connection | Full fibre through Community Fibre’s own network |
| Router supplied | Linksys MX20 with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 |
| Contract options | 12 or 24 months |
| Scheduled increases on the current 24-month offer | £3 a month each April; a further £4 a month after the minimum term |
| Satisfaction guarantee | 30 days from successful installation; leave without cancellation fees if you are unhappy and Community Fibre cannot put things right |
| Installation and switching | Engineer appointment for a new connection; One Touch Switch available when transferring an existing service |
| Optional services | TV, home phone and additional compatible mesh units |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Much less waiting to send large files than on most Openreach 500Mbps plans. | No router upgrade over the slower 300Mbps package. |
| Faster game installations than Community Fibre 300Mbps. | Frequent 100GB-plus transfers still finish much sooner on gigabit. |
| Enough bandwidth for several demanding users to share. | Little extra benefit when a slower package already meets your needs. |
What you can do with 500Mbps speeds
The useful question is what happens while a large transfer is running. A download limited to 300Mbps leaves 200Mbps of download bandwidth for the rest of the home. Letting it use the entire connection finishes the file sooner but gives other traffic less room.
| Shared activity | Bandwidth allowance | What remains at the full package speed |
|---|---|---|
| Six 4K screens and four HD video calls | 150Mbps for viewing, plus 16Mbps each way for calls | 334Mbps download and 484Mbps upload |
| Three GeForce NOW sessions at supported 4K/120fps settings | 135Mbps download, allowing 45Mbps per player | 365Mbps download |
| Uploading a 25GB work folder | About 6 minutes 40 seconds using the full upload speed | Download bandwidth remains available; other uploads share the same 500Mbps |
The viewing example allows 25Mbps per screen; call allowances are 4Mbps each way per person. These are examples of shared use, not maximum device counts. Transfer calculations use decimal file sizes and assume the full speed is available. Servers, Wi-Fi and other traffic can extend the wait.
Community Fibre Router
Community Fibre supplies the Linksys MX20 with this package. Its Wi-Fi 6 connection and Gigabit Ethernet ports are suitable for 500Mbps broadband, so an ordinary computer with Gigabit Ethernet does not need a faster network adapter.
Moving from the 300Mbps package to 500Mbps buys more broadband speed, rather than different wireless equipment. If the problem is poor reception in a bedroom or study, upgrading the broadband alone will not improve the signal there.
Positioning the router in the open helps, while compatible mesh units can reach rooms beyond its useful wireless range. The MX20 and other Community Fibre routers are covered separately, including their mesh options.
Home phone and TV
A home phone is optional and uses a telephone adapter connected to the broadband service. The 500Mbps package provides far more bandwidth than calls require; choose the calling option for the numbers you ring, rather than for a broadband speed advantage. Calls need electricity and a working connection.
Adding the PLEIO TV service brings live TV, streaming apps and cloud gaming to a compatible television. Its 4K box does not make every programme available in 4K. Content, app support and subscriptions determine what you can watch; the broadband has ample speed for ordinary TV viewing.
Community Fibre 500Mbps for gaming
Big installations are the clearest reason for a gamer to choose 500Mbps. These calculated times show the wait when one download has the connection to itself.
| Download size | Time at 500Mbps |
|---|---|
| 40GB update | 10 minutes 40 seconds |
| 100GB game | 26 minutes 40 seconds |
| 150GB installation | 40 minutes |
Allow extra time for unpacking, installation and any further updates. Two consoles downloading simultaneously must share the connection, rather than each receiving 500Mbps.
For Fortnite, Call of Duty or Valorant, a higher download speed does not automatically mean a lower ping. Community Fibre advertises a 0–10ms ping range, but this is a provider claim, not an independent measurement of this package or a guarantee to your game server. Ethernet avoids the additional variability of a wireless connection, and limiting background transfers helps when they cause ping to rise.
Cloud gaming places a heavier demand on download bandwidth. Three GeForce NOW players at 45Mbps each use 135Mbps. Supported 4K/120fps play also needs suitable devices and membership, plus latency below 80ms to NVIDIA’s data centre.
Anyone planning to host a server should also check the IP arrangement. The standard CGNAT connection prevents ordinary incoming IPv4 port forwarding; Community Fibre offers a public IP option separately.
Community Fibre 500Mbps for streaming
Several televisions can play high-quality video without coming close to using 500Mbps. Netflix recommends 15Mbps for a 4K screen, while NOW recommends 30Mbps per device for Ultra Boost UHD viewing.
Four Netflix 4K streams and two NOW UHD streams therefore need a combined allowance of 120Mbps, leaving 380Mbps of download bandwidth. That is enough room for a substantial download alongside the viewing. Account limits still apply: the broadband does not increase the number of screens permitted by a subscription.
The practical benefit over a slower package is keeping downloads moving while people watch. It does not improve the picture once a stream already has the bandwidth it needs.
A TV with a 100Mbps Ethernet port can still handle these individual streams. A wired connection that falls short of the package’s 500Mbps speed is not necessarily a problem for watching television.
Is Community Fibre 500Mbps any good?
For people regularly sending videos, design work or large backups, this package offers a clear advantage over the many 500Mbps alternatives with much slower average upload speeds. It also leaves plenty of download bandwidth for a busy home without requiring gigabit broadband.
The case for 1Gbps is strongest when large transfers dominate your day: a 100GB download falls from about 27 minutes to 13 minutes 20 seconds at 1,000Mbps. For households whose busiest evening involves streaming, meetings and multiplayer gaming, 500Mbps is already more than sufficient. Compare the full contract cost and included equipment before paying for the faster package.
Alternatives to consider
These five packages from four providers offer similar average download speeds. Upload performance and included equipment make the larger differences.
| Alternative | Average download speed / average upload speed | Main difference from Community Fibre 500Mbps |
|---|---|---|
| BT Full Fibre 500 | 500Mbps / 73Mbps | Comparable downloads, but substantially longer waits for large uploads. |
| Sky Full Fibre 500 | 500Mbps / 60Mbps | Similar download performance; slower uploads. |
| Virgin Media M500 | 516Mbps / 52Mbps | A small download advantage, with roughly one-tenth of the upload speed. |
| Vodafone Full Fibre 500 | 500Mbps / 68Mbps on Openreach; 500Mbps / 500Mbps on CityFibre or Community Fibre | Closely comparable speeds on the alternative networks; check which network serves your address. |
| Vodafone Pro 3 Full Fibre 500 | 500Mbps / 68Mbps on Openreach; 500Mbps / 500Mbps on CityFibre or Community Fibre | Adds a Wi-Fi 7 router, mesh booster and automatic 4G backup. |
Community Fibre 500Mbps FAQs
Is 500Mbps twice as fast as Community Fibre 300Mbps?
No. The 300Mbps package has a quoted average download speed and average upload speed of 350Mbps. Moving to 500Mbps increases both by about 43%, reducing calculated transfer times by 30%.
Can I watch 4K while downloading at 300Mbps?
Yes. At the full package speed, a download capped at 300Mbps leaves 200Mbps of download bandwidth. Three NOW UHD streams need an allowance of 90Mbps, leaving another 110Mbps. Your subscription must support UHD and three simultaneous streams.
Does the 500Mbps package include Premium WiFi?
No. Community Fibre currently offers Premium WiFi to new customers taking selected gigabit and faster packages with a 24-month contract. Additional compatible mesh equipment is a separate option for the 500Mbps service.
Can the connection download and upload at 500Mbps at the same time?
The plan specifies 500Mbps in each direction, rather than a single 500Mbps allowance divided between them. Achieving both on your devices depends on their connections, the servers and other traffic. Wi-Fi devices also share wireless bandwidth.
How long would a first 250GB cloud backup take?
About 1 hour 7 minutes at the full 500Mbps upload speed. A backup service that limits transfer speed, or spends time checking and encrypting files, will take longer. Later backups can be much smaller if the service sends only changed files.