Broadband for a static caravan, park home or holiday lodge in the UK

Yes, you can get broadband at a static caravan, park home or holiday lodge, but the way you do it is usually different from a normal house. For most pitches the practical answer is a 4G or 5G router that needs no landline and no engineer. Where a park home has its own recognised address, a fixed line may be possible. And for genuinely remote sites, satellite can fill the gap. The right choice comes down to your exact pitch, how the park runs its infrastructure, and the mobile signal where your unit actually stands.

Before you commit to anything, the single most useful thing you can do is check the precise pitch postcode or address, not the park name, and ask site management what they will allow. The rest of this guide explains why that matters and walks through each option honestly.

Can you get broadband at a static caravan or park home?

In most cases, yes. What varies is the technology and the effort involved.

A permanent static caravan or park home can sometimes reach fixed line broadband through full fibre (FTTP), FTTC, cable or an altnet. Many pitches, though, are better served by 4G or 5G home broadband that connects over the mobile network and works without a phone line or fibre cable. You plug the router into power, place it where the signal is strongest, and connect your devices as you would at home.

The crucial point is this: do not assume that coverage at nearby houses means the same option is available at your caravan. Network records can tell the difference between the park entrance, a reception building and an individual pitch. Someone checks coverage for the nearest village, assumes the park will match it, then finds the signal is weaker in the gaps between units.

Why standard home broadband is usually not an option

Many caravan and holiday parks were never built with modern broadband in mind. Some have shared site Wi-Fi, some have nothing fixed at all.

Full fibre has spread a long way: it was available to 69% of UK premises in September 2024, according to Ofcom's Connected Nations 2024 report. But that national figure is context, not a promise for any particular holiday park. Rural parks and parks with separately managed infrastructure can differ sharply from the streets nearby.

There are also two practical barriers a house owner never faces:

• No recognised service address. An order can stall if the pitch has no address that network records accept.
• Park permission. You need the operator's approval before any work touches the pitch, the caravan exterior, shared land or site infrastructure. An order can be delayed or stopped if an engineer cannot access the right place, or if the operator will not allow new cabling or external kit.

Ask the park's position in writing before you sign a fixed term contract. Confirm whether existing ducts or poles can be used, who authorises access, whether there are restrictions on drilling or cable routes, and whether charges apply for site work. If the park supplies a shared connection, find out whether residents are allowed to order an individual service instead.

Option 1: Mobile broadband (4G and 5G)

For most static caravans and lodges, this is the main practical option. A 4G or 5G home broadband hub, or a pocket-sized MiFi router, takes a SIM, connects to the mobile network and creates Wi-Fi inside the unit. No landline, no fibre, and often no engineer.

When 4G makes sense. 4G is widely available across much of the UK. Three, for example, says its 4G network covers 99% of the UK outdoor population. It is not the fastest technology, but when the signal is good and the router is well positioned it handles browsing, banking, email, streaming, smart TVs, messaging and much remote work comfortably. It suits seasonal use and anyone who needs to be online quickly.

When 5G is worth it. Where a strong 5G signal reaches your site, it offers faster speeds and more capacity than 4G, which helps if several people are online at once or you stream heavily and make frequent video calls. But 5G is not automatically better. Some rural and coastal sites have limited 5G coverage, and a strong 4G signal can be more stable than a weak 5G one. A router that can fall back between network types is useful in patchy areas.

Hardware options. Three sells 4G and 5G home broadband hubs for a fixed unit, and a MiFi router (roughly pocket-sized, battery life up to six hours) if you move around. If you would rather not buy new kit, a data-only SIM in a tablet or existing device, or tethering to your phone, can get you online. Tethering is the cheapest short-term fix, but it chews through your phone's data allowance fast and is a poor choice for streaming.

The honest trade-off with all mobile broadband is that performance depends on signal, local demand, the router's placement and the construction of the caravan. It will not work well if the mobile signal at the unit is weak.

Option 2: Satellite broadband, including Starlink

Satellite can keep you connected almost anywhere, which makes it the fallback for remote sites where mobile signal is weak.

The catch is cost and consistency. Satellite internet tends to be far more expensive than 4G or fixed wireless, with pricier equipment to set up and higher monthly charges. You can get good speeds, but connections can be less reliable, with occasional downtime and higher latency, which matters for video calls and gaming.

If your site has usable mobile signal, 4G or 5G will almost always be cheaper and simpler. Reserve satellite for places where nothing else reaches.

Option 3: Park or site-wide Wi-Fi

Many parks offer some form of shared Wi-Fi, but it is not guaranteed and comes with real limits. It can be slow, and it may not have enough capacity for what you want to do. Shared connections typically slow to a crawl on bank holiday weekends and during school holidays, when the whole site is online at once.

If you already have park Wi-Fi but sit too far from the source, a Wi-Fi signal booster can extend the signal into your unit. Be clear about what it does: a booster strengthens the Wi-Fi signal reaching you, but it does not make the underlying internet connection any faster. If the problem is a slow connection or too many people sharing it, a booster will not help, and spreading the signal can even reduce the overall speed.

Option 4: Fixed-line broadband where your park home has its own address

This is where the distinction between types of pitch really matters. A permanent park home with its own recognised postal address has the best chance of ordering standard residential broadband, because an order needs an address that network records accept and a line that can be provided.

Where both exist and the park permits the work, fixed line is usually the clearer choice for long-term living. It reaches the pitch over physical infrastructure, so it tends to be more consistent than a wireless service. Full fibre (FTTP) is generally preferable to FTTC where both are available, because fibre runs all the way to the premises. Cable and altnet services exist in some areas too, but only an address-level check confirms what you can actually get.

A standard connection is more straightforward where a suitable line already exists. New infrastructure, non-standard access or a newly recognised address can take longer, so treat any installation date as an estimate until the provider has checked the address and the engineering.

Comparing speed, data and reliability

Option	Best suited to	Main advantage	Key check before ordering
FTTP or full fibre	Year-round living, home working, busy households	Physical connection to the pitch	Address availability and park permission
FTTC / cable / altnet	Where full fibre is not yet available	Uses existing fixed infrastructure in many places	Whether an active line can be provided to your pitch
4G or 5G home broadband	Seasonal use, flexible or hard-to-connect pitches	No new fixed line needed	Signal quality at the pitch, and the service terms
Satellite	Remote sites with weak mobile signal	Works almost anywhere	Setup and monthly cost, latency tolerance
Park / site Wi-Fi	Light, occasional use	Cheapest, nothing to install	Speed at peak times and whether you can use your own instead

Fixed wireless access is another option in some areas, connecting your caravan wirelessly to a nearby radio mast through a small external antenna. It can reach high download speeds and is reliable, but it needs a clear line of sight to the mast and can be affected by bad weather.

For data, mobile broadband is where households come unstuck. A single person browsing and emailing uses very little, but a family streaming on several devices will burn through an allowance quickly. If you plan to rely on mobile broadband for streaming, pick a generous or unlimited data plan rather than hoping a small allowance stretches.

Typical costs and contract considerations

Compare the total cost over the minimum term, not just the headline monthly price. Weigh up the monthly charge across the whole contract, any setup or activation fee, delivery charges, and the price that applies after any introductory period. Check whether equipment must be returned if you cancel, and read the wording on annual price rises.

For new contracts taken from 17 January 2025, Ofcom requires providers to show any mid-contract price rise in pounds and pence at the point of sale, instead of using inflation-linked or percentage terms. That makes known increases easier to plan for, but still read the full pre-contract information.

Contract length should follow how you use the caravan. A shorter contract suits seasonal use or sites where arrangements may change. A longer agreement can make sense for a year-round home, but only if the park permission, address record and service suitability are all clear. Mobile broadband often comes with more flexible terms, and some plans can be paused when a second home sits empty, which fits a unit used only a few weekends a year.

As a sense of the market, some caravan-focused mobile broadband plans run from around £28 a month for a 4G package with a setup fee, up to roughly £50 a month for a top 5G plan aimed at year-round use. Prices vary by postcode and provider, so treat these as a rough guide rather than a quote.

Equipment you may need

• A 4G or 5G router or hub. Usually plug and play. Some providers loan the router rather than sell it, which means returning it when the service ends.
• A MiFi or dongle if you want something portable. A MiFi connects several devices over Wi-Fi; a dongle plugs into one device's USB port and connects only that device.
• An external antenna. Fitted to the outside of the caravan, it can boost signal strength and improve speeds where the indoor signal is marginal.
• A Wi-Fi signal booster if you are relying on park Wi-Fi from a distance.

Two practical points the thin guides skip. First, all of this kit needs power, so plan for a reliable mains or hook-up supply, and remember a MiFi's battery only lasts so long. Second, metal cladding, insulation and glazing all weaken signal indoors, so a router near a window usually performs better than one tucked into a corner.

How to check coverage before you commit

Guesswork is the enemy here. Take these steps:

1. Check the exact pitch, not the park name. Coverage changes across a site; the entrance may be stronger than your pitch, or the reverse.
2. Use the Ofcom coverage checker to see what mobile speeds are on offer, and the provider's own coverage checker for the specific postcode you are heading to. Before signing with any network, research which one works best in your area.
3. Test the signal at the caravan itself before relying on 4G or 5G. A proper check at the actual location beats a broad postcode result.
4. Think about peak times. Parks are busiest at weekends and in school holidays, and more people on the same local network means slower speeds.
5. Count your devices and name your must-haves. If video calls for work or card payments need to be smooth, reliability matters more than headline speed.

Which option is right for you?

A few simple rules of thumb:

• Year-round park home with its own address and good park cooperation: aim for fixed line, full fibre first if you can get it.
• Static caravan or lodge with decent mobile signal: a 4G or 5G home broadband hub is usually the neatest answer, and 5G if the signal is strong.
• Seasonal or second home used a few weekends a year: a flexible mobile broadband plan, ideally one you can pause, fits the use and the budget.
• Remote site with weak mobile signal and no fixed line: satellite is the fallback, accepting higher cost and latency.
• Light, occasional use and a park that offers it: site Wi-Fi may be enough, with a booster if you sit far from the source.

Whatever you choose, start with the pitch address and the park's rules. Get those two things straight and the right connection usually becomes obvious.