Which M1 broadband plan is right for me

When it comes to broadband, consumers in Singapore enjoy some of the fastest and most affordably priced broadband plans anywhere in the world. Today, telcos typically offer a couple of plans that vary in connection speeds to suit customers and their needs. These speeds are generally 3Gbps, 5 or 6Gbps, and 10Gbps.

The availability of these options is great for consumers. Still, it can also be confusing, especially if you aren’t well-versed in home networking. In a nutshell, choosing the right broadband plan boils down to two considerations: can you fully maximise the speed, and do you really need all that speed?

There are a few things to consider when it comes to maximising the plan’s speed. If you want to skip ahead, click on the content list below, otherwise, keep scrolling.

Home infrastructure

Key takeaway: Ensure your home network uses Cat 6 cables.

One of the most important considerations when getting a new broadband plan is your home’s networking infrastructure. Most newer homes come complete with built-in network and data points, making it easy for owners to get internet connectivity throughout their homes. However, to fully maximise today’s high-speed broadband plans, you have to check that your cables used for networking are at least Cat 6 or Cat 6a, because these cables support speeds of up to 10,000Mbps. This means you’ll be able to fully maximise the speeds of these broadband plans, which also means you can freely choose from any of the broadband speeds.

Older homes might have networks built with Cat 5 cables. In this case, speeds will be limited to 1Gbps, which isn’t bad, but it means you cannot fully capitalise on the speeds of your new broadband plan. Redoing the network in your home will be a big undertaking and probably not feasible for most people. However, you can still use Wi-Fi to get speeds of over 1Gbps by connecting the ONT (optical network terminal) directly to a router. This is not ideal, but it may be good enough if your fibre termination point is a central enough location in your home. If you fall into this group of users, I’ll recommend limiting yourself to the 3Gbps or 5/6Gbps plans. Because you are relying on Wi-Fi, you’ll never be able to attain transmission speeds that can fully maximise the broadband plans. Hence, you are better off saving money by going with a cheaper plan with lower speeds.

Existing hardware

Key takeaway: Take advantage of all that speed with Wi-Fi 7 devices.

The next thing to consider, apart from your home network, is the types of client devices you have. This means what are you going to be connecting to your home network and your wireless devices, like your phones, laptops, and tablets.

For wired connections, you need to ensure your device has a high-speed Ethernet port, preferably one that is 10GbE, so that it can support speeds of up to 10Gbps. If your device doesn’t have it, consider if it can be added on. For example, you can get a 10GbE PCIE network card for your desktop. And even if your device doesn’t support 10GbE, it just means speeds will be capped at 1Gbps – which is still fast by today’s standards.

If you are mostly going to be relying on Wi-Fi, then you’ll need to consider the type of router you are going to be using and your wireless devices. I’ll touch on routers separately below, but as for your wireless devices, you will want them to support Wi-Fi 7. This is the latest networking, and it’ll enable you to consistently achieve speeds over 1Gbps when paired with the right Wi-Fi 7 router. Wi-Fi 6E isn’t good enough, and I covered why here.

Router considerations

Key takeaway: Get a Wi-Fi 7 router with WAN and LAN ports that matches your plan. If you want a 10Gbps plan, get a router that has 10Gbps WAN and LAN ports.

The last important piece of the puzzle is the router, because the job of a router is to deliver high-speed broadband to all your devices. To begin, you’ll want a Wi-Fi 7 router. Then, ensure it has a fast enough WAN and LAN ports. Most Wi-Fi 7 routers these days either have Gigabit, 2.5Gbps, or 10Gbps WAN ports, and you’ll want one that supports your plan. So if you want a 10Gbps plan, you’ll need a router that has a 10Gbps WAN port and a separate 10Gbps LAN port so that it can fully maximise your plan’s speeds. If it only has 2.5G ports, then your speed will be limited to 2.5Gbps. A router with a 10Gbps WAN and LAN ports will likely be quite pricey, so those on a budget could opt for one with a 2.5Gbps WAN port and pair it with a 3Gbps plan.

Other things to consider include how many frequency bands it supports and how many LAN ports it has. The former is crucial if you have many wireless devices, while the latter is important if you wish to connect it to your home network or have devices that you wish to use a wired connection.

Another consideration is a mesh networking system. For many homes these days, a single router may not be enough to provide Wi-Fi coverage, which is why you might want a mesh networking system. These systems typically use multiple nodes to work together to create a single wireless network that spans across the entire home. This can be helpful in ridding a home of Wi-Fi dead spots or in larger homes where a single router is insufficient.

Do you need that speed?

Key takeaway: 3Gbps will suffice for most people. Faster plans will mostly benefit high-bandwidth activities and support more users.

Assuming you have all the required hardware mentioned above and can fully take advantage of these high speeds, the answer will depend on two things: what you normally do on the internet and how many users are there.

If there are many users at home, a faster plan, when paired with the right router, can help reduce congestion and improve the overall online experience. This is especially true if all users are engaged in high-bandwidth activities like streaming high-resolution videos, web conferencing, online gaming, or downloading large files. In such situations, a high-speed plan can help. Even if there is only one or two users, a high-speed plan can be especially beneficial when downloading exceptionally large files.

To be clear, 3Gbps is plenty quick and will be more than adequate for most people. The higher speed plans are really only for power users with specific requirements and use cases. And anecdotally, having upgraded from a 1Gbps to 10Gbps in the past year, the only times I really noticed the improved performance were when I was downloading large files or when I was downloading content to watch offline on Netflix. In everyday use, like web browsing or even streaming shows, I couldn’t tell the difference.

HomePac 3Gbps: Enough for most users

Price: S$32.90/month

Free bundled router choices:

• TP-Link Archer BE230
• ASUS RT-BE58U

Top-up router choices:

• ASUS RT-BE92U (+S$13/month)
• TP-Link Archer BE805 (+S$15/month)

This is M1’s most affordable fibre broadband plan and is suitable for most users. The free bundled routers are also decent, since all of them feature 2.5Gbps WAN ports. However, users who want fast wired connections should opt for the TP-Link Archer BE230 because it has 2.5Gbps WAN and LAN ports. The ASUS RT-BE58U only has a single 2.5Gbps WAN port. However, the ASUS counters with its stronger feature set and higher levels of customisation.

Readers willing to top up for a better router will likely be better served by the ASUS RT-BE92U. Not only is it a tri-band router, it also has better wired connectivity in the form of a 10Gbps WAN/LAN port, a 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN port, and three 2.5Gbps LAN ports. However, readers who prioritise wireless connectivity should consider the TP-Link Archer BE805, which has better wireless specifications. However, it only has a 10Gbps WAN port and a 10Gbps LAN port. Its remaining four LAN ports only support up to 1Gbps.

HomePac 6Gbps: Great for those seeking a bit more performance

Price: S$40.90/month

Free bundled router choice:

• TP-Link Archer BE805
• ASUS RT-BE92U

Top-up router choice:

• ASUS ZenWiFi BT10 (+S$12/month)

For $8 more a month, you could get M1’s 6Gbps plan. This is great for users who demand a little more performance, or medium-sized families who need more bandwidth when everyone’s together in the evening.

The bundled routers are great and depend on your priorities. Those who need fast wired connections should opt for the ASUS RT-BE92U because it has a 10Gbps WAN/LAN port, a 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN port, and three 2.5Gbps LAN ports. Readers who need more wireless bandwidth should opt for the TP-Link Archer BE805 because its 5GHz band supports speeds up to 5.76Gbps, while its 6GHz band tops out at 11.52Gbps.

If you need a mesh networking system, topping up for the ASUS ZenWiFi BT10 is a good choice. It’s fast and has excellent connectivity. Moreover, it won our 2025 Best Mesh Router Tech Awards.

HomePac 10Gbps: For power users and big families

Price: S$39.90/month

Free bundled router choice: None

Top-up router choices:

• TP-Link Archer BE230 (+S$4/month)
• ASUS RT-BE58U (+S$4/month)
• ASUS RT-BE92U (+S$9/month)

If you’re wondering why the 10Gbps plan’s price is so attractive, the reason is that it doesn’t come bundled with any router. This makes sense since the type of user who opts for such a plan is usually savvy enough to want to use their own router.

That said, you could top up S$4 a month for the TP-Link Archer BE230 or ASUS RT-BE58U. However, I would advise against doing so since neither router has 10Gbps ports. The ASUS RT-BE92U is a better choice since it has a 10Gbps WAN/LAN combo port. But really, a plan like this deserves a high-end router like the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98, which is a quad-band router with a single 10Gbps LAN port and two 10Gbps LAN ports. This ensures maximum compatibility with the 10Gbps plan.

If you set on a 10Gbps, you’ll want to check out our guide on how to get ready for 10Gbps at home.

Integrated HomePac 10Gbps: For convenience

Price: S$40.90/month – comes with Huawei OptiXstar HN8255X6s-8X ONR

Free bundled router choice:

• TP-Link Archer BE230
• ASUS RT-BE58U

Top-up router choices:

• ASUS RT-BE92U (+S$13/month)

This 10Gbps plan comes with an ONR (optical network router), which performs double duty as an ONT and a router. Although it simplifies your setup, there’s a drawback, and that is the provided ONR – the Huawei OptiXstar HN8255X6s-8X – only supports Wi-Fi 6. If you have Wi-Fi 7-enabled devices like the latest iPhone, iPad Pro, or Galaxy Fold7, it means you won’t be getting the maximum wireless performance.

That said, the plan still comes with a free router, so you can still create a Wi-Fi 7 network if you wish. But that does mean having two networks at home. The upside is that with strategic positioning, you can ensure Wi-Fi coverage across your entire home. The downside is that you’ll need to manage your devices to ensure they connect to the network that you want them to for maximum wireless performance.