Getting Connected
You don’t need broadband in church to get connected to the internet. Many churches in the Salisbury Diocese (including Stourpaine and Stourton Caundle) have created a WIFI hotspot in church through a simple router and SIM card. This enables you to use the internet connection for more than just contactless giving, and doesn’t require a faculty.
Considering Broadband
Don’t rule out broadband without investigating it; might not be as expensive as you think, and it's all done under a List B Faculty.
Many churches are already connected to broadband internet, and it’s not just the larger town centre churches. Offering wifi in small rural church can open up the church space for community groups, enable streaming of services and make contactless giving easier.
In 2025, Chaldon Herring connected their small rural church to broadband through Wessex Internet. The whole village is a notorious mobile phone blackspot, so having wifi in the church is a real plus! As well as streaming services, they are now able to invest in a contactless card reader to raise funds at life events, festival services, and community events.
4G/5G Internet Router
Using a mobile SIM is a cost effective approach to providing internet connectivity to your church. 4G routers are relatively inexpensive and there are many deals to be had on mobile SIM data packages. As long as you've a good mobile signal outside the church you can use a router to connect to the internet and create a WIFI network within the church for use with contactless giving devices and other needs such as streaming services. Do shop around for your mobile SIM as you can often find good deals where smaller companies use one of the four main mobile networks, for example Smarty mobile on Three, or GiffGaff on O2.
Wessex Internet
Local provider Wessex Internet is offering community buildings in rural parishes a low connection charge at £49 and then £1 a month, wherever they are installing broadband already (March 2025). This offer is for one community building per parish. If the church is the only community space, or if the community hall is already connected, it is well worth exploring this offer.
Read the DAC guidance on getting connected in this Word document.
Weak Broadband
Some of our churches have broadband in the vestry, or an office space, but find it doesn’t extend into the main church space. If this is a problem you are facing, read about your options to extend or boost your WIFI.
Your church may be connected to the internet, but in many cases thanks to the complexity of the building or connected buildings that signal may not cover all your needs. It’s common for a church to have a good signal near a vestry router, but struggle for connectivity elsewhere in the building. Those big stone walls and pillars may be historic and beautiful but medieval architects cared little for your Wi-Fi needs. So how can you extend your reach?
The very simplest option is to move the router, finding a spot that allows the signal a better reach around the church. We know though this isn’t always possible. So, a relatively simple and inexpensive option is a wireless extender. Placed within the existing WiFi signal, but closer to where you’re lacking WiFi, these plugin devices extended your wireless reach to those difficult spots.
A similar option is the use of powerline adapters – these send your internet signal around the setting through the mains cables – you just need one at the router end and another where you want the connectivity. Powerline adapters work great – but they do require both source and destination to be on the same mains circuit, which can’t always be guaranteed in a church setting.
That being the case, and in the right setting, just running ethernet cable from the router to a point where you can connect to your device(s), or place a wireless access point, is a very reliable approach. Running cables is not always convenient but in those where it is, it’s the most reliable solution.
The best and most future-proof option for many locations is a wireless mesh network. Here a router and several mesh devices all communicate to create a wide network across your site. Each node intelligently hands-off your device to a closer node as you move around. It’s the best choice if you’re willing to invest in such a system. In most cases a mesh system is more reliable and powerful than the alternative of extenders. There are budget two-node options for under £100 available or larger more expensive systems with many more nodes.
If you’re struggling with connectivity at your church contact the Giving Team and we’ll do our best to improve the internet access at your location.
If you have any questions about connectivity, please contact Harry Neary for more information.
