Site offices, tablets, CCTV, deliveries and card payments all need internet from day one. A fixed line takes weeks and makes little sense on a site that will not be there for long. Here are the real options, honestly compared.
Last updated 18 July 2026
Modern sites run on connectivity. The site office needs it for drawings, RAMS and programme software, the team need it for deliveries and daily reports, cameras need it for security, and more and more sites take card payments and run time-and-attendance in the cloud. The problem is that the thing everyone reaches for first, a fixed broadband line, is the worst fit for a temporary site. Here is how to get connected properly from day one.
A new fixed broadband line usually takes around two weeks to install on a normal home, and often longer where a new line or external work is needed. On a construction site that has no existing line, you are frequently looking at weeks of lead time and an engineer visit, sometimes with digging or a new duct. By the time it is live, the phase may have moved on. You are also paying to wire up somewhere temporary. For anything but a very long programme at a settled location, a fixed line is slow, expensive and a poor fit.
| Option | Setup time | Covers a team? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone tethering | Instant | No, one or two devices | A single person for a short spell |
| MiFi dongle on a capped SIM | Instant | A few devices, limited data | Light use, small sites |
| Rented 5G WiFi router (unlimited) | Next working day, minutes to set up | Yes, a site office plus CCTV and the team | Most sites, from a few weeks to several months |
| Fixed broadband line | Weeks, engineer visit | Yes | Very long programmes at one settled location |
Fine for one person checking emails, but they fall over fast on a real site. A phone plan is not built for a whole team, and a capped MiFi SIM gets eaten in days once cameras and cloud drawings are involved. Treat both as a personal stopgap, not site connectivity.
This is the option built for temporary sites. A pre-configured router arrives the next working day, you give it power, and it puts a whole site office, the team's devices and your CCTV online in minutes. It uses the mobile network, so there is no line to install, no engineer and no digging. Unlimited data is the key part: site cameras, cloud drawings and video calls get through a lot, so a capped plan is a false economy. When the phase or the project ends, you send it back and the rental stops. You only pay for the weeks the site actually needs.
Getting a site online. Airgen Go rents pre-configured, unlimited-data 5G WiFi routers that arrive the next working day, from £35. We check the site postcode across the mobile networks first and ship the SIM with the strongest predicted signal, so you are not guessing about coverage. Plug it in, connect, and the site is online. See WiFi for building sites for how it works, and for multiple sites or a long programme, email hello@airgengo.co.uk for multi-unit pricing.
A construction site needs internet from the first day, and a fixed line almost never delivers that. For nearly every site, a rented 5G router with unlimited data is the practical answer: online in minutes, no installation, coverage checked in advance, and gone the moment the job is done. Keep it for as long as the phase runs, and no longer.
Unlimited 5G WiFi from £35, delivered next working day, coverage checked at your site postcode. No line to install, no contract, send it back when the job is done.
Site WiFi options →