Can I use my own router or modem instead of the provider’s in Poland?
EU Regulation 2015/2120 (art. 3(1)) gives you the right to use terminal equipment of your choice with your internet access. According to BEREC, requiring the provider's device without an objective technical need conflicts with the Regulation, and restricting tethering likely does too.
Many people prefer their own router. Whether your provider must let you connect it, and which details it must give you to set it up, depends on the rules in Poland.
📜 The rules in Poland
The details
- Before you sign, the provider must tell you the conditions and any fees for using a device it lends you for the contract term (art. 285 Pke). (eli.gov.pl)
- Your contract must list any restrictions on using terminal equipment that the provider imposes, and the conditions for returning a lent device when the contract ends, including who pays for the return (art. 288 Pke). (eli.gov.pl)
- When the contract term ends, or once you pay the early-exit compensation, the provider must remove free of charge any lock it put on a promotional device (art. 310 Pke). (eli.gov.pl)
- A provider may use equipment at your home to offer Wi-Fi network access to others only with your prior consent (art. 353 Pke). (eli.gov.pl)
UKE – wniosek o interwencję
Ask UKE to intervene if a provider fails to carry out, or wrongly carries out, a switch, number porting or number change, or may have broken the Pke. Send the request by post, e-Doręczenia, ePUAP or the PUE UKE form.
🪜 Step by step
- Check that it fits your lineMake sure the router supports your type of connection: fibre, cable, DSL or mobile.
- Ask for the access detailsYou need the login data and settings for the internet connection and, if you have one, for phone service over the internet.
- Keep or return the provider’s deviceAsk whether you must return a rented router, and whether you keep paying for it.
- If the provider refusesAsk for the refusal in writing and contact the regulator or the dispute body.
📇 Who to contact
❓ Questions
Will the provider still help me if something goes wrong?
Providers usually support the connection itself, not equipment you bought. Keep their device and settings so you can test with them.
Do I still pay for the provider’s router?
Check your contract. If the router is rented, ask whether you can stop paying when you use your own.
Will my own router make my internet faster?
It can improve your Wi‑Fi, but the speed of the line itself stays the same.
📎 Sources
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