Thread: Got NBN at work what a joke

Thanks for the info but I should clarify the situation. I will have fiber to the node, so the cable to the house is normal cable. Does that mean I can connect the router to any socket?

By coincidence, I just found out that the NBN is now under construction in our area, so now the companies are letterboxing us with plans. I'm not excited and may delay to see if the next Labor Government dumps the copper in favour of fibre, which is what it should have been all along. No need to rush. Besides, we're planning to sell in a couple of years and head for the hills.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

By coincidence, I just found out that the NBN is now under construction in our area, so now the companies are letterboxing us with plans. I'm not excited and may delay to see if the next Labor Government dumps the copper in favour of fibre, which is what it should have been all along. No need to rush. Besides, we're planning to sell in a couple of years and head for the hills.

If its now under construction I suspect that even with a change in govt, thats just what you'll have. Their priority will be getting it out with new sites going to FTTP. Mind you, if there is a change in govt then I hope they fix it properly.

Me too.

Originally Posted by Eevo

cat6 can do 1gbps. (can do more but the hardware is expensive and not home grade)

You forgot one word at the end of that line Eevo, YET.
Most computers don't need or have programs that will use that speed , YET. But we all know it's only a matter of time until they get there. The throttle that has been placed by copper to the home will sooner rather than later be replaced by necessity.
Put simply think about your last 2 home computers, previously for me one had 1gb ram and a 500g hdd and before that I think it was 256meg and a 64gig hdd, now my 3yr old comp which is due for update in 1-3years has 4g and 1tb hdd . New pcs have 8-16gb ram 1-2tb hdd and lots are coming with 128-500g ssd for speed, 3 years ago these where stupidly expensive and only hardcore gamers had them, now much cheaper.

Originally Posted by frantic

You forgot one word at the end of that line Eevo, YET.
Most computers don't need or have programs that will use that speed , YET. But we all know it's only a matter of time until they get there. The throttle that has been placed by copper to the home will sooner rather than later be replaced by necessity.
Put simply think about your last 2 home computers, previously for me one had 1gb ram and a 500g hdd and before that I think it was 256meg and a 64gig hdd, now my 3yr old comp which is due for update in 1-3years has 4g and 1tb hdd . New pcs have 8-16gb ram 1-2tb hdd and lots are coming with 128-500g ssd for speed, 3 years ago these where stupidly expensive and only hardcore gamers had them, now much cheaper.

Yeah, I read somewhere that demand is rising by 40-60% annually around the world. I assume as people switch from TV to the Internet they still want to watch downloaded movies and shows, so that is forcing up the required speeds. Copper will never keep up. Why settle for second-best?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

When our router was replaced the installer said all our neighbours were on the same default frequency and reset it to a spare frequency no-one else was using, so now it's faster.

My mother was recently connected to a new non-NBN iiNet VDSL2 service (which is basically FTTN). Line speed was as promised (80Mbps) but "real" speed was crap (8-15). Pulling my hair out (as a semi-retired elec engineer) I checked with a ethernet connection and got 60+. Then it tweaked - the VDSL modems supplied are crappy units with 2.4GHz Wifi only. A quick look at the channels used and they were all chockers with users (2-3 routers per channel) - being in a high rise in town. Plugged in her old router from her previous NBN service (2.4GHz/5GHz), connected almost all of her devices to 5GHz WiFi and it was solved (there were basically no 5GHz users) - all getting 40+ consistently. Effectively I am now using her crappy VDSL router as a modem only (with VOIP and wifi disabled) and the 'old' router for the rest - VOIP voice and both wifi bands (she has a small printer 2.4G only).

So before you sit the phone for hours to talk to a useless (but usually very polite) foreign 'helpdesk', try a check with ethernet directly connected if you can (and for some that might solve it if you can use a wired connection) and then try either a different wifi channel or band. Most newer wifi gear (except for some really cheap stuff like mum's printer) are dual band. Basic dual band routers (if you need one) are in the $150-200 range. Of course you may just have a crappy ISP but that's a non-technical issue!

For what it is worth I am in commuting distance to the nation's capital and can only get Sat NBN (huge latency, max 60Gb per month etc as per other posts)! But at least I have 4G+ available - my 98G per month costing me $270 with speeds 20+ (and a couple of mobiles to boot) but worth it! And with the nearest neighbours over a mile away no wifi congestion! Though I am getting pretty sick of watching NBN ads telling me what I can't get!

Originally Posted by jx2mad

Thanks for the info but I should clarify the situation. I will have fiber to the node, so the cable to the house is normal cable. Does that mean I can connect the router to any socket?

It will be the same set up as your ADSL modem so yes you can plug the modem into any phone outlet

1. You will need a new modem (VDSL instead of ADSL), this is usually supplied preconfigured by your ISP. If you get one of your own then make sure it is certified to work on the NBN before buying it.
2. To get the best performance from the modem you should ensure there is only one active outlet, all other outlets should be removed from the line
3. Ideally a new cable should be run from the lead-in to the location you want your modem to be. By law, only licensed cablers are to do this work.
4. If you can't have the above work done then be sure to try the modem on each outlet to see which one performs best - there can be a huge difference in performance from one to the next.
5. No one from the NBN will visit your home to do the installation, your ISP may provide an installation service for a fee.
6. If you currently use a normal land line, it will no longer be able to function by plugging it directly into a phone outlet. Your phone will need to go through the modem. You will need additinal hardware to make your current phone work. Talk to your ISP about this if you want to maintain a land line.

pics from earlier posts refer to FTTP installation so not relevant to you.