The National Broadband Network (NBN) is your gateway to fast internet connection for surfing, streaming, and gaming. With various service providers such as Tangerine, Vodafone, Harbour ISP, and more, numerous options might confuse you.
If you require getting fast, reliable internet service for home use, ask yourself the following questions before moving forward –
- How many individuals use the internet at home?
- What is your data requirement in terms of surfing, streaming, and gaming?
- How much is your budget?
Overview of Speed Plans
The NBN plans come in form of speed tiers and evening speeds. Four widely available speed tiers can fit your requirement –
Speed 12/1 Mbps
This connection offers 12 Mbps download speed and a 1 Mbps upload speed. Generally, this connection cannot be termed as superfast but works for the most minimalist users of the internet.
Speed 25/10 Mbps
This internet speed suits most single users at home that require the internet for moderate use of SD streaming and web surfing.
Speed 50/20 Mbps
This plan is well-suited for fast internet sharing and streaming by people in a household. The speed is great and some of the providers offer further discounts upon considering long term contracts.
Speed 100/40 Mbps
For households that require a 24/7 high-speed connection for covering every aspect of the internet such as surfing, social media networking, downloading videos and audios, streaming channels, and gaming. This is the costliest and the fastest tier made available by the NBN.
Other Factors
Some other aspects that you need to consider before zero in on a plan are –
- Quality of your router
- The number of people using the internet at the same time
- The type of usage by the people connected to the internet
- The type of NBN connection (Fibre, Wireless, or Satellite)
- Speed congestion in the network (Evening Speed during peak hours)
The NBN Connections
Depending on your location, you will have an option to connect via an NBN plan using Fibre, Wireless, or Satellite. Each of these connections might have a little different speed even during peak hours because of the way it reaches your home.
- Fibre to Home – This is a direct fibre optic cable connecting to your modem at home.
- Fibre to the Node – This uses a telephone line from a fibre node installed at the footpath, curb, or the building to receive the NBN connection.
- Fixed Wireless – This connection type uses airwaves to wirelessly provide the NBN connection.
- Satellite (Sky Muster) – For homes in remote areas, NBN offers Sky Muster satellites to receive the internet speed. The top speed on such a network is 25 Mbps.
Best Plan for Your Home
You can easily place your requirement in one of the plans mentioned above. As a general rule, the more number of people in the household using the internet, the more NBN speed you will need. For most households, the NBN 50 plan works the best because –
- It supports internet use by a family of four
- The internet speed is perfect for mid to heavy internet usage
- Most household users don’t require a higher upload speed
- It can provide streaming and gaming simultaneously
