24th June 2017
Advice on NBN Connections
This week we have been asked out to more customers than ever to try to help sort problems with the transition from ADSL Internet connections to NBN connections. The number of problems here seems to be escalating rather than improving.
If you are a homeowner and want to transition from ADSL to NBN then you are very reliant on ‘the system’ as you have little choice but to order the new NBN service on your existing ADSL line. The transition is supposed to happen in around 3 steps and it is supposed to be seamless – with no disruption to your Internet.
If you run a business and have more than 1 phone line then it is essential that you order any new NBN service on a separate line to your existing ADSL service. This can prove invaluable as you then have the opportunity to test out the new NBN service and make sure it is stable before you remove your existing ADSL service.
The above is where most businesses go wrong and it can result in a complete disruption to your Internet and emails for anything between a day and as much as several months. We have seen this first hand and have come to the rescue with alternative services such as mobile broadband – but through a proper business grade router so many computers can operate from it.
It really does my head in that the major Telcos seem to botch up communications with NBN Co – or vice versa to the point that the end user suffers and gets bounced between the two entities. It is not like Central Queensland was the first area to go NBN and you would think that these massive companies would have their stuff sorted by this.
Another important tip for most people signing up for NBN is that once you finally get the connection in place then be sure to test what actual speed you are getting. Because we missed out on fibre to the premise FTTP and now have to live with fibre to the node FTTN it means that the last leg of cable to our premise is actually copper.
This last leg of copper can vary greatly both length and quality so it can severely limit our connection speeds. If we had got FTTP then this bottleneck would have been entirely eliminated. So get onto a site like www.speedtest.net and see what actual speed you are getting.
In some cases regardless of the NBN plan you signed up to, it may in fact be less than the speed offered by a lesser plan. If this is the case then you can drop back to a cheaper monthly plan without any corresponding loss of speed.
As an example you may have signed up on a 100/40 plan but your best speed could be as low as 30/12. If this is the case you can drop back to a 50/20 plan to save money each month and still get the same 30/12 speed result.
Finally if you have been disconnected during the transition process and currently have no Internet available then make some noise as there are other temporary alternatives available while your permanent connection gets sorted out.
Future Byte Me topics can be emailed to [email protected] and Bruce is contactable at Kerr Solutions, 205 Musgrave Street or on 49 222 400.
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