Like most busy mums, I rarely gave our home internet any thought – until the complaints started. With two teenagers heading into their most important school years, me working from home and the whole family streaming and gaming more than ever, this year it became obvious our setup wasn’t keeping up with the pace of our family’s needs.

We recently upgraded to nbn^® Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), and having access to lightning-fast speed options and a more reliable home connection has already made a huge difference. It made me realise how easy it is to sign up for a plan, forget about it, and not notice when it stops meeting the needs of the household – even though checking your current plan speeds, and whether you’re eligible for a fibre upgrade, is easy.

You might have heard the news – last September, nbn rolled out one of the biggest upgrades in its history. nbn accelerated wholesale speed on its HFC and FTTP networks, which nbn providers are now offering. Eligible households are enjoying smoother streaming, less lag while gaming, and quicker downloads, even across many devices at once.

So, what can you do to turn the complaints into internet that keeps up with your whole family?

First Thing’s First – Check Your Plan

Around 39% of Australians connected to nbn say they don’t know what speed tier they’re on.* That means a lot of families could be on plans that don’t really fit the way they use the internet today.

If your household has multiple bedrooms, devices and people online at the same time, it’s worth checking if your current plan is up to speed – literally! Faster speeds can help make a difference, from smoother study sessions and video calls, quicker downloads, and fewer arguments about who’s ‘slowing the Wi-Fi down’.

With the acceleration of nbn’s wholesale speeds on the HFC and FTTP networks last September, it makes sense to check if your plan is still right for your family’s needs and if you’re eligible for a fibre upgrade, all in one go.

Make the most of your plan speeds

Your internet plan is only one piece of the puzzle. A great nbn experience starts with the right internet setup. It’s important to check if your in-home setup is helping you make the most of your plan speeds.

I’m the first to admit that our home setup hadn’t kept up with the growing number of connected devices in our house. And it’s a common story – 62% of Australians haven’t changed their internet setup in the last two years*. And that’s despite the average Aussie home downloading eight times more data than a decade ago.

Here are three tips that helped me improve our home setup:

• Wi-Fi router placement – Placing your Wi-Fi router in a central, elevated spot that’s open and uncluttered gives better coverage than if it’s tucked away in a cupboard or behind furniture. 
• Wi-Fi router age – If your Wi-Fi router is more than 5 years old, you may want to consider if it’s still suitable for your family’s needs. Your choice of Wi-Fi router, and how you set it up in your home, could limit you from accessing the maximum speed offered by your plan. 
• Wi-Fi coverage – Distance from your Wi-Fi router, and obstacles between you, will impact the strength of signal around your home. If you live in a larger or multi-storey home, you might want to consider additional wired connection points, or a mesh network to help strengthen your Wi-Fi signal throughout your home as your family members move around the house.

For more tips on optimising your home setup and ways to make the most of nbn’s wholesale speeds, visit the nbn Optimisation Hub.

Why Do Faster Internet Speeds Matter?

For my family, it’s all about advancing along with the pace of the world – and keeping the peace! The internet plan your family signed up to when your kids were in primary school may not be the best plan now they’re in high school. The number of times my kids would argue if one was downloading something large and the other was trying to game or stream started to get ridiculous! 

Higher speed tiers mean more capacity so that you can stream, work from home and game online all at the same time with minimal disruptions. It’s about everyone being connected at the same time – whether that’s through smart TVs, tablets, laptops, desktops, gaming consoles or smart phones.

It allows my teenagers to download their projects faster and upload their homework more efficiently. It gives me the opportunity to work from home with fewer interruptions. And it means everyone in the family is connected in whatever way they want when enjoying their leisure time – streaming, gaming, browsing – without impacting anyone else’s experience because there’s enough bandwidth for my whole family at the same time.

What’s next?

As we head into the final school term of the year, it’s a great time to ask: is your home internet keeping up with your family? A quick check of your plan and setup could make everyday online life a whole lot smoother at home. 

Here’s how to get started:

Step one: Take a moment to review your in-home setup to make sure you’re getting the best from your connection.  

Step two:  Check your address to see what speeds are available, and whether you’re eligible for an upgrade to full fibre.

Step three: Speak to your service provider about your current plan and whether it’s meeting your family’s internet needs.

When was the last time you looked into the speeds you could be getting? Check your address and let us know in the comments.

*Source: nbn Customer Research & Insights In-Home Quant Survey October 2024 n=6,225

_{# nbn is a wholesaler. Speak to a provider about a plan that suits your needs.}

_{% Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn network, depends on the nbn access technology and configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside of nbn’s control (like your equipment quality and set-up, software, chosen broadband plan, age of device(s) and/ or how your provider designs its network). For nbn Fixed Wireless, speeds may also be impacted by the number of concurrent users on the nbn Fixed Wireless network, including during busy periods (7-11pm).}

Mouths of Mums is proudly working with nbn to bring you this article.