Fibre to the Premise Upgrade Process
In eligible areas, NBN offers free upgrades from their Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology to Fibre to the Premise (FTTP). FTTN has fibre optic cable running to a central node, which provides internet to an area of houses. The internet is delivered from the node to the property via a copper wire. Speeds on FTTN are capped at 100Mbps. FTTP utilises fibre optic cable to the node & from the node to the home. It delivers speeds up to 2000Mbps, and does so more consistently and reliably than FTTN.
The Upgrade Process
The first step is to check your address to see if you’re in an area that is eligible for the free upgrade. You can do this on NBN’s website here.
Some properties show as upgraded to FTTP, despite not having the correct hardware installed in the home. You can contact us here to confirm if you’re unsure.
Upgrade Requirements
If your property is eligible, there is a requirement for the free upgrade. You must select a plan that has speeds of 100Mbps Download & 40Mbps Upload or faster. You must be on this plan for a minimum of 12 months, however you can drop down to a lower plan before the 12 months is up for a $200 one-time fee. While we don’t offer a 100/40Mbps plan, we offer a 500/50Mbps plan that is cheaper than our previously offered 100/40Mbps plan.
Upgrade Appointment Details
The provider you’re getting the upgrade through is responsible for booking the appointment with NBN and keeping you informed regarding the date & time. NBN dictates when the appointment is booked for. They will fall into either an 8am-12pm or 1pm-5pm time slot on the chosen day. Rescheduling the appointment for a later date is possible, but not earlier.
What Gets Installed?
You’ll get two boxes installed at your property for the FTTP upgrade. The NBN Utility Box on the outside, and the NBN Connection Box on the inside.
Image courtesy of NBN Co.
Image courtesy of NBN Co.
Before your appointment, you should decide on a preferred install location for the NBN Connection Box.
It has to be within 12 metres of the NBN Utility Box location. We recommend to avoid the garage or other corners of the house.
A central location is best as it places your modem in the best possible position to cover the whole house.
Day of the Appointment
For the installation to go ahead, someone over 18 must be present. They must specify the preferred location for the NBN Connection Box.
If you’re a residential or small business customer, you’ll get a single port box installed. If you’re a business customer, you’ll get a four-port box.
Image courtesy of NBN Co.
Image courtesy of NBN Co.
Connecting Your Modem
You’ll use the ethernet cable (it’ll either come with the modem or the NBN technician will supply one during the install) to connect your modem to the NBN connection box.
If you have a single-port box, you’ll plug the cable into the red port.
Image courtesy of NBN Co.
If you have a four-port box, you’ll plug the cable into one of the numbered UNI-D ports.
Image courtesy of NBN Co.
On the back of the modem, there will be a port labelled for the cable to plug into. On the modems we supply, it’s indicated by the blue globe.
After the Appointment
Once the NBN technician connects your modem, you’ll have internet. All that’s left to do is connect your devices using your modem’s network name & password.
If you experience any connectivity issues after the appointment, power cycling your modem fixes most issues. To power cycle, simply turn the modem off, wait 3-5 minutes and turn it back on.
And that’s it! You’re now on FTTP with faster and more reliable speeds. If you want to upgrade with an internet provider that is 100% local or just have a question about your eligibility, get in touch with us today.