Pretty good deal, only $3 more than the 200GB plan. Month to month contract is a nice sweetener.
Save yourself some $$ and get a modem from 2SG instead of Optus (https://2sgwholesale.com.au/product/huawei-b525-4g-router/).
Enjoy
20% off Optus Mobile Broadband 500GB $68/Month (Month-to-Month)
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do you need to get a new sim? they are telling me I need to get a new sim, if i cancel my existing plan and re-sign up.
@missspeckles: They wanted me to take up a new plan and SIM but I gave them a firm no and they eventually agreed to just plan change my current SIM/service number.
@missspeckles: no they just applied it on my current plan. just close it and chat to different person :)
@hihi: In the end I chatted to a different person, who also insisted I had to get a new Sim. I wasn’t sure how long this deal would run for so I agreed to the new Sim and will have to cancel my existing service and get a pro rata of the prepaid fee. A little bit painful, but managed to secure the discount. I was uncontracted, on month-to-month as I was a vivid refugee.
I just opened the chat from inside the mobile app after logging into my account. I received a 20% discount after confirming I had a modem and wanted to remain month-to-month..
this seems to be hit and miss. I am now on my fourth chat person (retention team).
do you have to get a new sim? I am on the current $80 plan, but we use this as our main home internet connection (only have crap ADSL1 connected to the house.. awaiting NBN)… and now that i have finally gotten my chat agent to agree that I can, in fact, get the discount if i switch the plan.. do I really have to wait for another sim to be delivered? anyone had success in getting the discount applied to current plan? (my month finishes tonight… I dont want them to charge me for a whole month if they cancel my service in the next few hours.. and then i am left disconnected while i await Aus Post to deliver a new SIM.)
T&Cs state
These plans can only be used with the Optus-supplied modems provided with your 24-month Optus Wireless Broadband plan. Customers on a month-to-month plan will need to purchase a modem at an upfront cost, which will be advised at the time of purchase, in order to use this plan. The SIM supplied with the modem must not be removed from the modem and will not work in any other device.
looks like the SIM is locked to the modem
I've read success stories in other posts with different modems, just have to edit APN settings.
If don't mind can please share the link. Thanks
please share the link - i'd be very inclined to trying this. thanks in advance!
Couldn’t find the link but I got mine working on the "connect" APN.
@ballistykx: https://www.optus.com.au/for-you/support/answer?id=1378
Follow the link you can change the APN.
I don't really trust Optus infrastructure at my current place anymore. They just keep oversubscribing everything.
Started with their cable for home internet which was great then became over congested. Switched to mobile broadband which also started well (actually consistently usable unlike the cable in the end) but then that has also gone to crap. Switched to use up an old Kogan prepaid SIM and that runs so much more consistently.
I had this and got better speeds than my nbn. I still got the Huawei modern if anyone is interested at a cost
Hi Everyone, hopefully this helps someone. I signed up to this 500GB/$80-month plan last December.
I have tried the AC800S modem and the B525 modem. They both performed very poorly for me, the speeds were too slow and variable. I then decided to buy a used Telstra Nighthawk M1 and my speeds consistently doubled. I have the nighthawk connected to a Netgear X6. I live in Indooroopilly QLD and I get at least 20/10, on a good day I get up to 80/40. Occasionally hangs, but rarely.
Good to know as I plan on using this in the same modem!
I just started using the Nighthawk M1 supplied by Optus (corporate customers only) after months of dealing with the AS800s. What a difference! Double speeds and most importantly, relatively consistent speeds and no connection issues at all so far (10 days).
For anyone considering buying the nighthawk M1, check out facebook marketplace. The ranges really seem to vary, I've seen as low as $50!
Is the nighthawk M1 included in the eligible device list? I thought it wasn't? I currently use it for the mobile broadband plan and would be great if it works still.
I do not think the list is up to date. I am using a Nighthawk M1 provided by Optus with no issues at all.
I mentioned in another comment that I contact tech support and they removed the device limitation. I pled ignorance. If you're near Indooroopilly 4069 you can test my M1 if you like.
The Optus Huawei B525-65A is a bit strange with external antennas. The performance is WORSE with external antennas for some reason. Be careful.
I don't know why that is, but I've tried this on 3 different Huawei B525 from Optus. There is a theory that the Huawei firmware detects external antennas and throttles the speed so you don't 'hog' all of the towers to yourself.
In my tests, the service bar indicators go from 4-5 with internal antennas, down to 3 bars when I plug in external antennas.
The external antennas I used in my test is no cheapie either.
https://onwireless.com.au/14dbi-4gx-4g-3g-all-band-700-2700m…I am curious to see if this is the same with non-Optus issued B525s
Your antenna might be picking up another competing signal from a further tower as its directional. Thus the fall in signal bars.
Or that the cable might have interference?What sort of speeds do you get? I’m also curious; Did you change the settings manually to external antenna only?
Yeah I did. Tried Internal, External, Auto & Mix antenna settings.
The Coax cables used also came from onwireless, at $114 for two cables.
I know these are directional cables and certainly had them pointed directly to the nearest tower that I researched prior.
In Peak hours tests (8pm - 10pm) I was getting 10-12Mbps with the internal antennas and 3-5Mbps with the external antennas, flabbergasted!
Off peak, I usually around 20-40Mbps with the internal antenna. I didn't bother testing off-peak speed with the external antennas.
Maybe the closest tower was more congested or something? I had to point mine to the second closest optus tower
I got a huge increase in speed with external aerials on my b525. Semi rural area with hills, trees etc between me and nearest tower.
Max before was around 20 mbps, now around 60.. though ususally closer to 40
The Optus 4G data connections I have seen are on CGNAT. ie. no public IP address. Is this also the case with this plan?
Yes, I believe all mobile broadband plans are the same. You might be able to ask for a public IP address.
Is this offer applicable area or post code wise?
The rep told me that my area is not eligible for the offer..
Is $192 a good price for the B818 modem? Is it compatible with 5G when that launches?
The thing is, Optus easily gets 150+ mbps in certain parts of the inner city (on phones), which would render 5G unnecessary IMO…(though apparently there are latency issues with 4G?). I'd like to know why Spintel on the Netcomm modem maxes out at 50ish (typically more like 40-45), when smartphones easily get over 100. Is it a modem issue? If so, are there modems available which can equal the speed attained by phones?
CAT19 so at least on paper it's a great modem - I have a B618 and cannot fault it, do keep in mind you only have 1 LAN port so if you plan to connect multiple devices via Ethernet you'll need to add a switch.
For those planning to go month-to-month instead of signing for 24 months: it doesn't make any sense!
There are no plan cancellation fees. You will simply need to pay out the full remaining cost of your device when you cancel, so say you cancel after 12 months you only need to pay $192/2=$96 for the remaining cost of the modem. Why would you pay $192 in full in advance?
I would check with support first. The wording is a little unclear. It reads to me like the whole device payment would be due. And I'm also not convinced about the contract exit wording.
Chatted with their sales team and it sounds like you were correct the first time in that the modem is just paid out based on the number of months left.
There are no device repayments in the cost, so it's not pro-rata. You'd have to pay out the full cost of the device even if you cancelled in the very last month.
OPTUS WIRELESS BROADBAND (24 MONTH PLANS):
Your device repayments are reduced by a monthly credit. If you need to cancel your plan there are no plan cancellation fees, simply pay out the remaining full cost of your device which will include paying the monthly credit value that Optus was going to cover.Pretty clear that the payout figure reduces over time as described by bauser99.
Just chatted to Optus and you're right. According to the rep after 12 months you'd only have to pay approx. $144 for the current modem.
Although, maybe I don't speak legalese, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that clause in the fine print is clear though, LOL.
It doesn't make sense to get this Month to Month and buy your own modem
BYO Cost= Standalone Plan($68x24) + Modem $199= $1831
24M Cost= Plan with Router included $68x24= $1632
** Note if you cancel the 24M plan you just have to pay out the Router which is $192 (which is still cheaper buying it outright) and this will go down by $8 every month you have the plan. e.g. in 3 months’ time the cancelation cost will be down to $168 etc…
So, it’s pretty much a no brainer to get this on a 24M Plan
I plan on going month to month because of 5G, and I also have my own modem. Will buy a 5G modem instead when they become more available.
For anyone who wants to skip the modem, the alternative way is
1. A $15 prepaid 4g modem locked to Optus.
2. A cheap old laptop preferably low power consumption. I got a Sony vaio.
3. A cross cable.
4. A wifi router. I got it previously from Telstra broadband.Install xubuntu on to the laptop. Connect the 4g modem to the USB 2 port on the laptop. Share the connection. Connect the cross cable from the laptop to the wifi router.
That’s it. I got this setup at and ran for weeks with no issue except the wifi router needs restart sometimes.
I use an old phone with USB tethering to replace 1.
So simple, I'll let my parent's know!
While I love the ingenuity of the alternative, the power consumption alone would work to the negative in the long term, not to mention space taken up, lack of mobility and ease of use.
Warning for those wanting to do BYO, be aware that although you can do BYO (sim only order) you cannot use any brand/model 4G router it needs to be basically a Huawei or the Netgear AC800S. I learnt the hard way, got a nice TP-Link MR600 which worked with all sims including Optus pre-paid (the irony) but does not work on these home wireless plans. Optus seem to actively block IMEI's of devices not on it's approved list. The other bizarre thing is if you put the sim into a mobile phone it is not blocked seems only modem/router based devices that are blocked.
Approved device list : https://yescrowd.optus.com.au/t5/Mobile/Optus-Wireless-Broad…
Whirlpool Wiki : https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/optus_wireless_broadband
I had this issue, I called tech support on optus and they removed that limitation.
hi dpala1. i'm also looking to use my mr600 - could you please share what you exactly asked optus tech support to do? thanks heaps in advance
Yes that would be of interest as I spent a considerable amount of time on the phone with support and they couldn't help except say the service is running as expect.
dpala1, any insight on who you spoke with and how you got them to remove that? i.e. did you provide the IMEI of the device you were using to them and they removed the restriction??
Firstly I spoke to them on the phone. I said that the service wasn't working on the M1, and I was not informed of the device compatibility list when I signed up to the contract. The operator then did something (didn't say what, exactly), and then asked me wait two minutes and then reset my M1. From there I had no issues whatsoever. I didn't have to provide the IMEI or any other information. It seems like the technician just removed the device limitation. Keep in mind this was in December 2018.
@lucyrenegade: Can confirm that this still works. My M400 working like a charm!
I might upgrade to a Nightgear M1 soon though.@Monstro: Awesome! If you're still looking for an M1 during mid-January, PM me. I will be selling my M1 around that time because my NBN is being connected early Jan.
I'm using a net gear nighthawk m1 with no issues.
Edit - scratch that, I'm on the mobile broadband plan, not the home broadband.
OP should update link to include the option to select the new B818 modem
https://offer.optus.com.au/dev/shop/broadband/mobile-broadba…
"The page you have requested is unavailable!"
Could somebody explain to me the difference between these two images?
Since the telstra network has more frequencies does that mean it's more stable?
Hi, I've got 2 sims in the household on Optus at $50 a sim and 80 GB data each (data pool) + unmetered netflix (it's an old plan) and switched the third to the Telstra $65 JBhifi plan with 80 GB ($500 voucher plan) earlier. We use the sims to watch Netflix and play online games at home using mobile hotspot and they work fine.
I was looking to have wifi at home at a minimal additional cost (so probably downgrade the 2 Optus sims to basic plans, as I'm locked with Telstra for one year on the third). Should I make the change and to what plan / additional cost or should I stick to what I have for now and not bother about home wifi ?
You're probably going to spend about $30 a month more if you get the broadband plan and stay with optus for your mobiles. There are plenty of other mobile options though, so depending on your mobile usage, this could be better.
I've tried online chat with them and put this discount on my existing 500G plan but the person I spoke to refused to do so and kept saying it's new customer only… What should I say 😭I signed up last month now feeling totally pissed off
Are you on contract?
24 months contract I think.. They don't even care when I say I might cancel my contract
Someone else in the comments above got them to change it while on contract.
@ballistykx: I saw it, don't know what's wrong in my case. I tried twice but they're just like - no, no, no!
Tempting, I'm out of contract on $50 per month for 200gb
But I barely use 100gb per month, think I will pass.Took some time.. had to chat to 4-5 different reps but finally one agreed and I got it availed on my existing plan.. thanks a lot OP :D
Regarding the OP, $200 for a Huawei B525 modem/router isn't particularly good value. That unit is only Cat 6.
If you shop around you should be able to get a Netgear AC800S for well less than that, which is Cat 11 (*), much faster, portable (has rechargeable battery), and can do transparent bridging (so you can use it just as a "plain" modem, connected to some other router via USB).
(*) you might see it advertised at Cat 9. There is a firmware update which boosted that to Cat 11.
You can also get the accompanying dock (DC112A), if you want physical ethernet and better wifi coverage. They've been on here for $79. But you don't really need that.
So an update. after 5 transfers, Ryanna was able to
1) Agree I can BYO modem
2) Migrate my Viviwireless (new box) to the optus account
3) Still waiting for 5G because the NBN FTTN will never see a sent of mine (even though they robbed the tax already)Sales —> Tech (wrong) —> tech —> Retention —> Sales (And now to billing, which I asked for)
For new customers, you can actually sign the same 24 months plan at Harvey Norman and receive extra $100 eftpos gift card as bonus :)
Could this be free money if there are no additional clauses to the Optus contract? Sign up but don't take the included modem. Receive $100 eftpos card. Cancel before the first month is up. You get 500GB of data, a charge of $68 for the month and $32 profit.
I know that you do not have to accept the modem at a regular Optus store as I did not take one during the equivalent Black Friday sale. I already have a compatible modem. Also there are no fees for cancelling the contract, apart from paying out the modem cost, which is $0 if you didn’t take it.
Again, I don’t know if Harvey Norman imposes additional conditions beyond the regular Optus contract.
Does the HN deal apply to mobile broadband? https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/503294
Deal only mentions phones.As does HN's terms and conditions page:
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/optus-offerIn fact for $68 plan it should be $200 EFTPOS if valid 'coz it's over $65…?
It's in the current catalogue on page 16.
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/catalogues/current-catalogue…
Ah, awesome. Thanks!
Thank you. Just signed up and got the B818 and $100 eftpos card.
Does HN got stock of B818?
Nope. Optus will send it by post. The rep wasn’t aware of the B818 modem.
@JohnHowardsEyebrows: Not difficult at all. HN couldn’t do it through their system so they rang the call centre and it was all organised by them.
I tried in at my local Harvey Norman and they wouldn't honour the gift card with the B818 modem the pricks
@Marconaldo: You can ask HN staff to "Raincheck" with Optus for the B818 and Optus will send new modem to you directly. I had my order placed with B818 and $100 gift card at local HN this morning without any issue.
@waverock: I have the same issue. HN staff said they couldn't physically activate a eftpos gift card for me as on their portal there is just no $100 gift card with B818. I can only get the gift card with the old modem.
Would anyone recommend this as an alternative to NBN? Certainly works out cheaper and possibly with faster speeds than NBN would….
It depends entirely on the signal quality at your home, and how loaded your local towers tend to be.
If you're not already on Optus for your phone, get a prepaid Optus SIM, welly it into your phone and do a speedtest from whichever spot you get best reception. Do that at various times of day, over a few days, to get an idea of what typical network performance might be.
Also keep in mind that:
1) you can't get a public IP on Optus. That may or may not bother you, depending on how you plan to use your internet.
2) with (wired) NBN, you plug it in and then you get what you get. With 4G, you may have to start messing around with different modems, modem configurations (eg. bands being used), routers, antenna types / models / orientation / locations, towers being used, and even modem/router firmwares to get a level of performance that you can live with. Or you might get lucky and get great performance 24/7 with cheap hardware and minimal effort.
4G can be much more of a can of worms than line connections.
For example, I get about 15-20mbits down if I just use put the modem/router down near a window. If I take it for a walk round the block, I see over 100mbits. That tells me I need to start messing around with the above things, if I want to get what's possible.
certainly tempting. i had my eye on exetel nbn50 plan for around $55 but they recently jacked their prices up a huge amount, now even more expensive than tpg. i think if you can get wired nbn with similar speed at comparable prices then it would be preferable to this. i'm getting disconnected from my cheap and reliable adsl in 3 months time :(
At least do due diligence and check to see if you're in an Optus 5G area if you were considering this anyway… $70 unlimited data, and guaranteed 50Mbps, for only $2 more. Plus they're currently doing 1 month free promo - yes, even on month-to-month, I checked.
This has been a great NBN alternative for me. I'm using the Huawei B525 4G modem and consistently achieve 35MB-50MB down and 10MB-15MB up. I live in Mosman (500m away from the nearest tower). YMMV.
Sounds like you're in a great area, signal and congestion wise. I'd be seriously thinking of trying out something like an AC800S (triple band aggregation) and seeing if I couldn't get towards 100mbits. I see that in my neighbourhood (on an AC800S) but get less than you with a similar (ex Vivid) Huawei modem/router in my house.
Anyone managed to get it on the 65 or 60(grandfathered) plan? For 200gb
I signed up with the 500GB 24mth plan last Dec.
Chatted with a rep just now and was told that the 20% discount will be added to my plan in 30~45 days.
Anyone got similar answer? Should I spam another rep to try getting it immediately?I am currently on the 200GB plan for $60 each month, 24 month contract and 10 months left, is it possible I can upgrade to this?
Got this during the week, great deal and decent speeds over the past few days, easy 50mbps+ download during peak times.
Which router?
Sorry just saw this, the Optus AC800S Modem
the does anyone know if the b818 can be bridged? i can't find any manuals for it online. i really would like to be connect it to my router. the only other problem i see is cgnat
yes can be bridged. disable DHCP and WIFI and connect WAN port from modem to WAN port on your router. using it now like this.
tell them that you want to cancel your plan and sign up again, they will talk to their supervisor :) and he/she will give it to you. i spoke to different people and the said the same thing and then i told them to cancel my plan :)))))))