6 Houses Stuck on nbn Fixed Wireless with FTTP <100m Away

I have recently moved into our first place in Brisbane.

While the move itself has been very exciting, our current internet situation has been stealing its thunder. We work remotely and the internet is something we rely on for our day to day.

Now to summarise the scenario, everyone in our locality is connected to NBN FTTP except for our little cul-de-sac comprising of roughly 6 houses, all of our houses have been allocated the Fixed Wireless technology which is unfortunately not fit for purpose and has its own limitations at this stage.

I have tried obtaining a quote for the NBN Technology Choice program but they want to charge an arm and a leg to put the line down. To put things in perspective, of the literally 100 or so houses in the area, only 6 are Fixed Wireless and we literally are less than 100 meters from all the houses that have access to FTTP.

We are currently using 2 of our 5g phones to hotspot but we have been experiencing frequent drop outs and high latency during gaming sessions. We don't have 5g home internet available in the area yet either.

We would classify ourselves as mid-heavy users, averaging around 800gigs+ of data usage monthly.

The preference is a way to connect that is reliable, fast, no/high data caps and low latency (gaming) connection available at most times.

Would you be able to advise on how could I get access to a stable high speed internet connection or if anyone of you have been in a similar situation with NBN in the past and how you overcame that?

Comments

  • +2

    Who did you vote for in the 2013 federal election?

    • Was not eligible to vote 😅😅

      • +9

        Well you get a pass. But whenever I see someone complain about the state of internet and they voted for the Coalition in 2013 I can't help but feel they are dumb-(profanity)-(profanity) who deserve the NBN their home got.

        • I agree to a degree- considering we are a developed economy/country, the government can't seem to get the basics right… Pretty sure some third world countries have better internet than us.

          • +9

            @miztory: If the ALP won in 2013 then we'd all have FTTH by now, and the fringe cases who don't would have something better than the Coalition's crappy copper thing. it was a pretty straightforward plan, just install a network of purple cables. Even with the latest projected delays it would have been finished by now.

            Coalition voters have a short memory or some kind of denial thing going on. They just remember what Rupert Murdoch tells them, instead of the reality of the situation. They'd rather have shitty internet in their home just to spite the ALP.

        • -3

          I didn't want the NBN built at all. Who should I have voted for?

          • @Seraphin7: Why didn't you want it built?

            • @therealn000b:

              1. Governments should not be building things that were already being provided by industry.

              2. I was then forced onto a service that was inferior to what I enjoyed previously.

              • @Seraphin7: I was then forced onto a service that was inferior to what I enjoyed previously

                What was you on and what was you forced onto?

                • @Loot N Plunder: I was on cable broadband. I was then forced onto NBN (HFC), with lower speeds (at the same price).

      • Certainly happy to assist with looking at available options.
        If you private message me your address I can let you know the alternative options that are available and I can also tel you if NBNEE Enterprise Ethernet is available.
        Note you will need an ABN or ACN number to connect to NBNEE but if you have a boss who requires you to have decent working internet they could foot the bill.
        You would need to ask them obviously though.
        But if you already run a business from home then you should be eligible.

    • -5

      Are you blaming Dan ?

      • Nah I think they were blaming Melcom termble or however the hell you spell his name.,
        Ex Ozmail CEO who was PM for about 5 minutes a few years ago before they through him out. I mean it was slightly longer then that but no one really cares as he was a bit of a knob and thought he knoew everything.
        Still does actually not a huge fan of him by any stretch.
        frankly most of the Gov ministers talk a lot of BS just to get elected now a days so its hard to vote for any of them.

  • +3

    starlink or high end 5G modem/hotspot with antenna maybe even to roof netgear m6 pro maybe GL.iNet GL-X3000 (Spitz AX) OR used Netgear M1 / M2 can be found on ebay $100-200 if you keep an eye out, no idea how effective in your area/use case

    • +2

      Plus one for Starlink.

    • +1

      I’ve got the Spitz. I don’t run it full time but it’s awesome the handful of times I’ve used it.

  • How much was the technology choice quote? They reduced the cost dramatically a few years ago when they allowed on demand upgrades for many addresses. If its only a few thousands of dollars consider it an investment in the resale value of your property and just pay it.

    Else Starlink.

    • Around 15k- yea, i have been thinking about it…..

      • Ouch, Mine was $4.5k

        • +1

          I wish mine was 4.5k too, i would have jumped on it by now

          • +1

            @miztory: You can get a free upgrade if your running a business from home and need better symmetrical upload speeds.
            A 100MBPS / 100MBPS connection is around $300 per month sometimes slightly less depending on ISP and the length of contract you sign up for.
            Least is 24 months for the enterprise stuff I believe most are 36 months. But well worth it if you need faster speeds with unlimited bandwidth.
            But you need to have a business and an ABN or ACN attached to the account.

  • +2

    Starlink would solve your problem. They had some serious discounts for the last couple of months.
    $139 or so per month and average 300mbps download speeds.

    • average 300mbps download speeds.

      More like average fo 200mpbs, I have not seen 300mbps before. Here is a speed test on a Starlink connection in VIC on Saturday.

      • It depends on the location and number of starlings users around. We live regional and my neighbour and my friends who uses Starlink averages 300mbps.

        • Of course there are a number of things that will impact speed and performance. I have done a number of Starlink installs around regional Victoria and haven't hit 300mbps….. yet…..

  • +1

    Fixed Wireless technology which is unfortunately not fit for purpose

    I don't know who you talked to but fixed wireless is fine for gaming. I run a gaming server on fixed wireless with no problems other than the upload speed at times.
    but
    NBN have plans to upgrade the fixed wireless and also increase the upload speed -200-325 Mbps download speed and an upload speed of 8-20 Mbps.

    $750 million investment to 5G-enable nbn® Fixed Wireless
    https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/…

    https://www.nbnco.com.au/utility/nbn-fixed-wireless-and-sate…

    Currently you can also have up to 4 different internet connections at once

  • Have you tried fixed wireless? You've only said that you are using 5g. Fixed wireless can be fine for gaming but has more variables contributing to a fast stable service.

    • What speeds are you getting on your connection and how many users do you have in the household? The providers only claim for these connections to have 25Mbps speed during the peak hours which is not sufficient in my use case.

  • Been on FW for years here, rarely any problems and when there is it's at the tower, no cables to worry about. :)
    Junior plays games all the time on it and I haven't had any complaints.

    • What speeds are you getting on your connection and how many users do you have in the household? The providers only claim for these connections to have 25Mbps speed during the peak hours which is not sufficient in my use case.

      • +1

        Did a speedtest yesterday was 56 down about 4 up.

  • +1

    We would classify ourselves as mid-heavy users, averaging around 800gigs+ of data usage monthly.

    Perfect for Starlink.

    The preference is a way to connect that is reliable, fast, no/high data caps and low latency (gaming) connection available at most times.

    Starlink will be your best friend.

  • +1

    Call up your ISP and get them to put a request in. I did that recently because I was somehow not able to get it yet my neighbours could (although literally the house next door has FTTP and I don't, dunno how that happened), now I'm on the upgrade list.

    • How long did the process take for you to be on the list?

  • +2

    Starlink - I don't have NBN wired access at our place and have had starlink for a few years now - it's amazingly good. I get 200 - 300mbps (my record is 405mbps https://www.speedtest.net/result/12937454095.png)

  • +1

    If you're friendly with a neighbour on FTTP, you could see if they would be willing to let you install an airfibre point to point link from them to you, and for you to contribute to their monthly charge for their service. Bit of an upfront outlay, but if you're desperate then that could work for you

    • Unfortunately, i barely know the neighbours since I am new in the area. I am considering Starlink based on all the recommendations from the group

      • +1

        Ping on Starlink will be worse than fixed wireless if you're a gamer. I would definitely get a fixed wireless connection for a least a month (should be able to find a provider with a money back/1st month free deal on) to try it out.

        • Thanks! Definitely going to give this a go

      • +1

        How good are your muffin/cake baking skills? Always good to make friends with neighbours regardless. :)

        • Haha i wouldn't trust myself with baking but BBQ is a different story altogether- I have been considering organising a small gathering and invite the neighbours for a weekend BBQ. :)

  • I'm in a street that had fibre pulled but because were in a bunch of duplex townhouses we're not eligible for the upgrade, despite an NBN contact I have telling me we're all on separate runs from the street.

    • Thats rather annoying but trust me i feel your pain…

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