NBN Praise when praise is due!

Whilst I am aware that the general conversation (on this Forum) about the NBN is really over, I wish to share my wonderful ISP’s care of their clients. I have been an ADSL2+ user with Internode since the early 2000’s (I think 2005 but it may be earlier). Their service throughout this time has been nothing short of exceptional. e.g. Some 5-6 years ago lightning killed my router on Christmas Day. No-one was available until 27.12. however I received a new router from them (already configured) ready to plug in from South Australia within 3 days of my phone call. Reading and hearing of the many dramas that many of the larger companies are not able to fix in quick time (if at all, in the end), I was a very ‘nervous Nellie’ about the Broadband being connect yesterday. I had been advised it would be a painless transition (by Internode) and an approximate down time was quoted as 5 hours, which was closely adhered to. I received a text message to say that it was now up and working. After restarting the router, I found that there was a problem. I phoned and was talked through the small alteration in the router settings. Voila! It worked and at the lowest level (Bronze up to 12mbps) I am now able to watch movies in HD. With ADSL2+ I had to watch movies in Standard Definition. VERY HAPPY! Thank you Internode!

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Great to hear @pforte, thanks for sharing the experience. We already have a few threads about NBN complaints and an NBN wiki, so it’s good to have this new thread on positive experiences.

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Great to hear. I am a long time Internode user and think they are marvellous. We’re not on NBN yet, so really pleased to hear this. Thanks.

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Internode built an excellent reputation over the years.
I am a computer professional providing online support for my clients, and I used them for more than 12 years for all my communications requirements with an ADSL2 connection (wholesaled by Telstra). However, when it came to switchover to NBN, they couldn’t provide a vital component of my comms mix - the diversion of my published landline number to VoIP. It’s a simple, but in my opinion vital, component which is symptomatic of the changes that happen when a good company, with an excellent customer service culture, gets swallowed up by bigger players, first iiNet, then TPG.
Needless to say I have changed ISP back to a small, service orientated company, who had no problem meeting all my requirements, providing a better range of NBN plans, and ending up with a total monthly comms spend at least $50 cheaper.
So far, so good - it’s only been a month.

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Who’s a lucky boy then? I was off the air fro three weeks. It finally transpired that the cause was Telstra providing the wrong information to NBN about connections at the node. Telstra/Bigpond is a very large organization so it’s reasonable to expect some glitches in their operations. Over about 30 years as a customer of theirs I have to say that overall I have been content with their services, both technical and support.

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My experience with NBN is also positive. Installation was a breeze. DL speeds much faster than ADSL2+!
Now have a landline telephone as well - very useful and cheap.
WiFi is excellent as is wired Ethernet (20 devices connected via switch)
No issues so far - I am 300 m from the node.
pH

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Where do you live?
I’m also a long-standing Internode customer, and have to change by next March.

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I went on line before 2000 when a fast speed using dial up was about snail pace.
However it beat the first connection to a tape storage in the early 1980’s a device which was under 400 bits per second.
I received a dial up modem from the USA, which I had to dial back so it was usable as the speed of connection was pretty awful even though some 500 meters from the exchange.
Gradually moved to ADSL then ADSL 2 and the speed moved up actually on ADSL 2 some greater distance from the exchange the speed just before change over to Wireless using the NBN; I was running at about 12 to 14 MBpS download speed the day of change over this change to over 22 MBpS.

There is a story about the use of bandwidth that is purchased by ISP’s and then plans sold to consumers that is not very well understood.

The real worry for consumers especially from the Middle of Qld to the Middle of the WA coast in the cyclone zone is that loss of power results in total loss of communication unless there is power at both ends of a connection and from the Node and or Exchange to the wider network and all the way along the different routes to the ultimate destination.

If i dig it up there is a very informative speech given by a Professor at a recent meeting, where he explains the total mess made in Australia with our outcome and the extremely high cost we are paying for the incompetence shown here.

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Hello gowinter,

I live in Central Queensland - Mackay, and I’m around 50 meters from the node. I hope this helps.

Cheers

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Thanks pforte, I’m in Rocky! I think I’m nearly 500 m from the box. What modem did you get, if you don’t mind me asking?

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If you are getting FTTN and are 500 m from the Node your service will probably max out at around 50 Mbps download. This is based on a good copper line and good connections in pits. It may be faster but it will not in all likelihood reach anywhere near 100 Mbps download.

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I’d be OK with that, grahroll! Internode have checked the NBN database for my address and gave me similar info. I just worry about the delays I’ve heard about, how long local people have been without any connection! It seems Telstra is very quick to disconnect the ADSL connection here, but then it takes (sometimes a very long) time to get the NBN connected!

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'Morning gowinter, I have only ever used the router’s supplied by Internode, and I already had an ‘NBN ready router’ after a previous router had ‘died’. The thing I like most about their routers is the fact that Internode sends me pre-configured routers, so I literally unpack the box and plug it in. No mucking about! The one I have also has a 2 year warranty on it.
Cheers

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gowinter, I now have FTTN, and I too was a very nervous Nellie with the same concerns as you, but it was changed fairly close to the 5 hour window (offing off air) that we discussed, and I just had to be talked through a small setting in the router to have my system completely up and running. No dramas at all! I now stream my movies in HD which I washable to do with ADSL+2.

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Hi, pforte! I looked at their NBN ready modems: I’d never heard of the ‘Fritz box’ - did you get that one?
I’ve always got my own ADSL modems and either set them up myself or, asked my son for help… Had an expensive one a year or so ago which ‘died’, bought another for $99 - that one still works perfectly! But, need to get an NBN compatible one when I switch after Christmad.
Just as well I’m not doing it now: saw somebody digging up the footpath in front of the node box, ribbons around the hole said ‘Telstra’!

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FRITZBox 7490’s are good if a somewhat older unit (released around early 2014 from memory). In tests they still rate well and are quite well featured, one of the only and possibly only drawback is a lack of external antenna or places to attach them. If Internode are still supplying these you won’t be getting some cheap router/modem. They are NBN ready and feature all the inputs you will need including a DECT base station that supports up to 6 DECT handsets, two USB 3.0 ports, AC band Wifi up to max 1300 Mbps (dual band ie 2.4 & 5 GHz) with backward support for n, g, b and a wifi. The tech data for the type Internode seem to use is here:
https://en.avm.de/products/fritzbox/fritzbox-7490/technical-data/

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Hello again gowinter,

I have one of Internode’s $89.00 ones - I believe it is TG789. These have a 2 year warranty, and it is all I need. I no longer have a home phone number as I also have my mobile with internode and get unlimited calls to any phone Australia wide. If you have VOIP phone this also has a phone connection port. If you are going buy one of these then get Internode to re-configure it for you, and at no extra cost. Well, I’ve never paid for this in the past. Sooooooooo easy then to just plug it in.

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Been connected for 6 months … got notice of availability soon after the NBN crews had done the street. Connect was from a pole. When installed they left in the old Optus cable … Optus being our new provider of NBN.

Installation on time, boxes installed, etc. Whole system was up and running in less than an hour. No issues at all.

Paying $92 per month for 100MB download, unlimited downloads plus Fetch box … don’t use this at all. Includes all of the free call stuff that most include. Get about 35MB uploads.

Caveat – 65 years old, have some tech savvy, wired and wireless network in house, have a second VOIP line via Mynetfone. We watch a lot of Netflix, HBO+Showtime via a VPN set up, lots of iTunes movies and series, plus now quite a lot of Amazon Video … plus catch up TV. We can definitely give 1000 gig a real nudge with HD movie viewing.

Think one of the real catches in this area is that they install the “pipe and box” and make few promises beyond some tech help in setting up.

For us NBN has been dream not a fiasco. Three adults simultaneously streaming in three different rooms with very little hanging is fantastic.

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Good to hear, rodhall. Thanks for posting. We need to know about good performance, as well as poor performance. :slight_smile:

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My 2c/ experience has been similar to those above, just a different RSP. I opted for Aussie Broadband after many whirlpool and other positive reviews, and it was a quick and painless transition. A home network security/monitoring device noted 49 mins of downtime, and the modem says we should be able to get 128Mbps down (though I opted for the unlimited data $79/no 50Mbps plan)

Caveats: I’m about 200m from the FTTN node, I kept using my old Telstra TG797 modem, and we’ve not had a landline for a decade or more.

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