I have just received notification that NBN is available in my area. I am in no hurry to switch since I am happy with my ADSL2. Anyone know how long I can stall the switch before I will lose my ADSL? I am with Telstra right now and in an outer suburb of Melbourne.
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18 months from the date the NBN became active in your area. You may be able to stretch this out for a couple of months more as you will get a few warnings before the old circuits are finally switched off. This may have a sting in the tail though as the switch over may not run as smoothly as one day off to next day on again for you. So maybe planning the change over for a time and date where it suits you better may be a good option rather than waiting it out till the end. This doesn’t mean you won’t have issues and depending on the version of NBN you will get may mean other work may be needed to install it at your premises.
My version on the NBN is FTTN (Fibre to the Node) so I only had to plug my modem into the old telephone socket and the changeover took about 3 days in total. I had internet within 1 day of the start of the actual swap process and my phone porting took around 2 more days. Since then I had to get a change of the wires to the house as the other copper pair were corroded a bit too much for good traffic and my VOIP (telephone service) was faulty and had to be reset/redone.
Everyone’s experience is different so plan for the worst and hopefully get the best.
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I’m with Telstra and they automatically started the change over. I got notified and it all happened in one day. Tech came and changed over the modem and said the outside work will be done tomorrow and that was it. Never lost the internet.
I’ve signed up for Telstra’s middle bundle which gives me best option of gigs and line rental and most calls plus mobile calls now covered by $99 a month and was paying $73 including line rental only and with calls was more than $99 a month and also bundle includes Play TV.
Leaving it until all the techs etc have moved onto a new area could I think leave you waiting a longer time for connection to NBN.
Thanks for the input. Good to know that Telstra went smoothly. When I moved house it was a nightmare for months! Good point not to wait too long I guess. How is your service? Speed, drop-outs, etc?
I have a friend whose changeover with Telstra was supposed to be completed on the 12th of June, they have just been told for the 4th time it will be within 10 days. This is not necessarily a Telstra issue and in their case it is an NBN issue with the NBN failing to put in place the hardware needed so Telstra can complete the in home set up. They have lodged a dispute with the TIO and Telstra and are seeking CSG payments.
There are a variety of experiences out there and as I said before everyone’s is different. Make the plan for the changeover you want, create backup ones in case it doesn’t go smoothly eg get a friend’s spare Internet dongle, then start the process when you want it to occur. In some cases Telstra will start the changeover depending on what their contract with you states. I was with Telstra and swapped to TPG but before my swap Telstra had not started the changeover as my contract had ended and I was on an old plan.
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When the time comes I am over my present ISP and am looking to change concurrently with having to take an NBN service.
Hopefully I can have the old ADSL running with ISP-1 while the NBN HFC fires up with ISP-2, and the PSTN landline will operate up to the moment the number gets taken over by the new ISP for VOIP service. Then it is completing the rewiring to suit the new fully operative network.
The only downside seems an extra months payment to the old ISP to assure uninterrupted internet and minimising interruption to landline service (eg peace of mind planning for the worst). Am I missing anything?
Yes you should be able to run both services concurrently. The phone maybe a little different as you may find a day or two without the phone. Though in our case as they churned the phone service we could ring out but no incoming calls until about 3 days had passed.
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I recommend you check out the “The “Never Never Broadband Network” - NBN complaints”, NBN installation and the elderly, NBN the CVC pricing model and its impact, With NBN, distance from node determines speed posts.
It will be a bit of reading but they should give you a better understanding of what you may expect, remembering a lot of these are complaints but the information in them should explain how the NBN works.
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You’re lucky. Many people in my rural town have been left without an internet connection for up to 2 weeks between being cut off from their ADSL connection and the NBN installation which when connected doesn’t seem to make any appreciable difference. Thinking about it…when the power fails it doesn’t matter what system you have as every connection stops including the phone connection that replaces the ever faithful landline. We’re becoming more and more dependent on our power supply and that is starting to concern me.
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I am not looking forward to the fraudnet change-over. At the moment I have cable broadband that runs at 35Mbps all day, all night at any time. So when it happens I will be connected to an inferior service. At one stage I had the very fast cable connection for an extra $20 a month that ran at 115Mbps on the current cable connection.
The absolute deadline for holding off going to NBN is your existing contract. When it falls due you have to move across. But you will experience considerable pressure to move earlier from your present service provider and other providers. I’ve done a lot of work in this area talking to members of my Probus Club and my neighbours. Your phone handsets in your house are likely to cause you the most stress. The new modem only has one port for an RJ11/12 telephone wire, if you’ve got more phone wires use simple splitters. They are cheap. We used three splitters to provide four slots. If you have a back-to-base alarm or a similar emergency medical alarm, get them to change this from using your house phone to a 3G service now.It will work in a power outage.Ours was at no extra cost, It greatly simplifies your eventual NBN transition.
I am [NOT] looking forward to the NBN. I have a B2B alarm that is more secure than most because of no outside wiring save for inside the Telstra pit down the street. When NBN connects there will minimally be an outside junction box obvious to any casual thief with a clue. Making the alarm 3G capable will be $400 including a service call. My alarm closet is in a questinable signal area. My alarm is 1998 vintage but apparently still a current product. A board needs to be added with a remote antenna. Monitoring will go from $7.70 to $11 per week, although with daily rather than weekly automatic check-ins.
ISPs apparently do not all support multiple phones to one VOIP port. Although at least one major modem provider said I should be able to plug my household phone network in (eg moving it from the external junction to the VOIP port) none of the ISPs I have asked so far will commit to supporting it. Most say try it, it might work. Some say they do not support it. A mate new on NBN demonstrated that when he plugged his household system with multiple phones into the VOIP port his phones did not work, but when he connected a single device it was fine.
Caveat Emptor!
Here is a pdf you may find worthwhile reading if you are getting FTTP (and it does allow for multiple telephone sockets in the house):
In particular from the FAQ section, It advises you can have 2 (two) separate phone services and that you can have multiple phone and data sockets cabled into your home that connect to the NTD:
Can I connect other devices to the unused ports on the nbn™ connection box?
Unlike modem/routers you might be familiar with from ADSL and cable broadband services, each port on the nbn™ connection box is reserved for a separate service. This allows you to have up to four separate broadband data and up to two separate phone services through one connection box. If you only order one broadband service, then only one port will be active. If you connect one of your devices to an unused nbn™connection box port, your devices won’t be connected to a phone or internet service.
I have a monitored home or premises security system.Will it work over the nbn™ network?
It is expected that most monitored security systems will operate over the nbn™network. However, if you would like to use an existing system, you should check with your security provider to ensure that your particular equipment and service is nbn™network compatible. You should test your alarm the same day that your service over the nbn™ network is activated by your service provider, and also check that your in-premises wiring is correctly connected up to your service over the nbn™ network. For further information on alarms and the nbn™ network, visit nbn.com.au/alarms
Can I install in-home cabling myself?
nbn will professionally install the cabling from the street to your nbn™ connection box (for more information on what’s included in a standard installation please visit nbn.com.au/fibreinstallation). If you choose to install additional permanent phone or data cabling through wall, floor or ceiling cavities it must be done by a cabler registered with an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) accredited industry registrar. Your service provider may also be able to recommend a registered cabler in your area. Other non-permanent cabling such as plugging your own router or phone into the nbn™ connection box can be done yourself.
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I received a letter from Optus my current broadband supplier last week stating that my service would be switched off in October this year. However, I should not be alarmed because I would receive three notifications before this happened. The nbn trucks have been in my area for the last month ( making a pigs ear of the road repairs) so I reckon that’s a maximum of four months notice. To add insult to injury Optus have offered me a slower service for an increased price when I make the move. Needless to say I am, with the help of Choice information, exploring other options. Service area VIC 3194
We’re with Telstra and were posted a replacement modem and info to switch. Like you I was happy with my ADSL and in no hurry to switch. They phoned and sent a reminder letter but I advised I was happy to stay on ADSL as we were planning to move and they said I had up to 18 months. Then a few weeks later, I came home to no internet. I phoned up to get it fixed only to find they had cut my copper line service and switched me to NBN without my consent. I’m in regional SA. Good luck!
Just checked speed and it was 24.3 download and 6.2 upload which then said fast so ok eh!
And sticking with Telstra asked around my area and several not with them are not yet connected, rest are, so once again pays to stay with Telstra and boots on the ground as seems their techs doing all the connecting. Which is why I changed over to them in first place. And have techs servicing my area’s mobile numbers if I need anything but to date haven.t had to ring. May cost a bit more than other ISP’s but quality service is always an investment.
I am getting NBN soon via an Optus HFC cable already at the house from when I had pay TV.
My existing cable modem already has the phone connected via RJ11/12 to a cordless phone base station in another part of the house with 2 other wireless phones connected (not wired extensions).
Am I right in assuming these will not be affected.
Will this be an easier installation as I am not using the old copper feed now as far as I know.
Hi @cliveed_15, going from cable VOIP and internet to NBN HFC service has to be the easiest of the lot. You did not say what type of router you have for internet service, but
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you will have a cable modem for the NBN HFC. Your existing modem likely is compatible but NBN might push a new one on you regardless for newer standards. If you keep yours, the setup parameters for your NBN as well as VOIP services (eg connect/validate/etc) may need to get changed and your ISP will provide those details, but keep reading.
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your router will connect to your cable modem and the routers most ISPs supply have at least 1 VOIP port. Many of the ISPs pre-configure the internet and VOIP parameters in the router they provide so all you need to is plug in and change passwords and Wifi SIDs to suit.
Depending on how comfortable you are setting up parameters in the menus, in theory there should be no dramas, but this is the NBN 
- Those without existing cable services will need a service call to run the NBN HFC from the outside wall into the house and that technician should be verifying everything works before he leaves.
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Ok, I bit the bullet and ordered the switch to the Telstra medium bundle. Amazingly, it all went very smoothly. No problems at all. (Which is a bit worrying for a pessimist)
However, after switching my phone and tablet over to the NBN, my battery on both devices is draining so fast I can practically SEE it happening. My phone actually died completely overnight while we were both supposed to be sleeping. (Me and the phone that is). Anyone else had that problem? I didn’t change any other settings.
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It could be the Wifi doing it and/or location being on. Most probably after you set up your new wifi settings on the phone and tablet the wifi was left on and this does drain the battery faster. To conserve battery when not wanting to use the internet turn wifi off and just because your phone is asleep some continue to use wifi in the background unless it is disabled.
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