Hi all, needing help please as I am not very cluey with these IT matters. I have a new home in a country location that I want to set up with wifi and internet etc but there is no NBN nearby and not likely to be for some time. Can you please let me know what options I have, if any, and what is required for me to be able to do this? The house will be rented out at times for holiday people to use and I would like for them to have wifi etc also. Thanks, Dean
With a few exceptions limited by geography most of Australia has access to the NBN via the SkyMuster satellite service, where the NBN cannot provide Fixed Wireless or a direct connection over copper, fibre or cable.
There are other topics in the community that can offer further advice on he different options. Muskās StarLink has gained a following and appears to offer a much better outcome than the NBN satellite option, but at greater expense. Possibly justified if an income earning property. If you care to share the general region you are seeking service at it could assist in gaining further input. There may also be another alternative using a local wireless BB service.
The most expensive option is likely a mobile data plan with one of the mobile operators EG Telstra, Optus. Both offer a fixed mobile data modem option specific to that property as an alternative. There may be an option to get a slightly better deal with one of their resellers, although Iām not up to speed there.
P.S.
It may be of benefit if one of us moderators move your request to one of the core topics discussing the alternatives.
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The term āNBNā is confusing, ambiguous, some would say misleading, I would say unhelpful. As @mark_m implies, the way the term āNBNā is used by government, there almost certainly is āNBNā.
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Go here and put in your address to check the availability of actual NBN services. As others have said there may be other broadband that isnāt NBN. If going with NBN you will then need to find a service provider as NBN doesnāt retail to the public.
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Any mobile cell network connectivity available for data? That is an alternative to NBN that many use.
I have used cheap 4G mobile devices that connect to the cell networks run by Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and provide a WiFi hub for at least 4 concurrent devices to get Internet access.
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Thank you. I have actually found an NBN pit out the front so Iām talking with them at the moment. I will press on as donāt really want to be paying the high costs of other alternatives right now. Thanks again for responding.
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Thanks for responding
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So really, if you found an NBN pit outside your new home, then saying it is not available has probably mislead us who responded.
It is a case of not being connected yet. NBN Website has a feature that allows you to enter your address, and the availability and type of connection available will be stated.
https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address
A previous poster provided the same link. So try that and see what it says. May have to play around with the address a bit to match what the NBN location database thinks your address is.
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I apologise if I mislead you but I did not know that there was a pit there until after I had posted the question. I have made the enquiry of the NBN people and they refer me back to the developer of the subdivision. Unfortunately the developer has pulled out of the project so everything is at a standstill until a new developer might move in and take it over. I was aware there would be NBN at the estate but didnāt know that I had a pit out the front of my block. I believe that nothing will happen until they find someone or a business who will take over the completion of the $10+M project.
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No need to apologize.
Since there are NBN pits, there will be fibre. If not already then soon. And you will presumably get fibre to the premises. FTTP. Thatās the best type of NBN connection.
Whilst a developer may install the pits, NBN will do the actual fibre cabling.
So are homes occupied yet? Is yours?
Donāt bother talking to NBN as they donāt talk to actual users. They deal with retail service providers, and you deal with them, the RSPs
Look up some broadband plans with Telstra or Optus or my choice Internode for example and they will you tell straight away if service is available right now, or when it is expected.
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The NBN people have been pretty good so far actually. I had one guy call me back the other day who was in the ānew developmentsā section and he said that he would look into it further and call me back.
I was more calling them (as suggested by my retailer) to find out about the loss of the developer.
At the moment there are a few houses under construction, mine being one, but no-one living there yet. Iād say in the next few months, mine might be finished.
I will contact Internode as you suggest, but I have already done that with my current service provider who said there is nothing available as yet.
Thanks.
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How is that possible if the developer has pulled out? If the developer has gone broke, washed their hands of the project or whatever do you think all the legal problems will be fixed, a replacement will be found quickly and tradesmen back on the job in weeks?
Are you referring to the ādeveloperā of the - land, roads, survey etc as distinct from the builder of your house? It appears they are two different businesses.
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Developers of new residential areas go through an approval process with NBN Co. These developers are responsible for installing NBN infrastructure in new developments. When the developer installs the NBN infrastructure for the development area and it is ready for connection, they advise NBN Co which allows the development area to be connected to the rest of the NBN network.
It appears that since your development is in its early stages, the last process hasnāt been completed. Until it is, retail service providers (RSPs) wonāt see your land as being able at a stage to be connected to the NBN.
A similar process also occurred during the rollout of the NBN network to existing residential areas, where one may have seen a contractor working in their street to install NBN infrastructure, only to find when they contacted NBN Co that possible connection dates were some time in the future (often many months or a year or more). Connection was not possible until such time the infrastructure was tested and handed over to NBN Co by the installation contractor. This handover approach is common across all forms of government developed infrastructure.
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Thanks for everyoneās input on this. Sorry for the confusion. The developer basically started the infrastructure and put in one main road and sold off blocks of land to individuals to proceed with their own constructions. Part of that was NBN as I can now see. We have water connected and electricity in the process of being connected. The four houses that are under construction at the moment are all on that main road bisecting the estate and have different builders.
So there are still other roads to be completed etc but we can still progress to have our houses built (by our own builders as was always the case) that have nothing to do with the developer. The developer was only doing the re-subdivision and the infrastructure and selling off the blocks and the individuals just had to follow certain guidelines that were in place ie types and colours of fencing etc.
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So basically we have a half finished re-subdivision that has been abandoned by the original developers for whatever reason(s) and have to continue with the build or we probably lose out big time.
At least there are other individuals who are continuing with their builds too and that being the case we are hopeful of that encouraging a new developer to come along and finish off the original plan. There were to be shops, cafes, a retirement village, parks, gardens, playgrounds etc etc
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The subdivision and development of land has state/territory and local government involvement. Who holds the title to the land not sold or handed over to government is typically the estate developer. If not there will be a legal relationship - contract/agreement between the owner and another party to jointly develop. There are also agreements with government as a result of the approval and development process. It would be wise to approach the planning and development department of the local council and councillor/s involved to discover what is really going on.
The hope that another ādeveloperā might take the project on is an assumption. It may be born out, or not. Consider it could take time to resolve. In the fullness of political time can often lead to many years of delay. You may be lucky and the conduits required by the NBN completed between the external connection - tie in point nominated for the estate by the NBN through to your street front.
Talking to council, who should be across the situation will assist in clarifying further what has happened. There are various scenarios, all with different pathways. Despite the impact being on those who now own land and are building, if there is to be action to progress the incomplete works itās likely up to government to resolve.
So your build can go ahead but the pit will remain useless until somebody takes responsibility for the infrastructure. Even if your house is ready in a few months the NBN connection may be many months or years away waiting for action. You may have to choose between interim solutions or no broadband.
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Thanks Mark, I have written to council (a couple of months ago now) and they have acknowledged my correspondence and said they are preparing a response, but as yet I have heard nothing. I have also talked to them over the phone (as they are 160kms away from me) but that is pretty useless too. Iām thinking that it is in their too hard basket and will stay there for some time. I will continue to press them though but I might have to contact the local MP maybe.
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Well whatever is happening with the estate infrastructure, as I originally posted, there is always the wireless networks run by Telstra, Optus and TPG.
These are independent of the NBN and probably cheaper for given speeds, although speed depends on number of users and time of day. But the same applies to many NBN connection types also.
If 5G is available that will provide all the speed you would ever need in a private home
situation.
If you already have a smart mobile phone with a data plan, then you already have a WiFi hub to connect devices to the Net. I wouldnāt think multiple device HD streaming would work too well on 4G, but for just connecting laptops or tablets or a TV for simple things like Youtube and SD catchup, it would be fine.
That would be a temp solution. A dedictated wireless solution would involve a modem WiFi device supplied as part of the wireless broadband plan.
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