NBN connected on my acreage

Mark

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We finally got connected to the nbn (national broadband network) yesterday and it's so good to have reasonably fast internet speeds.

I don't miss the city but one thing I did miss when we moved to this small acreage was good internet access.

Especially now days or over the past five years at least, having a decent broadband connection has become as important as any other service like electricity or water etc.

These faster speeds will sure help to make my online work easier as I spent half my time online waiting for pages to load on our old wireless 3g broadband network.

Anyway... here's cheers to technology :cheers:
 

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Very good Mark. Is it costing any more than your previous plans?

I've heard that in the future there will just be the nbn to peoples homes and will replace the old phone lines, so if you still want a home phone you have to have an nbn account.

They put the compulsory box on the side of my house last week. I don't plan on getting an account though.
 

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Good to see Mark, now you'll be online posting here more than ever :p
As with all technology, the more you're connected with the times the more the services will cost. I went through the same process only recently, and going from ADSL1 (metro) to NBN wireless (rural) meant a 60% increase in cost to provide the service where we are, and the NBN is not a great deal faster for us, despite the 25/5Mbps rating.
 

Mark

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Is it costing any more than your previous plans?
No its less for more.

Our previous plan was $160 per month with 25gb of usage on crappy 3g and home phone separate; whereas, our new nbn plan is $119 make that $99 per month with 1000gb usage over cable/wires and this includes home phone unlimited.

The difference is huge! So far it's going really well - I uploaded a youtube video yesterday in a few minutes compared to the usual hours :)
 
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Director

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Well done Mark, welcome to the 21st century...only half the country to go... :)

We've had NBN wireless here for a couple of years and it awesome, plus we save about $70 a month from our previous setup.
 

ClissAT

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Yes I am in need of guidance re nbn as apparently it will come to my area in a few months.

When they put the box on your wall, do you have to get a tradie to drill holes to get the wiring through to the inside?
Or do they plug the box in your existing phone line between where it comes out of the ground & where it goes into your house so you still plug into it inside via the internal phone plug like the current setup is?
Do you have to get a technician to connect the wiring to your router?

Will the existing router suffice or do I need to buy a new one or will a new one be included in my new plan?
My current service is provided through 3 companies. Telstra landline for broadband $25mth; TPG broadband 100gb $60mth; Engin voip phone calls around $15mth but I don't make calls to mobiles cos it's too expensive.

So I have been looking at TPG plans so I don't have to go through all the BS of starting with a new provider. Like most other providers, they hit me with a $20 fine for being a rural customer!
I am so financially restricted I cant afford to pay more than I am now, nor afford a tradie or technician to connect the technology. I don't use many gb but my tenants always seem to get through a heap as they prefer to download TV rather than connect to the expensive TV antenna on the cabin.

Also there are no external walls in this house as it has a 4 sided wrap around verandah so I wonder where they will put the box that is out of the weather. I assume it needs to be out of weather. There are limited downstairs walls as it is not closed in under expect for 2 rooms way across the opposite side from the phone line.

I have no use for faster speed than I already have so for me the nbn is a bit of a waste & I will be especially p!ssed off if it costs me more to have something I don't want or need!
 

Director

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HI ClissAT,

Will do my best. :)

"When they put the box on your wall, do you have to get a tradie to drill holes to get the wiring through to the inside?"

I do NOT know the procedure for the new installations since the liberal government changed from fibre to the home to fibre to the node and whether they use your existing phone wires or whether they install new ones. I suspect the former. I will find out for you though.

"Will the existing router suffice or do I need to buy a new one or will a new one be included in my new plan?"

Pretty sure you'll need a VDSL router which should be supplied by your ISP but will confirm that as well.

"My current service is provided through 3 companies. Telstra landline for broadband $25mth; TPG broadband 100gb $60mth; Engin voip phone calls around $15mth but I don't make calls to mobiles cos it's too expensive."

So $90 per month for 100gb?

Try this?

http://www.internode.on.net/residential/broadband/nbn/

NBN 500gb per month $75 or 50gb for $55 only get what you need (plus a bit extra just in case).

Will depend on how 'rural' you are and you need NBN satellite or not?

Use Telecube for your VOIP phone (if needed, if you use your mobiles for calls then do you even need a home phone?)

https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/voip_telecube

We use telecube and our phone bill is less than $5 a month on average.

"Also there are no external walls in this house as it has a 4 sided wrap around verandah so I wonder where they will put the box that is out of the weather."

If it's fixed wireless NBN it sill just be an antenna on your roof and cable down the wall cavity. Same with satellite. If it's fibre to the node then they will use your existing phone line, not box required (I think).

"I assume it needs to be out of weather."

Nope.


"I have no use for faster speed than I already have so for me the nbn is a bit of a waste & I will be especially p!ssed off if it costs me more to have something I don't want or need!"

Go for 25/5 as a minimum...trust me.


The TPG option is $70 PM and includes all your phone calls (not sure who's quoting you a 'rural fee'? )

http://tpg.com.au/nbn
 

ClissAT

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Thankyou Director for all that info & I look forward to reading the bits you say you can find out about.

Lots of providers do not do this area. That might change after the Tuchikoi exchange is updated for the nbn.
I'm really trying to avoid changing ISP's as I always seem to struggle with providing enough identity these days with no credit card or mobile phone they think I am a non entity!
I was hoping to get a plan that included a mobile although the fact there is no reception here would not change.
There would not be satellite nbn either as I am hidden in the shadow of the high hills behind me. Or the signal bounces around too much or something. I did read about it a year ago.

Even TPG hits rural people up with a $20 surcharge for being out of the way!
So the prices I quoted already include that fee.

If the phone line is included in the nbn pricing I will give up the voip I think. I just had it cos it was cheap calls but many of the nbn plans seem to have free calls anyway. Only thing that I would loose would be the fact that when the phone line is with Telstra it continues to work even when the power goes out. Most people would not think that was an issue because they have their mobile but with no reception, a mobile is pointless here.
I always remember the aftermath of Cyclone Oswald I think it was that came all the way down the inland of coastal Qld. I had no power for 9days but I still had the landline phone. I just had to plug the old handpiece phone into the wall port.
Interesting to note there is reception at my cabin only 60m from my house! But when rented the last thing the tenants would want is me over there to make or take mobile calls! :D
 

Director

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ClissAT,

OK have confirmed that FTTN will use your existing phone wires for the last part of the trip so no need for boxes on the walls etc.

There is a FAQ on VDSL modems here: http://www.iinet.net.au/internet/broadband/vdsl2/faq/

The basic info would apply to TPG as well.

I'm still not sure which type of connection you would be eligible for however, the best way to find out would be to call TPG and enquire about NBN and they'll let you know. To get signal down to the cabin for your guests you could install an ethernet over powerline kit (assuming the cabin is on the same power circuit as the house).

So good luck with it all but until we know IF and what type of service you can get it's still going to be a bit hypothetical. :)
 

ClissAT

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Thanks for that added info Director.
The cabin already has internet. I have a directional thingy that sends the signal over there. The cabin is not on the same electrical circuit which was disappointing to discover 2yrs ago when I first decided to provide internet in the rent. Anyway the wifi thingy works well unless its an Apple device receiving it. In which case the Apple device plays up merry hell ALL the time!
One thing that annoys me when asking for technical help at companies like TPG is that the Indian call centre people can be rather dismissive & not inclined to answer in terms I can understand. They must get paid per call & get a bonus per problem solved or something I think because they always cut me short.
I'll check that link you included re VDSL... not sure what that stands for but guess I'll soon discover once I get reading.
 

Director

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Yep. That's why I use internode, they have an Aussie call centre. :)
 

Mark

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Actually my plan is $99 per month (not $119) but I just found out I need to wait for a Telstra tech to visit my property before my NBN connection is ratified... :dunno: I tried to explain to the operator that I have had an NBN connection and full internet plus my new phone since last Tuesday; however, she insisted they needed to come out to my home and complete the install.

Funny thing was the NBN guy happened to be an ex Telstra tech so when he was here connecting us up I did ask him if I needed anything else and he was pretty adamant my NBN connection was done and dusted and ready to use, which I have been doing ever since!

To get a call from Telstra insisting they send a tech out to my place is weird to say the least but it's not going to cost anything so I stopped arguing with her and just said send one out then - whatever.

Thanks for that added info Director.
Yeah @Director covered everything nicely.

As Director said, it will depend on what NBN connection you end up with when it comes to the hardware required. For Fibre to the node (FTTN) it basically uses your existing copper wires so all that's required is a new modem (usually free) that can receive the signal. If you get fixed line wireless, then they'll install an aerial on your roof or if it's fibre to the premises (FTTP) then a box gets installed, I believe.

If the phone line is included in the nbn pricing I will give up the voip I think.
I did just that because it was cheaper getting the bundle with phone line than keeping my VOIP connection. Plus, the phone actually connects straight into the modem anyway (so it's essentially VOIP).
 

Mark

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After Telstra insisted I have one of their techs attend our place to complete the connection (as I wrote earlier) they didn't show last Thursday and my Telstra case manager didn't call me or contact me at all.

I spent 45 minutes on hold yesterday (before I gave up) trying to chat with a Telstra operator to ask them what's happening with my account since I have had a working phone and Internet on the nbn for almost a month but no sign of my plan appearing in my online account.

You'd think a man could complete his order but when I rang last week they wouldn't finalise my order until the tech came out to "complete the connection" even though I keep telling them I AM CONNECTED!!!

I'm astonished at how unprofessional telstra has become to allow a situation where a customer has an internet and phone connection without actually assigning them an account number.

The case manager appointed to me by telstra when I first signed up for nbn has such a strong accent that she's almost impossible to understand. On top of that her technical knowledge of nbn is terrible and furthermore she's rude and threatening. For example, she threatened to disconnect my nbn connection if I didn't accept a telstra tech to visit even though I tried to explain to her it wasn't required because my agreement with Telstra from the beginning was a self-install. If a telstra tech does eventually come here they'll have nothing to do...

I got my free nbn compatible modem from the Telstra shop in February it's now almost May and I'm still chasing telstra to complete my order... what's wrong with this organisation... are they mental?
 

ClissAT

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Obviously they feel it's ok to slip down to the standard of their competitors.
It must cost money to uphold high standards & if that money is now thin on the ground, why continue to flog a dead horse.
What it tells me is not to get a Telstra plan.
I would do a self install too if I had a working knowledge of this new system.
That's why I was asking if my current router would be suitable for nbn & what the box thing was all about.
TPG will do a lot via internet where they log into your router & take over your computer.
I've had them do technical stuff like that before with good results.
Engin which is my voip provider will also fix the router the same way.
It's all part of the deal so doesn't cost me anything.
They also have a thing where I can call out a technician which of course does cost money.
My son is in Australia currently. He is a computer hardware specialist who designs & maintains huge equipment for a whole country's government departments. I will be asking him tomorrow.
In Europe they have a much simpler yet far superior system & he hates the way internet occurs here.
It drives him mad when I ask him to fix something for me online or answer some question I have so I can fix something myself.
But I do understand that the nbn technology is different which is why I am not sure if my expensive router will be suitable.
It looks like I can get a suitable TPG plan for a bit less than I currently pay for everything which I am fine with.
It's just the thing about changing all the wifi equipment over to the new router. I have had troubles with that sort of thing before.
 

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Sounds like Telstra has gone down hill a fair bit over the years. I've had a few issues with them within the last year and it's always about the actions or inaction of the representative that you deal with on the phone or 24/7 chat. You organize something to be done, new plan, change plan, and on the next bill you realize it hasn't been done, and there's no record of it.
 

Mark

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You organize something to be done, new plan, change plan, and on the next bill you realize it hasn't been done, and there's no record of it.
Correct... How convenient and the latest thing they do when they get stuck is fain a technical issue and say, "do you mind if I hang up to resolve the problem to save you waiting and call you back?" Sure as eggs, you won't hear from them again... Or, they suddenly need to transfer you to someone who specialises in this issue and then you spend another 30 mins on hold only to find the next operator has no clue either! :mad:
 

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wow interesting read. Our new estate has signs all over it about NBN and that it's coming soon blah blah. So I rang someone to ask how soon is soon and they said, um you're not even on the list yet so you're ages away....ah great!

On the subject of Telstra, we are trying to get a network put in at work and telstra is one of the main players and they have been an absolute nightmare. The project has been going for over a year now for something that should take 1 month at most! They turn up with no idea and expect me to tell them technical stuff, they dont have the right equipment, and they are just so useless! and the telstra project manager must be the same operator as you've got Mark, cant understand a word she says and a total pain. Rant over :censored:
 

Mark

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I wouldn't be the first in your area to jump in and sign up for the nbn... I would wait until the bugs are ironed out - that's my advice now anyway.

I finally got through to a telstra nbn operator and was told by this guy I never needed a telstra tech to come - no kidding, I sarcastically said.

He reckons my new nbn account is still being created (even though I have been connected for a month) and that telstra will contact be once it's done.

I tell ya what... Telstra does my head in - how they run a profitable business is a mystery.
 

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I'm noticing this more and more. I've recently had problems with Telstra, Australia Post, Ebay, Sensis. Big companies that charge heaps, make huge profits and their reputation is quickly declining? You can't get any sense out of them like they have shut the service department down but the billing department is all automated. I'd be interested to see if anything changes over the next few years with these big companies poor service.
 
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