The best Fixed Wireless NBN plans for remote Internet access

If you’re way outback, you might be eligible for Fixed Wireless NBN.

Regional Australians who are miles away from an NBN POI (Point of Interconnect), there are two far-reaching Internet connection types you might be eligible for: Satellite NBN and Fixed Wireless NBN.

If you’re less than 14 kilometres from a Fixed Wireless NBN tower, it could be your best option for getting faster broadband speeds at home. We’ve rounded up the best Fixed Wireless NBN Internet plans available.

Best Fixed Wireless NBN

Tangerine XL Speed Boost

Tangerine’s XL Speed Boost plan is consistently the leader of the pack in our overall Best NBN plan round-up, and it’s no different for Fixed Wireless customers. Tangerine’s XL Speed Boost Fixed Wireless plan will get you unlimited data, and Standard Plus speeds for less than most providers offer Standard speeds. Your next best option is MATE’s NBN Wireless #greatmates plan.

Here’s how those plans stack up with other NBN Fixed Wireless plans with Standard Plus speeds.

Cheapest Fixed Wireless plan

Those looking to save some cash on their monthly bill can opt for a lower speed tier. Here’s the cheapest Fixed Wireless NBN Plan currently available.

And more cheap NBN Fixed Wireless plans sorted by price.

Fastest NBN Fixed Wireless plan

If you’re looking to max out your average evening speeds on NBN Fixed Wireless, you can opt for a Fixed Wireless Plus plan. Here’s our top pick for the fastest Fixed Wireless plan.

And here’s a small selection of Fixed Wireless NBN plans sorted by speed.

What is Fixed Wireless NBN Internet and how does it work?

Where Sky Muster NBN satellite customers connect via a literal satellite orbiting the Earth, NBN Fixed Wireless customers get their Internet in a more familiar fashion, with data transmitted over a radio signal emitted from a tower. Not unlike the way we connect to the Internet with our smartphones via a 4G/5G mobile tower.

Satellite NBN plans are still quite expensive, and, out of necessity, offer capped data usage to prevent congestion on the network. Fixed Wireless, on the other hand, offers more traditional NBN speeds. Fixed Wireless connections aren’t as stable as Fixed Line connections because they’re at the mercy of the same outages and stability issues of any mobile network.

Think of Fixed Wireless as sitting somewhere between Fixed Line and Satellite NBN; it’s not as reliable as Fixed Line, but it offers faster speeds and more data than Satellite NBN.

How fast is Fixed Wireless NBN?

The ACCC’s trusted broadband speed testing program doesn’t include Fixed Wireless speeds. There are, however, some standard NBN speed guides to follow if you want a better idea of what to expect.

Fixed Wireless customers have access to three NBN Speed Tiers: Basic (12Mbps), Standard (25Mbps), and Standard Plus (50Mbps) but select providers (like Aussie Broadband) will offer a Fixed Wireless exclusive speed tier, Fixed Wireless Plus. Fixed Wireless Plus plans claim to achieve potential evening speeds of 70Mbps, but the factors that impact mobile 4G/5G signals will also affect Fixed Wireless customers. Outages, environmental obstructions, and home satellite positioning can all impact Fixed Wireless speeds.

Here are the fastest NBN Fixed Wireless plans available.

How to boost a bad NBN Fixed Wireless Signal

If you’re not getting the speeds promised on NBN Fixed Wireless, there are a few first steps to take as recommended by the ACCC:

Contact your ISP

They may be able to tell you if you are connected to a congested cell.

Change providers

If talking to your ISP doesn’t help, it might be time to switch to a provider with less congestion on its cell.

Reduce streaming quality

Streaming services like Netflix and Stan allow you to lower the quality of your stream and the bandwidth used. Dropping the bit-rate on your stream could improve your speeds for every other online activity.

Pause downloads and updates

If your PlayStation 4 is downloading a game while your PC is running a software update, you’re going to notice a drop in speed. These activities hog a fair bit of bandwidth while running, so it’s worth putting them on pause if you need to prioritise another online activity.