How to improve your NBN speeds

A while back, NBN Co examined 780 NBN-connected premises for speed-related issues to diagnose the biggest causes of customer dissatisfaction with their NBN plans.

We sat down for a chat with NBN Co representative Sam Dimarco to discuss the analysis and get more info on the most common in-home NBN speed issues, and your best options for overcoming them.

Before we dig deeper into the issues identified by NBN Co’s analysis, let’s summarise the three core modem misdemeanours:

• • Positioning and placement: The in-home analysis from NBN Co found that a leading issue was due to the positioning and placement of NBN modems, modem-routers and routers in the house.
  • Out-of-date firmware: NBN Co claims that one of the most common problems is out-of-date firmware on provider-supplied modems.
  • Channel interference: NBN Co says that channel interference is a leading factor in speed-related issues, particularly in multi-dwelling complexes like apartment buildings.

Let’s take a closer look at the most straightforward ways to tackle these key issues.

NBN modem-router (and router) distance and placement is still a leading factor in poor customer experience scenarios, according to Dimarco.

People who either place their NBN-compatible modem-routers or routers in areas with high interference (behind other electronic devices, fridges, etc.) or too far from their connected devices may have issues. For example, if your modem-router or router is in the living room, a significant distance from the home office, you will likely experience issues connecting when trying to work from home.

The theory for addressing positioning and placement problems is rather straightforward. Regardless of the type of NBN modem-router or router you have, placement is critical for a clear WiFi signal. Basically, try to place your modem-router or router in the centre of your home to give WiFi the best chance of reaching everywhere.

If possible, elevate your router or modem-router, ideally, about two metres off the ground. The idea is to get the modem-router or router above potential interfering objects. This means keeping it as clear as possible of thick walls, fish or other water tanks, radio-wave electronic devices, kitchen and laundry appliances and mirrors. That’s not always possible, which is when routers or modem-routers with stronger WiFi signals are worth considering or a mesh WiFi system for whole-home coverage.

Note that for NBN technologies that have an NBN modem/NTD/connection box, the placement of this bit of networking equipment isn’t important compared to the NBN-compatible router that’s connected to it. Below is a list of NBN technologies and which networking equipment they use to get online (note that the NBN modem should be supplied by NBN Co):

• Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP): NBN modem + router or mesh WiFi
• Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC): NBN modem + router or mesh WiFi
• Fibre-to-the-Curb (FTTC): NBN modem + router or mesh WiFi
• Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB): NBN modem-router
• Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN): NBN modem-router
• Fixed Wireless NBN: NBN modem + router or mesh WiFi
• NBN Sky Muster satellite: NBN modem + router or mesh WiFi

It’s also worth flagging that you can bring your own (BYO) router or modem-router with most NBN providers. If you want to buy a device from an NBN provider, the trend is for most to offer modem-routers. Effectively, modem-routers are compatible with all NBN technologies: as modem-routers for FTTB and FTTN connections, or configured to use their routing functionality for all other NBN technologies.

Assuming you don’t have an NBN Co-provided modem in your home, there are hundreds of options for NBN-compatible routers (basically every router from the last decade) and NBN-compatible modem-routers. With newer models coming out every other week from a range of brands, it can quickly become overwhelming.

Unless you’re particularly tech-savvy when it comes to networking equipment, we’d advise starting with whatever is included or sold optionally from your chosen NBN provider. Admittedly, these devices aren’t always cutting-edge, but what they may lack in whiz-bang features, they make up for in proven compatibility and reliability. More importantly, if things go wrong and you need to contact your NBN provider for tech support, it’s easier for them to help you if you’re using their recommended networking equipment.

NBN Co says that one of the leading factors driving speed-related issues is the out-of-date firmware on most branded, provider-supplied modems. Regular firmware updates are never a bad idea, and if you’re experiencing issues, updating your modem-router or router’s firmware is a sensible first step (also true of any technology). That’s where automatic firmware updates for networking equipment make life so much easier.

NBN Co estimated that 16% of all NBN-connected broadband customers have experienced dissatisfaction with their download speeds. This estimate was extrapolated from the results of the company’s in-home analysis, which showed that 20% of the 780 premises analysed experienced speed-related issues.

Of the issues identified in NBN Co’s sample study, 53% were on the premises, 11% between the premises and the node, 9% of issues were due to a planning error on NBN Co’s behalf, 8% were lead-in issues, and 6% were due to a bad joint.

It’s the on-premises issues where NBN Co decided to point its focus. To an extent, the issues found were out of its control.

NBN Co took its findings to the providers with the most dropouts on their branded modems and asked them to work with the modem original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to resolve the issues. In most cases, the fix was a simple firmware upgrade on the offending modem. The complaints about service experience for those customers impacted dramatically decreased.

If you have an NBN modem that came from your provider and you’re experiencing issues, get in touch with them about updating the firmware on your NBN-compatible modem-router or router. Alternatively, check if your BYO networking equipment supports automatic firmware updates. If it doesn’t, check the device documentation for how to update the firmware.

Thankfully, there are a handful of NBN-compatible modem-router and router manufacturers that understand this problem. To help bridge the knowledge gap, they offer automatic firmware updates on their modem-routers or routers. So long as the networking equipment connects to the internet, it will automatically update and install the latest firmware patches, so you never have to think about it.

Telstra, Optus and TPG modem-routers all sport automatic firmware updates, controlled by the respective providers. These updates tend to roll out in the wee hours of the morning, so it’s best to leave your networking equipment on overnight. For other NBN modem-routers and routers, check with the supplier to see if the device has automatic firmware updates or a companion app that makes firmware updates incredibly straightforward.

NBN Co looked at FTTB connections and noticed a difference in behaviour in what it calls “multi-dwelling” complexes, which includes places like offices and large apartment buildings.

NBN Co focused its analysis on multi-dwelling residences and found the channel congestion was particularly bad in buildings where there was a high concentration of customers signed up to a single provider.

The problem, Dimarco says, is that most provider-issued modems use a single channel by default. Some use two but when there’s a speed issue related to congestion, users will contact customer support who instruct them to reboot their modem. In the case where there are two available channels, a reboot will flick the user over to the second channel, providing a temporary fix. However, when there’s a conflict on that second channel, the modem will kick the user back to the congested default channel and they will continue to experience speed problems.

If you’re in a multi-dwelling building or congested area, the default NBN provider-bundled modem-router or router might not be your best option. Most provider-supplied modems only cycle through two different channels (at most) when they reboot due to an issue. Some don’t switch channels at all. If congestion is the issue, a power cycle might not even provide a temporary fix.

Just like firmware updates, we’d wager most Australians don’t know how channel congestion works or how to manually switch channels if there’s a bottleneck in your building. Chat with your provider or networking equipment supplier about how to switch WiFi channels.

By default, a lot of wireless devices tend to operate on the same channel, which can cause interference. For the 2.4GHz band, the recommended channels are 1, 6 and 11. For the 5GHz band, the best channels to consider are 36, 40, 44 and 48.

Dual-band routers and modem-routers are standard these days, offering the choice of a farther-reaching but slower 2.4GHz band or a faster but shorter-reaching 5GHz band. Tri-band modems are more advanced and tend to cost more, but if you’re really struggling with congestion, they could be your best option.

If you’ve ever glanced at speed disclaimers from providers or NBN Co, you may have noticed that there are a lot of factors that have the potential to impact your internet, either in terms of speed or reliability. We’ve got an article dedicated to troubleshooting NBN issues. But let’s look at some basics and how to approach them.

First, determine whether the internet woes are with a specific device or the entire network. If it’s one device, focus on that: restart and update for starters. If it’s every device in your home, go look at your modem, router or modem-router to see if there are any red or orange lights to indicate problems, which applies whether you’re with Telstra or any other NBN provider. Taking note of these lights will help with troubleshooting problems when you speak to your provider.

Cabling can also be an issue, whether it’s in-home wiring that’s trickier to fix (especially if you’re renting), or loose/damaged cabling. For instance, a loose telephone cable for FTTC, FTTB and FTTN connections may lead to slow or no internet. Similarly, an older or damaged Ethernet cable may restrict speeds to a wired device. You’d be surprised at how many issues can be fixed by securing or upgrading cables, or simply by power cycling networking equipment.

When power cycling, start from the outside of your network and work inwards: modem or modem-router first, then any other equipment, including a router or networking switch. Power off all networking devices, then leave them off for at least 30 seconds, before powering them back on in the same order: modem or modem-router, then everything else. You can also perform an NBN isolation test, which is effectively a more involved NBN speed test.

One of the biggest culprits of speed problems in the home is when multiple devices are competing for finite bandwidth, which can greatly impact the overall download and upload speed. Use the speed test above to determine your download speed (you can also use ‘Show More Info’ to see latency and upload speeds). If it’s not up to snuff, you should absolutely consider upgrading your NBN plan.

NBN 100 is the fastest NBN speed tier available to most homes in Australia, which has download speeds of up to 100Mbps and 40Mbps upload speeds. Note that cheaper NBN 100 plans are sold with max 20Mbps upload. Check out the daily updating list of popular NBN 100 plans below for inspiration.