There are a number of reasons why an nbn® service may be running slower than expected. It may be down to hardware and software configured on your home network or due to nbn® infrastructure, the nbn® technology or ongoing development work underway to complete construction in your area. There could be a fault on the network that needs to be reported to nbn® for resolution. Please read to the end of this article before calling our team for further assistance.
Wifi Issues
One of the most common reasons for slow nbn® is Wifi performance. Often if your nbn® Wifi modem is a long way from where you are connecting to it - this can cause a slow nbn® experience. We always recommend trying to connect your device with an ethernet cable to see if this improves your speed. In some properties you may want to try relocating the nbn® modem to a more central position. You may also be impacted by Wifi interference from a neighbour’s Wifi. The latest modems often include Automatic Wifi Channel Steering. This helps manage your Wifi channel to give you the best possible performance. You may wish to consider purchasing one of the latest Netcomm modems available from More which come with MESH satellite boosters to improve you coverage.
How many devices do you have connected?
In today’s world we are connecting more devices than ever to home broadband. The first thing to check if you’re finding slow nbn® performance is how many devices are connected to your home Wifi. Computers, phones, tablets and TVs will often connect to Wifi. If you are using multiple devices at the same time it is recommended to upgrade from Value to a Value Plus NBN plan.
Check your computer software.
More and more systems are now permanently connected to the internet. This allows software and systems to run updates, even when you’re not using your device. This can include large Windows updates. During the time that these updates take place it is possible for a computer to consume the majority of your nbn® bandwidth. This can lead to slow performance and bad VOIP call quality. It’s recommended to manage your software updates and you can use Windows settings to ensure you are prompted before any Windows updates take place. Another thing to look out for is torrent software that can be used for downloading large files and movies. Always check with every member of the household if they have torrent software running on their device. Again this can often run in the background. Please note that More does not support the download or distribution of copyrighted material and this is illegal in Australia. It’s recommended to ensure that this type of usage does not take place and to make use of a legal streaming service like Netflix or YouTube.
Dropbox, One Drive and other offsite storage systems.
Offsite storage systems like Dropbox are becoming more and more popular. They allow you to store and back up files and photos remotely. This type of system can consume a lot of bandwidth that can lead to a slow nbn® experience. By default these systems are often set to use as much bandwidth as you have available. It is recommended to limit the bandwidth that these systems can use. This will not prevent your files from staying up to date but will sync files at a slower rate. This then allows you to use the remaining bandwidth for more important things like streaming Netflix. It’s important to check with every member of the household if they have this type of system installed on their device. These systems can also run in the background not easily seen on a computer desktop. See some guides on how to limit these systems here: Dropbox
VPN
The use of a VPN may slow down your nbn® service. A VPN is often used to access overseas networks or systems, for example to try and access Netflix in USA. These VPN’s are often based overseas and route traffic via different routes over the internet. IF you are using one of these and finding your nbn® service is running slowly, please try disabling the VPN to see if this is the cause of your slow speed.
nbn® Network Coexistence (applicable to FTTN services only).
nbn® have used fibre to the node (FTTN) technology to deliver nbn® to some properties in Australia. This technology uses the existing copper cables in an area to deliver nbn® into homen™s and businesses. As nbn® first becomes available in an area there will be some household that are connected to nbn® and some households that are connected the old ADSL services. This is known as network coexistence. nbn® have opened confirmed that nbn® speeds will be impacted during this time and maximum speeds will likely not be achievable. This is unfortunate for users connected to FTTN technology. The period of coexistence should only last for the duration of the 18 months that users in an area have to change from ADSL to nbn®. After this time users should see improvements to speed. Our team can confirm if your area is affected by coexistence. Unfortunately there is little that can be done to help in these cases, we just need to be patient for the network change to complete in your area. Further reading can be found in this Computer World and IT News article.
nbn® Fixed Wireless Congestion
Part of the nbn® network involves Fixed Wireless technology. This is where nbn® is delivered to a property by a wireless transmitter tower and a wireless receiver that is installed on the roof of a property. Demand for fixed wireless nbn® has been higher than originally expected by nbn® and this has lead to a strain on some wireless towers. This means that in some areas nbn® speed is not as expected and slow speeds can be experienced during peak hours. nbn® are actively upgrading wireless towers across the country but often upgrades can’t come fast enough. Our team can investigate if a tower is congested and often provide details of planned upgrades in an area.
nbn® Network Faults
In some cases there may be a network fault affecting your nbn® service. If after checking all the points above you are still experiencing slower than expected speeds, please call our team for assistance. Our team will likely require speed test results at different times of day. These can be obtained from Speedtest.net. Please also have your modem make, model and MAC address available for our team to log with nbn® for investigation.
To log a fault with our team:
