Resolved: NBN Co Has Connected Every House on Street but Mine, ETA Now Jun 2020

StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 14:32
Last edited 03/10/2019 - 12:05

Edit: Result was us giving up on NBN & signing up to Telstra cable internet $90/month + 100/5 with a Gumtree Telstra modem ($10) so we can leave at anytime.

Update: Date was pushed forward to the original Jan 2020

So I recently moved house.

Since everyone else on the street is connected to NBN HFC, I thought perhaps my house should be too. The house was a subdivision, same as my neighbour. Both of us can't get NBN HFC despite everyone else on the street getting it.

Has anyone had any luck forcing NBN Co to hurry up? I emailed them asking if they could see if it was an easy job for them and they revised the connection date from Jan 2020 to June 2020, probably as some sort of bizarre punishment for asking.

The new house has only cable internet options, no reasonably priced ADSL2+ here.

Two options:
Telstra Cable 100Mbps/5Mbps + unlimited data $90/month, $218 modem pro rata (>24 months = free).

Optus Cable 50Mbps/2Mbps + unlimited data, $70/month, $200 setup fee unless 24 month contract.
Think I'll skip a 24m contact because NBN is so much cheaper.

Neither of these options match Belong's $55/month 50Mbps/20Mbps + unlimited data NBN plan we obviously want.

Just wondering if anyone has had any success in getting NBN Co to connect faster.

Internet Broadband nbn

Comments

  • p1 ama on 02/10/2019 - 14:57
    +1

    Just go with Optus HFC for $70? I don't see the problem. Likely better than NBN. You'll be telling NBN Co. to keep delaying your upgrade by the looks of it.

    • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 15:12

      I just assume that the NBN is better than Optus cable.

      Which should I choose? Optus or Telstra?

      • p1 ama on 02/10/2019 - 16:26

        I just assume that the NBN is better than Optus cable.

        The NBN will likely use the same HFC lines…? I don't see why it could be better - perhaps upgraded infrastructure somewhere along the chain, sure. Not likely to be a big difference.

        Which should I choose? Optus or Telstra?

        Optus, it's cheaper.

      • Ugly on 02/10/2019 - 16:41

        I had Optus HFC, went to NBN & my greatest wish is that I could have my old cable connection back.

  • nfr on 02/10/2019 - 15:10

    Yeah luckily Optus cable was actually very good for me, but it's hit and miss just like nbn.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 02/10/2019 - 15:14
    +1

    Has anyone had any luck forcing NBN Co to hurry up?

    You're not going to enjoy reading this
    https://www.smh.com.au/technology/no-home-broadband-for-a-ye…

    Just go Cable.

    • scrambledeggs on 02/10/2019 - 16:14

      This literally happened to me, it took 8 months with no internet to get NBN installed. Why don't I get a newspaper article!?

  • follow on 02/10/2019 - 15:27

    does your exact unit address show up on the NBN address checker?

    • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 15:31

      Yes, it's a house though. The original house is 18 Street A and we're 28 Street B.

  • 87percent on 02/10/2019 - 16:15

    PM me your address, if your house is sub-divivded, i'm going to wager that you can't get cable

    • salmon123 on 02/10/2019 - 16:33

      no reasonably priced ADSL 2+ here.

      What are you calling reasonably priced ADSL 2+?

      • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 16:47

        We were on $60/month 12/1 on iiNet.

        The lack of speed never bothered us.

        • salmon123 on 02/10/2019 - 16:47

          Why is that not available? No phone line or just too far from the exchange?

          • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 16:49
            +1

            @salmon123: According to Belong, the ADSL connection is so far from the exchange it would put us in the 95th percentile of suck.

            Belong agent said that's probably while iiNet refused to sell us ADSL service, and also said that Belong would not offer ADSL as well. We are talking <1Mbps.

    • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 16:48

      Both Telstra and Optus are willing to get us sorted with cable.

      Previous owner had Optus cable.

      • salmon123 on 02/10/2019 - 16:53

        Seems like optus cable is your only choice (unless you want to pay more for telstra)

        I'd probably get the 24 month contract, because optus will push you to upgrade to NBN as soon as it's available and they can't force you on to optus nbn, so you can probably get out of the contract early. (there's lots of stories about this, just google it).

        • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 17:02
          +2

          Funny you should say that, we ended up deciding on Telstra cable. We are sort of low on sanity being in a blackspot where stable 4G internet doesn't exist.

          Optus still has a $99 connection fee even with the 24m contract. To be honest I had no idea that we could escape the contract and we almost bit the $200 + $70 month-to-month bullet. I think if I knew what you told me I would have gotten a 24m Optus contract instead.

          Telstra said we need to pay months remaining if less than 24m x $9 for the modem, but I found a $10 Telstra cable modem on Gumtree I'm buying and using. They said that I won't need to pay a modem exit fee if no modem is provided.

          I had 3/3 Telstra live chat advise me it's doable so long as I provide the MAC address of the modem.

          Apparently the speeds are 100/5, so I guess we'll see what I've been missing out on with ADSL2.

          • salmon123 on 02/10/2019 - 17:06
            -1

            @StrayfireX:

            Apparently the speeds are 100/5, so I guess we'll see what I've been missing out on with ADSL2.

            *published speeds are 100/5, but the HFC infrastructure is pretty poor, so you'll be lucky to get that. Good luck with it though!

            • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 17:08

              @salmon123: Some users on Whirlpool mentioned that Optus<<Telstra HFC.

              I guess that helped sway the odds.

              However if I knew about the Optus 24m exit clause I might have made a different decision, but at the end of the day it's a better outcome than Optus month-to-month's $200 setup fee (ouch).

              Thanks kindly for the advice/help. Hope the next user with this issue finds your advice too. :)

            • JacobHarvey on 05/10/2019 - 01:13

              @salmon123: I did not neg you but I've been on Optus HFC (which is widely regarded as having a network that is falling apart) and have been able to reliably get over 90 Mbps down since I got the speedpack back in early 2015 (and reliable 30Mbps for the 7 years before that on the same Optus HFC). The speed you get really varies from location to location (depending on how well maintained the local infrastructure is, number of homes hooked up etc.)

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 02/10/2019 - 18:16

        Both Telstra and Optus are willing to get us sorted with cable.

        Telstra say this, but that's different that actually getting the connection up and running. Telstra will see it's subdivided, no cable run and just forget about you/cancel the order.

        Honestly I'd be choosing Optus as you have a subdivided block and know there was a physical connection at some point.

        • StrayfireX on 02/10/2019 - 18:23

          Well if they cancel the order I'll be out of pocket $10, which I can live with and I'll jump to Optus, easy done.

        • StrayfireX on 14/10/2019 - 12:53

          You were correct about the Telstra cable thing.

          There is no physical Telstra cable to the house. I'm not sure if Telstra/NBN will bother connecting up the house in this case.

          However an NBN technician is booked for this Friday so I'll see what happens.

          Otherwise I might actually need to get Optus cable.

          • follow on 14/10/2019 - 14:00

            @StrayfireX: is there a conduit from the pit to house?

            • StrayfireX on 14/10/2019 - 14:09

              @follow: Nope. The Telstra guy said Telstra will need to draw a coax cable from the power poles to our house and then do the internal wiring for our coax.

  • whooah1979 on 02/10/2019 - 18:39

    Telstra cable internet

    Telstra cable/Foxtel/coaxial is NBN HFC.

    Check if you have a PCD under your power meter.
    https://images.app.goo.gl/wYpKzHRGr7FsWhnT6

  • TNTomer on 02/10/2019 - 19:14

    So I am in the same predicament. Just moved into a subdivided newly built townhouse. Apparently all we have infrastructure wise is ADSL and the speeds hover around 1mbps with Telstra. What can I tell Telstra to hurry up and either connect cable or push for NBN?

  • Whisper Quiet on 03/10/2019 - 11:28

    Most people including me prefer Cable over NBN. To me cable has better average speed and less dropouts. I hardly upload at all so no difference with the higher speed in that area. It's a little bit cheaper with Telstra for cable as they give you the free speed boost. So you actually came out ahead in my view. Keep cable as long as you can!

  • StrayfireX on 18/10/2019 - 15:36

    Update 18th Oct.

    Telstra sent an NBN technician out to my house.

    Got connected to NBN in about 30 minutes.

    NBN tech shanked out the old Optus coax cable and replaced it with a HFC NBN cable.

    NBN technician did not give us an Arris NBN HFC modem but insisted we use the Telstra cable modem instead.

    NBN still insisted our house isn't connected to NBN. Will try to activate Telstra NBN HFC now.

    • lgacb08 on 19/10/2019 - 22:05

      sounds like he's a telstra tech not nbn one, nbn one would give you the Arris modem, not hooking up your old coax modem because it won't work with NBN HFC

      • StrayfireX on 20/10/2019 - 09:44

        Yeah he was an NBN tech. Now our line says NBN and he tested it with an Arris modem, but he took them away and now we're on Telstra cable. Welp.

        • Whisper Quiet on 21/10/2019 - 10:02

          If you really are on cable then call up Telstra and make sure you have the free speed boost applied. For all customers on cable that can't get NBN they do it for free. Will get you 100Mbps, same speed as the top NBN.

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