Worth Upgrading from Telstra Cable HFC to nbn(FTTC)? or Hold out?

LJSki on 17/06/2020 - 10:12
Last edited 17/06/2020 - 11:30

Hi Guys,

Question for those who know their internet types well.

I have Telstra HFC Coax Cable to our house, and have had it for last 4 years when we got sick of ADSL. Its been great, had constantly great speeds roughly around 50-70 Mbps.

However, as we are relatively close to the city the NBN has only started to really roll out in the last 6 months. Of which we have been having now problems with the speed at night. Sometimes dropping to below 5Mbps..

So my question is, would it be worth switching to an NBN plan? Like would it actually improve the connection, or is what we are currently on basically the same being we pick up internet from the node using COAX, which now is being supplied by fibre? OR is the older HFC a completely separate line?

If so then I wonder why we are seeing massive connection outages randomly, my thoughts would be as more people have been signing up from ADSL to NBN in my area, its been effecting our speed, which gives me the impression its using the same fibre to the node.

Any thoughts would be great. Obviously we will have to move to NBN soon(plus no installation needed), but is it worth the hassle right now? EDIT: Also available NBN would be FTTC.

Thanks legends.

Poll Options expired

  • 25
    Stay on Telstra HFC Line (basically already on NBN)
  • 17
    Switch to NBN (it will be better and more reliable (oxymoron saying "reliable" and "NBN" I know))
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Comments

  • cypher67 on 17/06/2020 - 10:20
    -2

    Whatever is cheaper

  • donga100 on 17/06/2020 - 10:26
    +3

    I went from Telstra cable to Aussie Broadband NBN and it's been great. Consistent 95 Mbps no matter what time of day.

    • wiipantz on 17/06/2020 - 10:27
      +4

      Aussies pretty good, they don't over sub. Hence you pay a little extra but you get a better service over all.

    • JSki on 17/06/2020 - 10:35

      What was the connect you were given at your place?

      • donga100 on 17/06/2020 - 10:52

        NBN HFC.

    • jamescavs on 17/06/2020 - 11:21
      +1

      Do this. Went from Optus Cable to Aussie Broadband HFC, speeds are very very stable. Plus no lock in contracts (unless you want their router, but you are better off investing in a high quality router).

      • eckers19 on 17/06/2020 - 11:25

        what speeds to you looking to go form Telstra nbn hfc 100 to Aussie broadband nbn hfc 250 or 1000

      • Twix on 17/06/2020 - 22:37

        Aussie don't have contracts at all even with a router. You pay for the Netcomm NF18MESH or Nest wifi outright.

    • Seraphin7 on 17/06/2020 - 11:37
      +1

      Only here to give props to the Anpanman avatar!

  • wiipantz on 17/06/2020 - 10:26
    +1

    What 'NBN' connection method are you offered? I am assuming HFC but I can't quite tell? If it is HFC could be worth it with the newer speed gains rolling out.

    I was on Optus Cable until literally last week and then signed the deal with the devil to go to FTTN, I took a hit in download speed for a gain in upload but overall is pathetic but my only choice. I'm firmly stuck in Abbot's nightmare NBN solution territory :/ Moving from FTTP to here was painful, living abroad in rural areas getting 1000/1000 in 2013/2014 then moving to Melbourne was probably the biggest shock though.

    • JSki on 17/06/2020 - 10:34

      I believe its HFC, says on Tesltra and Optus website that it would be NBN Fibre to the Curb?

      Yeah Abbot should stick with budgies and not tech.

      • wiipantz on 17/06/2020 - 10:57
        +2

        I hear he likes onions and glasgow kisses.

        FTTC by the sounds, you most likley should see a boost, I would advise dithcing the big T if you can, also avoid Optus like Covid.

        • JSki on 17/06/2020 - 11:32

          Yeah fair, the curb is pretty close and right outside our place about 2m away.

          Is there a facemask on here we can buy that protects against Optus? Just "asking" for mate ;)

  • listentomystory on 17/06/2020 - 10:28
    +2

    Still holding onto our coax connection. Parents want to stick with Telstra and we pay like 90 for a month and get <100mbps off peak. with NBN that price will get us half the speed.

    • BillyG687 on 19/06/2020 - 10:34

      Yeah, in the same boat too. Paying $89 for 115/5 at the moment. I would like the faster uploads but the consistency of the download speed for the price is what we're holding onto at the moment.

  • bhakharvadi on 17/06/2020 - 10:49
    +1

    I would say hold out. I guess you would be having that free Telstra cable speed boost?

    I was getting 115Mbps on that, with NBN most likely you won't touch even 100Mbps. If speed is something that matters a lot to you then hold out until you are forced to switch over.

    • JSki on 17/06/2020 - 11:32

      Yeah we do have that free Telstra cable speed boost, but isnt in the 100Mbps region at all. Only about 50-70 :(

  • Orico on 17/06/2020 - 11:03
    +1

    Stay on Telstra HFC. I refuse to move to NBN until they force me. I am getting 115+ download in the day and like 90 in the night. Upload speed is pretty turd at 5 Mbps but that's not important to me.

  • ef on 17/06/2020 - 11:09

    I'm staying on Telstra cable until I have to change because the price is cheaper than NBN.

  • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 17/06/2020 - 19:14
    +3

    Given the information provided, fttc is the better choice. As far as I know it's reasonably consistent. Nowhere near fttp, but better then 60 - 70 mbs and infinitely better upload capability (if what I've seen from previous talks of Telstra/Optus HFC are any indication).

    Plus, if you're dropping to 5mbs often enough for it to be bothering you it's probably better to go with the newer stuff,

  • SavingsAccelerator on 17/06/2020 - 21:21
    -2

    I had the same issue. Telstra cable HFC speeds are hugely volatile once NBN is in the area. Switched to the NBN on HFC and it was dismal. I'd skip NBN altogether and I'd seriously explore wireless broadband options. You can always come back to NBN if wireless broadband fails. Depending where you are, 5G could be the go. CHEAPER AND faster than the NBN. I'm on the Optus 4G wireless broadband plan for $68/month with a 500gb quota and getting speeds between 50-200mbps vs being capped at 50 or 100mbps on NBN. You should get speeds faster than 50mbps on average because you're in a less congested, non city area. Optus 4g wireless broadband takes some tweaking (positon it close to the Optus mobile tower (there are websites to look this up) and set modem options to 4g & 2300mhz only) but once set it can get a lot faster than NBN. The trade off's are that: it's a 24 month plan, 500gb quota, uploads speeds are slow, you need to tweak the default modem settings to extract the faster download speeds and Optus customer service is bad. I'd suggest that you ask around and try to borrow a mates Optus wireless boardband modem and run some speedtests during your high use times before signing up for a 24 month plan 4g wireless broadband plan or simply run speed test on a Optus mobile. The Optus 5g wireless broadband plan comes with a 50mbps guarantee, 1 Month free and unlimited data. It is also easier to cancel if it's not cutting the mustard when it comes to speed. Also just walk into an Optus store to get the modem instead of waiting for it in the mail. Telstra wireless broadband options are more expensive but should be better and more reliable. I've just focused on Optus as it's better value. Good luck.

    • JSki on 18/06/2020 - 11:14

      Legend for the info!
      Its a good thought to see what other options might be available. Wireless relies on how many people are using it, so might be good before everyone else starts to go down the 5g route.
      But will check it out! thanks

    • lgacb08 on 19/06/2020 - 22:07

      optus wireless sucks big time, I spent 18 months on it and speed is dismal, never seen it reaching anything close to 100mbs, over 50mbs is extremely rare, mind you my house is only 400m from the tower and I don't even need to be on the top of the roof to see it. What's worse is they're on cgnat and severely limited my option to dns and port forwarding. Tried different 4g modem but nothing stable. I'm on the free 25/5mbs now and speed is more or less the same as before, don't even have issue streaming youtube across 3 different devices in the evening.

  • Twix on 17/06/2020 - 21:58

    Telstra plans are 25/5 and 50/20 on FTTC, phone calls included and if you use Telstras smart modem you have access to automatic 4G fail over as a backup. They say no contact but how they get you is if you leave before 24 months are up they charge $9 per month remaining or $209 outright for their modem.

    Aussie Broadband have plans up to 100/40 on FTTC, real world tops out at about 108/38, a true no contract and Aussie support.

    FTTC consists of fibre most of the way and the last bit is copper. Telstra legacy HFC is a completely separate line from NBN FTTC.

    • listentomystory on 18/06/2020 - 09:00
      +1

      Telstra's plans are ridiculous. They give you a free, ok-ish modem router which you have to use in order to get landline phone working, with traffic monitoring even though DNS is changed to google or cloudflare. And on top of that, they bind you into a term contract which if broken, they charge you for the modem which is pretty much useless.

    • JSki on 18/06/2020 - 11:15

      Yeah heard really good things of aussie broadband! Will also check them out. Does telstra actually cap at the 50/20, yet aussie does not?

      When you say its a completely different line, wouldn't they utilise the HFC line that is in place? because when i put my address in it says no installation needed, can just set up a modem ect

      • Twix on 18/06/2020 - 11:44

        Yeah Telstra cap new FTTC connections at 50/20 and Aussie don't.

        Nah the Telstra legacy HFC isn't used at all with FTTC. NBN run new fibre and connect to your existing copper the majority of time or in some cases run new copper. For a FTTC self installation the NBN connection device is sent to you, plug in a router and away you go.

        • JSki on 18/06/2020 - 16:39

          Hmm interesting, when you say like connect to the existing copper, do you mean like the phone line?

          Because We dont have any phone lines anymore pretty sure, basically replaced the old phone line with the new coax HFC cable when we switched from ADSl.

          • Twix on 19/06/2020 - 10:27

            @JSki: Yeah the phone line. If you don't have an existing phone line NBN run a new phone line.

            • JSki on 19/06/2020 - 11:09
              +1

              @Twix: @Twix Wowsers surely thats more of a bottleneck than just using the existing line. HAha If that's the case will just hold off for sure.
              Thanks for your help though legend!

              • Twix on 19/06/2020 - 12:21

                @JSki: In regards to a bottleneck yes and no. Both HFC and FTTC do 100/40. HFC has 250/25 and 1000/50 plans available right now in select areas. FTTC can catch up when NBN upgrade the FTTC network again but at that point NBN should just run FTTP.

                A minor constellation prize is that if you really want FTTP installed now it costs $6-10k to go from FTTC-FTTP than up to $40k or more to go from HFC-FTTP.

  • trankillity on 18/06/2020 - 08:39
    +2

    Depends if you need the upstream bandwidth. HFC (cable) is generally as good downstream as HFC (NBN), but NBN has higher upload speeds. Of course, you'll be entirely changing technologies, so it's a bit trickier.

    The other thing to consider is where the phone point in the house that the FTTC will connect to will be. And also, how old the phone wiring in the house is. If it's an older house, you will likely get a decent amount of noise on the FTTC signal which will result in flakey performance.

    Personally, I'd stick with HFC as long as I could - as you know it works. If you were going from HFC (cable) to HFC (NBN), it's a no-brainer - but changing technologies is a risk.

  • PeterSnoot on 18/06/2020 - 11:59
    +1

    I went from Telstra cable to NBN HFC.
    * Slight loss in max download speed but big increase in upload speed (100/40 plan)
    * Problems with the cable connection in the pit in the curb did not go away. The connections get corroded every few years and need to be replaced. It is equally painful dealing with Telstra and NBN about this.
    * Performance is great except for the above problems
    * The change was the trigger for me to switch to Aussie Broadband, which is fantastic.

    • JSki on 18/06/2020 - 16:40

      Hmmm interesting about the connections corroding.

      Good to know about Aussie broadband too! :)

  • reddevilcat on 18/06/2020 - 16:00
    -2

    NBN is the only plan in the whole wide world that is more expensive and slower.And you have to move sooner or later…

  • Hirolol on 24/06/2020 - 17:36
    +2

    I’ve had good experience moving from telstra broadband cable to telstra hfc.
    Yes there was a slight drop in max download on speed test but was it noticeable? No.
    People complain about it like it makes a massive difference but it doesn’t.
    The best thing is that you get good upload speeds.

    We had random dropouts recently (after no issues for years) and we had to contact telstra so many times and we got the runaround with nbn too as their customer service is terrible.
    In the end we finally got the dropouts fixed and it has been good ever since.
    In total there was about one month of inconsistent drop outs.

    I think if you get a good connection it can be better than fttc FOR NOW. As fttc uses the old copper phone line to the street, where as hfc is coaxial.
    Aren’t Aussie bb are offering 250+ down on fttp and hfc services?

    I would say that I’m very happy with the speeds, the service im receiving from telstra and don’t have any issues that can’t be fixed.

    I think you should just switch to hfc. No point holding off from switching in my opinion. I waited so long before switching and I realise now there was no point at all in holding off.

    Also, we are on 100/40.

    • Twix on 24/06/2020 - 21:20

      Yeah Aussie BB have 250/25 and 1000/50 on all of FTTP and parts of HFC with more coming.

  • listentomystory on 20/08/2020 - 18:55

    Just checking, any of you still on Telstra Cable notice the speed is much slower than the usual? I've been getting 30-40Mbps in comparison to 90-110Mbps few months ago.

    Feel like they are doing this on purpose just to annoy us so that we migrate to nbn?

    • JSki on 20/08/2020 - 21:23

      Yeah still on Cable.
      Called Telstra and NBN and they are only putting in FTTC, meaning they will only connect my nbn through my old 30 year telephone line rather than the HFC line… spoke to someone in NBN and got to the point where they agreed there was no reason why they couldn’t connect via HFC yet they will not out of policy. Because otherwise people can just pick and choose or some bullshit. They are an absolute joke. The only option they give is if we wanted to move to FTTP, with a rough cost of 20k..

      We are also seeing a decline in those types of speeds in odd times throughout the day, not sure if Telstra or if it’s because more people are working from home ect.

      Either way I’m holding out for as long as possible.

      • Twix on 21/08/2020 - 11:04
        +1

        It doesn't cost $20k for FTTC-FTTP. Since July most of the FTTC-FTTP quotes are $2400 to $3600 and a couple have come in at $6k to $8k.

        • JSki on 21/08/2020 - 11:16

          Was told I would be first to do it in the street, meaning I would have to fund not only fibre from curb to premise, but apparently a further infrastructure to support it…
          My local electrician asked the same for him and got the same response.
          Unless you get everyone in your street to also upgrade and share the cost does it get down to the 2-3K mark…
          But just what I was told.

          • Twix on 21/08/2020 - 11:21
            +1

            @JSki: It doesn't matter if your the first in the street. Most of the infrastructure is already there with FTTC. If you have a spare $330 to burn NBN will give you an official quote.

            • JSki on 21/08/2020 - 12:48
              +1

              @Twix: Alright good to know, will hold out on HFC, then if FTTC is worse will definitely do it. thanks Twix

              • JSki on 21/08/2020 - 12:49

                @JSki: Can even do some creative accounting and find a way to claim on tax haha

                • Twix on 21/08/2020 - 13:00
                  +1

                  @JSki: Yep some have done that ;-)

  • jimbler on 25/08/2020 - 04:54
    +1

    "I have Telstra HFC Coax Cable to our house, and have had it for last 4 years when we got sick of ADSL. Its been great, had constantly great speeds roughly around 50-70 Mbps."…

    If that were me, I wouldn't be happy at all. I was on Telstra cable for nearly 20 years and it was a solid 100 Mbps the whole time.

    I only moved to NBN HFC yesterday because we were forced to….September 10 was our cut-off date. The install took about 20 mins, and it's working ok. It's a bit meh…The upload speed is obviously higher, but I can't really tell the difference.

    https://www.speedtest.net/result/9966331477

    The only real advantage I can see is if the fixed connection goes down then I still have the 4G mobile backup with this. We lost our cable/foxtel for about 6 weeks a couple of years ago when a lightning bolt struck outside our house. It was a massive PIA.

    I would have preferred to go with Aussie or Superloop, but Telstra offered us the same bundled price (IQ4 x 2, home phone, NBN 100) that I was paying on cable, so in the end I just went with the easiest option.

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