Telstra 5G 300GB/Month on 12 month $69/Month plan with Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Hotspot MU500 (RRP $599) for $0 Upfront @ JB Hifi with 12 months Norton 360 subscription.
Minimum cost $828 over 12 months. My local JB Hifi is offering the deal above. Should be nationwide.
Proof
https://imgur.com/a/9yDFdRK
Edit: removed IMEI in my receipt.
That was the case maybe 10 years ago, however now with modern technology it's not a problem. Using it plugged in all the time will damage it less than actually charging it, flattening it and then charging again.
That was the case maybe 10 years ago, however now with modern technology it's not a problem.
It's actually unhealthy for the battery stay at a high state of charge for extended periods of time. Keeping a battery fully charged will degrade it more quickly than keeping it at about 50% charge, which is why brand-new mobile phones come with about 50% charge rather than 100%.
More info here.
Lithium-ion suffers from stress when exposed to heat, so does keeping a cell at a high charge voltage. A battery dwelling above 30°C (86°F) is considered elevated temperature and for most Li-ion a voltage above 4.10V/cell is deemed as high voltage. Exposing the battery to high temperature and dwelling in a full state-of-charge for an extended time can be more stressful than cycling.
At room temperature, the estimated recoverable capacity of a cell that's kept at 40% charge for a year is 96% while a cell that's kept at 100% charge is only 80%.
Using it plugged in all the time will damage it less than actually charging it, flattening it and then charging again.
I think what you're thinking of is the act of recharging it immediately after using it (i.e. a shallow cycle depth) will damage it less than flattening and charging it again (deep cycle depth. That's true - the depth of discharge does affect cell life. But as mentioned above, leaving it at a high state of charge can cause more damage than cycling it - depending on the depth of discharge.
used a spare mobile as a hotspot for 2 months, battery life is now drastically reduced. Previously I could leave that phone idle and it would last 5+ days before needing charge, now after a day its near 50% battery
You may be able to use it with the battery removed. Some devices allow this some do not.
This device can only work with battery in
Ahh damn, I was hoping to run it with the battery out and only use it when on the road…. :\
great deal, i assume i wont be able to use it at home effectively, unless i insist with the portable wifi modem? it will kill the battery ?
It is fine if you leave it plugged in and charging fulltime. It will recognize that you're doing that and limit the max charge to about 65%.
PROTECTED CHARGING MODE - BATTERY LIMITED TO 65%
The MU500 will enter Protected Charging Mode if it is charged continuously exceeding 16
hours, or has accumulated a charge time of more than 57.6 hours during the a 72-hour
period. Once it enters Protected Charging Mode, battery charge level is limited to 65-70%.Exit Protected Charging Mode
If the accumulated charging time of MU500 is less than 57.6 hours in a 72-hour period, MU500 will
exit Protected Charging Mode.
https://ztemobiles.com.au/wp-content/uploads/downloads/manua…
That's brilliant! More devices should do this!
Does anyone know if this would work with a Google Nest Wifi system?
Yes
Good question - can I also pair this device with my current tplink Deco M5?
I've got a 3 week wait (yep) to get NBN installed.
Are there any month to month or PAYG 4/5G broadband offers out there? Aldi is $95 for 35GB which seems a bit steep to me.
is this HFC? in similar boat
That really depends on how much data you need. If a lot check out Felix, if it's just 40 / 50GB pick up any cheap new sim card with a sign up offer for $10 or so.
I have tried plugging in 2 x TS9 antennas with no luck. Please let me know if anyone gets it working with antennas.
Might seem like a silly question but does this include 4g data?
Also sounds like upload counted to data too?
It works on 5G but if it can't find 5G it works on 4G - yes
Yes upload counted to data
Is the modem Telstra locked?
yes
No it’s not
my fault. It's unlocked. No lock from Telstra
That’s great! Thanks
Literally just signed up 10 days ago for their 5g at 200gb for 75/month and had to buy my own modem. Feels bad
Does Telstra offer network gurantee like Vodafone where if you don’t get the speed advertised they give a full refund or cancel the plan without any penalties ?
Tel$tra, no way
Will this still be available tomorrow?
Looks the same as any other tech co
Is it worth getting this one and cancelling NBN ?
if your usage is less than 300 gb per month and you have good 5g coverage then I think it’s worth it
I am tempted to get this deal. Does anyone know if the plan remains as $69 after 12 months?
The plan is specifically advertised on the JB website as "150GB + 150GB bonus", so if anything, I think it would be more likely that the bonus 150GB would drop off at the end of 12 months and the plan would revert back to 150GB for $69 per month.
The critical information summary would give a good idea of how the offer is structured and whether this will actually happen at the end of the contract period, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find one for this offer online.
Perhaps someone who's signed on to this offer might be able to shed some more light?
I dithered too long and missed it, however there was an in-store offer of the same plan with $10 off per month [so $59] for 12 months and a 4GX Wifi Plus (MF910Y) modem from old pre-paid stock [ different SIM supplied]. The $10 end at the end of the 12 months but the 150GB bonus data continues until you recontact.
Had I seen Watchnerd's Voda offer ( https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/618820 ) would have run with that and relied on my mobile plan for travelling, however I'm happy with this. Unlike the Voda plan, this drops to 1.5MB/s (enough to check your mail) if you churn through data too fast.
It came with a $250 JB-Hi-Fi gift card.
The only downside was that it also came with Norton's…
Thanks op pulled the trigger on this. It's anyone else disappointed with the speed of the wifi modem? I'm getting 40/40mbps on 5g and about the same with 4g, I put the SIM in my 4g phone (Oppo a91) and got over 100mbps down!
Could you be limited by the wifi adaptor on your devices?
legend mate, don't know why i didn't think of that… connecting over 5ghz wifi I'm getting much better speed - https://www.speedtest.net/result/11302359200
Wow….
I just signed up for it as well.
Best speed at home so far was 470/50.
The good thing is that if you're not happy with it you should be able to get a full refund.
From Telstra's support page:
Q: If I’m not happy can I cancel my 5G Home Internet and go back to my previous internet plan?
A: Yes. If you haven’t cancelled your existing internet service, you can simply return your 5G Home Modem to us in good working order. To cancel, just call us on 13 22 00. Once your service is cancelled we will send you an email with an eParcel consignment ID. Take your modem to your nearest Australia Post store and they will take care of it from there. We will cover the postage so there’s no cost to you This is the simplest way to return the modem and allows you to track the progress of the modem back to us.
If you’ve already cancelled your previous internet service, you will need to take up a new internet plan.
We recommend not cancelling your existing internet service until you’ve made sure 5G Home is right for you.
Telstra 5G Home Internet is a different product that is invitation only at the moment - I wouldn't expect that the above would apply to this offer.
Ah okay, thanks.
I don't see 5G Home Internet listed on their website as an available service although I did find a press release from Sep 2020 announcing that they were launching it, and there are FAQs for it. Maybe they've stopped it?
difference is JB different rules… the early termination cost is half gift card half 12m plan cost if cancel on day one
For anyone wondering, I've confirmed that data sharing is explicitly not allowed.
The bonus 150GB will continue past the initial 12 months until you cancel/recontact.
I guess the $69 per month remains past 12 months too.
Yes.
I was told the additional 150Gb will go away after contract ended. I think on the summary information too.
So can anyone say whether this actually comes with a voucher I could use for something other than the modem? Like money off an iPhone?
They process it as a voucher but I very much doubt that you could get the voucher and use it on something else.
There is a similar deal for the same amount per month for 12 months but only half the data and only a $250 voucher.
I think that you would be better off going for this offer and sell the modem than to take a $250 voucher.
Looking at auction sites, that's clearly what a lot of people are doing.
Tempted to switch my parents FTTN 40mbps connection to this. They only ever watch YouTube and kayo so latency isn’t an issue. Bit more worried about going over 300gb is all. How would they connect the modem to an existing WiFi network?
They'll still be able to use it after the 300 GB - just at 1.5 Mbps.
Assuming that the modem that they're using is fully NBN compatible, it should have a WAN port that you can connect to the Ethernet port on the 5G modem. You'll need to grab an Ethernet cable for this unless you have one spare. Alternatively, if they've only got 1 computer (or no computer), they could just use the Ethernet port/WiFi functionality on the 5G modem itself. WiFi range is likely to be less on the 5G modem though.
Edit: They could probably get away with a 25 MBps NBN connection for less per month than this and with no contract…
Just signed up in bankstown gJB, existing telstra postpaid customer
Got on this yesterday afternoon and I already want to punt this turd off my balcony. 5G speeds are all over the shop, never topping 40mbps but frequently way under.
This is from an apartment on the top floor of a residential complex in Abbotsford, Victoria. My 4G service with Optus and my partner's Belong service never have any reception or speed issues.
Changed modem to LTE, got 80mbps one time, great. Frequently drops way under that, and now I'm experiencing complete dropouts. I could contact Telstra for support, but I'd rather rub some nice sour lemon wedges into my eyes.
Looks like I'm headed back to JB for a prompt refund 🎉
Or I could just utilise the sim in an old phone as a hotspot and flog the $599 shitbrick???
(profanity) Telstra.
You might need a 5G antenna for the hotspot because line of sight to your apartment is blocked by something
Abbotsford has a huge 5G blank zone
I tried my home address and suburb. Does it mean i have 5g coverage if under the purple zone?
Looks like light purple = coverage area.
Dark purple = coverage "coming soon"
I know Abbotsford used to have pretty terrible reception in general but I've found it's really good lately, even in the middle of the valley by the river (haven't tested the modem down there yet). My coverage at home is excellent, turned out I was just using the overcrowded 2.4GHz band.
Got on this yesterday afternoon and I already want to punt this turd off my balcony. 5G speeds are all over the shop, never topping 40mbps but frequently way under.
Just checking, are you connected to the hotspot over 5GHz wifi?
You are on the money! I realized shortly after my rant above that I changed the wifi settings and disabled the 5GHz band instead of the 2.4GHz band. So I switched them around I'm now reaching 600mbps on my PC tethered to the modem. All my other wireless devices are pulling >300mbps as well. The intermittent drop outs have also ceased.
Welp, I feel like a dummy but I'm happy because this is the fastest internet connection I have EVER experienced at a residential building by OVER A THOUSAND PERCENT
AND IT'S ON A WIRELESS MODEM
that was FREE
and it's from Telstra
What is happening?!
Meanwhile, I've got 4 old NBN modems in my closet, along with an entire wall of that closet, for the unused NBN connection.
JB Hifi/Telstra needs to disable 2.4GGHZ by default on the modem.
@BargainTeebone: How did you disable 2.4G?
All I can see from the wireless settings is change the number of devices which are connect to it and change password.
I have tried resetting the device and starting from the beginning but it always has both the 2.4G and 5G turned on by default.
@xinyi: Not all wifi adapter's support 5ghz e.g. First gen Chromecast, having 2.4ghz is useful for backwards compatibility.
@xinyi: Not sure if he did (or even if it is actually possible), just pointing out that some devices can't connect over 5ghz so JB/Telstra and ZTE leave 2.4ghz enabled for backward compatibility.
@kierand: He said "I'm now reaching 600mbps on my PC tethered to the modem"
So I assume he is connected to the modem via Lan port and disabled the 2.4G on the modem, because he is not connecting via WIFI
@xinyi: That's correct, I also changed the connection preference on the modem from "automatic" to "5G only", which resulted in the improved tethered speeds. My other devices connected wirelessly to the modem are now receiving consistent speeds on the 5GHz band.
@kierand: I think at this point that the 2.4GHz band is so polluted that they should just disable it and leave it as an option for the edge cases that need it. Suffice it to say, every single wireless device in my household (7+ devices) are all dual band, and a couple of them are over 5 years old.
This is what I got from Telstra network at my home:
https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/4548272436
Canceled the NBN straight away.
Blazing
Argh, only just stumbled across this. Anyone know if this deal is still running?
This would be perfect for Van Life!
It ends may 2nd
Champion, thanks for that!
Silly question may be - Can I Take the service, cancel the next day and keep the modem ? I have belong SIM would like to use that with the Modem ?
What is the ETC on this ?
ETC is $414
you can find modems for $450 on eBay so not worth it.
Thanks!
The jb hifi lady told me there might additional charges for connection fee from telstra for the first month. She is unsure too. Did anyone been told that when signing up?
its pro-rata billing -> the billing month starts on the 20th of each month. If you sign today, you will get charged for 20 days in May plus the next month of June in the first invoice. So you will get over $100 bill for the first invoice.
Ah thanks. Make sense.
Do you have to begin the service the day you sign or can you set it to start on a future date? If a future date, how far ahead?
What! i can't find the T5G_ on the wifi list of my tablet. Is my tablet too old to pick up a 5G network? i am using a lenovo Miix 720. Thank you so much. It works fine on my iphone.
Updated my window 10 and i can see it now.
Thanks OP!
Just signed up today!
Check out my Speedtest result! How fast is your internet? https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/7296544002
I'm pleased with this, I guess I'm in a 5G zone. Bye bye NBN!
40GB has already gone in two days. I was hoping to cancel NBN.
Is that faster than you normally go through data? If so, do you know why?
Probably running too many speed tests. I think it chews through 1gb per test
Wow, that’s data hungry.
I normally use unlimited NBN plan, I don’t know how much I use. I tried with my phone’s Telstra 5G plan exclusively today, 20mins Netflix consumed about 1GB.
Oh god, I’ve missed the deal :(
I think today is last day?
Yes correct, offer ends today, 2nd May.
@rheggiey, you'll still be able to get in on this deal if you can get into a store and sign up today.
Thanks guys! When I first saw your replies, I go immediately to my local jbhifi store, they say I’m lucky it’s the last day of the deal. I successfully avail it :) cheers!
Is the 360 norton subscription worth using?
How did you get the 360 Norton subscription? I was not given any when I signed the plan in store.
Its on the receipt. A code is printed there.
The receipt where it shown the gift card applied on the modem? I didn’t see it.
@spedohero: They should've given two receipts. One for the modem and the other for the 360 subscription.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/122072988228
It's only worth $15 on eBay for 1 yr 360
@xinyi: Yeah I think they didn’t give it to me I forget bout it too. Yeah I don’t use it anyway just curious.
Leave it plug in all the time will still damage battery. Also charging 5G modem in heavily use would make it over heat.