Cheapest Way to Increase 5G Data on Telstra - Upfront Data Plans?

Ltolchok on 28/01/2022 - 11:52

We have just moved to a building with FTTB but a very fast and stable Telstra 5G connection. From my Whirlpool Post: ->>I typically get results of 16-20 ms ping, 380 – 490 Mbps download, 83 – 95 Mbps upload on Speedtest using Internode, Telstra and Optus servers. The best ping I've got so far was 12 ms, highest speeds 600+ Mbps download and 105 Mbps upload (not on the same test). Occasionally it will drop to 30 ms ping, 280 Mbps download and 65 Mbps upload, though it is mostly the faster speeds.<<- I've recently moved the modem and typical speeds are just over 490 Mbps download, but consistently worse ping for some reason (which might actually be a bad trade off).

Telstra Home 5G is currently unavailable because they are out of modems (even if you indicate you don't need or want the modem), which would be perfect as it has 1TB.

I have been using the Large Telstra - Upfront Data Plans, which only comes with 400GB of data. We have burned through 229GB of the data already with 18 days left and from looking at my old AussieBB bills guess that some months would already be getting up to the 400GB by this time of the month.

So, does anyone know of the least expensive way to increase this to around 600GB or more? I'm hoping to jump on the Telstra 5G home with 1TB, though have no idea how long the modem shortage will continue.

I'm already locked into a JB-Telstra non-data share plan (worth it for the "free" iPhone 12 Mini) for the next few months, my partner is on a $50ish Optus plan and son's phone is about $30 a month. The problem is adding my partner and son's phones to the data share may actually reduce the data pool (she watches a lot of reality TV on her phone via 4G and he does similar with YouTube gamer streams).

Are there any tricks people have figured out to increase the data without just getting a second Large Data plan (so $150 for 800GB)?

If not, we might switch to Optus as for $89 we can get unlimited, though I tested it out and was mostly getting 250 - 350 Mbps download, with similar ping and upload to Telstra.

Mobile

Related Stores

Telstra
Telstra

Comments

  • Gunther on 28/01/2022 - 12:35

    TPG FTTB is a bargain at $59/month if its available to you… (Down 100/Up 40Mbps)

    What do you need all that speed for?

    • Seraphin7 on 28/01/2022 - 12:42
      +1

      What do you need all that speed for?

      You don't need it.

      Until you need it!

      I've got the Telstra 5G home modem, basically because the NBN is 5hithouse. Typical download speed is 350-400mbps with ~10ms ping. Yeah, sure, you often don't "need" it, but it just means you're not waiting around for anything and obviously any issues with multiple connections just don't exist in any meaningful way.

    • tolchok on 28/01/2022 - 14:41

      If I was sticking with NBN, I'd stay with AusieBB. Unfortunately, FTTB will not likely reach 100/40 from what I've read, and will have worse pings than I'm getting with 5G.

      Also, TPG's $59/month plan appears to be 12/1 - but even if it were actually 100/40 for $59, then that is worse than either 490+/83+ on Telstra 5G or 250+/83+ on Optus. You are comparing grapes to oranges.

      • Gunther on 28/01/2022 - 15:15
        -2

        You didn't answer my question….. What do you need all that speed for?

        TPG FTTB is not an NBN service, only available in select locations. I get the full 100/40Mbps speeds for $59.
        https://www.tpg.com.au/fttb

        • tolchok on 29/01/2022 - 12:34

          I didn't answer your question because your post is a semi-troll post, in that you are answering a question that was not asked. It would be like me answering a post in which you have asked a question with an unrelated answer.

          For instance if I answered your 'Mesh Wi-Fi Recommendations under $300' post with 'Why would you need Mesh Wi-Fi? Just move out of the granny flat and into an apartment by yourself.' Another example would be me answering your 'Most Affordable Quality Haircut in Brisbane City CBD' post with 'Move from Brisbane to Footscray in Melbourne and you will find cheaper haircuts'. Neither of those answers would be useful or answer the questions you were asking.

          It now appears you are also answering with a suggestion not widely available AND that has either a $99.95 upfront fee OR an 18 month lock in contract to only possibly get 100/40Mbps (or possibly get significantly worse).

          That all said, examples of when higher speeds are useful: downloading OS updates, downloading games on steam, multiple people watching streaming services without stuttering etc.

          Now please do not feel like you need to contribute to discussions on 5G if you do not have anything more useful than 'sign up for a slower service that is not 5G, what do you need the speed for anyway?' It is like the people who indicate that 12/1 should be enough for everyone in Aus and ask 'What do you need all that speed for?' when referring to 50/20 or 100/40 NBN. If you are happy with slower speeds, that is great, but don't then don't infer that I don't need or can't benefit from significantly higher speeds than you are getting.

          • Gunther on 30/01/2022 - 20:17
            -1

            @tolchok: It actually wasn't a troll post - I had a relevant contribution that would be useful for your use case scenario. I was just trying to understand what you are using the speed for; is mobility more important or ping times or speed etc…

            For the sake of clarity, TPG is in the process of trialing and releasing Gigabit (up to 1000Mbps) FTTB plans via G.Fast Technology. As you already live in a building with FTTB, its highly highly likely the TPG product is available to you at the lower 100Mbps speeds, and very soon the 1000Mbps speeds.

            Initial trials of the TPG FTTB Gigabit product are promising
            https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/03f60ce0-4b1f-4626-a8f7-f…
            Down 602Mbps, 92Mbps up, 4ms pings - this is directly comparable to the 5G offerings on the market.

            My apologies for trying to be helpful :|

            • T-man on 30/01/2022 - 23:06
              +1

              @Gunther: How much per month? I am paying $85 for the Telstra 5G Home and the speed is amazing:
              https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/4952012347

              • tolchok on 31/01/2022 - 13:28

                @T-man: Amazing speed there btw. My best cheat-result (it wasn't actually in my apartment, though it was in my building) was 867.87/106.66.

                I'm still pretty happy with my regular speeds given there is a building between my apartment and the 5G tower, but would love to get the speeds you are getting. Do you know if the 5G Home modem (which seems to be the AW1000?) pulls faster speeds in general to the Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Pro (MU500)?

                • T-man on 31/01/2022 - 13:33
                  +1

                  @tolchok: Yes, the original Telstra 5G Home modem (AW1000) will have a faster speed, I tested my Telstra 5G Simcard on different modems like Nokia Fastmile (Optus), Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Pro (MU500), and Huawei 5G CPE Pro, and my iPhone 12 pro, the AW1000 modem had the fastest speed.

                  • tolchok on 31/01/2022 - 13:54

                    @T-man: Fantastic, I hope they get the modem back in stock soon then. 1TB will be plenty of data and $85 a month, with 1st month free, no upfront cost, no lock-in contract and 3 months complimentary Binge is a pretty awesome deal.

            • tolchok on 31/01/2022 - 11:49

              @Gunther: If you were genuinely 'trying to be helpful', then thank you. If that is in fact the case though, then I'll suggest then that your execution was way off, as it seemed like low level trolling by suggesting something totally unrelated to my question.

              My query was about getting more data for 'a very fast and stable Telstra 5G connection' which I'm getting 'just over 490 Mbps download' and '83 – 95 Mbps upload' regularly, though 'highest speeds 600+ Mbps download and 105 Mbps upload'.

              Your response was to suggest a totally different technology with significantly worse speeds (you wrote 'Down 100/Up 40Mbps') and you then ask 'What do you need all that speed for?' You then further pressed in your subsequent post 'You didn't answer my question….. What do you need all that speed for?' It smacked of Abbot's comments that 25 Mbps should be 'more than enough'.

              The TPG Gigabit FTTB product you have raised in your third message is potentially more relevant given it is somewhat on-par with my 5G speeds (yet it is still suggesting a totally different product to what the initial post was asking), though to my understanding is that it is not available to me or 99% of the population and will likely be significantly more expensive than what I am getting IF it ever becomes available, and the speeds you have posted are not very common even in the trial.

              It seems like the TPG Gigabit FTTB that you are spruiking has had major issues (as per the Whirlpool thread that it appears you have taken the speedtest from, unless you are the person who actually did the speedtest: https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/348q7y23). Most speedtest results on that thread are significantly worse than what you've posted and what I currently get. I'm not sure whether you have just cherry-picked the only reasonably good speedtest result, or whether you are the person who posted the 602/92 result on Whirlpool, but again, I was asking about increasing 5G data for a real-world 'very fast and stable Telstra 5G' connection I have.

              It is somewhat like if you were asking about a particular Samsung/Android phone and another user suggested "Get an iPhone Pro Max 14 instead when they release." Or conversely if you were asking about a current MacBook Pro model and a user suggested "Get a Dell XPS 2023 edition." Or, to make it more directly relevant, it would be like if you posted "Need help with getting the best results from my TPG FTTB connection" and I wrote 'go with Optus Home 4G. Why do you need cables? … You didn't answer my question….. What do you need cables for?'

              Whilst I have been keeping an eye on 5G alternatives and may use either GigaComm or TPG/iiNet/Internode Gigabit FTTB if they become available and are reasonably priced, that is not relevant to my question about getting more data for 'a very fast and stable Telstra 5G connection', especially given Gigabit FTTB is more of a pie-in-the-sky for me than mmwave 5G, with both likely very similar results (or as T-man has posted below, the 5G may in fact have better results). The FTTB products (NBN and non-NBN) may be great for some and I may even use them if the price to performance makes sense for me, but please don't suggest that lesser speeds than I am getting are 'more than enough' for me.

  • jace88 on 21/03/2022 - 00:46

    So Op, what did you end up doing? Did your experience/results match expectations given the cell phone towers near to your place?

    I ask as I'm about to leave my current apartment which has GigaComm gigabit internet and the new place only has meagre NBN100… but it also happens to have line of sight with no obstructions to a nearby cell tower with Telstra/Optus/Vodafone 5G. Whilst I'm sure the Telstra would be the fastest (based on what I've seen in the same area with an iPhone 12 mini on 5G achieving >1Gbps on Speedtest), the 1TB limit makes me nervous as I average about 30-40GB per day not counting days when I am doing massive Steam or Xbox updates (which can be >200GB in a day). Leaning towards Vodafone 5G since if it even gets 300-400Mbps, it'll still be fast enough for my needs. Hopefully being on CGNAT/etc and a locked down modem won't cause my Synology NAS too many issues (I run VMs on it). Also hoping double NAT won't make anything else go awry with my Asus XT8 since the inbuilt wifi on those modems is bound to be rubbish.

    • tolchok on 22/03/2022 - 09:33

      Home 5G became available again, but I’m somewhat in a holding pattern after moving modem and getting mmWave connection (typically ping 6-9 ms, 690-750+ DL, only 20-60 UL so a significant reduction there). I’m then using cheapo slow internet for things that speed doesn’t matter for (will be getting rid of it, as it is well below expectations). I’m still hoping to find a way to boost data and continue with mmWave. I am having to reset 5G modem every few days though.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join