nbn FTTN to FTTP Upgrade Questions

OzyBe on 18/02/2025 - 09:46
Last edited 23/05/2025 - 16:05 by 1 other user

Hopefully FTTP will become available in my area in the next 12 months - currently FTTN.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips when making the transition to FTTP?

I heard from someone that got FTTP installed. Presumably this is done by a third party contractor working for NBN, and not an NBNCo staff member. The recipient was not happy, as a new hole was drilled through their double brick house to get the cabling in, despite already having existing phone cables entering the premises.

I can understand that contractors will do whatever is required to get the job done fast, and it is easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

Any feedback or tips greatly appreciated.

I do understand that FTTP makes the modem component of existing FTTN modem/routers obsolete. I am hoping stability and speed greatly improves. I know of another customer that got FTTP when it was first rolled out, and they were unable to get 100mbps speeds, which I hope is no longer an issue.

Do people with FTTP have many technical issues? I am planning to get the NBN equipment installed where the cabling first enters the premises, so as to eliminate providers from blaming household cabling as a cause for issues when troubleshooting.

I currently have 2 identical modems so that when providers blame a faulty modem for connection issues, I simply switch from one to the other. I am hoping all the issues I have experienced over the years are resolved by this NBN upgrade.

Internet Broadband nbn

Related Stores

NBN Co
NBN Co

Comments

  • Danstar on 18/02/2025 - 09:50

    I had an NBN tech come out and do the install. I got him to install the box where my old FTTN phone line was. Very simple process. The tech didn't put a tile back properly after install, NBN were quick to get this rectified. Same guy came back next day or two to fix it.

    You most likely will be able to use the same modem you use now, as it would most likely be a Modem/Router. Unless you have some sort of different setup

  • kmish on 18/02/2025 - 09:52

    Hey mate,
    I owned and lived in a house that has FTTP. The FTTP was installed during the build phase of the house, and was done very neatly. Small box near the gas meter on the outside of the garage, and they went through the slab (maybe) as the cables were going to the base of the house.
    There is then an NBN modem wall mounted on the inside of the garage, where you plug your router in to get wifi. This new modem has an optic intake, so yes, it makes your FTTN modem obsolete. Your router may still work (if its seperate and connects via ethernet), though you may want to upgrade since you can usually get faster speeds with an FTTP connection.
    0 technical issues. Best and most stable connection I've ever had (currently with Opticomm and its not as good).

    I would recommend getting them to come scope it out before you make a payment so you know where the cables are going to go and can decide accordingly.

    • pscac001 on 18/02/2025 - 11:56

      I would recommend getting them to come scope it out before you make a payment so you know where the cables are going to go and can decide accordingly.

      There is no payment for the FTTP upgrade (unless you are spending a few thousand on the tech choices program), and you've got 2 chances of getting them to come out and discuss the scope of the install with you ahead of time.

      • Brick50 on 01/04/2025 - 15:05

        Can you explain the chances to discuss the install? I don't have a box on outside of my wall so will need to run conduit for them, wanting to know the process of this before I book an upgrade

        Thanks

        • pscac001 on 01/04/2025 - 16:00
          +1

          It's a figure of speech, "You've got two chances: Buckley's and none". It means they aren't going to come out and have a chat and develop a scope of works. They are going to send out a tech with a rod and a drill and they are going to say "Yep, that looks like it will be an easy spot to put it" and that's where it's going to go. So the trick is to make wherever you want it to be, the easiest place for them to install it.

          If you know where the lead-in from the street meets the house, you can find details on how the PCD (outside box) gets mounted and run your own conduit from there to where you want the NTD (inside box).

    • geekcohen on 18/02/2025 - 12:24

      The FTTP was installed during the build phase of the house, and was done very neatly

      An install doing during the build is different to doing an FTTP upgrade.

      The install can be made so easy when there is just framing etc.

    • Twix on 18/02/2025 - 22:05

      nbn are upgrading eligible FTTN and FTTC homes to FTTP for $0.

      nbn charges for FTTN/FTTC to FTTP at apartments and units that are managed by a body corporate and charges for HFC to FTTP.

  • Boioioioi on 18/02/2025 - 10:09

    I had two places with the FTTP upgrade done. First place, fantastic job, awesome Tech. Second place absolutely shit job. Techs drilled extra holes they never used in my roof, left crap and dust everywhere, didnt even bother running cable through the wall they just stuck a conduit outside my house. NBN did nothing to rectify either.

    Have to fix all the issues myself

  • Gravy on 18/02/2025 - 10:14

    I'm wondering how long it will be before it becomes a requirement to switch to FTTP once it is available at a house (for existing FTTN connections)? Is it still possible to switch to FTTC method and use your existing copper cabling for the last leg? I ask this as there may be difficulty with some installs, gardens, double storey houses etc and in regards to positioning of the modem within the home.

    • mskeggs on 18/02/2025 - 11:29

      It will be ages till they force an upgrade, and they may use the existing copper conduit.

    • Twix on 18/02/2025 - 23:13

      No you won't be getting FTTC. FTTP from mid 2029 onwards however this could change. Selected homes with really slow FTTN get this message now.

      DISCONNECTION OF THE LEGACY COPPER NETWORK
      With nbn Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology now available at your premises, existing copper phone and internet services are likely to be switched off within 18 months of the nbn FTTP being available to order.

  • FezMonkey on 18/02/2025 - 11:11

    The tech did a good job with mine. Asked me where I wanted things, and kept it tidy.

    Only problem is now now I get regular (several per week) drop outs which can last over an hour. Didn't have that when I was on FTTC.
    And the ISP says they can't escalate to NBNCo until it's a certain number of dropouts per 24 hours :(

  • apple2016 on 18/02/2025 - 11:29
    +1

    The main issue is that most consumer want the modem installed in the center of the house as its then easy to place the wifi router next to it and get good coverage.
    This will mean drilling holes etc. Nbn worker are not magicians.
    Ideally for minimal drilling, have the placement of nbn box / modem in the garage and the get your own tech/electrician to route network cabe to where you want to place the wifi router. more expensive bu you get to choose how you want to route the cables etc.

  • pscac001 on 18/02/2025 - 11:51

    Do people with FTTP have many technical issues?

    FTTP is far and away the fastest and most reliable connection.

    I am planning to get the NBN equipment installed where the cabling first enters the premises, so as to eliminate providers from blaming household cabling as a cause for issues when troubleshooting.

    I currently have 2 identical modems so that when providers blame a faulty modem for connection issues, I simply switch from one to the other

    The NTD (inside box) is the hand-off point, anything up to the UNI-D (ethernet) port on the NTD is the responsibility of NBN, anything after that is yours. If you need to do troubleshooting you can just plug your PC directly into the NTD to eliminate any concerns about cabling/routers/etc.

    If you want to decide where the NTD is installed, the best option is to have conduit in place before the NBN tech arrives.

    • vorsprung on 18/02/2025 - 13:14

      If you need to do troubleshooting you can just plug your PC directly into the NTD to eliminate any concerns about cabling/routers/etc.

      Can you do this if the provider uses PPPoE where a username / password is required?

      Also worth noting that the NTD also doesn't have a firewall, you will be relying on whatever software firewall you have configured in Windows.

      • pscac001 on 18/02/2025 - 13:43
        +1

        Can you do this if the provider uses PPPoE where a username / password is required?

        Yes, windows has had a built-in PPPoE client since XP.

        Also worth noting that the NTD also doesn't have a firewall, you will be relying on whatever software firewall you have configured in Windows.

        Which, as long as you haven't gone messing with things, will be fine by default. Also, most ISPs are putting new connections behind CGNAT unless you explicitly opt out so even if you don't run a firewall there is a good chance you aren't directly exposed to the internet.

        • vorsprung on 18/02/2025 - 14:10

          Yeah didn't consider the CG-NAT thing too.

  • bmxr on 18/02/2025 - 14:26

    a new hole was drilled through their double brick house to get the cabling in, > despite already having existing phone cables entering the premises.

    Fibre is not as flexible as old copper or RJ45 cables, so the old holes may not have met specification. Try to identify a location that avoids tight 45 degree turns.

    I do understand that FTTP makes the modem component of existing FTTN modem/routers obsolete. I am hoping stability and speed greatly improves. I of another customer that got FTTP when it was first rolled out, and they were unable to get 100mbps speeds, which I hope is no longer an issue.

    That sounds like an RSP capacity issue, or a customer hardware issue. We have had 1000mbps since day 1, all day every day.

    Do people with FTTP have many technical issues? I am planning to get the NBN equipment installed where the cabling first enters the premises, so as to eliminate providers from blaming household cabling as a cause for issues when troubleshooting.

    Get it installed where it best suits you. Using your logic, anything downstream of the NTD could be your issue, so you might as well get the NTD where you want it and NBN will be responsible for it all the way to the NTD. We had ours installed in a broom closet in the central hallway in the house, super central and convenient for us, the installer had to enter the roof and run fibre through the roof cavity. We had to install a dedicated GPO for the NTD and a bathroom extraction fan to meet NBN specs for airflow, it's on their website. Once those requirements we met, the installer had no option but to install it where we wanted it. Broom closet NTD install

    I currently have 2 identical modems so that when providers blame a faulty modem for connection issues, I simply switch from one to the other. I am hoping all the issues I have experienced over the years are resolved by this NBN upgrade……..

    The only downtime we have ever had are the RSP doing scheduled network upgrades and maintenance, or me periodically resetting all the hardware every 3 months just because… There has never been any downtime associated with the FTTP technology itself.

    • lgacb08 on 18/02/2025 - 14:35

      45 degree turn means jackall to the cable, if you opened the internal ntd cover you will see how tight or a radius the cable be rolled into, the inside cable is so tiny so unless you bend it to 0 degree at the point of breaking off the plastic outer layer it still works fine.

  • browser on 14/04/2025 - 19:56

    If you are concerned, you can hire your own cabler to run conduits from and to places the way exactly you wanted, they should know the specifications. I.e. type of conduit, max number of bends, bend radius etc. Just leave a draw string in place.

    Figure out where you want the NTD, garage is a popular and common place, then you can have a Cat6 cable to your router at the ideal location, NTD and router doesn't have to be together.

    Another option is to setup a mesh router next to the NTD, add a mesh node somewhere else, run Cat6 cable between them, should get solid Wi-Fi coverage.

  • OzyBe on 23/05/2025 - 13:34
    Merged from NBN Fibre to The Premise FTTP Upgrade Advice

    Interested in hearing from those that have already moved to NBN FTTP.

    I have heard some of the contractors are a bit rough, using hammer drills to bore out a hole for cabling to get into the house, when they could have used existing cable ducting.

    Any experiences or advice from those that have already had the upgrade?

    I know that tradesman often adopt the forgiveness rather than permission attitude, but if I can avoid unnecessary damage to the house, that would be my preferred option.

    • OMGJL on 23/05/2025 - 13:44
      +3

      offer them snack/drink upon arrival, show your appreciation.

      then give them your idea and ask if it's viable.

      if they reject your idea, and you think it's actually not reasonable, reject them, don't let them work on your house at all. Call your service provider and re-book another technician.

      be prepared to have no internet for months.

    • jv on 23/05/2025 - 13:45
      +2

      Any experiences or advice from those that have already had the upgrade?

      Ours just fed the fibre through the existing conduit using a cable snake…

    • skid on 23/05/2025 - 13:48

      using hammer drills to bore out a hole for cabling to get into the house, when they could have used existing cable ducting

      Exactly my experience. At least they drilled the hole in the room I wanted it in.

    • Murkymerv on 23/05/2025 - 13:52

      Tradies response , You want fibre to the property don't you ❓

    • AustriaBargain on 23/05/2025 - 14:10
      +2

      Just do it. It's one of the best tangible things the ALP have done. You'll be able to get 2 gigabit internet soon, and if you get an ABN you can get like 1 gigabit up 1 gigabit down, it's bloody amazing.

      • jv on 23/05/2025 - 14:25
        -3

        🤣

        • Murkymerv on 23/05/2025 - 14:50

          JV , "you've done it again".

        • Guybrush57 on 23/05/2025 - 15:02

          You prefer Liberal's 25Mbps?

          • jv on 23/05/2025 - 15:03

            @Guybrush57: I've already got 250/100

            • Guybrush57 on 23/05/2025 - 15:04
              +1

              @jv: Thank you for siding with Labor

              • jv on 23/05/2025 - 15:06

                @Guybrush57: Labor has made NBN unaffordable to low income earners who don't want or need gigabit speeds.

                Under Albo, wholesale NBN fees continue to go up… They are going up again in a month….

                • BuzzBuzzBuzz on 23/05/2025 - 15:17
                  +1

                  @jv: Yes, you're paying the cost of poor decisions made by previous governments…
                  …

                  • jv on 23/05/2025 - 15:24

                    @BuzzBuzzBuzz:

                    poor decisions made by previous governments…

                    Rudd is gone now… Trump can worry about him…

                • Guybrush57 on 23/05/2025 - 15:17

                  @jv: Probably trying to make back the tens of billions of dollars the Liberals wasted on copper.

                  • jv on 23/05/2025 - 15:25

                    @Guybrush57:

                    Liberals wasted on copper.

                    The copper was already there.

                    • Guybrush57 on 23/05/2025 - 16:28

                      @jv: Fibre technology already existed.

                      • jv on 23/05/2025 - 16:44

                        @Guybrush57: And there was already copper to the home.

                        Fibre and equipment is also a lot cheaper and better now what it was 15 years ago…

                        • Guybrush57 on 23/05/2025 - 17:00

                          @jv: Not cheaper when you add all the costs of copper and its workarounds and limitations.

      • Twix on 23/05/2025 - 17:05

        1000/1000 is for nbn enterprise ethernet.

        For everyone else on nbn FTTP you are looking at 1000/100, 1000/400, 2000/200 and 2000/500.

    • Greihawk on 23/05/2025 - 14:56

      These installers are not "Tradesman", they are technicians.

      • sane on 23/05/2025 - 15:22

        Which is the higher designation? I'd put them at the level of bodgers - it's the thing holding me back, the inability of them to do the job sensibly. Just going straight through the wall and sticking it on the other side isn't on.

        • Greihawk on 23/05/2025 - 15:48

          Tradesman is the higher designation, a tradesman has undergone a 3-4 year apprenticeship to become a master of their craft, a technician has had a 30min training session.

        • Twix on 23/05/2025 - 16:40

          My friend swapped to FTTP and the technician installed his own comms conduit and put the nbn NTD two rooms across.

          Say no if you don't want the nbn PCD and NTD straight through the opposite side. Tell your ISP if that happens and hopefully someone more accommodating gets sent out.

          Alternatively pre-install your own P20 20mm nbn communications conduit with a parramatta rope inside it. The comms conduit goes to where you want the nbn NTD setup. You can do it yourself, get a cabler or sparkie. This can avoid any potential problems.

          FTTP cable pathways and FTTP NTD fact sheet has diagrams.

    • bargainHunterOz on 23/05/2025 - 15:12
      +1

      I think it depends on who turns up for the job. I requested for upgrade from FTTC TO FTTP. A contractor showed up who basically refused to do anything other than an absolute minimum. He was forcing to install the FTP right at the middle of bedroom which was closest to the outside point. I refused to go ahead with the install.

      Next day, NBN technician came, who went above and beyond with the installation. He ensures that everything is as per the code and was happy to accomodate to my requests and went beyond it to ensure a quality cable is used with proper support.

      • OzyBe on 23/05/2025 - 17:43

        That is an interesting point; I didn't think of different qualities of cable.

        How do you know you got a quality cable?

        (Yes, I agree that the NBN employed techs do a better job than the NBN contractors).

        • bargainHunterOz on 23/05/2025 - 18:22

          there are differences in the thickness of the cables. FTTP Cables are made of glass mainly. the glass layer is not different but the stuff around it prevents it from damage. The technician showed me different type of cables, the markings and meanings. Offering some cool drinks on hot day helped ;)

  • Ebany on 01/06/2025 - 10:18

    Question: have a house in Brisbane currently with FTTN but has the free upgrade options to go FTTP. Current provider is terrible and looking at moving to a Super loop deal. Trying to work out if it's better to get the current provider to do the upgrade or move to Superloop with the FTTN but ask them for a FTTP upgrade and plan. Anyone have any experience in those areas?

    • Twix on 01/06/2025 - 16:20

      I wouldn't get FTTP through your current FTTN provider if they are terrible.

      Option 1: Swap to Superloop FTTN and request FTTP through Superloop.
      Option 2: Stay with the FTTN provider and request FTTP through Superloop. Call up the FTTN provider to cancel after FTTP is online.

      Personally I'd go with Leaptel's 12 month FTTP deal and swap provider after the Leaptel deal ends. Maybe Superloop or Buddy Telco.

      nbn FTTP step by step guide.

      What speed are you going to get on FTTP?

      • Ebany on 02/06/2025 - 09:41
        +1

        Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. Initially we were looking at the residential 1000/50 or higher, however it's for our business so we were now thinking about one of the Superloop business plans.

        Our personal NBN was with Leaptel before we churned to Superloop in November 24 for a cashback deal they had, they're excellent, I'll check those links now.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join