Faster NBN speeds are coming for FTTP and HFC users at no extra cost in September, but already ill-informed clickbait media are suggesting you will need a new router. 99.9% of the time, you won’t!
Faster NBN speeds are coming: Facts
Read Don’t rush in for faster NBN plans because most FTTP and HFC users will get the speed upgrade for nothing in September. If you don’t, then it’s time to change providers.
Any Wi-Fi 6 AX1200+, Wi-Fi 6E AXE5400+, or Wi-Fi 7 BE3600+ modem/router, router or mesh (router) will have a 1 gigabit Ethernet WAN port. That is 1000 Mbps, and NBN consumer tiers typically cap at that speed. Simply enjoy the speed boost when it arrives.
Any of the above will have enough raw processing power to handle converting NBN signals to Wi-Fi or Ethernet for a home network.
There is no truth in the clickbait that NBN resellers throttle router speed. It is naive to suggest it, as no router has that inbuilt capability. They simply take what they are allocated and redistribute it over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
To achieve speeds of over 1000 Mbps, you will need a router with a 2.5 Gbps WAN port.
Possible issues
Wi-Fi 5 AC1200+ modems may not have gigabit WAN or LAN ports. It would be rare, but some of the cheapies only have 100 Mbps. In any case, it’s time to replace these, if only for security.
If you are using a Crappy NBN Modem – here are a few better ones as a gateway, which you plug your main router into; there is a rare possibility that the router won’t get full speed.
Will I notice it?
If you currently have a 100/20 plan, in theory, you can download about 10 Megabytes per second. 500 Mbps will increase that 5X to 50 Megabytes per second. Therefore, larger movies and files will download faster; however, regardless of NBN speed, the actual download speed depends on the bandwidth allocated by the website for downloads.
For any other tasks, such as web browsing, email sending, and receiving, you won’t notice any difference.
The main difference is that multiple users or 4K video streams should be a little faster.
Test your NBN speed by running Ookla Speedtest.
The real issue is whole of home Wi-Fi
Since we have been alerting readers to crappy ISP-supplied modems, we have had an unblemished record in helping readers achieve the Wi-Fi coverage they need. Good reads include:
- Fix Wi-Fi blackspots fast and often at no cost
- Got a Wi-Fi problem but not much cash to fix it?
- Seamless whole-of-home Wi-Fi is easy with Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 (2025 update network guide)
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19 comments
Michael
Recently upgraded to FTTP and replaced a Telstra gen2 modem to their latest Smart 4 modem.
I have a brother printer HL-L2305W that is now not recognised by my iPad and iPhone since the upgrade.
The printer does recognise the new Telstra ID and passcode and does have connectivity
I have deleted the brother iPrint&Scan and scan app and reinstalled it on both devices.Have unplugged printer and reconnected close to the modem hoping for a change
Hoping you may have a solution
King regards
Ray Shaw
It is a problem with the Smart Mkdem 4. Basically, you have to neuter Wi-Fi 7, turn off beamforming, transmit a 2.4 GHz and 5GHz SSID and disable WPA3. Reader Jeff writes that older WiFi devices that use WPA2 or WPA (not WPA3) require the modem to be crippled. After hours of trial and error, and Telstra support:
Wi-Fi settings
Turn Wi-Fi 7 → OFF
Change Wi-Fi mode → Wi-Fi 6 (2.4/5 GHz)
Set channel bandwidth → 20 MHz (not 20/40 MHz)
Disable Band Steering (no MLO backhaul)
Separate Wi-Fi bands
Rename 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi so they have distinct names (e.g. HomeWiFi_2.4 and HomeWiFi_5)
Connect devices
Printer must connect only to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
Other devices (such as iPhone, iPad, and computer) must also be on 2.4 GHz when printing.
This effectively makes the SM4 slower than the SM3!
Elizabeth Jensen
Hi Ray just did my Speedtest. I’m on the $109 Telstra plan. I’m not really sure what that supposed to give me but the speed test said 53.8 download and 18.5 Upload I had the email from Telstra telling me about the new upgrade this month and I have a Telstra modem. Not even sure what generation but quite often the streaming services are blurry.
Ray Shaw
First thing is to look at your Telstsa bill as $109 is for 50/20Mbps. Unless you upgrade to 500/50 at $113 ($95 for the first 6 months), Telstra won’t give you the speed boost. Most Telstra Smart Modems https://www.telstra.com.au/content/dam/tcom/personal/help/pdf-b/telstra-smart-modem-specifications.pdf will handle 500/50 unless you are a heavier user, then they will choke as they don’t have enough RAM and CPU power. Then we recommend you consider Mesh, and the most popular is the TP-Link Deco BE65 BE11000 tri-band 2 or 3 pack for whole of home coverage.
Bob Boast
If I go to Aussie broadband, can I still keep my email address, or do I have to get a new one.
Regards
Bob
Ray Shaw
Telstra locks you to a BigPound address. You can keep it for 12 months if you ask, and if you have other accounts with them, you can keep it while you have those. Aussie does not offer email, so use Gmail instead.
Gary Crothall
We are long time Telstra customers , 40 plus years in fact. Since we opted to change to FTTP earlier this year we have had crap down load speeds on our PC. Anything from 21 to 45 Down load and around 18 Upload. When I do the speed test on my tablet in the room where the modem is located I get 82 Download and 17 Upload .We are paying for 100.
A couple of days ago the modem just turned itself off just as if the power supply to it had been turned off. Here we go , yet another 2 hour chat with Telstra (always interesting) which resulted in them offering us a new modem which will arrive in the next day or so. I don’t believe this will fix the issue but could you advise best course of action to get what we are paying for? Thanks !
Ray Shaw
Hi Gary
NBN FTTP is usually 99% reliable, but I am not so sure about what Telstra does with it. For example, in our case, Telstra had 13 hops to Sydney to avoid paying NBN (Aussie BB has 3) to avoid paying NBN as much. A switch to Aussie BB fixed the issue immediately. The new Telstra SM4 modem will handle the speed better when it goes to 500/50 for free (this week), but there could be other issues. I will email you separately to see if we can;t get to the bottom of this.
Elizabeth Jensen
Gosh I must check mine. I pay Telstra 109 a month for bundle. Home phone disconnected so that useless. Apple TV and sbs are sometimes blurry.
Stephanie Vaughan Johnson
I am with Telstra I pay $89 a month. When I mentioned at a Telstra an appointment about disconnecting my landline I was told no that was not possible.
Funny different stories
Ray Shaw
It may be that you are on a USO (Universal service obligation plan) and that you actually don’t have internet. Telstra’s 500/50 base plan is $113 a month ($95 for the first 6 months) plus phone.
jermayne
I am with Optus. I did an Ookla speed test and received 27.22 download and 33.23 upload. What does this all mean in lay terms and the speed am receiving?
I also see this:
Optus
49.193.74.158
What does 49.193.74.158 mean?
Ray Shaw
It depends on what plan you are paying Optus for, regardless of whether it is FTTP, FTTN, HFC or FTTC. Optus are obliged to refund you if it cannot deliver the speeds you are paying for. The proper measurement is from a PC or Mac attached by Ethernet cable to the router. Be prepared to challenge Optus over this. The numbers are the IPv4 address of one of Optus’s CGNAT servers.
Darron Salmon
We are with Opticomm thru telstra will that service also increase in speed.?
Ray Shaw
I don’t believe so – it is FTTP and HFC connections only. You need to see if you can get off Opticom to FTTP.
Walter Patrick Ayling
I have FTTP with Origin 50-20, which I am getting. Am I supposed to get an upgrade in speed? My last Ookla test yesterday was still showing 54/18.
Thanks
Ray Shaw
The free speed upgrade is from 100/20 to 500/50. Origin apparently did not tell you this. Its $85 for the first six months over a Aussie BB and takes a few minutes to change over. The real issue is whether your modem/router will handle the speed. Read https://cybershack.com.au/smart-home/crappy-nbn-modems-the-lessons-we-learned-from-our-free-advice/
Anthony Cunningham
Having just done an Ookla speed test I achieved 20.4 download and 4.2 up load on a 100/20 plan with Telstra. That was with the latest Telstra router. I recently read that Telstra is splitting the signal to cater for video downloads, music downloads and other downloads. Will the new NBN network speeds fix this as I feel that I am being hindered in my internet downloads?
Ray Shaw
First, Telstra should be refunding your money, as you are paying for 100/20 but only receiving 20% of that. There are other issues to sort out first, like going to Aussie Broadband and getting the speed you paid for. Happy to continue this on [email protected] where we might be able to get to the root of this issue.