Not happy with Australia’s National Broadband Network? Not getting the level of connection you deserve? Are you tired of the loading screen on Netflix?
If this sounds like you, you might just have what we call the NBN blues. But don’t worry. If you’re an unfortunate Aussie home or business that got the short end of the NBN stick, then we have solutions for you. Perhaps you're stuck with inferior technology and looking to upgrade? Or you haven’t even been connected yet. Either way, if you’re looking for an alternative to an NBN internet connection, then have a read below and find the answer you’re looking for on Whistleout.
In this guide, we'll cover:
- 4G home wireless plans
- A great, widely available NBN alternative for the home
- 4G mobile broadband plans
- Mobile internet for when you're on the go
- 5G mobile broadband plans
- Even faster mobile internet
- 5G home wireless plans
- the fastest NBN alternative, but not widely available
- Upgrading your NBN connection
- Get better technology to avoid having to switch
- NBN troubleshooting
- Ruling out common issues that may impact your NBN experience
4G home wireless plans
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Southern Phone 
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Optus 
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Moose Mobile 
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Tangerine Telecom 
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SpinTel 
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Speed limits are frustrating when you want to go fast. With 4G home wireless plans, the only speed limit is the real-world conditions at your home. These may include network congestion and the strength of the mobile signal at your address.
Usually capped at 200GB for downloads, most home 4G plans can be upgraded through your provider to at least 500GB per month, which is perfect for families, those working from home and of course, keeping up with your favourite streaming services.
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Optus
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Tangerine Telecom
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Link not supplied
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SpinTel
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Southern Phone
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Moose Mobile
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With each of these plans, you’ll receive a robust wireless modem capable of connecting dozens of devices around your home.
Speeds will of course vary for the reasons we've mentioned above, but as a guide, our testing of the Optus 4G home wireless service, we've typically seen speeds between 20Mbps and 50Mbps, which should be fast enough to support a family of up to four medium to heavy internet users. If these speeds aren’t fast enough for you, they can be improved with an external antenna to boost connectivity.
If these plans are too costly for you, right now SpinTel and Exetel both offer cheaper home wireless broadband plans, at the cost of speed. Limited to 12Mbps (which is equivalent to the Basic I (NBN 12) speed tier on the NBN), these plans won’t be able to handle more than internet browsing and watching Netflix. They're an option for single-person households, and not much else.
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SpinTel 
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#2
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Exetel 
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What is 4G home internet?
4G home internet is a broadband connection that runs through a SIM card and mobile signals to connect your home to the world wide web. A modem provided by your carrier then shares this connection with devices inside your house over a Wi-Fi signal.
4G mobile broadband plans
If 4G home internet doesn’t suit your household, you may want to consider mobile broadband instead. While these plans are not designed to replace your home internet connection entirely, they can do so during NBN outages or disruptions. Because of this, mobile broadband plans have much smaller data limits.
In the table below we've chosen to look at mobile broadband plans with at least 50GB, so you can see those plans most suited to the task of home internet replacement.
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Telstra 
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Optus 
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#3
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amaysim 
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#4
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Vodafone 
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A lot of these plans include portable modems. Modems are essentially the device or box that allows you to connect to the internet. No bigger than a deck of cards, these devices enable users to take their internet connection wherever they go. These portable internet modems are often powered by rechargeable batteries and can connect to multiple devices at once, making them ideal for road trips.
Home wireless vs mobile broadband
If you're after an NBN alternative, there are two options worth considering: home wireless broadband and mobile broadband. Powered by the same mobile networks that connect our smartphones to the internet, there are some differences between the two.
Here are the essential facts you should know about Home Wireless and Mobile Broadband in Australia:
- Both options are powered via mobile networks
- Mobile broadband connections can sometimes be faster than home wireless
- Home wireless plans often come with more data
- Home wireless modems require mains power
- Mobile broadband modems are battery-powered
- Neither option requires a technician to set up
See our guide on home wireless vs mobile broadband for more information.
5G mobile broadband plans
At this stage, Telstra is the only telco offering 5G mobile broadband plans. Here's a look at the range:
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Telstra
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#2
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Telstra
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#3
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Telstra
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#4
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Telstra
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5G mobile broadband is still considered a ways off for many Australians, but Telstra wants to change that with the HTC 5G Hub.
The Hub can connect up to 20 devices simultaneously, and comes with a 24-hour battery power backup in case of a power outage. In addition to its primary role as a modem, the Hub doubles as an entertainment device. It has a touch-screen and support for Android apps like Netflix, and a USB Type-C port for connecting it to external displays.
As we mentioned with 4G mobile broadband, Telstra does not intend for its 5G mobile broadband to replace your home fixed-line connection. However, with up to 200GB of data on offer, it is technically feasible. Though, it should be noted that 5G is still being rolled out across the nation, with only the handful of coverage pockets scattered across 46 towns and cities. These include Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Launceston, Toowoomba, and the Gold Coast. Check Telstra 5G coverage at your address below:
Or see our Telstra 5G coverage map for details.
5G home wireless plans
While Telstra keeps its focus on mobile broadband for 5G, Optus is selling 5G mobile broadband plans designed to replace an NBN connection. Optus is currently offering two unlimited 5G home wireless plans, costing $75 per month for speeds capped to 100Mbps or $90 per month for uncapped speeds.
In comparison to its rival Telstra, Optus 5G coverage is pretty limited. You’ll need to check your address on the Optus website to see if you're eligible for one of these plans. Currently, there are over 920 Optus 5G sites and over 650,000 homes and businesses across Australia that are suitable for Optus 5G broadband.
Read our Optus 5G Home Broadband review here.
Upgrading your NBN connection
If you’re getting the NBN speeds you were hoping for, the good news is, you might soon have an opportunity to upgrade your connection. Many households are connected to the NBN using Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology. This is widely considered the worst available connection type due to speed degradation issues caused by the use of copper coupled with distance to the node.
Announced to much fanfare, however, NBN Co has recently made the call to upgrade two million premises on FTTN to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) - a more reliable and stable internet connection.
Previously, a house or business on FTTN had to be within 400 metres of the local exchange to have any chance of achieving NBN 100 (Fast) speeds. Whereas, all FTTP connections are free of these issues and can easily reach even higher download rates of up to 1Gbps (ten times faster than an NBN 100 connection).
Switching subpar FTTN connections to FTTP will give Aussies access proper NBN 50 and NBN 100 typical evening speeds, as well as the option to access even faster speed tiers like NBN 250 and NBN 1000. If you don't know what technology type is being used to connect your home or business, you can refer to our rollout map to find out.
NBN Co intends to roll out upgrades to all FTTN connections by 2023. See our guide on FTTP upgrades for more information.
NBN troubleshooting
A slow internet connection may not always be the NBN’s fault. A bad experience can come down to a bunch of different factors that can be easily fixed with a bit of old fashioned troubleshooting.
1. Network congestion: occurs when too many people in your neighbourhood are online at the same time. This can be easily fixed by switching to a provider with faster typical evening speeds. Perform a speed test during the hours of 7pm - 11pm to get a sense of what speeds you’re getting during the evening. Then take a look at these NBN 50 plans, sorted by evening speed, to see if there’s something faster on the market:
2. The speed tier you’re paying for - if your NBN connection isn’t performing as expected, it may just be that you’re on the wrong speed tier. NBN plans are offered across six speed tiers:
- Basic I (NBN 12)
- Basic II (NBN 25)
- Standard (NBN 50)
- Fast (NBN 100)
- Superfast (NBN 250)
- Ultrafast (NBN 1000)
Talk to your provider about what speed tier you are currently on, and see our guide to NBN speed tiers to find out which speed tier would best suit your needs.
3. General connection issues can arise, no matter how perfect the conditions are. The first troubleshooting step is to a run a speed test and then move on to possible culprits like a dodgy modem or faulty wiring. If you have a large home, or if there’s interference from appliances, your issues may stem from WiFi that’s not up to scratch. Getting a Wi-Fi extender or mesh network can solve some of these issues.
Hardware issues can affect even the best NBN connections so be sure to rule out any of these before calling on the technicians. And as we mentioned before, the physical distance from the node for FTTN customers must be within 400m to achieve NBN 100 (Fast) speeds. However, since NBN slowdown is a complex topic, what we suggest may not work in every single circumstance.
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