“The internet is too slow!”
“My video call keeps dropping out!”
“Why is my game lagging?”
If these are familiar catch-cries in your house, you’re not alone. A decade ago, the average Aussie household didn’t even crack 50GB of monthly data on the NBN network. Today, it’s chewing through eight times that – and the appetite is only growing.
The past 12 months saw a 10 per cent hike in average household downloads.
“That figure is on track to double again in the next seven years, driven by more devices, higher-resolution streaming and cloud-based applications,” says NBN spokesperson Courtney McMahon.
A typical home now runs an astonishing 25 connected devices: think smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, tablets, game consoles, smart speakers and security cameras, and McMahon says this figure is also growing, with expectations it will reach 44 by 2030.
With these insatiable data demands, it’s no wonder it can feel like our connection is struggling. Fortunately, McMahon says plenty can be done to improve your internet experience.
“One of the main pain points we see is the home internet setup, especially Wi-Fi interference and obstacles, and older Wi-Fi routers,” says McMahon.
“Optimising the home internet setup can help deliver a fast and simple improvement in internet speed and reliability.”
There are three key ways to help your home internet reach its full potential, and they’re all simple to implement.
Too many of us are hiding our Wi-Fi routers away in corners and cupboards, and surrounding them with things that cause interference. For example, did you know liquids interfere with Wi-Fi signals? This means it’s time to move your router if it’s near a fish tank, as it could impact your Wi-Fi signal. Position your router in an open, elevated, and uncluttered area, as close as possible to where you use the internet most, for improved Wi-Fi coverage.
Tech is moving at a cracking pace, but an old Wi-Fi router could be impacting your internet experience.
A good rule of thumb is that if your router is more than five years old, consider speaking with your internet provider to determine if it still meets your internet needs or if an update is necessary. Older devices connected to a newer Wi-Fi router could also impact your internet experience.
Finally, if you live in a larger or multistorey home, you might want to consider whether a wired connection or installing a mesh network could help strengthen your Wi-Fi signal as you move around your home. Instead of relying on a single Wi-Fi router, a mesh network uses multiple devices, called nodes or satellites, which work together to create one seamless Wi‑Fi network, so the signal is strong wherever you are in the house.
Founder and director of online clothing retailer SNDYS The Label, Melanie Purcell, says until recently, she was too busy to figure out why her home internet wasn’t more reliable.
Working from home while her three kids played online games, streamed shows and music, and video-called their friends meant her online work calls would often freeze, and downloads would take forever.
“At first, I thought it was the connection to the house, or that maybe everyone in our area had the same problem,” she says. “But then a friend sent me a link to the NBN website, which explained how important it is to have all the technology inside your home set up properly.”
With a new mesh network set up close to where most of the online action happens, the Purcells happily report faster internet across their many devices.
Meanwhile, NBN has unleashed the next era of high-speed broadband. McMahon says customers on eligible high-speed NBN® full fibre or HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) plans can now access accelerated wholesale download speeds, up to five times faster than those previously available on eligible NBN plans.
“That means smoother streaming, quicker downloads, and better gaming across multiple devices at the same time,” she says.