NBN over HFC delayed until Q3/Q4 2018
If your home is scheduled to get NBN over the HFC (Foxtel Cable) Network and you have not already made the move to NBN, your going to be delayed until mid or late 2018. As Reported By The Australian Financial Review on November 27th 2017 NBN is immediately halting the rollout of super-fast broadband delivered over pay television cables due to mounting issues with service dropouts, which could see $120 million of Telstra’s earnings in 2017-18 kicked further down the road. Read more: http://www.afr.com/technology/web/nbn/nbn-halts-hfc-rollout-effective-immediately-as-issues-mount-20171127-gztg2i#ixzz5308QhrS0 In April 2018, The Australian Financial review also confirmed that “NBN is adding more than 400,000 new homes and businesses to its fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) rollout, taking the total number of such customers to nearly 1.5 million. The move to expand FTTC, which was revealed by The Australian Financial Review on Monday, was announced on Tuesday morning and will see the new technology rollout take the place of premises earmarked for hybrid fibre coaxial which sat within or adjacent to Telstra’s HFC network and and fibre-to-the-node where there were long coppers lines, which will also resume its rollout and sales later this month after being delayed in November because of mounting issues and service dropouts. …. Read more: http://www.afr.com/technology/web/nbn/nbn-confirms-faster-fibretothecurb-internet-for-440000-customers-20180409-h0yjy6 “NBN also confirmed it will resume the wholesale sale of HFC services from April 27, starting with 1000 premises in Melbourne and Sydney, before an additional 38,000 by the end of June across capital cities. From July, NBN said it expects the HFC rollout to ramp up to around 100,000 premises per month.” Read more: http://www.afr.com/technology/web/nbn/nbn-confirms-faster-fibretothecurb-internet-for-440000-customers-20180409-h0yjy6#ixzz5CijpZY6s As Reported by Telstra – Telstra stopping selling HFC connections from 7th December 2017 “On 27th November 2017 nbn co announced it’s applying a temporary cease sale to the HFC (Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial) access network. The cease sale will come into effect on 11 December and is expected to last 6-9 months. To make things simpler for our customers, Telstra will stop selling nbn HFC from 7 December. Customers in these areas are able to connect to ADSL or Cable services. Why has nbn co decided this? nbn co has made the decision to stop sell driven by concerns with the customer experience on its HFC access network. According to nbn co, a small portion of customers in these areas are experiencing connection delays and dropouts. It will use the next 6-9 months to address these concerns. When will the temporary cease sale commence and end? nbn Co has stated the temporary cease sale will begin on 11 December, and is expected to last 6-9 months, across the entire nbn HFC network. As a result, Telstra will cease selling nbn HFC from 7 December. What does this mean for customers in existing HFC serviceable areas? From 7 December, any premise that is currently listed as ready for service with HFC, and does not have an nbn HFC order in-train, will be rolled back to ‘unserviceable’. You’ll be able to connect to Cable and/or ADSL in those areas if available. I am waiting to be connected to HFC nbn with Telstra, will my order be cancelled? No, as you already have an order in place, it will progress. If you no longer want this HFC service, please call us on 1800 531 939 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AEST and we’ll organise this for you. What if I want to cancel my nbn HFC order? We can proceed with your request to cancel the order. Please call us on 1800 531 939 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AEST and we’ll organise this for you. What is happening to the nbn areas that are scheduled for HFC? For now, the rollout will just be delayed and customers will be able to continue to order Telstra broadband services over ADSL or Cable in those areas. What happens to my existing nbn HFC service? We’ll continue to support you with any requests you have relating to your nbn HFC service. How do I know if I am an nbn HFC customer? You can check your nbn technology type via the Telstra 24×7 App and My Account. What does this mean for small business customers? Similar to our consumer customers, Telstra will be offering Telstra Cable or ADSL to Small Business customers in HFC serviceable areas from 7 December. We encourage our business customers to call us on 13 2000 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AEST at any time to discuss their options.” NBN Alternatives 3G/4G mobile broadband from Telstra, Optus or Wireless broadband from Node1 maybe the only alternative if you live in an HFC area. :jk:
What is HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial)
Australia’s High Speed Internet is being rolled out by the NBN Company. One of the Technologies being employed is HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) – The HFC Network belongs to Telstra/Foxtel/Optus up until February 2016. They were designed to carry PAY-TV (cable-tv) and developed by the cable TV industry to allow two-way, high-speed broadband content (video, voice and data) to be delivered to the home using a combination of fibre and coaxial cable. If you live in a HFC area, your NBN solution will be deliver via this technology instead of FTTP or FTTN Hybrid fibre/coaxial (“cable Internet”) currently delivers speeds of 30Mbps to 100Mbps. Thr NBN company plan acknowledges that 240Mbps is possible on the current network with HFC node-splitting. HFC is widespread across a number of areas of metropolitan Australia – if you or your neighbour has Foxtel via cable there is a good chance you live in the HFC footprint. Rather than build another broadband network over the top of these existing HFC networks, NBN plan to upgrade the networks to deliver high speed broadband. The purpose of this approach is to enable families and businesses to access high speed broadband faster than previously anticipated, with less disruption to the community and at less cost to you the tax payer. Many homes and businesses within HFC areas have connections to the network. NBN Co plan to trial HFC construction techniques and processes to help decide the best and most efficient way to connect the remaining homes. This is designed to allow more people to access high speed broadband sooner when NBN commercially launch their HFC product in 2016/2017 NBN over HFC delayed until Q3/Q4 2018 :jk:
Perth’s fastest internet/Wi-Fi service partnership
In Partnership with Perth ISP “Pentanet” and leading wi-fi equipment provider (Ubiquiti Networks) we provide Perth’s fastest Internet /Wi-Fi bundle including FREE installation and setup* Pentanet offer NBN and Fixed-Wireless Internet Services at comparable rates to Telstra, Optus & iiNet but with the support of a local call-centre and operations based in Balcatta, Western Australia. The IT Guys (WA) offer the following NBN/Fixed Wireless Internet bundle with Pentanet providing the ISP Services and The IT Guys (WA) supplying the Ubiquiti Amplifi Mesh Router and FREE installation (within the Perth metro area) NBN Internet NBN Internet, 24 month contract, 100/40 Unlimited Data (Premier NBN tier 100) for $99/month ongoing NBN cable (FTTN, FTTP, HFC, FTTB, FTTC) should generally provide the fastest Internet Speeds and we can simply connect to the existing NBN connection and still provide you with the fastest internet possible. However, in areas that are not yet NBN ready or have issues with old Telstra copper lines, these issues can be circumvented by connecting to Pentanets Fixed Wireless Network which involves having a Pentanet technician install a small dish on your roof (usually free of charge on 24/36 month plans) Fixed Wireless Internet Fixed Wireless Internet, 36 month contract, Unlimited Data 120/10 – $109 per month 120/20 – $119 per month 120/30 – $129 per month If your home or business is covered by the orange shading (see picture below), you can probably get Pentanet fixed wireless! If you’re also covered by a black circle, you’re in luck – PentaMAX millimeter wave service may also be an option for you. Using mmWave technology, PentaMAX delivers a blazingly fast symmetrical connection with lower latency and consistent to provide the fastest internet available over fixed wireless PentaMax offers reliable speeds for home or business of up to 1,000 mbps upload and 1,000 mbps download Don’t forget that Pentanet fixed wireless relies on a line of sight to their towers. Sometimes, trees, buildings and other objects can obstruct this line of sight, so we will make sure you check your address to find out exactly what’s available. Extending your Wi-Fi Network The Amplifi HD Modem routers provide a Wi-Fi signal 300% to 400% stronger than ISP supplied modems (Telstra, iiNet etc) which should extend to approx 10,000 Sq Ft. However, this reduces quickly depending on the number and construction of walls and ceilings. Using multiple Amplifi units in various parts of a building pickup and boost the Wi-Fi signal over a single mesh-network. Although only a single unit is provided with the installation, our technicians carry spare units in case more are required to extend the network into other areas of the building. To enquire about this offer please contact IT Guys (WA) by emailing helpdesk@itguyswa.com.au with your residential or business address (no telephone calls please) One of our consultants will investigate your address and then contact you with a confirmation regarding the availability of Pentanet NBN or Pentanet Fixed Wireless services at your address, how to purchase the Ubiquiti Amplifi Units and if sucessful, how to arrange installation. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions Q – If I move Internet Providers can I keep my @bigpond, @iinet, @westnet email account? Yes by all means, if you have any sort of account with Telstra (ie Mobile Phone) you will always retain a @bigpond email address. Failing that you can purchase an email only account from Telstra and retain the @bigpond email account for approx $20 per year. Same goes for @iinet, @westnet @tpg … (we know of people who cancelled their accounts with iinet many years ago but the email address continues to work) Q – Can I still use a VOIP phone or landline through a Pentanet NBN or Fixed Wireless connection? A – If you have an 08 XXXX XXXX number then it would need to be be ported to another provider as Pentanet do not bundle internet and telephone together. The IT Guys (WA) can provide VOIP telephone services and VOIP handsets with plans starting at $29.95 per month featuring No Lock In Contract INCLUDED calls to Local/STD INCLUDED calls to AU mobiles INCLUDED calls to 13/1300 Numbers INCLUDED 1 AU number INCLUDED Hosted PBX platform Connect 1 phone Up to 1 concurrent call Plans available for up to 6 handsets and 6 lines. Please contact us for a quote Q – Will switching to Pentanet mean my Wi-Fi devices, printers, Tv’s, Security Cameras will stop working? A – When installing any new modem your wireless (Wi-fi) devices will need to be reconfigured to find the ip address of the new modem. It is an easy task. Our technician can help out for one device but if there are many to be reconfigured and tested we will charge an additional :15mos: per 15 minutes onsite. For more Pentanet Q&A Questions and Answers, click here *free installation offer is only available if you order the Amplifi unit and Pentanet service for a 24 or 36 month contract through The IT Guys (WA) instead of directly through Pentanet. :jk:
Perth’s fastest internet/Wi-Fi service partnership
In Partnership with Perth ISP “Pentanet” and leading wi-fi equipment provider “Ubiquiti Networks” we provide Perth’s fastest residential Internet/Wi-Fi bundle Pentanet offer NBN and Fixed-Wireless Internet Services at comparable rates to Telstra, Optus & iiNet but with the support of a local call-centre and operations based in Balcatta, Western Australia. NBN Internet NBN cable (FTTN, FTTP, HFC, FTTB, FTTC) should generally provide the fastest Internet Speeds and we can simply connect to the existing NBN connection. However, in areas that are not yet NBN ready or have issues with old Telstra copper lines, these issues can be circumvented by connecting to Pentanets Fixed Wireless Network which involves having a Pentanet technician install a small dish on your roof Fixed Wireless Internet plus supply and onsite setup of the service and an Ubiquiti Amplifi HD Mesh Wi-Fi modem If your home or business is covered by the orange shading (see picture below), you can probably get Pentanet fixed wireless! If you’re also covered by a black circle, you’re in luck – PentaMAX millimeter wave service may also be an option for you. Don’t forget that Pentanet fixed wireless relies on a line of sight to their towers. Sometimes, trees, buildings and other objects can obstruct this line of sight, so we will make sure you check your address to find out exactly what’s available. Extending your Wi-Fi Network The Amplifi HD Modem routers provide a Wi-Fi signal 300% to 400% stronger than ISP supplied modems (Telstra, iiNet etc) which should extend to approx 10,000 Sq Ft. However, this reduces quickly depending on the number and construction of walls and ceilings. Using multiple Amplifi units in various parts of a building pickup and boost the Wi-Fi signal over a single mesh-network. To enquire about this offer please contact IT Guys (WA) by emailing helpdesk@itguyswa.com.au with your residential or business address (no telephone calls please) :jk:
NBN Subiaco – You may have to wait until 2020
Get high speed Internet Today? ….depending where you live in Subiaco! Some of you are going to have to wait until 2020. Business and residents in Subiaco North have had their NBN connections delayed until at least July to December 2020 after NBN company flipped 440,000 customers across 160 Australian suburbs from an HFC connection to FTTC (Fibre-to-the-curb) recently. Only 1 Western Australia suburb was in the list, Subiaco…. Subiaco North to be precise (see map above) As reported by IT News on April 20th, NBN have confined thousands of Residential and Business customers in Subiaco to the very back of the NBN queue by forcing them onto their latest NBN technology FTTC (fibre-to-the-curb). However Business customer do not have to wait until 2020 to get faster internet. The IT Guys can organise to have business grade fibre fitted to your building, with Internet speeds up to 500 mbps (see below) ….. much faster than NBN can deliver (max 100 mbps) If you are already connected to NBN you have 18 months from connection date before you lose the land line You only have a matter of months to embrace the NBN or risk losing your land line, ADSL and anything connected to it such as Security Alarm systems, Medical Emergency alarms etc. Existing Copper Land Lines will be disconnected 18 months after the NBN go-live date The date for deactivation of the copper land line for the suburb is as follows Subiaco (East) – 18/2/19 Even though the suburb has officially gone live with NBN, there could be some exceptions such as Businesses and strata properties. The only sure way of finding out if your premises has gone live is to click here on this link and enter your address.If the NBN Company website states that NBN is available, you will need to contact an NBN service provider such as your existing Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Telstra to start the process. However, before doing so, consider the following. Your existing services may be affected The rollout of the nbn™ broadband means some existing devices and services may not be compatible with these at all times. If you have any of the following devices or services, contact your service provider or register with NBN Co so that they can support you to help minimise a break in services. Medical alarm, autodiallers or emergency call buttons Monitored fire alarms Home or business security monitoring systems Lift emergency phones EFTPOS or health claim terminals Fax and teletypewriter devices If you have any of the above devices, make sure they are ALL made NBN ready before asking to be switched to the NBN. It is also a good idea to make sure you have a mobile phone available and working, should something go wrong during installation and there is a delay between losing your phone line and NBN becoming available. Once satisfied you have no existing services that maybe affected or you have fixed any incompatibility issues, you need to select an NBN provider and a plan. The following guide should be of assistance. Confused by NBN Plans? What are the alternatives to NBN? Can I still use my land-line once I have NBN installed? Yes, but you may find your old telephone handset does not work any more and you may have to buy a new one (or your provider my provide you with a compatible one) Instead of connecting to a wall socket, the phone will need to connect to a socket in the side of the new NBN modem or NBN connection box that will be provided by your ISP. Telephone and Internet Connections offered by NBN Telephone and Internet Connections offered via Mobile Phone Networks Telephone and Internet Connections offered via Independent Telecomm Companies If you find you need any assistance in setting up your new NBN services or your telephone/answering machine, home network, printer or computer. Please give us a call. :jk:
How to test your Internet Speed
How do you know if the Internet speed your receive in your home or office is good, bad or simply what you are paying for? Depending on the internet plan you are paying for download and upload speeds of 5 mbps (ADSL) to 250 or 500 mbps (Fixed Wireless) even 1,000 mbps (Fibre) can be expected. In Australia, in many ways you get what you pay for, but what happens when you are not getting what you pay for? How can you tell? How can you test? How can you improve the situation? How to test what internet speed I am currently getting? What Internet speeds should I be getting? What can I do to get what I am paying or pay to improve that service? 1.How to test what Internet speeds I am currently getting? Most Internet connections require a small box called a “modem” or “modem-router” that converts the outside signal to an internet signal. If the technology being used is HFC, then you will also have an NBN Connection box If you use ” mobile-broadband” the broadband routers pick the signal up via radio waves from mobile phone towers and are referred to as 3G, 4G or 5G networks. The wireless broadband modem may look like the above. To get a true picture of the Internet speed being received, your computer needs to be connected to the modem or modem-router using an “ethernet-cable” as follows. Connecting to the modem via Wi-Fi will not give a true indication as to the modem or the internets true performance. Only run the test via Wi-Fi if you have no other alternative and make sure the test device is as close to the modem as possible. or using a Laptop/Notebook Once you have a computer connected to the modem via an ethernet cable, open up any internet browser and navigate to https://www.speedtest.net and click “GO” The speed-test will begin and will return three results as shown below. PING DOWNLOAD SPEED and UPLOAD SPEED The PING speed test also know as “Latency” is a measure of the quality of the internet connection and in general the lower the PING speed, the better the quality of the line. This can be tested further a http://www.pingtest.com WHY SHOULD I NOT RUN THE TEST IF CONNECTED VIA WI-FI? When connected to a modem via an ethernet cable, the true Internet Speed can be tested. Connecting to a modem via Wi-Fi can reduce the speed by up to 90% depending on the distance between modem and computer, electrical interference from appliances, and objects such as walls and floors. Most ISP modems also have poor Wi-Fi capabilities but work flawlessly when connected via ethernet cable. Even when standing right next to the modem, the drop in speed can be significant compared to a “hard-wired” ethernet cable connection. 2.What Internet speeds should I be getting? If you live in Australia there are a number of ways you can receive Internet all are via an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or Telecom company. In urban areas you can normally access internet via copper cables, coaxial cables and fibre connections from the NBN Co or Independent Telecom companies using technologies such as FTTP, FTTN, NBN, Fibre or ADSL. Internet is also available wirelessly through mobile phone towers or Fixed-Wireless connections. In country areas the only choices available maybe via Fixed-Wireless, Satellite or Mobile Broadband with some far-flung properties still having to resort to ADSL connections over the old copper-telephone lines. NBN/FIBRE, HFC, FTTP, FTTC, FTTN, FTTB, NBN Fixed Wireless If you are an NBN customer, you can expect speeds as per the following article. According to NBN Company, at peak times the download speed should be no lower than 15mbps See the following article for more details Confused by NBN Plans? What are the alternatives to NBN? Non-NBN customers should refer to the plan you subscribed to to determine if you are paying for what you get but generally Download speeds differ greatly depending on the type of internet-connection you have and your distance from the telephone exchange or mobile tower. The following is a list of connection types and their typical connection speeds. ADSL Maximum speed of 22 mbps can be expected but most connections would be 10 mbps or less MOBILE BROADBAND Mobile Broadband is what your smart-phone uses to connect to the Internet when you are not in the house or work connected to Wi-Fi. It is commonly referred to as 3G or 4G or soon 5G. Although your phone has the facility built-in, on a laptop or PC you will need a “dongle” or “mobile-broadband modem“. Very good download speeds of 30 – 70 mbps can be achieved. FIXED WIRELESS There are a number of companies in Australia offering Fixed Wireless Internet Services and the Internet speeds they offer often surpasses those offered by other NBN technologies. SATELLITE In country areas your only Internet options maybe Fixed Wireless or Satellite Australian Satellite Internet is called Sky Muster™ or Sky Muster™ Plus and available from ISPs such as SkyMesh 3. What can I do to get what I am paying for or how do I pay to improve that service? REMEDIES TO FIX SLOW INTERNET SPEEDS 1) Replace your modem if more than 3 years old Technology marches on pretty quickly these days. It’s cost efficient to replace your modem to a new one every few years. We recommend DrayTek Modems and Networking Equipment. How to test my modem. Does it need replacing? 2) Reboot your Modem/Router/NBN Box at least once per week It’s the stock advice, but it solves an astonishing number of problems. And if you have an NBN Connection box also restart that at the same time as restarting your modem 3) Check for Modem Firmware Upgrades Regularly Manufactures often have newer firmware or drivers for modems than what comes with the device. Ensuring you are using the latest firmware can often improve both the stability and speeds of your modem. 4) Upgrade to a faster Internet […]
Top 6 issues encountered by Australian’s when moving to NBN
NBN Issues Solved – Top 6 issues encountered upon moving to NBN The transition to NBN from copper (traditional) telephone lines including ADSL Internet and Fax Services, is a major life-changing issue for many Australian seniors. The older we get, the harder we find it is to change. Having grown up with ADSL internet and copper-line (land-line) phones, senior Australians are struggling with the changeover to NBN services. Unfortunately, nobody has a choice in the matter, copper-line (Telstra) technology is being phased out and NBN, just like death and Taxes, is an inevitability. However, just because the old copper-line based system is being disonnected, it does NOT mean you have to move to NBN. There are alternatives. If you DO NOT need a telephone handset (land-line) , you can consider the following non-NBN alternatives: Telephone and Internet Connections offered via the Mobile Phone NetworksTelephone and Internet Connections offered via Independent Telecomm Companies Having supported and fixed hundreds of issues regarding NBN and Senior Australian’s, we have come up with a “what-to-expect” guide, that many people encounter during and immediately after moving to NBN. The Top 6 issues encountered by Senior Australian’s when moving to NBN NBN Modem Required for Internet and/or Phone calls NBN-Compatible handset required to make calls Internal telephone sockets now redundant NBN internal connection location may not be same as current New modem means changing Wi-fi password on all devices NBN service maybe slower than current ADSL 1. You will need a new NBN compatible modem to receive Internet and Telephone Calls There are different NBN technologies being used across Australia, you dodnt have a choice in which one you have, this has already been pre-determined by NBN. The Possible Technologies you may have are as follows: Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) Fibre to the Building/Node (FTTB & FTTN) Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) NBN™ Wireless NBN™ HFC NBN™ Satellite Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) FTTP – The best solution on offer with NBN-Fibre directly to your premises. Sadly only a very small percentage of Australian users have this type of connection as it was deemed too expensive and time consuming to rollout across the country by the Government of the day. Some users can apply to have their technology upgraded to FTTP but the cost is generally around $7 to $10,000. Fibre to the Building/Node (FTTB & FTTN) Most Australian residences will be connected directly to the existing telephone socket using FTTN, and a new NBN compatible modem. This technology uses the existing copper telephone lines in a building, building complex or in the street to connect to fibre which can be up to 1 klm from your location. Some users can apply to have their technology upgraded to FTTP but the cost is generally around $7 to $10,000. Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) Fibre to the curb is a recent technological improvement on FTTN. It still uses the existing copper telephone lines but then connects to a “Node” or “NBN junction-box” within a few hundred meters of your location/building. Some users can apply to have their technology upgraded to FTTP but the cost is generally around $7 to $10,000. NBN™ HFC Australian suburbs connected to the Pay-TV (Foxtel) Network in the 90s will be connected to NBN using the existing HFC (coaxial) network as follows. HFC is regarded as the 2nd best technology available after FTTP. NBN™ Wireless and NBN™ Satellite In country and rural areas the use of Wireless or Satellite technology (using an external antenna or satellite dish) as follows. Australian Satellite Internet is called Sky Muster™ or Sky Muster™ Plus and available from ISPs such as SkyMesh Even if you did not need a modem before (because you did not have the internet) you will need one now and if you currently have one, it will probably need replacing for an NBN compatible one. 2. If you want to keep your “Land-Line” and receive telephone calls, you will need a new NBN-Compatible handset. Existing telephone handsets cannot be used in any of the NBN technologies. If you still require a traditional telephone “handset”, you will need to purchase an NBN compatible handsets that plugs into the NBN modem. 3. If you currently have telephone points in various rooms, these are now useless and cannot be used.Companies such as “Uniden” supply “wireless” handsets that can be used anywhere in your house as long as they are within range of the “base-station” which plugs into the NBN Modem.Use these instead of traditional handsets. 4. NBN Co may install your new connection in a different location to your existing modem. The incoming NBN connection will enter your house by either: a) One of your current telephone points or b) In the case of HFC connected areas, they use existing pay-TV/Foxtel point, that connects to an “NBN Connection Box” If an existing point does not exists, the NBN technician will install a new one, usually at a convenient location for them but not always for you. NBN Co, have to make an effort to locate your incoming NBN connection in a location that is convenient for you, so if you want the connection to be where your modem is, insist on it and do not let the technician install it in an inconvenient location. 5. A new modem, means a new Wi-Fi signal, so printers, scanners, iPads, iPhones, TV’s, tablets and laptops will need to be connected to the new network Wi-Fi may not now reach into areas that you could previously receive Wi-Fi If the new incoming connection is not near where your old modem was located, you may find this inconvenient. It maybe that devices such as TV’s, iPads, Printers, Scanners, Computers and Laptops, may no longer be in range of the new modem.Because of the new modem, each device will need to be reconnected to the new wifi network, so you may find you are suddenly unable to connect to the printer or the internet.If you connect your modem to […]
Telephone and Internet Connections offered by NBN
NBN (National Broadband Network) Telephone and Internet Services Every Australian residence and business should be able to access Telephone and Data (Internet) services using an NBN service depending on your location. To find out what is available at your location, enter your address into the following web page: https://www.nbnco.com.au/ Existing telephone handsets cannot be used in any of the NBN technologies. If you still require a traditional telephone “handset”, you will need to purchase an NBN compatible handsets that plugs into the NBN modem. If you DO NOT need a telephone handset, you can consider the following non-NBN alternatives: Telephone and Internet Connections offered via the Mobile Phone NetworksTelephone and Internet Connections offered via Independent Telecomm Companies Technologies offered by the NBN are as follows Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) Fibre to the Building/Node (FTTB & FTTN) Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) NBN™ Wireless NBN™ HFC NBN™ Satellite Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) FTTP – The best solution on offer with NBN-Fibre directly to your premises. Sadly only a very small percentage of Australian users have this type of connection as it was deemed too expensive and time consuming to rollout across the country by the Government of the day. Some users can apply to have their technology upgraded to FTTP but the cost is generally around $7 to $10,000. Fibre to the Building/Node (FTTB & FTTN) Most Australian residences will be connected directly to the existing telephone socket using FTTN, and a new NBN compatible modem. This technology uses the existing copper telephone lines in a building, building complex or in the street to connect to fibre which can be up to 1 klm from your location. Some users can apply to have their technology upgraded to FTTP but the cost is generally around $7 to $10,000. Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) Fibre to the curb is a recent technological improvement on FTTN. It still uses the existing copper telephone lines but then connects to a “Node” or “NBN junction-box” within a few hundred meters of your location/building. Some users can apply to have their technology upgraded to FTTP but the cost is generally around $7 to $10,000. NBN™ HFC Australian suburbs connected to the Pay-TV (Foxtel) Network in the 90s will be connected to NBN using the existing HFC (coaxial) network as follows. HFC is regarded as the 2nd best technology available after FTTP. NBN™ Wireless and NBN™ Satellite In country and rural areas the use of Wireless or Satellite technology (using an external antenna or satellite dish) as follows. Australian Satellite Internet is called Sky Muster™ or Sky Muster™ Plus and available from ISPs such as SkyMesh Confused by NBN Plans? What are the alternatives to NBN? If you connect your modem to other computers and devices using hard-wired Ethernet cables, those devices should receive the same download-speed as at the NBN modem with little drop-off. However, when using Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet via the modem, a drastic drop off occurs depending on the quality of the ISP modem, your distance from the modem, the amount of devices accessing the modem and walls and floors between you and the modem. Generally the modems supplied by ISPs are very poor Wi-Fi devices and you should consider the following if you wish to receive high-speed Internet throughout your house and on multiple devices at the same time. Wi-fi Problems? See also, by clicking on the links below. Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small unit or apartment Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for large sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors Network and Internet Connection between Buildings Wi-Fi Troubleshooting Having Problems getting Internet and Wi-Fi throughout your home or office? Home Networking Network Support Services Network Design & Consulting services Telephone and Internet Connections offered by NBN Telephone and Internet Connections offered via the Mobile Phone NetworksTelephone and Internet Connections offered via Independent Telecomm Companies :jk:
Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors
Wireless (Wi-Fi) Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors No matter how the internet is delivered to your home or office (NBN, HFC, ADSL, 4G) there still exists the problem of providing the Wi-Fi Internet signal throughout the building to be used by phones, tablets, laptops, smart-tvs, fetch boxes, Apple TV etc. The Internet signal comes into your home or office via a telephone cable, optical fibre or HFC cable, terminated on an internal wall. A router/modem is attached to that socket (or the NBN box) and this provides internet services either via a cable or wire to your computer or by a Wireless Wi-Fi signal that is produced by the modem. The most likely location of the Modem/Router is where the telephone socket or NBN box is located. This can be in any section of the house but usually found in the lounge, study or garage. With most modems only having a Wi-Fi range of a few meters, and not penetrating solid walls easily, this often means that non-adjoining rooms may not receive a strong enough signal to allow Wi-Fi to be used in those locations. To transmit strong Wi-Fi signal into poor reception areas of the house or office, we recommending installing one or more Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points (WAPs) that are hard-wired (ethernet cabling) back to the modem or switch located in a data/comms cabinet (which can often be in the garage or a cupboard in an existing smart-wired house). Communications/Network Cabinet Usually located in a garage, cupboard or robe, architects/builders will often specify a Harmony Box or Starserve box (see below) as the central data/comms cabinet (also referred to as a “hub”. Although space saving, they do not have enough room to allow for a modem modem let alone a POE switch. The IT Guys recommend installing a standard 6RU or 12RU Data cabinet, especially for larger homes. Typical data/comms cabinets can be wall mounted or free standing and cost between $100 to $300 + installation. Proposed solution for extra large sized houses #1 Solution – Hard Wired WAP Solution For the IT Guys to deploy a quadruple WAP solution for a large sized house with existing smart wiring within 10k of Subiaco, the estimated cost starts around $2,000 If ethernet cabling is required, an electrician will need to be employed and depending on the building construction could cost anywhere between $300 and $2,000. #2 Solution – Mesh Network Solution If hard-wiring is not possible (such as no conduits through he concrete floor slab) a Ubiquiti AmpliFi High Density Mesh Routers and Mesh Points Solution can be deployed. Using an Amplify Router at the bottom of the ground floor stairwell and another at the top of the stairwell, Wi-Fi signal can be passed to the upper floor and provide Wi-Fi coverage above the slab. Each Ubiquiti AmpliFi High Density Mesh Routers and Mesh Points costs from approx $300 plus installation. This is NOT the preferred solution. By combining a number of units in a “Mesh” network, signal strength and Internet speed could drop by as much as 50% compared to using #1 Solution above – Hard Wired WAP Solution Wi-fi Problems? Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small houses, units or apartment If you would like us to quote you on this or a larger house/office wireless networking solutions, please contact us as detailed below. :jk:
Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for large sized homes
Wireless (Wi-Fi) Smart-Wired-Home solutions for large sized homes No matter how the internet is delivered to your home or office (NBN, HFC, ADSL, 4G) there still exists the problem of providing the Wi-Fi Internet signal throughout the building to be used by phones, tablets, laptops, smart-tvs, fetch boxes, Apple TV etc. The Internet signal comes into your home or office via a telephone cable, optical fibre or HFC cable, terminated on an internal wall. A router/modem is attached to that socket (or the NBN box) and this provides internet services either via a cable or wire to your computer or by a Wireless Wi-Fi signal that is produced by the modem. The most likely location of the Modem/Router is where the telephone socket or NBN box is located. This can be in any section of the house but usually found in the lounge, study or garage. With most modems only having a Wi-Fi range of a few meters, and not penetrating solid walls easily, this often means that non-adjoining rooms may not receive a strong enough signal to allow Wi-Fi to be used in those locations. To transmit strong Wi-Fi signal into poor reception areas of the house or office, we recommending installing one or more Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points (WAPs) that are hard-wired (ethernet cabling) back to the modem or switch located in a data/comms cabinet (which can often be in the garage or a cupboard in an existing smart-wired house). Communications/Network Cabinet Usually located in a garage, cupboard or robe, architects/builders will often specify a Harmony Box or Starserve box (see below) as the central data/comms cabinet (also referred to as a “hub”. Although space saving, they do not have enough room to allow for a modem modem let alone a POE switch. The IT Guys recommend installing a standard 6RU or 12RU Data cabinet, especially for larger homes. Typical data/comms cabinets can be wall mounted or free standing and cost between $100 to $300 + installation. Proposed solution for large sized houses If ethernet cabling is required, an electrician will need to be employed and depending on the building construction could cost anywhere between $300 and $2000. Wi-fi Problems? Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small houses, units or apartment Wi-Fi Internet Extenders Smart wiring – Is it really necessary? WAP’s v Network Range Extenders/Boosters High-Definition IP Video Surveillance System Building or Renovating? Make yours a Smart-Wired Wi-Fi enabled Home Sonos Installation and Troubleshooting Networking and Internet Solutions Internet Service Provider Perth If you would like us to quote you on this or a larger house/office wireless networking solutions, please contact us as detailed below. :jk:
Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes
Wireless (Wi-Fi)Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes No matter how the internet is delivered to your home or office (NBN, HFC, ADSL, 4G) there still exists the problem of providing the Wi-Fi Internet signal throughout the building to be used by phones, tablets, laptops, smart-tvs, fetch boxes, Apple TV etc. The Internet signal comes into your home or office via a telephone cable, optical fibre or HFC cable, terminated on an internal wall. A router/modem is attached to that socket (or the NBN box) and this provides internet services either via a cable or wire to your computer or by a Wireless Wi-Fi signal that is produced by the modem. The most likely location of the Modem/Router is where the telephone socket or NBN box is located. This can be in any section of the house but usually found in the lounge, study or garage. With most modems only having a Wi-Fi range of a few meters, and not penetrating solid walls easily, this often means that non-adjoining rooms may not receive a strong enough signal to allow Wi-Fi to be used in those locations. To transmit strong Wi-Fi signal into poor reception areas of the house or office, we recommending installing one or more Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points (WAPs) that are hard-wired (ethernet cabling) back to the modem or switch located in a data/comms cabinet (which can often be in the garage or a cupboard in an existing smart-wired house). Communications/Network Cabinet Usually located in a garage, cupboard or robe, architects/builders will often specify a Harmony Box or Starserve box (see below) as the central data/comms cabinet (also referred to as a “hub”. Although space saving, they do not have enough room to allow for a modem modem let alone a POE switch. The IT Guys recommend installing a standard 6RU or 12RU Data cabinet, especially for larger homes. Typical data/comms cabinets can be wall mounted or free standing and cost between $100 to $300 + installation. We offer 4 solutions Wi-fi Problems? Proposed solution for medium sized houses If ethernet cabling is required, an electrician will need to be employed and depending on the building construction could cost anywhere between $150 and $600. Wi-fi Problems? Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small houses, units or apartment If you would like us to quote you on this or a larger house/office wireless networking solutions, please contact us as detailed below. :jk:
Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small houses, units or apartment
Wireless (Wi-Fi) Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small houses, units or apartment from around $300 No matter how the internet is delivered to your home or office (NBN, HFC, ADSL, 4G) there still exists the problem of providing the Wi-Fi Internet signal throughout the building to be used by phones, tablets, laptops, smart-tvs, fetch boxes, Apple TV etc. The Internet signal comes into your home or office via a telephone cable, optical fibre or HFC cable, terminated on an internal wall. A router/modem is attached to that socket (or the NBN box) and this provides internet services either via a cable or wire to your computer or by a Wireless Wi-Fi signal that is produced by the modem. The most likely location of the Modem/Router is where the telephone socket or NBN box is located. This can be in any section of the house but usually found in the lounge, study or garage. With most modems only having a Wi-Fi range of a few meters, and not penetrating solid walls easily, this often means that non-adjoining rooms may not receive a strong enough signal to allow Wi-Fi to be used in those locations. To transmit strong Wi-Fi signal into poor reception areas of the house or office, we recommending installing one or more Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points (WAPs) that are hard-wired (ethernet cabling) back to the modem or switch located in a data/comms cabinet (which can often be in the garage or a cupboard in an existing smart-wired house). If no adequate existing ethernet wiring exists, then an electrician is required to install the ethernet cabling. The Ubiquiti WAPs are ideally located on the ceiling, with ethernet cabling being run back to the modem, switch or central hub. Proposed solutions for small unit or apartment #1 Solution – Boost Wi-Fi signal with a Standalone AmpliFi HD Mesh Router (AFI-R) In an open-plan style home or offices with few dividing walls, installing a single standalone AmpliFi HD Mesh Router (AFI-R) to the modem maybe sufficient to give the required coverage. These are generally 3 to 4 times more powerful than ISP supplied modems and depending on wall thicknesses and size of apartment one or two Amplifi Units could be used instead. Extend the Wi-Fi network to all corners of your house or office by Utilising Ubiquiti AmpliFi High Density Mesh Routers and Mesh Points To purchase multiple devices or obtain advice to suit your home or dwelling, please contact us below for a free quotation. #2 Solution – Install one or more Wireless Access Points If ethernet cabling is required, an electrician will need to be employed and depending on the building construction could cost anywhere between $150 and $600. Wi-fi Problems? Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for extra large sized homes with multiple floors Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for large sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for medium sized homes Wireless Smart-Wired-Home solutions for small houses, units or apartment If you would like us to quote you on this or a larger house/office wireless networking solutions, please contact us as detailed below. :jk:
NBN Questions answered for Nedlands/Dalkeith Seniors
The IT Guys assisted in presenting an NBN Q&A Session at the Nedlands Community Care centre to 61 Western Suburbs Seniors including a small number aged over 85. The Presenters were John Kirkby of the IT Guys (WA), Brian Cross (Telstra) and Jhune Aguiba (Telstra Store, Subiaco), on Tuesday 11th July. Many western suburbs have gone live with NBN or will be going live within the next few months but John reassured people not-to-panic about losing their landline and services associated with it such as house and medical alarms “Each household has 18 months from the NBN go-live date to make the change over, so take your time and consider carefully the plan and ISP you select” John warned the attendees to disregard offers from unknown-companies offering NBN deals that sound too-good-to-be-true. Generally only the larger established telecom companies such as Telstra, Optus and TPG (including iiNet and Westnet) have the capacity and bandwidth to ensure that the speed you sign up for can be maintained at busy times and when the household uses multiple devices, TV’s and computers simultaneously. The IT Guys recommend ignoring the lowest speed plans and only considering those based on the NBN 25 plan and higher. There are 4 speed-tiers offered by the NBN and differing ISP’s offer one or more of them. To confuse matters further, each company gives the speed tiers their own special names. The deals you see plastered on the back of buses and on flyers pushed through your door, only ever quote the cheapest and slowest plan (NBN 12) which is only “up-to” 12 mbps download speed (equivalent to what you may already be getting using ADSL) Speed Tier NBN Name Telstra Name iiNet/WestNet Name Up to 12 mbps download speed nbn™ 12 N/A Basic Up to 20 mbps download speed nbn™ 25 Fast Boost Up to 50 mbps download speed nbn™ 50 Very Fast Speed Boost N/A Up to 100 mbps download speed nbn™ 100 Super Fast Speed Boost Max nbn™ 12 – Retail plans based on nbn™ 12 are suitable for households with basic phone or internet usage. nbn™ 12 is not considered a superfast broadband plan. nbn™ 12 may be similar to what many households or businesses in Australia may experience on ADSL2. Speak to your phone and internet provider about the plan that best suits your needs. nbn™ 25 – Fast broadband – perfect for your everyday use. Ask your phone and internet service provider for a plan based on nbn™ 25 if you love: Browsing the web, Streaming videos, Emailing nbn™ 50 – For homes where multiple people are online at the same time. Ask your phone and internet service provider for a plan based on nbn™ 50 if you love: Streaming in High Definition (HD), Responsive online gaming, Working from home nbn™ 100 – Superfast internet – even when numerous people are online at once. Ask your phone and internet service provider for a plan based on nbn™ 100 if you live your life online and enjoy: 4K video streaming 4K video streaming, Uploading and downloading large files, Super responsive online gaming, Multiple device web browsing John suggested that if you are happy with your current ISP then you maybe better staying with “the-devil-you-know” rather than switching provider. “There is not much to choose between the main ISPs they all offer similarly priced plans with the main difference being that Telstra cap their plans at 1000 GB per months with TPG and the like offering “unlimited” usage plans. We are also fortunate that here in Perth you can visit the iiNet head office in Subiaco or a Telstra store and speak to a person rather than an overseas call-centre”, stated John. A deciding factor between ISP‘s is more likely to be what the ISP‘s can “bundle” together to save you money. Combining your Internet, mobile-phones, land-line and even Foxtel can save you a considerable amount of money. The first step to moving to NBN is to contact your preferred ISP who will then contact NBN company to inspect your premises. You need to decide where you wish your internet line to be located inside your house and agree this with the NBN technician. Your ISP will then mail out your new modem and will give you the option of a self-install, ISP-install or a third-party-install such as the IT Guys. The NBN technology most widely available in Perth’s Western suburbs is HFC (Hybrid-Fibre-Coaxial) aka “Cable“, “Foxtel Cable” or “Pay TV cable“, although new builds or houses that do not have an existing telephone line will be given FTTP (Fibre-To-The-Premise) and will have to pay a connection fee of $300. Some suburbs that were never supplied with HFC will be connected using FTTN (Fiber-To-The-Node) and apartments and strata complexes maybe connected using FTTB (Fibre-To-The-Building). The technology type will be decided by the NBN specialist when they come to inspect the site. Anyone requiring further information on NBN availability in Perth’s Western Suburbs can speak to any of the IT Guys technicians by calling 08 6365 5603 or emailing support@itguyswa.com NBN over HFC delayed until Q3/Q4 2018 :jk:
How slow is the Internet in Australia? Slower than anyone first thought.
The NBN Akamai ‘State of the Internet’ Q4 Report Released in March 2017, paints a bleaker internet picture than anyone had previously reported. What is surprising is that it reports that overall internet speeds in Australia are still lower than we previously reported in February 2015 in the post “How to improve your Internet Speed in Perth“. It had been declared that the average internet speed across Australia was 16.4mbps and that Australia were 59th in world ranking…. it turns out that in 2016 the average was only 10.1 mbps which now ranks us at 51st in the world. “The report can be found here and states “… In Akamai’s first quarter report in 2013, the average speed delivered in Australia was 4.7 Megabits per second, while today’s report for the fourth quarter 2016 shows the average speed delivered of 10.1 Megabits per second……. Australia is now 51st in the world in terms of average connection speeds delivered at 10.1 Megabits per second, which is a 24 per cent increase year on year” Another startling revelation of the reports states “…today, 80%of premises in Australia are ordering an nbn speed tier of 25 Megabits per second or less.” With existing HFC connections already delivering 30 – 70 mbps, why would you choose a service that is going to give you a slower speed. If you already have HFC and you are offered the choice to move to NBN over HFC, make sure your being offered a comparable or faster speed, else you could be paying the same price for less speed. For example TPG and iiNet “standard” plans only offer speeds up to 12 mbps …. which is adequate for downloading emails not not much more else. We strongly advised not selecting this package. TPG’s “Boost” plans of up to 25 mbps is somewhere near existing HFC speeds But if you wish to watch Netfliks, iView, SBS on-demand or even use Skype, do not scrimp and make sure you purchase their “Superfast” plan which offers speeds up to 100 mbps. Remember all speeds are quoted as “up-to -xxx” which means your average speed will most likely be well below the maximum offered. How to get super-fast internet in Perth’s Golden Triangle :jk:
IT disasters – A medical practice with the CRYPTOLOCKER virus
A real account of recent incidents experienced by a Medical practice known to us in Perth, Western Australia (November 2016.) The IT Guys, had provided ad-hoc services to a small doctors surgery in Perth’s Western Suburbs consisting of a server and 5 PC’s. Although they were happy for us to install and maintain a Cloud Backup Service they insisted on maintaining and rotating their own local backup drives through multiple external HDD’s that they wished to manage using their own staff. In November 2016, the surgery was hit by an Cryptolocker Virus attack, set off we suspect by one of their employees clicking on a dubious email link such as those pretending to be from Australia Post or Telstra. Before the anti-virus program could respond and neutralise the virus, it had encrypted most of the data files on the server which also acted as a shared data drive for all the PC’s. When we were asked for help we found that the cloud backup had updated just a few hours before the attack and we were confident of recovering all the current data files without paying any ransom. We offered to start the recovery of the corrupt files back to the server, the only problem was that on their very slow ADSL connection, it would have taken 3 days or more to recover all their data. The Doctor was confident he had a current “local” backup to recover from which should have only been less that a few days old. However, on checking the external HDD used for local backup, it was also found to also be encrypted with the Cryptolocker Virus . As the staff were supposed to be rotating the external backups on a weekly basis, a local-backup only a week old should also have been available, however, it was discovered that this practice had not been happening and that the last good backup was actually 6 months old. The practice used a specialist Medical Management system that was server based and contained all patient, billing and medical history. The system was used exclusively and as it turned out, the staff and doctors could not operate without it. The only choices were : To pay the ransom and take the chance of the criminals decrypting the files Close the business for three days to wait for the cloud backup recovery or Reinstall six months old and then attempt to merge the old and new data files. The doctor opted to restore the 6 month old backup and keep working. After three days we recovered the old files but then spent over 20 hours merging the data files with the old and the new data due to a mismatch between software versions and the old backup. Had we been monitoring the backups, there would have been a full backup of no more than a month old on a local drive. This would have meant minimum data loss and business disruption. Had the practice NOT had cloud backup, they could have lost 6 months of client, financial and business data or tens of thousands of dollars by paying the ransom. Prevention is ALWAYS better than CURE and this can be achieved by. Using monitored Anti Virus software such as AVG Cloudcare. Use Local backups rotated and checked on a regular basis (PC’s and Servers) to NAS drive. Offsite/Cloud backup updated daily such as CrashPlanPro or ReadyCloud All email accounts setup on hosted-exchange platform such as Microsoft Hosted Exchange. Upgrading Internet to NBN or Fibre to facilitate quick cloud backup and restore. Our Preventative Maintenance Plans start from $66 per month, we offer 4 plans: Cloud Backup Plan – setup and installing cloud backup only, we monitor the cloud backup monthly.¹²³ Basic Remote Backup Plan – monthly remote checkup of your local backup¹²³ Onsite Backup Plan – monthly site visit to check computers and servers and local backup¹²³ Comprehensive Backup Plan – monthly site visit to check computers, servers, local and cloud backup¹²³ All plans include a FREE remote or on-site Audit of your companies IT systems before we recommend which plans would be the most suitable. All plans may require the upgrading of email accounts. Users of Microsoft Outlook often have very large email files with multiple folders and emails going back many years. Due to the size and nature of older Outlook data files (.pst and .ost) they may not be able to be readily backed up, especially to a cloud backup source and will need to be moved to a hosted exchange platform Cloud backup plans are only viable given reasonable internet download and upload speeds. Internet speed and NBN/HFC/Broadband availability will determine our recommended backup regime. :jk:
