Compare Internet: Fastest and Cheapest NBN and Home Wireless Broadband

We’re all relying on home internet a little bit more these days. whether it’s to work from home, stay connected to friends and family, or just fight boredom. With all of us staying home more, and therefore using more internet, it’s more important than ever to make sure we have a fast, reliable, and affordable connection. If you’re looking to learn more about broadband in Australia, continue reading below.

Types of home internet in Australia

The technology used to connect to the internet is changing, with the rollout of the NBN across Australia, the phasing-out of ADSL, and the installation of 5G. There are so many different ways, old and new, to make sure you stay connected, and if you’re not sure about their differences keep reading below.

NBN broadband

NBN is the latest high-speed internet technology that has rolled out across Australia. While there are different types of NBN connections depending on where you live, the basic idea is the NBN will connect homes to the internet with high-speed fibre optic cables allowing for download speeds of up to 100Mbps, or even more in some instances.

Home wireless broadband in Australia

Unlike other home broadband technologies, home wireless broadband relies on the mobile phone network to connect your home to the internet. A wireless broadband modem connects to whichever mobile network you choose (Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone) and allows for multiple devices including computers, phones, or tablets to connect to it at the same time. While traditional home wireless broadband speeds can get up to 24Mbps, new 5G home broadband can reach well over 100Mbps, making it a faster alternative even to most NBN plans.

Cable broadband in Australia

Cable broadband is an alternative to NBN and ADSL, which uses an exclusive network of fibre and copper cables to deliver data to households. While faster than traditional ADSL, it’s less reliable than new NBN technology. Telstra and Optus are the two main cable broadband providers, and as NBN becomes more popular, cable is less readily available.

ADSL and ADSL2+ in Australia

Now obsolete, ADSL and ADSL2+ was the older technology used to deliver home internet via the copper telephone wires connected to a house. Since the rollout of NBN, most internet providers have pulled their ADSL plans from their websites and no longer offer it to new customers. If you still have ADSL it’s important to switch over to a different type of broadband soon to avoid losing service.

Compare NBN plans in Australia

NBN is here, offering superfast, reliable, internet connection across Australia. Whether you already have NBN and are looking to switch to a different plan, or it’s finally time for you to turn off your old ADSL connection for good, compare NBN plans here and find the cheapest, fastest, and most reliable offer.

Fastest NBN plans & providers

When choosing an NBN plan, speed is one of the most important things to consider. NBN plans are divided into different download speeds, to better fit different household sizes and lifestyles.

• Basic (NBN12): Maximum download speeds of 12Mbps, suitable for 1-2 low internet users
• Standard (NBN25): Maximum download speeds of 25Mbps, suitable for 1-2 people
• Standard Plus (NBN50): Maximum download speeds of 50Mbps, suitable for 2-4 people
• Premium / Fast (NBN100): Maximum download speeds of 100Mbps, suitable for HD streaming and multiple devices
• Superfast (NBN250): Maximum download speeds of 250Mbps, suitable for households with multiple high-internet users
• Ultrafast (NBN1000): Maximum download speeds of 1000Mbps, the fastest speeds available if you can find it

However, these speed standards only outline the maximum speeds possible. Most internet service providers display their NBN plans with the average evening speed, this is the estimated average download speed you will actually get during peak busy hours during the evening. Some internet providers have a higher average evening speed than others.

Check your broadband speed Use the Internet Speed Test to find out how fast your internet is, and learn tips and tricks that might speed up your connection.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) releases their quarterly report Measuring Broadband Australia, which details advertised vs actual download speeds from the biggest internet service providers in Australia. Below you can find a table of the top internet providers in Australia, along with the download average percentage of plan speed for all hours, and peak busy hours. This means, for example, if you choose an Optus NBN50 plan, during peak busy hours your download speeds would only be 98.5% of 50Mbps while overall, you would experience download speeds at 99.4% of 50Mbps.

Internet providers are now offering Superfast and Ultrafast NBN speeds to their lineup of broadband plans. These impossibly fast download speeds are only really available if you have an FTTP or HFC connection to your premises, but can deliver speeds of up to NBN250 or even NBN1000 to your home. Plans for Superfast and Ultrafast NBN start around $100 per month, and all come with unlimited data. These providers offering NBN250 and NBN1000 include:

• Aussie Broadband
• Mate
• MyRepublic
• Superloop
• Telstra
• Tangerine
• Kogan
• Internode
• iiNet
• Optus

Cheapest NBN plans

If you’re less concerned about getting the fastest internet available, and instead want to find the cheapest NBN plans to suit your needs, you can find some of the cheapest providers below.

Cheapest NBN plans with unlimited data

Maybe you don’t need the fastest plan, but want a good broadband speed for your household. Here are some of the cheapest NBN plans with unlimited data, meaning that even if you don’t game or stream Ultra 4K video frequently, you can enjoy unlimited broadband without needing to worry about data caps or reduced download speeds.

Cheapest NBN plans with limited data

If you’re not a big internet user, you might not want to pay the extra cash for unlimited data. Maybe you just use the internet to browse social media and check your emails, in which case here are the cheapest NBN plans with limited data, so you never need to pay for more than you need.

Compare home wireless broadband internet

Home wireless broadband is a great NBN alternative that allows you to connect multiple devices in your home to the mobile broadband network. Unlike NBN which requires installation and setup, wireless broadband modems come fully equipped to plug-and-play. Most home wireless broadband still connects you to the 4G network, but as 5G continues to be rolled out across Australia keep an eye out for more 5G home wireless broadband plans.

Cheapest wireless broadband providers

There aren’t that many home wireless broadband providers in Australia, so here are the cheapest wireless broadband plans from the biggest providers. The cheapest home wireless broadband plans usually come with 200GB of data, and start around $50-$60 per month (not including modem fees).

Discover Yomojo

Biggest data wireless broadband plans

If 200GB of data isn’t enough, most wireless broadband providers also offer 500GB of data per month. Here are the home wireless broadband plans with the biggest data allowances, including Tangerine which offers a whopping 1000GB of data per month. Most plans for 500GB of data start around $70 per month, not including fees for a modem if necessary.

Discover Southern Phone

5G home wireless broadband plans

While 5G is slowly rolling out in Australia and the globe, it’s still not yet hit the mainstream. So far, only two broadband and mobile providers, Optus and SpinTel (through the Optus Network) offer 5G home wireless broadband plans. Since SpinTel resells the Optus network, these plans are almost identical. Choose either capped speeds or maximum speeds and either a 24-month or no lock-in contract while with SpinTel you get the same minimum speed guarantee, either with or without a contract. Both Optus and SpinTel 5G wireless broadband plans come with a 5G-enabled Nokia modem rental.