Now that the NBN thing is a buzz in society, there arise some puzzling questions regarding the relevance of home wireless broadband connections in this digital era. People are asking, “Is wireless broadband better than the NBN?” or “Which one costs more?”. Now, if you’re still scouting for home wireless broadband plans suitable for your budget, pause for a while and give a thought to NBN. You better have knowledge of both to give you an idea of what differentiates one from the other.
Wireless Broadband vs NBN: The Basics
Currently, there are two categories of Internet connections – the fixed line and mobile categories. NBN is a fixed-line since it connects homes to the Internet using cables installed underground.
Mobile on the other hand connects homes to the Internet through the air, the same mobile networks that work for smartphones. NBN comes with issues like its availability in a certain locality or cables connecting to your home that aren’t up to standards. Thus, home wireless broadband is the most appropriate substitute. Various plans offer large allowances for data with powerful modem routers able to connect a dozen devices in your home through WiFi. So clearly, the home wireless is perfect.
Furthermore, an NBN technician needs to visit your home (for a first-time customer) for the installation and that could take some time. Meanwhile, wireless broadband takes only minutes to set up. Once the wireless modem and signal are switched on, you’re good to go.
See also: Protect Your Wireless Router: 7 Settings You Need to Change Today
Wireless Broadband vs NBN: The Speed
Regarding speed, expect NBN to be faster than home wireless. Speed tiers of NBN 25, NBN 50, NBN 100, and so forth are offered on NBN plans. Nonetheless, a range of different speed options are offered on both home wireless and NBN plans. Home wireless speeds can be affected by the strength of your mobile signal and traffic on mobile networks. Remember there are what you call capped and uncapped speeds. It is good to use the best DSL modem router combo to have an uninterrupted internet connection and good internet speed.
When you sign up for an Internet package, your provider gives you a set data amount each month and once your allocation is exhausted you can ‘top up’ meaning, buy additional bandwidth to keep your connection going. Top-ups can be more expensive but capped data gives higher speed and less bandwidth. If poor speed is experienced with your home wireless, an antenna could improve its performance.
With NBN, the rule of thumb is, a faster NBN plan for many users in a household because it would mean more capacity to share. This is especially so if you have several people who download or upload large files on a regular basis or have streamers of Netflix movies.
To experience the ultimate performance, consider speed tiers of NBN 50 (Standard Plus) or NBN 100 (Premium). Now, it has been known that during peak hours, network congestion is high so providers should stipulate their typical evening speed on the plans they offer.
Also read: What Is DSL Modem Router?
Wireless Broadband vs NBN: The Cost
Superficially, wireless broadband seems cheaper but looking closely you get more value for money with NBN. To illustrate, home wireless plans begin at about $49 per month with 200GB of data and 12Mbps capped speed while NBN plans start at $60 per month with unlimited data and the same capped speed.
Both plans come with a free modem without extra charges but then, you have to go for the 12 to 24-month contract to obtain your modem for free. Without a contract, you may have to buy your own modem. Search now for more information regarding home wireless broadband plans to get the best deals out there.
These are the basics, speed & cost of wireless broadband vs NBN. I hope these differences can help you to choose the best plan. Stay tuned to us for more technology news.
