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There are 3 main elements you need to consider when comparing Internet plans – price, size, and speed.
How much are you willing to pay? Price is a big factor for most Aussies and why pay more than you need. The price of your plan will depend on several factors.
What speed do you need? This really depends on the size of your household and what you\'re planning to use your Internet for. According to NBN Co., nearly 70% of households have signed up for an NBN 50 or faster plan.
What are you using the Internet for? Are you just using it to browse Facebook, maybe watch a little Netflix, or are you a heavy gamer? Do you work from home with a huge database? Depending on your usage, you may need to assess what size plan you need. This will also depend on how many people in your household are using the Wi-Fi. For example, a family household of 5 people where 3 are streaming high-definition videos, one is sending and receiving large files, and the other is gaming will require much more gigabytes per month compared to a household where only 2 out of the 5 family members are simply streaming their favourite content. The number of devices connected, and the type of activity will help you determine how important the speed of your connection is – the higher the MBPS, the faster Internet you will have.
The final thing to consider is, What contract type do you want? There are several options offered by retailers – from month-to-month, 12-month contracts, and 24- to 36-month contracts. The same plan on a different contract period will change the price!
This is a network of high-speed fibre optic cables owned by the government. Most Australians will have access to a home NBN Plan. It\'s made up of a wide mix of different technologies, and your actual NBN connection type will vary depending on where you live. This is why your address matters so much when it comes to buying an NBN plan.
ADSL uses copper telephone lines to send data signals. ADSL isn\'t capable of transferring data as quickly as the NBN, and it will largely disappear from Australian homes in the near future as the NBN replaces it.
If you need a modem to go with your plan, look out for those plans and retailers that include a modem with your service. Ask yourself if you need a modem to go with your plan; if not, you could save by getting a BYO modem from your local electronics store or even using one you already have at home.
It is also worth checking if your BYO modem is compatible with your service; ADSL and NBN may have different technical requirements for the modem.
The biggest question is how quickly you need to be connected. For most people, NBN is the fastest type of Internet to be connected to. A new connection can take a couple of weeks if the cables and connections are damaged.
The other items to consider include whether you are upgrading any home appliances or devices a new smart TV that streams free-to-air? Your Internet consumption will increase, or maybe you are creating a smart home by integrating a wireless sound system or Google Home speaker with a lightbulb, electronic devices, and more. Again, each of these devices will be connected to the Internet and will increase your consumption, so your current (or previous) plan may no longer work for you.
The first step is to understand your needs — for example, whether speed, data allowance, or contract length is most important to you. Once you know your priorities, you can compare plans from our panel of participating providers to see which options may better suit your household.
In its simplest sense, Mbps refers to the speed of your Internet; the higher the Mbps, the faster your Internet. Mbps stands for ‘megabits per second," and it measures Internet bandwidth. But what does that mean?
Bandwidth is the download and upload rate of your connection. This doesn’t just mean downloading files onto your device; everything you do online involves downloading the information onto your browser for viewing. So, to watch YouTube videos or Netflix videos without buffering or load photos on Instagram, both require you to download that information from the Internet onto your computer or mobile device. This is particularly important for online gaming, where a buffering Internet connection could cost you the game.
The easiest way to determine what size plan you need (taking into consideration household size, budget and other items previously listed on this page) is to understand the basic tasks and how much data is required for each.
General web browsing and social media should use no more than 2.5MB of data per minute
Streaming Netflix will use a minimum of 700MB an hour, while HD Netflix increases this to 3GB an hour
Downloading movies will chew through between 1.5GB and 16GB depending on length and definition quality
Watching YouTube for five minutes will use about 20MB of data, but this again varies depending on quality
Game downloads can take up anything between several megabytes and 100GB
According to CanstarBlue - the average Aussie spends around 48hrs each month online, so taking this into consideration along with the number of people using the Internet and the type of tasks being undertaken will help give you a better sense of the size of the Internet plan you need.