Guides
The NBN explained
The NBN is not one network. It is five different ways of getting a connection into a building, and the one you have decides how fast it can go, what goes wrong with it, which box sits on your wall and who is responsible when it fails.
These guides explain each type in plain words: how it reaches you, what plugs into what, the faults we find on it and which side of the network boundary they sit on. Not sure which NBN you have? Start with the first guide below.
- Guides13 guides in this topic
- Last updated31 Oct 2026
- Written byA technician, 31 years in the field
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Start here Which NBN connection is best, and which one have you got?
Fibre to the premises is the best NBN connection, because nothing but fibre runs to the house. Every other type finishes on older cable, and how well it works depends on that cable. Here is how to tell which one you have, what each one means, and what you can do about it. Need it fixed?NBN Technician12 more guides on this
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New Personal alarms for elderly parents: which ones still call for help when the power goes out?
Choosing a personal alarm for a parent who lives alone: how each kind calls for help, what happens on the NBN and in a blackout, and what to check first. -
New NBN battery backup: what keeps working in a blackout?
What works on the NBN in a power blackout: the NBN box battery, the home phone, medical and back-to-base alarms, a UPS, and replacing a beeping battery. -
New Moving into a new home with no NBN: new estates, new builds and missing addresses
Why a new home has no NBN, how NBN new developments and location IDs work, what the builder must leave, and what to do when NBN cannot find your address. -
New Starlink vs 5G home internet vs NBN: which one for your home?
Starlink, 5G home internet or NBN? A technician's comparison for Sydney homes: when fibre wins, when 5G is smarter, and when Starlink is worth it. -
New What NBN speed do you need: 100, 500, 1000 or 2000?
What NBN speed you need: the tiers since September 2025, what each household uses, why copper lines can't take the faster plans, and what caps the speed. -
What is NBN HFC (hybrid fibre coaxial)?
NBN HFC (hybrid fibre coaxial) explained: how it works, what the HFC box and the isolator do, why it drops out, and what to check before you ring anyone. -
What is NBN fibre to the curb (FTTC)?
Fibre to the curb (FTTC) explained: how to tell if you have it, why the FTTC NBN box powers the unit in the pit and clicks, and the faults we find on it. -
NBN fibre to the premises (FTTP) and the fibre upgrade, explained
What NBN fibre to the premises (FTTP) is, how the fibre upgrade works, where NBN puts the two boxes, and the cabling you may need before or after the install. -
What is NBN fibre to the building (FTTB), and is it any good?
Fibre to the building (FTTB) explained: how NBN reaches a unit, who owns which part of the line, whether it is any good, and what to check when it is slow. -
What is a bridge tap?
A bridge tap is an old phone socket still connected to your internet line. What it means, what it does to NBN on FTTC, FTTN and FTTB, and how it is fixed. -
NBN connection box lights: what they mean, and what to do when they change
What the lights on your NBN box mean on fibre, HFC and fibre to the curb: why it clicks, flashes blue or shows red, and what to do before you ring anyone. -
What is NBN fibre to the node (FTTN), and why does it drop out?
NBN FTTN explained: how fibre to the node reaches your home, why distance and old copper slow it, the faults we find on it, and the upgrade to fibre.