Whether you're connecting for the first time, looking for more speed, or eyeing up a more cost effective internet solution for your household, it's important to understand what it is exactly that you're paying for.
To help you out, we've provided a simple guide below, read on to learn more!
Standard Inclusions
We know that the last thing you want is for your Internet to be complicated, so to take the headache out of choosing the best option, all of our plans come with
- Unlimited Data
- Flexible Contract Options
- Optional Static IP for $10 per month
and to make all the vital features digestible, we've put together a handy comparison sheet called a Critical Information Summary, available at Critical Information Summary
So What's different?
Our Residential grade plans are made different only by the speed - how fast you can download and upload data. While most households will need more 'oomph' in the download speed than the upload, it's important to know why you might need more or less of one than the other to make sure you can pick the best plan for your household needs.
Download vs Upload
When you request information from an outside source, you are Downloading data. This covers everything from streaming the final episode of your favourite show for the night (or maybe second to last) to loading that Wikipedia article on Ant Farming.
If you're putting something on the World Wide Web, you are Uploading data. Audio and Video calls on Microsoft Teams, uploading videos on Youtube and publishing new content for the Ant Farming Wikipedia article are all examples of how your Upload speed impacts how you use the Internet.
How Much Will I need?
To make sure you've got enough speed for your need, we've created the below guidelines. This takes some typical Internet activities and gives you an estimate of the required download and upload speed. Keep in mind that this is per device/user.
Download
| Activity | Average Requirements |
|---|---|
| Web Browsing | 3mbps |
| Social Media | 5mbps |
| Online Gaming | 5mbps* |
| Standard Definition Streaming | 7mbps |
| High Definition Streaming | 10mbps |
Upload
| Activity | Average Requirements |
|---|---|
| VoIP call | 1mbps |
| online gaming | 3mbps |
| Video Call | 5mbps |
| Live Streaming | 5mbps |
| Cloud-based Backup | 5mbps - 10mbps** |
*Online Gaming doesn't require a large amount of download once you're playing, but some games have some truly massive updates. If you have a gamer in your household, we highly recommend a high speed tier to make sure these updates are over and done with in minutes instead of hours!
**Cloud-Based Backup can be difficult for us to provide advice on, as it's entirely depending on the kind of content you are Uploading to the cloud and the frequency of synchronisation.
Sharing Is Caring
Think of your plan as giving you an 'allowance' of bandwidth. In a household of three, you might have three or more different devices all streaming at once, tripling the download speed requirements!
For example, Mum is catching up on her true crime series on Netflix, she's streaming in HD and will need 10mbps download, Dad has his Audio-Only podcast going, he needs his 2mbps download. Little Johnny has the other TV and is streaming in HD too - so we need to account 10mbps for his streaming.
While this adds up to just under 25mbps, there's probably some smart devices around the house like a Google Home, some social media scrolling happening on a phone or two as well and it's easy to forget about how the little things add up. To make sure this household gets the best experience, a 50mbps plan may be more appropriate than trying to squeeze everything into a 25mbps plan.
If you'd ever like to upgrade or downgrade for any reason at all, or just want to ask some questions about your speed requirements, our friendly Customer Service team is available on 1300 847 201