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Optus NBN Plans vs Telstra NBN Plans

• NBN broadband comparisons
• Optus NBN Plans
• Telstra NBN Plans

Amrita Bala

16/08/2017 10:50 AM

Welcome to another week of NBN broadband comparisons. In this week’s edition, we will be looking into both Optus and Telstra’s NBN plans that are currently on offer to the public. Both Optus and Telstra are giants in the telco industry, providing consistent and quality broadband connections to homes and offices all around Australia. In this article, we will look at the various plans offered by both companies inclusive of connection speed, data limits and differing prices. Read on to find out more.

Optus NBN Plans - Call 1300 106 571

Optus is one of the leading companies in Australia, proving mobile phone connections and NBN internet connections to hundreds of thousands of us Australians today. From the very get go,  Optus offers their $80 My Basics bundle which boasts a basic maximum download speed of 12Mbps, again, the industry standard for Tier 1. For $90 a month, you can choose to upgrade to a Tier 2 speeds of 25Mbps, whilst $100 per month will get you download speeds of up to 50Mbps. If you’re looking for the fastest internet speeds available in today’s market, adding $30 to your My Basic bundle will get you top NBN speeds of up to 100Mbps. Aside from efficient and reliable NBN broadband, all the mentioned plans come with a bonus of unlimited standard local calls to landlines. On top of all that, Optus also offers access to Fetch, starting at $80 a month. All plans are available on a 2 year contract or on a month to month option, with the latter costing you an upfront fee of $200 which will be waived if you commit to Optus long term.

Telstra NBN Plans - Call 1300 106 571

The most basic NBN bundle that Telstra offers comes with maximum download speeds of 25Mbps, with speed boosts available on purchase if you are looking for a speed upgrade. Most bundles start off at $90 a month for 500GB of data on a Medium bundle, $120 for 1000GB and $140 for 1500GB which is essentially unlimited data for the month.

An extra $20 a month will see you upgrading your plan of choice to a ‘Very Fast’ connection with 50Mbps download speeds. Following suit, an additional $30 a month will get you upgraded to Superfast 100 Mbps speeds, the maximum speed available to us today.

Similar to Optus, Telstra NBN broadband plans also come with the option of adding a Foxtel or Telstra TV subscription which gives you access to streaming services such as Netflix and Stan.

Optus vs TPG

• TPG and Optus battle for #2
• Each targets different customer types
• Different approaches, but both offer innovative pricing models

Adam Wajnberg

16/08/2017 10:47 AM

Ed Note: With the recent Optus price rise, we have published an article offering viable alternatives to popular Optus plans. You can access this article by clicking here.

Optus and TPG plans don’t share a great deal in common, at first blush. Optus broadband competes in the premium end of the market with Telstra and iiNet/Internode. TPG competes with low-cost providers like Dodo and Exetel. So why compare the two?

Click here for the best Optus deals – or call 1300 137 897

Click here to check out TPG Unlimited – or call us on 1300 106 571

For starters, comparing TPG to other ‘cheap and cheerful’ ISPs charging the same amount is not fair. TPG runs basic, text-based ads, offers seemingly impossible deals on Unlimited broadband, and their website has no blog or other friendly bits and pieces. Their customer service is mostly based offshore, and their plans have a basic ‘like it or lump it’ quality that matches other small-time providers. But the difference is that TPG doesn’t just take those savings and bank them. TPG is the one provider that treats broadband as the un-sexy utility that many people perceive it to be, and invests heavily in making sure that its infrastructure WORKS – never mind the ads showing families getting in touch; here’s a tap, and the internet is going to come out of it. So while TPG has a cheap weatherboard frontage, inside it’s marble and polished wood.

Optus, on the other hand, is high class throughout. Its public image, using cute and curious animals in their advertising, conveys a dynamic but also family friendly provider – a safe company that will be around a long time. They have mobile towers, interstate networks and cable networks. Their name can be seen on the occasional streetpost near cable trenches. Optus is the largest telco in Australia built from the ground up – Telstra may be twice the size, but much of its strength comes from the control of the system it inherited. Optus inherited some satellites; everything else was built in the last 20 years.

The reason why TPG and Optus offer a stark basis for comparison is this – TPG is the cold, hard face of competition. Optus is cuddlier, but was specifically built to be the competition. Which one actually offers better value for the end user?

What TPG does right 

First there was the landline telephone. Everyone had one. After that, everyone got a mobile. But they kept the telephone around because mobile calls were prohibitively expensive.

Then everyone got ADSL. The telephone line can provide ADSL because it contains two copper wires – and ADSL simply activates a digital internet connection on the line not being used for telephone. So phone + internet was a natural bundle; everyone had a landline, so activating ADSL was a natural progression, and it was natural to bundle the services with one provider.

Then came mobile cap plans, offering oodles of credit for a low monthly fee. Everyone stopped using their landline, or not bothering to connect it at a new address at all.

This is where TPG comes in. TPG recognizes that many people don’t want a home phone at all, but DO want reliably fast and plentiful broadband connection. The technological (and economic) reality is more complicated – you MUST have a landline connection to get ADSL. You MUST pay line rental to rent that line for ADSL – whether you use the associated phone service or not. There’s Naked DSL, which supposedly offers this – but not really. All Naked DSL does is offer broadband and line rental wrapped in one price, with no home phone service – it’s not cheaper, and in fact it’s usually more expensive. It’s also harder for an ISP to arrange, for a whole host of reasons.

So TPG stripped away most of the unnecessary baggage that comes with line rental and phone, to cut down on price. Some of your line rental pays for a battery backup of your line, to provide a dial tone even when there’s a general power outage. But most people have mobiles, so let’s take out that charge.

Some of your line rental goes towards Telstra’s Customer Service Guarantee. This is a guarantee on major line repairs. If your line goes down, you can claim back a portion of your line rental for the time it takes to repair it. In reality, this happens very rarely, and rarely takes more than 3 or 4 days to repair. So if line rental is about $30 a month, and your service is down for 4 days, then the rebate you can claim back is around…$4. For this, you pay a lot for standard line rental.

Part of your line rental pays for compatibility with services like Priority Assist, Faxstream Duet (fax line), back-to-base alarm system, and other ‘dial-back’ services that use the landline to make automated connections. Not gonna miss them? Good, because TPG stripped that away too.

So TPG got rid of all of this, leaving just the most basic line rental, and reducing the cost to customers who don’t need the line for phone – they just need the line for broadband. As for the Unlimited data part – TPG can do that because they don’t rely on Telstra or Optus for ‘backhaul’ like everyone else. They have their own undersea fibre optic cable connecting Australia to Guam, which is in turn a central switching point for direct connections to the USA, Europe and Asia. TPG is, with Telstra and Optus, the only other ‘inter’ internet provider.

In addition – TPG realizes that most people are tired of 24 month contracts. Long contracts are an insurance policy for telecommunications companies, a tacit admission that their network and customer service are going to disappoint eventually, but in order to keep you on their books, they can use contracts to lock you in. This is expensive. It means that an ISP has to offer freebies, like free connections and free modems. It also means that your average telco has a bunch of customers that are both unhappy with their service, and vengeful over their telco’s inflexibility. Those customers are in a hurry to leave when their contract is up – not just to get a better deal, but to also ‘get back’ at their old ISP. That’s Bad Mojo.

TPG limit most of their plans to 6 or 12 months, charging upfront for connections and modems, or relying on the fact by now, many people already have a compatible modem. That way, if you’re not happy with your service, at least you won’t be shackled to TPG and building resentment against them – they then have a better chance of winning you back later, once their network improves.

So what TPG does right is offer the highest amount of data on a fully-backed international connection, for the lowest price, and under the fairest terms. Their phone offerings are pretty basic – Telstra rates for calls, with the option to pay $10 extra for unlimited local calls, landline calls and 100 international minutes to boot. And that’s it. Otherwise, you have a phone line with such limited capacity that you may as well not even plug in a telephone (and TPG won’t provide you with one), that comes with a high speed unlimited broadband service behind it. It’s like buying the full Happy Meal because just buying a cheeseburger and coke would be more expensive. TPG could run an obscure ad campaign with:  “TPG. Just Throw Away The Fries”. Only I would get it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make some sense.

What Optus Does Right

Optus has to have a different profile. Its customers and shareholders have invested in a top-tier provider, a company whose very existence depends on you not wanting to be with Telstra. But that also means they have to offer a version of everything Telstra does, to appeal to the broadest range of customers possible.

That said, Optus makes a go of meeting the actual demands of the market. Telstra can maintain all they like that what people want is a good old fashioned home phone service; home phone is their cash cow. For everyone else, home phone is something they offer and which they rent off Telstra – every home phone service a non-Telstra company signs up, means more money to Telstra.

Optus can get around that. It has jumped into the Naked Broadband waters, realizing that it wasn’t going to make its money on home phone. It has concentrated on mobile, offering Timeless plans that come with unlimited calls, text and lots of data, while still offering the latest handsets. They have embraced prepaid. But most importantly, they have embraced a new role as the Telstra of mobile.

Telstra provides wholesale access to everyone else on a few different levels. The small one is backhaul- many ISPs use Telstra’s interstate and international networks, but they have plenty of competition from Optus, TPG, Internode, iPrimus, etc. Telstra also provide wholesale access of ADSL – to small ISPs, but also big ISPs in areas that their own networks don’t extend to.

But the big, big, big part of Telstra’s wholesale business is in ‘the last mile’. This encompasses the 12 million or so connections from neighbourhood exchanges to every. Single. Premises. That’s homes, flats, units, businesses, bus stops, doghouses – 99% of the complexity of building a network is in this part of it, and that’s all Telstra.

Optus has a big mobile network. Not only does it have thousands of towers, 3G dishes and antennas over the Aussie landscape, they also have international connection points thanks to them being owned by SingTel, a Singaporean telecoms giant that dwarfs Telstra. Optus’ 8 million mobile customers make up…wait for it…1.8% of SingTel’s 434 million subscriber base.

Without getting too technical, Optus’ foreign connection does provide it with a lot more scale for providing wholesale mobile and mobile broadband access. Telstra is also very stingy when it comes to mobile access – to date it has wholesales to exactly one provider, JB Hi-Fi, with a very small range of plans (and those plans aren’t cheaper than going directly with Telstra). The Optus Open Network, on the other hand, provides far and away the best value mobile service in Australia, through resellers like Amaysim (1300 302 942) and Dodo (1300 136 793).

Meanwhile, Optus also wholesales its ADSL network at a much more accommodating rate than Telstra does. This allows companies like iPrimus (1300 137 794) to break through with great value Naked Broadband plans.

So what Optus does right is use their size and scope to play two different games- offering a family friendly, comprehensive, top-tier experience to those willing to pay for it, while also using their wholesale network to effectively capture the more savvy customers who know what they want. In turn, ideas that are successful in the wider marketplace can get incorporated into Optus’ own stable of products. Case in point – Optus now has unlimited mobile plans, 20GB mobile broadband plans, and Naked broadband plans on both ADSL and Cable. These are the product offerings of a small and innovative company, not a big behemoth.

Plan Comparison

TPG’s best value plan, for people who just need ADSL2+ broadband, is their $59.95 Unlimited Bundle. As stated, this provides a basic phone line and an unlimited data plan, on a minimum 6-month contract. The total connection charges come to $120, with no modem included – but you can buy a Wi-Fi enabled modem for $110.

You CAN get an unlimited Naked DSL plan from TPG, where you get no phone line at all, and just broadband through your copper line. BUT…it’s $70 a month, with a $129 connection fee. It might seem to make no sense – why pay MORE just to not have a telephone service? Even more frustrating – TPG cannot connect a naked service on an inactive, or ‘vacant’ phone line. They can only CONVERT your line to Naked if it already has a dial tone on it. It sounds backwards, but there are technological reasons for it. At the end of the day, getting the cheaper and easier-to-arrange bundle, and then not using the phone line is a better option. The main benefit of Naked DSL is slightly faster speeds – if every megabit-per-second counts, then it might be worth the hassle.

If you DO need a phone line to make calls on, then the same plan is available for $69.95, with free local and STD calls, 100 minutes of free international calls and a free Wi-Fi modem. $110 connection fee, 24 month contract.

                               *******************************

Optus will provide Naked Broadband via ADSL2+ or Cable, whichever is available (priority is to Cable connections). For $69.99, you get 150GB of data, split into 75GB peak and 75GB off-peak. It’s a decent plan for medium users who want the least amount of fuss possible, and comes with a Wi-Fi modem. The total connection fees come to $100, on a 24 month contract. For $10 more, you can get 500GB (250 peak and 250 off-peak).

For those who need the phone line, Optus Fusion Bundles provide the most comprehensive call plans available. The blue-ribbon plan is the $109 Fusion Bundle, which includes free calls to local, STD and any mobile network, 500GB data (with no peak or off peak splits!), free Wi-Fi modem and free connection on a 24 month contract. The same plan is available from $79, with 120GB data and free calls to local, STD and Optus mobile numbers only; it also goes up to 1000GB of data for $129 a month.

Optus has added some odd frankendeals lately. These are deals with very specific markets in mind – if they suit, they’re fantastic, but if they don’t, they’re best regarded as interesting experiments. The first is a $60 Home Advantage plan. This is a 2 year home phone contract, with free calls to everything – local, STD and all mobiles. With this, you get a free, 50 GB, no contract fixed line broadband connection – ADSL or Cable – with a free connection and free Wi-Fi modem.

The mobile version of this deal is $89, includes free calls to local, STD and all mobiles, and comes with a free handset – and we’re talking good handsets here, including the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3 (iPhones starts from an extra $5 a month with this deal). And then you get that free, no contract, 50GB broadband connection.

The caveat – If you need more than 50GB from time to time, stay away. You can’t upgrade – upgrading means taking up an additional service. If you drop the broadband, the deals by themselves aren’t terribly competitive. But if this fits right in with your needs, it’s a great offer. And at the very least, it demonstrates that Optus are willing to play around and try different pricing models.

Call Optus directly on 1300 137 897 for information on these deals.

Conclusion

TPG’s best value plans are suited towards non-landline phone users. Optus’ best value plans are suited to people who still rely on the landline – but both offer good alternatives. When broken down, their prices actually come out similar, with Optus usually needing less cash upfront and offering a wider range of payment options – but also needing 24 month contracts. But both companies are taking chances and offering innovative solutions, while still maintaining deep networks.

Configuring your old iiNet, Telstra or Optus modem to use with your new provider

• Most modems are easily reconfigurable
• Popular manufacturers include Belkin, Netgear & Netcomm
• Telstra, Optus & iiNet all have their own branded modems

Maggy Liu

19/06/2017 12:56 PM

For the most part, fixed plans where you get a ‘free’ mobile phone are easily to understand. For example, in exchange for using a particular service plan for 24 months, mobile providers will gift you with the latest and greatest handset. That’s because, in the long run, the contract offsets the couple of hundred dollar price tag of the device.  

With ADSL2+ broadband services, the relationship between hardware and contract length is harder to buy. Many providers still want you to commit to a 2-year contract, but the prize they offer is a modem/router that would only cost you about $100 retail. For many people who have had a broadband connection in the past, the deal is even less appealing– you already have a modem/router, so why would you sign away your flexibility for a piece of hardware that you already own?

The secret these companies don’t want you to know is that modems/routers are very unglamorous technology, more akin to a toaster than a mobile phone. In other words, a good one should last you for years without any need to upgrade, unless standards significantly change or your old one breaks. For the most part, a modem/router is something that sits in a forgotten corner near the phone line, only getting attention once in a blue moon for a reset, or for when the cat needs a warm spot to curl up in.

With that in mind, many service providers now offer short contracts with no modem/router included, to attract people who value flexibility, are on short-term leases, and/or own the hardware already.

Wait a minute…what is a modem/router anyway?

A modem is a device that plugs into your phone line, interprets the electrical signal into something your computer can understand.

Fun fact: “Modem” is a word made up of MOdulator and DEModulator. ‘Modulation’ is the act of turning raw data into transferrable digital bits and pieces; so the modem MOdulates the data you send, and DEModulates the data you receive!

A router on the other hand is a device that takes that connection from the modem, and forwards data from one network to another, in most cases you will have just one piece of technology – a modem-router that handles both tasks.

What do you mean by ‘reconfigure’?

Many modems are not built to meet the specific needs of a particular service provider. They’re made and sold as common pieces of equipment for anyone to buy from a JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman store. So when Telstra home internet gives you a modem with your contract, it comes pre-configured with details relevant to the Telstra connection – but you can easily go into the settings of your modem and change some of those settings to work with your new service provider.

Note – these tips are for changing the basic settings only as many of these re-badged modems have certain settings locked, which requires a good deal of technical knowledge to overcome.

Many technical support teams are trained to deal with modems that their company doesn’t offer, so it’s always a good idea to check with technical support too if required.

Telstra modems

For the last 5 or 6 years, Telstra has used modems manufactured by 2Wire and Technicolor. The 2Wire modems are very common, and most technical support teams should be proficient in reconfiguring them.

2Wire 2701HGV-W

Instructions:

1.    Open your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome). 
2.    In the address bar, type in http://gateway.2wire.net
3.    You will see this screen

4.    Click on ‘Broadband Link’ on the top menu
5.    Select ‘Advanced Settings in the Broadband Link sub-menu
6.    Under ‘Broadband Network’, select ‘PPPoE’ in the Connection type drop down menu (this will usually be pre-selected)
7.    In the username and password field, you should see your old Telstra email address and password. Change these to the relevant details with your new service provider, and then click ‘Save’ at the bottom.
8.    Wait for the modem to re-authenticate. This process usually takes around 2 minutes. Try turning the modem on and off again, or unplugging and replugging it if required.

Technicolour 587NV3

Technicolor used to be known as Thomson, a French 150 year old multi-national company. They changed their name in the hopes of capturing the US market, where their ‘Technicolor’ film technology was their only product with household recognition.

Instructions:

1.    Open your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome). 
2.    In the address bar, type in 192.168.1.254 or http://dsldevice.lan
3.    You will see this screen

4.    Click on Broadband Connection
5.    Click on Internet services
6.    Click on Internet
7.    Click on Details
8.    In the username and password field you should see your old Telstra email address and password. Change these to the relevant details with your new service provider, and then click ‘Save’ at the bottom.
9.    Wait for the modem to re-authenticate. This process usually takes around 2 minutes. Try turning the modem on and off again, or unplugging and replugging it if required.

Optus modems

Netgear DG834GU v5

Optus internet plans have been providing this Netgear Wi-Fi modem/router as a freebie for most plans for a little while now, and as such, it’s not the most fantastic modem – but can definitely do the job. 

Instructions:

- Connect via an ethernet cable
- Open your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome). 
- In the address bar, type in http://10.1.1.1/CA_HiddenPage.htm (case sensitive)
- Disable the Configuration Assistant & click Apply.
- Once the modem has restarted, type in http://10.1.1.1 and log in.
- Click Basic Settings.
- Enter your username & password for your new service provider and click Apply.

Default login details for the modem are:
- Username; admin
- Password; password

iiNet Modems

iiNet developed the BoB line of modems to be a router and more. The first one was a rebranded Belkin, and they have just about every feature under the sun, including advanced VoIP configurations. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re also rather sleek and gorgeous to look at.

Belkin’s own N-300 modem is the retail, non-branded equivalent of the first BoB, and adheres to the same commands.

iiNet developed the Bob Lite themselves, including the hardware. Same goes for the Bob 2. 
For all three of these units, the log-in page is the same.

Instructions:

- Open your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome). 
- In the address bar, type in 10.1.1.1
- If you’re asked for a username and password, the default for both is ‘admin’
- In all three modems, there should be an ‘ISP settings’ page.
- Enter the appropriate details from your service provider, save and reset and you should be good to go!

As you can see, the method to follow are the same for most of these modems. With a few exceptions, the majority of your old modem/routers can be reconfigured for further use with a new service provider. All you need are the username and password details for your new ISP, and the browser address your modem can be reached at. If you don’t have these on hand, you can always call the manufacturer to access these details. 

Click here to learn more about the NBN.

How to configure your old Telstra or Optus modem to use with another Internet provider

• Most modems easily reconfigurable
• Popular manufacturers include belkin, Netgear and Netcomm
• Telstra, Optus and iiNet all deliver branded modems

Adam Wajnberg

19/06/2017 11:56 AM

Mobile phones have a market model that most people can wrap their heads around. In exchange for 24 months of guaranteed service, mobile providers will furnish you with the latest handset for free (or for a few dollars a month). The long contract offsets the price of a device that would otherwise cost you hundreds of dollars to buy upfront.

With ADSL2+ broadband services, the relationship between hardware and contract length is less clear. Many providers still want to commit you to a 2 year contract, in exchange for a modem that would cost you about $100 retail. And for many people who have had a broadband connection in the past (or are coming from another provider), the equation is even more unappealing – you already have a modem, why commit to another 2 years for a piece of hardware that duplicates something you already own?

Not everyone gets that a modem/router is an unglamorous, functional piece of hardware. It’s more akin to a toaster than a mobile phone, in that a good one should last years and upgrading will offer little benefit unless standards have changed or your old one goes on the fritz. A modem/router is something that sits in a corner near the phone line, blinking away and only getting a look-in once in a while for a reset, or for when the cat needs a hot spot to lie down.

With that in mind, many service providers now offer short contracts with no modem included, to attract people who want more flexibility, or are on short term leases, and who otherwise have the hardware already. It’s similar to the market for SIM only mobile plans (for people who don’t need a handset) or even items like the Mac Mini, a cheap Apple PC that is just a brick, with no screen, mouse or keyboard, ready for people who already have that stuff and just want to switch to a Mac.

Modem? Modem/Router? Wi-Fi?

To clarify: the modem is the device that plugs into your phone line, takes in the electrical signal, and turns it into something your computer can then understand. “Modem” is a word made up of MOdulator and DEModulator. ‘Modulation’ is the act of turning raw data into transferrable digital bits and pieces; so the modem MOdulates the data you send, and DEModulates the data you receive.

A router is a device that takes that connection from the modem, and acts a multi-adaptor for many connections.

Wi-Fi is a short-range wireless technology that allows devices within 50 metres or so to connect to your modem, share the internet connection, and also share other resources (like printers and hard drives).

So, a Wi-Fi modem/router is an all-in-one device that gets your connection, and then routes it wirelessly around your house. It’s what most people are looking for when they want ‘Wireless ADSL2+’ or ‘Wireless Broadband’. It’s easy to confuse with Mobile Broadband, which is a modem that connects wirelessly all the way to a mobile tower, receiving its internet feed from there.

What do you mean by ‘reconfigure’?

Many modems are not built to meet the needs of a particular service provider. They’re made and sold as common pieces of equipment for anyone to buy from a JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman. So when Telstra home internet gives you a modem with your contract, it comes pre-configured with details relevant to the Telstra connection – but you can easily go into the settings of your modem and change some of those settings to work with your new service provider. Even if you see Telstra or Optus branding all over the page, you can ignore all of that and cut straight through to the stuff that matters.

Note – these are for basic settings. Many re-badged modems have had advanced port forwarding settings locked out, which requires a good deal of technical knowledge to overcome. This is for simple reconfigurations allowing for basic connections.

Note 2 - Many technical support teams are trained to deal with some modems that they don’t offer, so it’s always a good idea to check with technical support as well, if this guide doesn’t help you.

Telstra modems

For the last 5 or 6 years, Telstra has used modems manufactured by 2Wire and Technicolor. The 2Wire ones are very common, and most technical support teams are experienced in reconfiguring them.

2Wire 2701HGV-W

The  ‘Telstra Home Network Gateway’ is not available for retail sale. Telstra was the only firm in Australia that sold them, offered for free on their old bundle plans from 2007. They are manufactured by 2Wire, which is now owned by British electronics firm Pace. Sidenote – Pace also make many models of set-top-unit for Foxtel internet.

1.    Open your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome).
2.    In the address bar, type in http://gateway.2wire.net
3.    You will see this screen

4.    Click on ‘Broadband Link’ on the top menu
5.    Select ‘Advanced Settings in the Broadband Link sub-menu
6.    Under ‘Broadband Network’, select ‘PPPoE’ in the Connection type drop down menu (this will usually already be the type selected)
7.    In the username and password field will be your old Telstra email address and password. Change these to the relevant details with your new service provider, and then click ‘Save’ down the bottom.
8.    Wait for the modem to re-authenticate. Takes 2 minutes. If you want to make double sure it will work, turn the modem on and off again, or unplug it and plug it back in.

Technicolour 587NV3

This has been sold through Telstra for a year or so, and it’s an exceptional piece of kit. It supports all Wi-Fi speed profiles, multicasting, IPV6 and gigabit Ethernet. All of that is gravy for people who know how to use it; otherwise, just be happy you have a modem that will be top-of-the-line for the next 5 years or more.

Technicolor used to be Thomson, a French 150 year old multi-national. They changed their name recently to better crack the US market, where their ‘Technicolor’ film technology was their only product with household recognition in the US. They also now own RCA, one of the very oldest electronics firms (you know those red-white-yellow cables for your TV? Those are called RCA cables).

1.    Open your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome).
2.    In the address bar, type in 192.168.1.254 or http://dsldevice.lan
3.    You will see this screen

4.    Click on Broadband Connection
5.    Click on Internet services
6.    Click on Internet
7.    Click on details
8.    In the username and password field will be your old Telstra email address and password. Change these to the relevant details with your new service provider, and then click ‘Save’ down the bottom.
9.    Wait for the modem to re-authenticate. Takes 2 minutes. If you want to make double sure it will work, turn the modem on and off again, or unplug it and plug it back in.

Optus modems

Netgear DG834GU v5

Optus internet plans have been using this Netgear Wi-Fi modem/router for a while now, which it offers free on almost all plans. As such, it’s not the most fantastic modem – but it will do the job.
Unusually for Optus, they’ve actually locked this down more than Telstra have with their modems. It can be unlocked, but takes a little work.

Netgear itself is a big US network equipment firm, with most of its stuff made all over the place. Or in other words, China. Netgear modems, like Netcomm modems, have a 'standard kit' quality to them.

Connect via an ethernet cable.
- Browse to http://10.1.1.1/CA_HiddenPage.htm (case sensitive)
- Disable the Configuration Assistant & clock Apply.
- Once the modem has restarted, browse to http://10.1.1.1 and log in.
- Click Basic Settings.
- Enter your username & password for your new service provider and click Apply. This is normally the full email address.

Default login details for the modem are:
- Username; admin
- Password; password

iiNet Modems

iiNet developed the BoB line of modems to be more than just a router. The first one was a rebranded Belkin, and they have just about every feature you can shake a stick at, including advanced VoIP configurations. They’re also quite gorgeous to look at.

But a lot of people don’t use 99% of the features in the BoB, and just need a Wi-Fi modem. Luckily, iiNet are pretty good at allowing the modem to be used with other ISPs, with no drastic steps to overcome.

Belkin’s own N-300 modem is the retail, non-branded equivalent of the first BoB, and adheres to the same commands.

iiNet developed the Bob Lite themselves, including the hardware. Same goes for the Bob 2.
For all three of these units, the log-in page is the same.

-    Browse to 10.1.1.1
-    If you’re asked for a username and password, the default for both is ‘admin’
-    In all three modems, there should be an ‘ISP settings’ page. As per above, click there, enter the appropriate details from your service provider, save and reset. And BoB’s your uncle! (haw haw)

As you can see, the principles are the same. With a few exceptions, most modem/routers that have been provided for free with your ISP in the past can be reconfigured for use with a new service provider. All you need on hand are the username and password details for your new ISP, and the browser address your modem can be reached at. Worst case scenario, the manufacturer can be reached by phone for these details.

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