NBN Co has today announced new Skymuster™ Plus for it’s satellite service due for release in 2019.

The big update for our customers is for “essential” services offered by NBN Co which includes email, internet banking, web browsing and critical software updates. NBN Co have indicated they will not be shaped if the household’s data quota is exceeded.

Importantly, these essential services will not count towards the monthly data allowances.

Streaming video and online gaming are two activities NBN Co have said would continue to be shaped if a household’s data quota is exceeded.

NBN Co has also said that it will allow speed bursts higher than 25/5 mbps.

Clear welcomes the impending update to the NBN Skymuster™ for the essential services. Many of our customers have no other alternative internet options and their NBN Skymuster™ is their only connection for these essential services.

NBN Co is now entering into a period of consulting with RSPs before new plans are announced in 2019.

Sign up below to our mailing list now to be the first to know when the new plans are released.

Finding the best and fastest broadband plan in Broken Hill can be a huge challenge.

Currently in Broken Hill, only ADSL and 4G is available, but there are many issues with it that may slow the speed down. Such as limited bandwidth, distance from the exchange and if your copper line is poor then you will experience a very bad service. ADSL speeds are typically 8-16 mbps down in non-peak time if you are reasonably close to your exchange. At peak time ADSL slows substantially, and if you are further then 3km from the exchange you can be lucky to see even 4-8mbps. All of this can translate into poor experience when using your broadband with other members in your household to watch youtube, Netflix, do your homework, email and general browsing. Compared to ADSL, Clear’s Fixed Wireless broadband is 25mbps down which is at least 50% better than ADSL and the upload speed is 5mbps which is 500% better than ADSL.

Why Fixed Wireless Broadband Is So Good

We have heavily invested in our own Fixed Wireless network which connects to Broken Hill homes or businesses over the air from an access point on a tower to an antenna on the roof of your home or business.

Don’t confuse Fixed Wireless broadband with mobile wireless. There are no dongles, and you aren’t paying the high mobile wireless data plans. Our Fixed Wireless broadband plans are regular broadband plans and it’s just like your usual broadband connection inside your home with a router and wifi signal, just better!

Because Fixed Wireless is designed for data, you’ll get a high speed broadband connection delivered to your home. No slow down at peak times and it will still always be faster than ADSL and more reliable then mobile data.

Individual homes and businesses require line of sight access between your roof and the tower access point. Hills, trees and other obstructions may preclude the line of sight for some. The good news is that we cover pretty much all of Broken Hill! Check your address here https://clear.com.au/brokenhill.

What about the nbn?

You might be wondering about the nbn, but you’ve probably heard about the many issues customers have had with it. The nbn is still some time away from being built in Broken Hill and currently there are installation issues, it’s more expensive, unreliable, it slows down at peak times and there are no performance guarantees. The nbn may improve over time, but don’t get caught up in the peak-time slow downs until it does. When the nbn does get going and you want to swap, that’s okay. We are able to swap you over and give you the certainty of using our Fixed Wireless as an extra link (at no extra cost) so if one goes down we’ll still keep you going. We are able to swap you over to an nbn plan at no extra cost. All we ask is that you stay with us for at least 12 months when you do swap. You’ll also benefit from any router you received from us being nbn ready and you will be able to keep your email address from us.

Our commitment to you in Broken Hill

Clear is a 100% Australian owned business and has been operating in Broken Hill since 2006. We’ve invested heavily in creating our own fast broadband network in Broken Hill, including upgrading to the latest Fixed Wireless technology, adding in additional towers, and investing in our own fibre connection to Broken Hill, which means that we are here for the long term.

If you are looking for the fastest broadband connection in Broken Hill we can help. We currently have a very special offer for Broken Hill residents. On our 12 month Fixed Wireless contract you get:

• 50% off your first month.

• FREE installation.

• 30 day performance guarantee

Don’t stay in the slow broadband lane. The answer for fast broadband is Clear. To find out more, click here https://clear.com.au/brokenhill

Every day of the week, Clear’s support team fields calls and emails from users who are having problems with their Internet connection. Maybe it’s slow. Maybe it’s not working at all. And most of the time, the problem is in the home!

So here are our top five tips for making sure you’re getting the most out of your home broadband connection…

1. Pick a decent router

If you want good speed and great coverage from your home WiFi network, you’ll need a router that is up to the task.

First of all, decide if you want a modem router or just a router and what is going to work best with your home set-up. You need a modem to connect to the internet, and then you need a router to connect your devices in the home to the internet. A Modem/Router combination is a device that is two-in-one. It has routing functions as well as modem functions. Typically, Clear customers have one of these.

At Clear (like most ISPs), it is best when our customers use the WiFi router(s) we recommend at sign-up. This is the hardware we know best and can best support. Some customers with “exotic” tastes may prefer more expensive WiFi routers, as a personal preference, but remember to always have our original hardware around for troubleshooting purposes.

2. Make sure you have up-to-date firmware

Updating the firmware on your router is a great way to get the most out of your connection. A manufacturer’s firmware updates will often fix bugs or other problems with your router, or may even patch security vulnerabilities.

Pro tip: if possible, set up auto-updates on your router so that your router flashes when the latest firmware is available so you can always be up to date. (How this auto-update features works will depend on your specific router.)

3. Configure your home router via Ethernet first

During troubleshooting, our support team will always ask users to connect via Ethernet cable to the router. This narrows the scope of possible issues by eliminating WiFi as a possible culprit. Similarly, when you’re first setting up your home WiFi router, you’ll be instructed to connect to the router via Ethernet cable first, check that the connection to the internet is working, and only then configure WiFi.

Technically, you’re dealing with two networks: the public internet, along with a private network in your home, with the router as the “bridge” between the two. It’s important to make sure you’ve got a good connection to the internet from your router before troubleshooting the performance of your internal/home network. Still following?

4. Choose the best location for your WiFi router

When choosing a location in the home for your WiFi router, firstly decide where your family is going to be accessing the internet the most at home. It’s best to make sure there are the fewest number of walls between the router and the main area/s where you would like the best connection. Where you just can’t get your router’s signal to reach, consider using a range extender, which repeats/strengthens the signal so that it will reach more remotes areas of the home.

5. Use your router’s in-built network monitor

Your router’s built-in network monitor is great for seeing the bandwidth usage of different devices. A good router will show you in real time which devices are connected to the internet and maybe even details of the kind and volume of data they’re transferring.

It’s great to be able to diagnose if one device is using a large amount of data at a given time. Some smarter modems will allow you to prioritise specific traffic like video and audio content, or a specific device ahead of others, but in so doing can slow down the network for the rest of your devices.

Did we miss something?

We didn’t talk about interference from microwaves. And we didn’t give you tricks for getting kids off the phone when they should be sleeping. Maybe that will be another post. Meanwhile, anything you want to add that helped you? Drop us a comment!