Frustrated by your home WiFi speeds despite paying for high-speed internet via the NBN? There are some fundamental reasons why it might be a problem for you and frankly – it’s not too hard to fix!

Australia’s NBN is connecting millions of homes to the internet, but they have recently published a list of core reasons why things might be going wrong.

And it’s not just based on frankly obvious issues those of us working in tech support might know, the NBN also did some customer research so these are insights from more than 12,000 NBN customers!

According to the NBN, 92% of in-home internet setups have room for improvement, and as an endorsement of that 70% of people that make improvements to their home setup experience improved internet in their home.

Sadly, 53% of people don’t make improvements until their performance plummets. And most of it comes down to the WiFi router you have – either it’s in the wrong spot (59%) or it’s too old (55%).

Here are the key issues, the five worst WiFi mistakes in Aussie homes.

Not realising how important the equipment in your home is to the quality of your internet.

A solid 30% of Aussies don’t realise how important the equipment in your home is to the quality of your internet.

The fact is, you can have the greatest, fastest internet plan with the best telco in Australia, but those speeds can hit a literal brick wall when you get into your home.

Basically, if you have Fibre to the Home, 2,000Mbps speeds – the best you can get, if your modem isn’t up to it, or your WiFi network is poorly set up (see next point), you might only get speeds in the hundreds – yet people will often just blame “the internet”.

In fact, you should be saying “my WiFi” is slow, not “the internet” in many cases.

Good news, 70% of people who upgraded had a noticeable difference.

Incorrect setup of your router

If you’ve got a single-story home, but the modem or router is right at the front of the room – how do you expect WiFi to be great down the back of the house?

A central location is critical to that placement. 59% of people admitted their router was not in a central position.

The next part of that analysis is to look at which room “needs” the internet most, and positioning the router to suit that.

Moving the router can make a big difference, and if that’s not easy thanks to plug placement, you can get an electrician to add or move your internet ports quite easily.

Your router or modem are just too old.

Just 20% of NBN customers have upgraded to a newer WiFi router – come on people!

If you’re using a WiFi 4 modem then you simply can’t get more than 100Mbps – so those 500Mbps speeds let alone the Gigabit speeds are useless and are never being used.

We’re now in the Gigabit era, so it’s the right time to future-proof your home’s network with WiFi 7.

You put in an extender, that’s not good.

Oh, I hear this one a lot. “I bought a WiFi extender” and there’s no noticeable difference. Sorry about that, but WiFi extenders were great in the days of ADSL when speeds were low and times were simple.

Today, we’re streaming 4K in multiple rooms – an extender won’t cut it. The reason is, an extender only “extends” the network that it has access to. So if you put the extender where there are two bars of coverage, then in the back room the “WiFi extender” might show 4 bars of WiFi strength, but what those four bars are delivering is only the level of WiFi at the Two Bar level of the original network. Sounds complex, but basically they are useless in the modern era.

What you need is a MESH network. These Mesh networks are made up of a router and multiple satellites, each satellite is directly connected back to the router and is able to create a wider range for the single WiFi network.

I describe it as a DOME of WiFi over your home. The bigger the home, the more satellites you might need.

Leaving it too long to upgrade.

Don’t assume your internet provider is suddenly going to make your internet better. Fact is, as we’ve said above, most of the problems are within your home. So, you need to be proactive on this.

To work out if it’s you, not them – if possible, get a computer and plug it into your NBN connection or directly into your modem. Head to speedtest.net and perform a speed check. Compare that to the speeds you are paying for.

Then you head out into the home, pick a few key spots, and perform some WiFi-based speed tests. This will give you a clear picture of how much your WiFi network is affecting the speeds you’re getting compared to the speeds you’re paying for.

Tech Support proves it

Alex Stephens runs an in-home tech support and education business in Launceston called Rent a Grandson and said internet issues were responsible for about a quarter of all calls he received at the moment.  

“We’re getting lots of calls from people who’ve got a new computer, or smart TV, and they’ve either decided it’s finally time to sort out their Wi-Fi set up at the same time, or they’re having trouble with the new tech, and didn’t realise Wi-Fi was the problem. 

“Often they’re on the Wi-Fi router their internet provider gave them, and don’t realise they can choose a new device, let alone a new nbn connection, provider and plan.   

“People are usually thrilled to learn there are things they can do to get smooth reliable internet.  

“Even if they don’t need much speed, they’re usually keen to upgrade to full fibre after I explain that it’s more reliable and resilient than the old copper connections they’re on.  

“In my experience, even the least tech-literate person still relies on the internet for some things these days, and when things don’t work as they should it can be really frustrating and overwhelming. 

“It’s a great feeling to leave a house call knowing how relieved they are that everything finally works the way it should, and they’ve got one less thing they need to worry about.”  

“The best advice I could give to people struggling with internet issues is just don’t wait until the problem gets really bad. Whether you call you’re internet provider, or tech retailer, or someone like me, getting advice or support early can avoid a whole lot of unnecessary frustration.” 

There are plenty of great WiFi options out there; our favourites are Netgear Orbi and Amazon Eero. Take a look at improving your home network today.