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If you spend a lot of time playing online games like Valorant, Fortnite or Apex Legends, choosing the right NBN provider isn’t just going to save you money. It sounds cliche but when the clock hits overtime and you’re down to your last round, having a reliable and speedy NBN connection can mean the difference between winning and losing.
With that in mind, it’s important to remember that not all NBN providers are created equal. There can be a wide variety in the quality of service that each ISP delivers. Ideally, you want high-speeds and you want them to be consistent. For that reason, it is important to do some research into the network capacity of your provider.
Just because one plan is NBN 100 rated doesn’t necessarily mean that it has the same average evening speed that another NBN 100 plan might offer. ISPs with greater network capacity often deliver more reliable evening speeds.
What’s a fast way to tell how reliable an NBN provider is?
Every few months, the ACCC releases new results for their broadband performance data tracker. This online tool allows you to quickly and easily compare different NBN providers on things like outage frequency and average download speeds. Nothing is guaranteed but, applied correctly, the ACCC’s tracker can give you a much better sense of how closely the reality of each NBN provider gets to idealistic scenarios painted by their marketing campaigns.
Intel
Intel
Intel
If you’re doing a lot of gaming specifically, this is useful info because it allows you to go with an NBN provider that minimizes your chances of lag and other in-game connectivity issues. Obviously, it’s not a guarantee but if you do play a lot of online games, it’s definitely something worth factoring in.
In December 2020, the ACCC rated Optus as the NBN provider who delivers the best download speeds during busy hours. You can read more about this here and you can find out more about Optus’ $75 Internet Everyday NBN100 Plan using the widget below:
Best NBN50 gaming plans
Our pick: Superloop Unlimited NBN50
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Best NBN100 gaming plans
Our pick: Mate NBN #Soulmates
Also consider:
Is it worth going all the way to the NBN100?
If you’re spending a lot of time gaming or watching 4K content on streaming services like Netflix, you’re going to get a lot more value out of an NBN100 plan than you would an NBN50.
There are many reasons for this. For example, opting for the more expensive option here means that large media files and games are going to take about half the time to download.
Going NBN100 also gives you a lot more wiggle room if connectivity issues do arise. Realistically, even the best NBN providers might not be able to deliver on the maximum possible speed your plan offers all of the time. Fortunately, if you’re starting off at a higher speed to begin with, you’ve got a lot more megabits-per-second to lose before your connectivity reaches a point where it can adversely affect your ability to play games online or stream in higher fidelity.
What can I do if I’m unhappy with my current NBN provider?
Change! Unless you’re locked into a contract, switching your NBN connection from one provider to another is easier than you think.
Alternatively, if you think your NBN provider has seriously wronged you – it might be worth filing a formal complaint through the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. For more information on this, click here.
How much should I be paying for the Internet per month?
In 2020, you should expect to pay around AU$50/month for an NBN25 connection, around AU$70/month for an NBN50 connection and around AU$80 for an NBN100 connection.
Many NBN providers offer temporary discounts that can reduce your initial monthly bill further, so be sure to shop around and make sure you’re getting the best deal you can.
If this approach doesn’t agree with you, it might be worth checking out some of our other:
