Fibre to the Node (FTTN): what it is and what to expect

Fibre to the Node (FTTN) runs fibre optic cable from the nbn Point of Interconnect to a street cabinet (the "node") near your home, then uses the existing copper telephone line for the final stretch into your house. This last copper section is the main reason FTTN speeds vary more than other fibre-based technologies.

Why speed varies by address

The further your home is from the node, and the older or lower-quality the copper, the more your achievable speed is reduced. Two houses on the same street can get noticeably different results.

Your in-home wiring matters too

The copper doesn't stop at your front door. Once the line enters your home it runs through your internal phone wiring to the socket your modem plugs into, and that wiring can have a significant effect on the speed you actually get.

Common causes of slower speeds inside the home include:

• Multiple phone sockets. Every extra socket adds cable to the line, even if nothing is plugged into it, and can reduce the signal reaching your modem.
• Old or damaged wiring. Corroded connections, poor joins and ageing cable all degrade the signal.
• Other devices on the line. Back-to-base alarms, old phones and fax machines plugged into other sockets can interfere with your connection.
• Long or low-quality cables. Extension leads and long phone cables between the wall socket and your modem add noise and loss.

To get the best from your line:

• Plug your modem into the first phone socket, where the line enters your home, using a short phone cable.
• Unplug anything else connected to a phone socket.
• Consider having a registered cabler disconnect unused sockets. This can make a noticeable difference to your speed.

Wiring inside your home is generally your responsibility rather than nbn Co's, so any cabling work is arranged and paid for by you.

What's needed at your home

No new device is usually installed - your existing phone line is connected to a compatible modem, which is often provided as part of your plan.

Choosing a speed tier

FTTN plans come in set speed tiers, such as 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps, but your line has its own maximum speed that often falls somewhere in between. For example, a line that supports 80 Mbps would be limited to 50 Mbps on a 50 Mbps plan, but could reach its full 80 Mbps on a 100 Mbps plan.

This means you can choose a speed tier higher than your line will reach. Some customers choose the higher tier knowing they'll get 80 Mbps rather than 100 Mbps, because it's the only way to use all of their line's capacity. Others are happy with the lower tier and the lower price.