How a mesh router and high-speed NBN solved my internet stress

I have been with Vodafone for NBN since 2018. I started with the Essential+ NBN plan (50Mbps) and, in the suburbs, about 60km west of Sydney, spent the next four years without problems, even as more and more devices were added and my work-from-home days have become more frequent. However, moving into a more densely populated apartment in Sydney’s western outback, a very glaring problem arose at 6pm, resulting in the most painful TV streaming experience imaginable.

This is not a problem with Vodafone, as I said, it’s been almost four years Very pleased with the TPG-owned telco, was instead the level of speed I was on, the congestion in this block of flats and the fact that Wi-Fi extenders still can’t punch through walls.

I had every intention of trying 5G, thinking I could offer some readers with similar experience some insight into how 5G home internet compared to my mostly unreliable NBN. But MORE reached out to see if I would try theirs – since they were offering this trial at a higher level of speed than me, as well as using a different technology to send internet through my apartment, I took them up on the offer.

MORE recently partnered with Amazon’s Eero. With their plans, you don’t get a typical router, rather the Eero 6+ mesh router.

Mesh routers are designed to provide your home with a strong and consistent Wi-Fi network. Traditional Wi-Fi routers act as a single access point, so the quality of that connection will degrade the further you move away from the router, even with a Wi-Fi extender. If we think about the name itself, “mesh” is how they do it: they create a larger network for Wi-Fi. With a mesh system, you combine your main router with a series of satellites, with each of these nodes acting as an access point for your Wi-Fi signal. It helps you maintain a more consistent connection throughout your home, as every router can provide a Wi-Fi network that works at full capacity. These mesh routers act as one Wi-Fi network, so once you’ve connected to one of them, you’re connected to all of them.

As you can imagine, I was Very excited. The quality was great, but the TV only 11 meters from the router (albeit around the corner) was only getting one bar of signal. And while Amazon Prime Video mostly worked, Netflix buffered more frequently, Foxtel and Kayo were both impossible to watch during football (or Gordon Ramsay’s Top level chef while having dinner). In the office where the router was located, though, the speed test was impressive. He was frustrating to say the least.

With MORE providing an Eero 6+ when connected via NBN, I remembered Zac reviewing the Eero Pro 6 and only using two of the three devices in his apartment, so instead of spending money on an extra node, I took into loan (stolen) his and place it about twenty feet away from the NBN box and about the same way from the television.

Setting up the second device was super easy via the Eero app and then I spent Saturday night catching up That’s it, RiverdaleAND Lincoln Attorneyall without a single buffer.

It’s been about three weeks with MORE NBN and other than needing to add another mesh router, I, touch wood, haven’t had a single problem. The only thing I regret is making my Wi-Fi password so ridiculously long (and not trying the network when I had Vodafone NBN to give you an idea!).

How much does MORE NBN cost?

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MORE has six NBN plans, with the cheapest, NBN value (25 Mbps), costing $66 per month and the most expensive, Ultra-fast NBN (1000 Mbps), costing $144 per month. The plan I’m following, NNB fast (100Mbps), costs $99 per month.

If you’re a Commonwealth Bank customer, however, you get 30% off NBN plans for 12 months, and after a year, you’ll get 10% off every month.

You will need to add the I was 6+ to your plan, but that’s a one-time fee of $159.90 for one, $299.90 for two, or $429.90 for three.

For comparison, via the Eero store, the I was 6+ it’ll cost you $249.99 for one, $599.99 for a set of three. THE Eero Pro 6 it’s $349.99 for one, $899.99 for three.

Go here to check MORE NBN availability.