NBN rollout, router/modem upgrade question

[TS102]

Hi,

I'm sure someone will have asked a similar question to this, so happy to be directed to any links already in this forum, but here goes...  I'm about to be upgraded to the trusty NBN 🙂 so to the best of my knowledge my Nighthawk X4S (D7800) will become redundant.

I'll be using the provided Telstra modem initially (sigh) but I know this won't suffice as my current modem/router requires an extender to reach the rear of my property. My challenges are a 500m2 block, federation house, with double brick walls, plus my telephone port is in the front of the house, which means the wifi isn't strong enough to reach the granny flat at the back of the property. Currently our wifi connections jump between a 2.4 and 5Ghz connection depending on where we are in the house (frustating) causing lag and in the end it is more effective to use our hotspots.

Usage wise, it's for home usage, with teens, multiple people streaming similtaneously, 4K TVs and gaming consoles, not to mention mobile devices. I've been looking at the Orbi system or the Nighthawk Mesh system. I was thinking about where we have static devices (eg: TV & Gaming Console) having the ability to have these wired to the network - but will be guided by the community.

I'm after advice/recommendations on products that will reach my whole property and meet our needs, so appreciate thoughts from others.

Thanks

Tracey

[CrimpOn]

"NBN" means Australia? (thanks to Google).

Anything that an Orbi can connect to, a Nighthawk can as well.  So, "redundant" seems a bit ominous.

I hope people provide useful comparisons between the Nighthawk mesh and Orbi mesh systems.  I have only Orbi.

[TS102]

Yes, Australia. Sorry didn't even think of that. Yes, National Broadband Network (NBN) which is for me 'Fibre to the Curb' and not to the house. From my reading online, this is going to bring our national internet speeds up the the superfast speed the USA had back in the 1990s. I guess that comes to big country, low population 🙂

The old nighthawk is only ADSL2 compatible, apparently, but not sure if anything new is backwards compatible. 

But you are happy with the Orbi @CrimpOn ? 

Cheers

[CrimpOn]

I am really happy with my Orbi, and put a set in my son's house. By the way, the D7800 Product Sheet says it has a gigabit WAN port and is compatible with almost every service. Don't give up on it yet.

[michaelkenward]

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@TS102 wrote:

Hi,

I'm sure someone will have asked a similar question to this, so happy to be directed to any links already in this forum, but here goes...  I'm about to be upgraded to the trusty NBN 🙂 so to the best of my knowledge my Nighthawk X4S (D7800) will become redundant.

---

This is a long and complicated saga that comes up every week or so.

There is a KnowledgeBase piece that actually adds more confusion than it should.

What is an NBN network and is my NETGEAR DSL modem router compatible? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

You will see that it lists just about every then current Netgear router and modem/router as being "compatible" with NBN. This is true, but there is compatible and then there is compatible.

I'm with @CrimpOn. Even your D7800 is compatible, but probably not as a modem/router. Fortunately, unlike cable modem/routers, most, if not all, DSL modem/routers have a router only option. You just bypass the DSL socket and plug into the Internet socket. It may be the red port on the back of your D7800. Some devices also require a setting in the graphical user interface (GUI).

If your D7800 meets your needs now, just use that after the modem. Or start with the D7800 and then investigate other options later, when you have a better idea of how things are working out.

If you visit the support pages:

Support | NETGEAR

you can feed in the model number and find all the documentation for your hardware.

Check the section Set Up the Modem Router for Cable or Fiber Service.