Westnet Broadband Plans Review
Back in 1994, a telecommunications company was founded in Western Australia to offer local residents a reliable internet connection which had largely passed them by. It was called Westnet, and it continues to provide home and mobile broadband services to all Australians – its products backed by a reputation for top-notch customer service.
Westnet’s acquisition by iiNet in 2008 saw the merger of two seemingly like-minded service providers, with a similar focus on customer support and consumer advocacy. Following iiNet’s takeover by TPG, Westnet remains an independent brand, offering either ADSL2+ or Naked DSL connections, as well as plans on the National Broadband Network (NBN). Canstar Blue has reviewed Westnet’s broadband plans across all connection types to see where you could find the best deal.
How does Westnet compare to other providers?
Unlimited NBN 100 Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Unlimited NBN 50 Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Unlimited NBN 25 Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 25 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Unlimited NBN 12 Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 12 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Westnet Internet Plans
Westnet’s broadband offerings are similar to those of iiNet, so no matter which company you go with, you’re likely to get good value. There are quite a few broadband plans on offer, spread across ADSL, Naked DSL and NBN connection types. And you don’t necessarily need to be from Perth to benefit!
- ADSL and Naked DSL plans from $59.99 a month
- NBN plans from $59.99, dependent on speed tier
Westnet NBN Plans
Westnet offers seven NBN plans, from $59.99 at the most basic, to $99.99 a month for top tier speeds and data.
Choosing what NBN speed Tier to go with is an important decision as it affects your broadband speed! So, while you might be attracted by the low price of Basic plans, you’ll have to ask yourself if a 12Mbps download speed is worth it (as well as settling for 500GB of monthly data).
For only a little extra per month, you can jump into a Standard Plus plan that offers 50Mbps max download speeds. If you’re willing to splash out more, Premium speeds will afford you a massive 100Mbps max download speed instead. So for heavy broadband users requiring the best performance, you may find it worth your money to go for a Premium plan from Westnet.
As usual, Westnet also offers a $10 international calling pack. The NBN contracts are also much the same as the ADSL 2+plans above.
- You’ll pay no activation fee for no lock-in contract, but you’ll have to front for a $59.95 modem or BYO
Below is how the plans look on a variety of speed tiers, keeping in mind that iiNet’s plans may differ slightly, especially as activation and modem costs rise and fall.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
NBN12 – no contract
min. cost $59.99 over one month |
500GB | $59.99 | |
|
NBN12 – six month contract
min. cost $359.94 over six month plan period |
500GB | $59.99 | |
|
NBN25 – no contract
min. cost $69.99 over one month |
Unlimited | $69.99 | |
|
NBN25 – six month contract
min. cost $419.94 over six month plan period |
Unlimited | $69.99 | |
|
NBN50 – no contract
min. cost $74.99 over one month |
Unlimited | $74.99 | |
|
NBN50 – six month contract
min. cost $449.94 over six month plan period |
Unlimited | $74.99 | |
|
NBN100 – no contract
min. cost $99.99 over one month |
Unlimited | $99.99 | |
|
NBN100 – six contract
min. cost $599.94 over six month plan period |
Unlimited | $99.99 | |
 View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Westnet ADSL Plans
Westnet’s most popular plans are its ADSL2+ broadband plans, taken up by over 800,000 subscribers nationally. ADSL speeds offer fast broadband at reasonable prices, with all plans including line rental built into the price.
- 500GB costs $59.99 a month
- Unlimited data starts at $79.99 a month with landline calls locally, nationally and to mobiles $10 per month extra
The ADSL2+ plans also come with a couple of extras if you so wish. You can add on an international call pack for $10 per month. This covers 20 different countries, including all the favourites like the US, New Zealand, the UK and many European and Asian countries. Westnet also has two ways to ‘buy-in’ to the broadband plan:
- No lock-in contract: Commands a $79.95 activation fee and you are to either buy a modem from iiNet/Westnet, or supply your own
- 24 month contract: No activation fee and included Wi-Fi modem
It’s evident that Westnet is trying to get you to commit, and if you are willing to, you’ll save a few bucks. Below is a representation of how Westnet’s plans look using iiNet’s plans – keep in mind some variations may exist, such as different set-up fees, activation costs or upfront modem prices.
Westnet Naked DSL Plans
Westnet’s naked DSL plans couldn’t be simpler – a big compliment for a plan range which is now just a plain old internet connection. Westnet offers three plans, with the cheapest coming in at $59.95 a month for 500GB data. The two unlimited plans come in at $69.99 and $79.99. The only difference between these two is that with the dearer plan you’ll get included local and national calls to landlines and mobiles. You can again add an international call pack on for $10 extra a month.
Like the ADSL2+ bundles, Westnet offers better value if you’re willing to commit to a 24 month contract:
- No lock-in contract: $99.95 activation fee, $89 iiNet modem, or BYO modem
- 24-month contract $79.95 activation fee, included modem or BYO
Westnet Fetch Packages
Westnet – like many providers in the iiNet family – has partnered with Fetch, a pay TV streaming service and set top box provider all in one. With Fetch you can record shows, choose from a library of free movies, purchase movies and TV shows on demand, stream Netflix and add entertainment channel packs.
- With selected broadband plans, Westnet offers Fetch from $10 extra per month.
- This price comprises of the ‘Premium TV Bundle’ on no lock-in contract, and this includes a Fetch TV ‘Mini’ box plus one channel pack of your choice (ordinarily worth $6 a month).
- This accrues an upfront set-up fee of around $60.
Fetch is the latest streaming service and entertainment provider to directly compete alongside the likes of Foxtel.
How does Westnet compare to other internet providers?
Westnet compares pretty well across the board, including with its parent companies iiNet and TPG. As mentioned earlier, Westnet is owned by iiNet (iiNet is then owned by TPG) and you’ll find their plans to be exactly the same. However, they may differ in availability to your home, so it pays to check. Either way, you are not losing out by going with one or the other.
Westnet ADSL2+ Plans Compared
iiNet, Westnet and Internode are all pretty much one and the same here, with similar prices for similar data inclusions. The cheapest price is $59.95 for 500GB. However, this falls behind the likes of Dodo and Spintel. TPG even offers up unlimited data for less than $60. One important thing to note, however, is that the TPG/iiNet group is one of the best ISPs for streaming services, consistently ranking highly for the best Netflix speeds. In this instance it may be well worth spending a little extra to ensure better streaming/Netflix performance.
Westnet Naked DSL Plans Compared
If you want to go naked, then Westnet compares pretty well against the competition, especially for its unlimited plans. This is a segment of the market dominated by the iiNet and TPG family with plans priced the same. However, different carriers attract different set-up fees and some include VoIP calls. MyRepublic also offer competitive plans, with unlimited data for under $70.
Westnet NBN Plans Compared
NBN plans are a little trickier to compare as there are things like speed Tiers and data to consider as well as all-out price. For Tier 1 plans, Westnet starts at $59.99 a month for 500GB. For the price, there are a lot of other providers out there offering unlimited data. Keep an eye out for the likes of SpinTel and Amaysim, as well as relative unknown Flip TV.
Westnet’s Tier 3 plans are all unlimited and they start from $79.99 per month. Once again, however, Westnet is beaten out by some other small providers, as well as some bigger ones. Hello Broadband and Mate Communicate offer up cheap NBN plans, while TPG is tough to beat among the big guys with Tier 3 unlimited data costing less than $70 a month.
Westnet’s cheapest Tier 4 NBN plan comes in at $99.99 per month. If you’re after unadulterated speeds and data with no confusing home phone bundles, it seems like an attractive offer. However, once again, Westnet is trumped by smaller companies offering cheaper prices. Here, upstart MyRepublic trounces them all by offering unlimited data with top speeds for less than $70 a month. In the running here are AusBBS and Dodo as well, which both offer top speeds for around the $85-$90 range.
Is Westnet broadband good value?
Westnet is a pretty attractive provider with the backing afforded by iiNet and TPG. These providers consistently rate as some of the best for Netflix and streaming speed. However, away from that and comparing Westnet to other providers reveals that there are cheaper deals to be found on a monthly basis that offer the same or more data. Although there is more to it than that, you’ll have to determine things like:
- Installation costs
- Activation fees
- After sales service
Unfortunately, for the most part you won’t come to realise how a broadband provider is right for you until you’ve already committed to a few months. This is why opting for a no-contract option might be better for those unsure – you’ll likely incur higher activation fees, but you’ll get the flexibility to move around. This is the case with Westnet and its no-contract options. All in all, with Westnet drawing much of its current customer service and plan structure from the award-winning setup of iiNet, you can’t really go wrong. It doesn’t hurt to have a look at other providers though.
What do customers think about Westnet NBN plans?
In 2020, Australians gave Westnet 4 out of 5 stars for Overall Customer Satisfaction in NBN plans.