How to check for NBN outages in Australia

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Having easy access to home internet is essential, whether it’s for work, study or just our day-to-day lives. That’s why it can be especially frustrating if your home internet goes down, when you have no idea what the problem is or how long you’ll be without internet.

If you find your home internet has dropped out, there could be an NBN outage affecting your service. In this guide we’ll take a look at NBN outages, how to check for outages, how long do NBN outages last and and other troubleshooting tips to help you get back online.

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The following table shows a selection of sponsored unlimited data Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50), and Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.

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Unlimited Data/month

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View all nbn plans listed on Canstar Blue

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Unlimited Home Standard (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 (excluding discounts), 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 Home Fast (NBN 100) Plans

The table below shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

My internet is down — is it an NBN outage?

Your home internet can drop out for any number of reasons. Just because you don’t have internet access, doesn’t mean you’re dealing with an NBN outage.

One of the first things to check is if other devices connected to your home’s WiFi are also not connecting to the internet. If you’ve established that it’s an issue with your home internet and not a specific device, there are a couple other things you can check to find out what’s going on.

The next step is to check your modem/router to see if there’s a fault with your hardware, whether the modem’s lights are flashing as normal, or if someone’s accidently knocked it out of its connection to the wall. If there are no issues with your modem, you’ll want to check if this is a wider problem.

How do I check for NBN outages?

Your first move is determining if the NBN outage is happening to you solely, or if it’s a widespread issue affecting other customers. In order to check if other people in your area or if those with the same provider are also experiencing issues, you can generally check this via an internet outage website. Of course, you’ll most likely need to use mobile data on your phone or with a hotspot to check these websites.

However, the easiest and quickest way to check if you’re dealing with an NBN outage is to visit your provider’s website to see if there are any planned or unplanned outages that could be impacting your connection. Likewise, the NBN Co website has an address checker that will list if there are NBN outages affecting your service or any planned outages coming up. If you’re unable to use mobile data or another internet connection to check these websites, you might need to call your provider to check the status of your internet connection.

Typically, all you’ll have to do is check your area or type your address into a search box. Some internet providers such as Aussie Broadband and Telstra also offer diagnostics apps for when you want to test your internet connection. Make sure you check out if your provider offers one of these apps, because these can alert you to potential downages, as well as allowing you to communicate directly with technical support, check the current status of your connection, or just get general help with your technology.

Is the NBN down?

NBN Co operates the NBN, while Retail Service Providers (RSPs, or NBN providers) are responsible for their own networks, which then operate on the NBN network. As such, NBN Co is responsible for the larger NBN network and not for smaller outages NBN providers might be going through. If you suspect that the NBN is down, NBN Co also has an NBN outages website, but it’s only responsible for larger outages, and not for ones specific to certain RSPs.

If you are experiencing issues with your home internet and it doesn’t seem to be a known NBN outage, you’ll need to get in touch with your NBN provider for next steps.

What causes NBN outages?

Typically an NBN outage in your area can be caused by faults in network devices, such as the local node or the wiring to your home. Alternatively, power failures can also cause network outages and internet server faults on the end of the ISP. Another cause could be technology introduced on your end, such as a modem with a fault, a faulty NBN connection box, or a cable that doesn’t work – these issues are easier to identify and resolve.

If the issue is a power outage, power returning should bring the network back. The most you can do in this case is wait it out. Not having any power means that you won’t be able to use some types of NBN, such as HFC NBN, unless your NBN type uses a battery backup, like some Fibre to the Premises connections.

What if there’s network damage in my area?

Faults in the local node or the wiring to your home can be fixed by an NBN technician, which can be arranged by contacting your NBN provider. Your provider will organise to send a technician out as soon as possible, who should be able to repair the technology on-site.

How long do NBN outages last?

Whether you’re dealing with NBN outages in Sydney, NBN outages in Melbourne or anywhere else in the country, it’s a pain to be without internet access, no matter how long the NBN outage lasts.

However, it’s impossible to put a time on how long NBN outages last because no two outages will be the same. Whether it’s planned maintenance or a fault at your home, the length of time that the outage lasts, especially if there are repairs to be done, will vary between homes — it could last for under an hour, or more than 24 hours.

How do I restart my modem-router?

Before speaking to your NBN provider about an outage, check that your modem has the right lights on, and if it doesn’t, you might need to work through reactivating your internet connection with your provider on the phone. You should also try restarting your modem or router. You can easily restart your modem or router if it’s experiencing connection issues.

1. Investigate if any lights are off or are flashing.

If some of the lights are turned off, are flashing or are different colours to what they usually should be, the problem could lie elsewhere.

2. If the lights aren’t working normally, feel around the back for the power button.

If there’s no button on the back, try pulling the power cable out directly without damaging the unit.

3. Leave the unit off for about a minute or two.

This will allow it to rest a little while the modem or router gets back to basics.

4. Turn the unit back on, and let it start up.

Allow about five to 10 minutes for the unit to get back to normal.

5. If there’s no change in your internet experience, contact your ISP, or check online for an NBN outage. 

This is one of the few things you can do on your end to resolve your NBN outage. If this doesn’t work, it’s likely that you’re experiencing an outage that you can’t control and will need your NBN provider’s help. Your NBN could likely be down for the moment.

If you’d like to get in touch with your provider, we’ve included the tech support phone numbers of the most popular providers below.

• Telstra: 13 22 00
• Optus: 133 937
• Vodafone: 1300 650 410
• iiNet: 13 22 58
• TPG: 1300 997 271
• Belong: 1300 235 664
• Aussie Broadband: 1300 880 905
• Tangerine: 1800 211 112
• Flip: 1300 354 788
• Exetel: 13 39 38
• Kogan Internet: 1300 010 400
• Dodo: 13 36 36
• Superloop: 1800 578 737

Should I get a new NBN plan?

If you’re unhappy with your current NBN provider — especially if you’re frequently experiencing service outages — you might want to switch to a different NBN provider. The below tables show a range of plans from different providers, but you can use our free NBN plan comparison tool to compare a wider range of plans and providers.

What are some NBN alternatives?

If you’re unhappy with your NBN experience and swapping plans or providers hasn’t done the trick, you can move to an NBN alternative, or pick up a modem with 4G backup capability.

Consider getting a modem with a 4G backup

Plenty of NBN providers offer modems with 4G backups on the Telstra, Optus or Vodafone 4G networks, which are typically reserved for mobile use. You can only access these networks with compatible technology and depending on your provider, your 4G service may be slower than your NBN connection.

However, if your NBN connection goes down, the 4G internet service will activate, which you can use to stay connected to the internet during downtime. Keep in mind that 4G backup modems generally cost more than their counterparts without backup settings.

Consider NBN alternatives

The NBN isn’t for everyone and there are plenty of NBN alternatives out there if you’re unhappy with the dropouts. Home wireless broadband is a good alternative for home internet, especially if you have access to 5G home internet using a 5G network, while mobile broadband serves as a good backup or portable option. Other options like Starlink and private networks are also worth thinking about as alternatives, depending on your location, availability, budget and usage needs.