FTTN: What is it?

Fibre to the Node (FTTN) is one of the many different NBN technologies available that gets your house connected to the Internet. Unfortunately, it's also one of the least popular NBN connection types.

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Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
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nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$68.90
per month
$0 setup fees, $68.90 min. total cost
Price
$68.90 per month
$0 setup fees, $68.90 min. total cost
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $130
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$69
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$0 setup fees, $69 min. total cost
Price
$69 per month
$0 setup fees, $69 min. total cost
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $114.95
Unlimited Data
Data
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50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$79.99
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Price
$79.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Buddy Telco NBN Speedy
NBN
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Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
98Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
98Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$85
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$0 setup fees, $85 min. total cost
Price
$85 per month
$0 setup fees, $85 min. total cost
Optus Plus Everyday Fast nbn®
NBN
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Introductory offer: $89/mth for the first 6 months, normally $99/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply.
  • Month-to-month
  • Optus Ultra WiFi Modem Gen 2 included for $0 if you stay connected for 36 mths. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$89
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$0 setup fees, $395 min. total cost
Price
$89 per month
$0 setup fees, $395 min. total cost
Belong NBN Premium Broadband
NBN
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  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $132 T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$95
per month
$0 setup fees, $95 min. total cost
Price
$95 per month
$0 setup fees, $95 min. total cost
Swoop NBN Home Fast Plus Finder Exclusive
NBN
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  • BYO modem or purchase for $130
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$79
per month
$0 setup fees, $79 min. total cost
Price
$79 per month
$0 setup fees, $79 min. total cost
Southern Phone NBN Fast
NBN
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$65/mth for the first 12 months, then $89/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 3.2.25
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  • BYO modem or purchase for $156
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$65
per month
$0 setup fees, $65 min. total cost
Price
$65 per month
$0 setup fees, $65 min. total cost
iiNet NBN100 Liimitless
NBN
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Black Friday Deal: $79.99/mth for the first 6 months, then $89.99/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 10.12.24
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  • BYO modem or $0 modem if you stay connected for 24 months. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$79.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Price
$79.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Dodo NBN50
NBN
Month-to-month
$63.90/mth for the first 12 months, then $83.90/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 28.1.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $99.90. Option to pay in monthly instalments. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$63.90
per month
$0 setup fees, $63.90 min. total cost
Price
$63.90 per month
$0 setup fees, $63.90 min. total cost
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What is FTTN?

An FTTN or Fibre to the Node NBN connection involves a mix of fibre optic cables and the old copper network to deliver the internet to your residence.

FTTN connections are the most common in Australia, with just under 3 million residences using this technology type, or about 34% of NBN connections according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Wholesale Market Indicators report.

Although it has the biggest share of NBN connections, FTTN has been steadily dropping since May 2022, most likely as people take advantage of NBN fibre upgrades.

How does FTTN work?

A NBN FTTN connection involves fibre cables which run to a node located near a group of properties. Typically, this fibre node is in the form of a street cabinet.

From the node, it then connects with the existing copper network to reach your premises.

What FTTN speed can I get?

With an FTTN connection, since it relies on copper, there's a cap on how fast it can go because of the limitations of the infrastructure.

This translates to only getting speeds up to 100Mbps on an FTTN connection, or up to an NBN 100 plan.

Because it uses a shared node and the length of copper used will also have an effect on overall quality, NBN FTTN plans might not deliver the top speeds described by their respective speed tiers.

The ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia report states that FTTN connections achieve an average download speed during busy hours of 92.7% of the service's plan speed. This is during 7pm-11pm when internet traffic is likely to be heaviest.

Just remember that with NBN connections though, the speed you actually achieve depends on many factors, which include your hardware and the number of people simultaneously online.

How do you set up FTTN?

Setting up an FTTN connection is easy as there's not really anything that needs to be professionally installed. All you'll need is:

  • A compatible modem given by your provider - this should come with instructions on how to set it up. Depending on the provider, you may also be able to BYO modem.
  • A telephone socket - you'll need to connect your modem to the telephone socket and plug it into a power outlet. From there, you can plug in your devices via ethernet cable or connect via WiFi.

Unless you need a telephone wall socket installed within your premises, no additional equipment will be installed to set up a FTTN connection.

How does FTTN compare to other NBN connection types?

Fibre to the Node is considered the slowest and least reliable of NBN connections due to the amount of copper involved.

Here's a look at how FTTN stacks up against the other NBN connection types:

FTTN vs FTTP

A Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connection is where a fibre optic line extends directly from the fibre node to your premises. Since FTTP solely has fibre for its entire connection, without any copper wiring, it is widely acknowledged as the fastest and most dependable NBN option available.

As such, you can get higher speed plans on an FTTP connection like NBN 250 or NBN 1000, which you can't get with FTTN.

FTTN vs FTTC

FTTN and FTTC (Fibre to the Curb) share a similarity in utilising copper wire for the final segment of the NBN connection. However, the primary distinction lies in the extent of copper wire employed.

In the case of FTTC, the length of copper between the distribution point and the properties connecting via this method is typically less than 300m. On an FTTN connection, the node can be situated up to a kilometre away from the properties.

The transmission of signals through copper cables results in a loss of strength, and the longer the distance, the slower the connection becomes. Consequently, FTTC theoretically offers more reliable speeds compared to FTTN.

FTTN vs HFC

An HFC, or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial connection, leverages the existing pay TV or cable network to link your home to an NBN node. Unlike FTTN, which relies on less efficient copper wiring for the final connection, HFC takes advantage of coaxial cable, leading to generally better performance.

FTTN vs FTTB

FTTB (Fibre To The Building) connections involve running a fibre optic cable to a node in a building's communications room. From there, existing technology within the building is employed to connect each apartment to the NBN.

Because FTTB connections utilise less copper wiring, they are generally considered somewhat superior. This would especially be the case in newer buildings where ethernet cables are installed instead of older copper wiring.


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Mark Neilsen is a writer at Finder, specialising in streaming, broadband and mobile. He looks for deals on all those services and keeps you abreast of any changes to see what's worth it for you. He has over 20 years' experience in print and digital media and while at Finder, Mark’s expertise has been featured in Yahoo Finance, The New Daily, Ad News, Tech Guide and news.com.au. In his time at Finder he has done over 300 articles on streaming, mobile and broadband. In his time away from Finder he is trying to get through the watchlists of the 11 streaming services he is currently subscribed to. See full bio

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