NBN Outages and what to do

No Wi-Fi? Don't tear your hair out just yet!  The internet abyss might not be your fault.  Our guide cracks the code on NBN outages, helping you navigate technical woes and get you back online in a flash.  Is it a mass meltdown or a modem mishap?  Read on to troubleshoot your NBN outage and get ready to say sayonara to buffering nightmares.

What happens if my NBN goes out but I need to use the internet/phone?

With everything connected to NBN, landline phone services rely on the internet to stay connected.
Pre NBN, phones used the copper wire connections to the exchange and audio was transmitted in analogue over the wire. Phone services did not rely on the internet. Today, phone calls use VOIP (Voice over IP) to capture the audio and transmit packets of data over the internet digitally. This means if your internet is down, you can’t make a phone call on a landline if you are using NBN and VOIP.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) generally provide a backup service to the NBN via the mobile phone network. Your modem/router which connects to the NBN has an internal SIM card which connects to the 4G or 5G mobile network in case the cabled NBN connection is not available for whatever reason. The modem will detect an NBN outage and automatically switch over so that you will still have internet and phone services. Once the NBN service is restored, the modem will switch back to normal operation.

• nbn™ website: https://www.nbnco.com.au/support/network-status
  

DownDetector: https://downdetector.com.au/ (This website tracks outages reported by users, so it might also include individual internet service provider issues)