Home Networks
A Beginners Guide
The NBN Just Got Faster — But Your Router Didn’t.
On September 15 2025, the NBN baseline speeds skyrocketed — 100 Mbps became 500 Mbps, 250 Mbps became 750 Mbps, and 500 Mbps jumped to 1000 Mbps.
But while the highway just got faster, the engine driving your connection — your router — is still stuck in the slow lane. A router isn’t just a plug-in box; it’s responsible for directing traffic, managing data, and protecting your home from online threats.
The right router can allow you to experience home networking the way it's meant to be, or the wrong router may mean you're wasting your money on unachievable plan. You may also be completely open to intrusion as most routers given to you by your service provider lack any form of security.
Home Networking in Layman's Terms:
The NBN: Australia's super-highway of internet goodness.
Data/Packets: Cars driving along that highway at different speeds.
ISP Speed/Plan: How fast those cars can travel up to (download vs upload).
Router: The traffic controller linking the super-highway to your home.
Home Internet Speed: How quickly traffic travels around your home.
Cybersecurity: The bouncers guarding against unwanted "guests".
The NBN is a super-highway with cars flying along at different speeds - these speeds are determined by what plan you have subscribed to, and the speed of the servers sending out the cars onto the super-highway. That highway links to your home via a router. The router then acts like a traffic controller, the quality of which will determine both the speed and accuracy of which those cars are directed to its appropriate place.
How those cars travel also determines speeds. For example, if you are hardwired to the network via Cat6A, you technically have the ability to go up to speed of 10Gbps (note: GIGABITS) over 100m. On the other hand, if you are connected via WiFi5, you might find your speed is maxed at about 450Mbps (note: MEGABITS) in a really, really good scenario even if your plan is 1000Mbps. So, a hardwired system can create a network up to twenty times faster than most Wi-Fi connections.
Now let’s talk about security. Imagine every device in your home is a room, each with its own locked door.
With a basic or unsecured router, you’ve already let the “bad traffic” inside — now it’s roaming your halls like termites looking for weak spots.
The solution is a router with at least IDS/IPS protection:
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IDS (Intrusion Detection System): the door host checking ID at the front of the club.
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IPS (Intrusion Prevention System): the bouncer standing behind the host, stopping anyone who doesn’t belong.
Together they clean up the internet traffic entering your home, drastically reducing your risk of hacking or intrusion. Advanced methods like honeypots, firewalls, and VLANs add even stronger layers of defence.
Not sure what’s right for your home or business?
Book a free on-site network assessment — we’ll help you choose the network design that fits your needs and your future
Top: Typical Home Network Topology
Below: A Home Enterprise setup
Is it your Internet Speed or just you Router?
A Beginners Guide
Introduction:
As a Brisbane router installer and network design business, we know that most people just accept the router their ISP sends them or go and buy fancy-looking routers off the shelf from their local electronics retailer. But have you checked what's under the hood? When it comes to your home network setup, is what you have really the right choice for your needs? From Wi-Fi optimisation to NBN upgrades, let's explore some of the features of a solid router and understand some of the more important terms...
Understanding the Basics:
NTD: The "Network Termination Point" is the box that physically connects the NBN to your building.
FTTN: "Fibre to the Node" means that optical fibre is run to a node in your suburb and then connects to your home via copper wire.
FTTC: "Fibre to the Curb" means optical fibre runs to the edge of your premises and then connects to your home via copper wire.
FTTP: "Fibre to the Premises" means you have optical fibre connected directly to your home - nice!
HFC: "Hybrid Fibre Coax" means that the network is a mix of fibre and coax. Bad weather often effects performance in these situations.
Router: The engine that manages the network around your home or small business.
Intranet: The physical network inside a premises.
Internet: The external, world-wide network.
Extranet: A private network designed by an organisation to provide third parties with controlled access. Common in WFH instances.
Wi-Fi 5, 6 & 7: Different generations of Wi-Fi that slowly improved in both performance and security feature (see picture on left)
Access Point: A Wi-Fi connection point
Throughput: How fast a device can process information and send it out. It's like a measure of efficiency for a manager.
Latency: the delay between an action (like clicking a link) and getting a response - measured in milliseconds (ms).
The key points for choosing which router is best for you are:
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Look for a router with IDS/IPS security (Intrusion Detection & Prevention) - This feature filters threats in real time — but if your router isn’t powerful enough, it can slow your internet down. A high-performance model (like the Dream Machine Pro) can maintain almost full speed while protecting your network.
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Processing Power matters: Even if you’re on a gigabit NBN plan, a weak router can bottleneck your speeds — meaning you’ll never see those “1000 Mbps” results you’re paying for.
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Is the Wi-Fi throughput enough for your needs? We recently installed a network for an e-sports team — and instead of our usual UniFi U6+ access points, we upgraded to the U7 Pro, which jumps from a theoretical 3 Gbps to 8.6 Gbps of aggregated throughput. (Yes, we still hard-wired their consoles using Cat6 data points — Wi-Fi can only take you so far).
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Cost: Look, I'd like to say "you get what you pay for" but it's not always true - at least when it comes to technology. You have to understand that what is available off the shelves is a small selection what is available from the professional installation industry. Remember, we are looking at 2 different avenues of supply: Off-the-shelf routers are built for mass retail — they look fancy, but they’re limited in power and flexibility; Professional-grade routers - which aren't usually sold in stores - are designed for performance and reliability, and installers like us have access to these models. The price might be similar, but the capability is often ten times greater.
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Will your network be handling general living stuff like mobile phones and solar, or will it be managing video surveillance, VLANS, Point-to-Points? These things will directly influence the right router to purchase. This is why we generally supply 3 levels of router: The Express 7 for minor home usage; the Dream Router 7 for solid home networking; the Dream Machine SE for handling heavy network loads.
Not sure what’s right for your home or business?
Book a free on-site network assessment — we’ll help you choose the router that fits your needs and your future
Above:The UniFi Dream Router 7 is one of the best home routers on the market.
Below: Evolution of WiFi
Why is my switchboard important?
The Heart of your Home
Introduction:
One of the mopst overlooked aspects of any home and business is the switchboard, the heart of the building. From incorrect switches to non-compliant builds, this guide will help you improve the health of the heart of your home...
Understanding the Basics:
Main Switch: The control for the main supply of power to the building
Circuit Breakers: Protects the circuit when an overload or short-circuit occurs.
Safety Switches: Protects you from electric shocks by switching off instantly when a fault occurs.
Surge Protection*: Helps to prevent electrical damage when a power surge occurs from storms or grid maintenance.
All electrical switchboards in Australia must adhere to strict safety regulations outlined in the AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules. These regulations ensure:
✅ Protection against overloading – Prevents overheating and potential fires.
✅ Mandatory safety switches (RCDs) – Reduces the risk of electric shocks.
✅ Proper earthing and grounding – Ensures electrical stability and safety.
✅ Compliance with energy efficiency standards – Helps lower electricity bills and environmental impact.
If your property has an outdated switchboard panel, upgrading to a modern electric switchboard for home is not just recommended—it’s essential for safety.
*Surge Protection is important for security equipment, as is an Energex Padlock: Surge protection comes in different sizes (Fine, Medium & Coarse) and will help protect your NVR hard drive from being cooked in the event of as power surge; an Energex Padlock prevents would-be intruders from switching off your power and security system.
HaloPoint is partnered with licensed electricians who can inspect your switchboard.
Above: An older switchboard that hasn't been kept up to standard.
Below: The same switchboard rebuilt to modern standards.
Multiple Solutions
We have built everything from home office, high-end gaming networks, driveway intercoms, linked shed and stables to home... the possibilities are almost endless with what can be done using our Ubiquiti system designs.
Network Support
Once built into the premises, you can add us as administrators to help provide you with technical support should an issue occur. It can also allow us to easily see why a CCTV system may drop out - because more often than not it is your ISP going down which show up in the UniFi app!
Expert Installation
Our certified specialists bring deep technical expertise to every installation. With advanced certifications and years of industry experience, we ensure your system is perfectly configured for optimal protection.
Reliability
Ubiquiti is known for its excellence in reliability, ease-of-use, and its ability to scale stress-free from homes to full enterpise networks. Sleek, smart and well-built.
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