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.

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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. 

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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:

 

• IDS (Intrusion Detection System): the door host checking ID at the front of the club.

• 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.

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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