iTnews

NBN Co wants to fix your home wi-fi

By Ry Crozier on Oct 9, 2019 7:06AM
NBN Co wants to fix your home wi-fi

Using a "tool, firmware agent, or feature" added to your wi-fi gateway.

NBN Co is hoping to add a “tool, firmware agent, or feature” to wi-fi gateways in selected people’s homes to collect telemetry that can help it troubleshoot the in-home portion of internet connections.

The trial is set to last between two and three months, according to an NBN Co spokesperson, and could involve upwards of 5000 users.

It is being officially called the ‘Managed Wi-Fi trial’, suggesting that it could ultimately be packaged up as a service and used more broadly throughout the NBN footprint.

“The purpose of this test is to gather insights from customers and end users in relation to the end user wi-fi environment and RSP [retail service provider wi-fi solution to better identify, diagnose and remediate wi-fi related issues in the premises,” NBN Co said in test documents. [pdf]

“RSP wi-fi solution means the tool, firmware agent, or feature deployed or to be deployed on end user premises equipment (CPE) wi-fi gateways which is designed to improve identification, diagnosis and remediation of CPE and wi-fi related issues in the premises for the purposes of this test.”

RSPs that participate in the trial will need to nominate one gateway device model that they - or the maker - can push firmware updates to during the test period.

They can use an existing “tool, firmware agent or feature” that they have already developed, or one created specifically for the NBN trial.

The trial comes just months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) commissioned its own tests of modems and wi-fi gateways used by fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and fibre-to-the-basement (FTTB) customers.

The ACMA found "a very wide variation in wi-fi performance capabilities offered across [a] range of [43] devices” and said “this is likely to lead to some degree of consumer frustration” among NBN users.

It also found that “a large number of devices have 2.4 GHz wi-fi that is incapable of supporting the higher data rates currently offered by FTTN/B NBN services. 

“In fact, some of the devices tested were barely capable of supporting the lower data rates offered by certain FTTN/B NBN services,” the ACMA said.

The ACMA noted that better wi-fi performance in the home was likely to lead to better perception of NBN services.

That’s something NBN Co has suspected for at least the past two years; the company has made no secret that it believes in-home wiring is part of the reason that some customers don’t see sufficient NBN speeds.

Extending that thinking to wireless networking in the home is a logical extension in that regard.

“NBN Co has been very clear about our plans to improve customer experience by listening to what customers want and need, and by working in collaboration with our retail partners, the industry, regulators and the government to deliver on those promises,” an NBN Co spokesperson told iTnews.

“We’ve got a number of initiatives in train, including this trial to work with our retail partners to investigate the feasibility of a wi-fi software tool would help the identification, diagnosis and remediation of wi-fi related issues.

“This two-to-three month trial is intended to test the capabilities and feasibility of the wi-fi software tool in improving connection reliability and ultimately customer experience.”

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
broadband home nbn nbn co performance telco telco/isp wifi

Partner Content

What is zero trust cybersecurity?
Partner Content What is zero trust cybersecurity?
Four data superpowers to harness before 2022
Promoted Content Four data superpowers to harness before 2022
What conversations should executives be having about cyber security?
Partner Content What conversations should executives be having about cyber security?
Shut the door on ransomware
Promoted Content Shut the door on ransomware

Sponsored Whitepapers

Customer Identity and Access Management for Dummies
Customer Identity and Access Management for Dummies
Empowering workforces in the new environment
Empowering workforces in the new environment
Is the technology refresh dead?
Is the technology refresh dead?
DevSecOps: A framework for digital innovation
DevSecOps: A framework for digital innovation
Encryption: Protect your most critical data
Encryption: Protect your most critical data

Events

  • On-Demand Webinar: How Poly and Microsoft are Embracing Future Work Environments
  • [Webinar] - Transformation versus compliance – a guide for CXOs
  • "How Digital Transformation can solve the cyber challenge"
  • Masters of Microsoft Licensing
  • Is your DevSecOps stuck in first gear?
By Ry Crozier
Oct 9 2019
7:06AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • RSPs fork out to keep high-speed NBN customers on the books
  • Aussie Broadband says some customers are switching providers to get high-speed NBN discounts
  • How NBN Co pieced its service assurance function back together
  • NBN Co says network 'stress test' during Covid grounds for $78m in bonuses
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Kmart Australia and NZ will put a robot called TORY into every store

Kmart Australia and NZ will put a robot called TORY into every store

Aussie Broadband says some customers are switching providers to get high-speed NBN discounts

Aussie Broadband says some customers are switching providers to get high-speed NBN discounts

Swinburne University data breach exposes details of 5000 staff, students

Swinburne University data breach exposes details of 5000 staff, students

NAB sacked tech worker behind 2019 data breach

NAB sacked tech worker behind 2019 data breach

You must be a registered member of iTnews to post a comment.
Log In | Register
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.