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Modems that are incompatible with the nbn® FTTN and FTTB networks

Some commonly used modems don’t fully support nbn’s requirements and may cause problems with your network connection. Here’s what you need to know.

The Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Building (FTTB) networks use VDSL2 technology. While many modems include this technology, a number of them don’t fully meet nbn network requirements.

This means that while some modems can initially connect to the network, there may be features missing that are necessary for your internet connection to remain stable.

If your modem does not support all the requirements, your connection may be affected in the following ways:

  • Your connection may not run at its full speed or may drop out
  • nbn may block your modem from connecting to the network if it’s interfering with other users’ services
  • nbn may not accept fault reports for your service until the modem is changed and compatible.

How to be sure your modem will work with the nbn network

Your phone or internet provider can advise if your existing modem is causing any issues with your service.

Frequently Asked Questions

nbn’s Network Interface Specification – UNI-DSL sets out all the requirements for VDSL2 modems to be fully compatible with our FTTN/FTTB networks.

Some of the key features that will influence whether nbn can provide support for your service are:

  • VDSL2 - VDSL2 is the technology utilised to deliver FTTN and FTTB services. (Older ADSL and ISDN modems are not compatible with the FTTN network)
  • Vectoring - Vectoring is a capability which optimises the performance of all the FTTN or FTTB services in an area by preventing electrical signals from neighbouring services from interfering with each other.
  • Seamless Rate Adaption (SRA) - SRA is a feature which fine tunes the performance of FTTN and FTTB services throughout the day to avoid dropouts and optimise service speed in response to gradual changes in copper network conditions.
  • Save Our Showtime (SOS) - SOS is a feature which rapidly responds to spontaneous changes in copper network conditions which would typically result in a dropout.
  • Robust Overhead Channel (ROC) - ROC is a complementary feature to SOS which enables nbn to maintain connectivity with your modem in the event of spontaneous changes in copper network conditions.

For the full list of VDSL2 modem requirements, please refer to the nbn Network Interface Specification – UNI-DSL.

You may need to upgrade the firmware (software that runs in your modem) to the latest version. Check with your modem manufacturer for the correct procedure prior to doing this.

However, even if you upgrade to the latest firmware, your modem may still not be compatible with the requirements of the nbn Network Interface Specification – UNI-DSL.

If this is the case, or if a firmware upgrade is not available, you will need to purchase a new modem that is compliant with all the requirements of the nbn Network Interface Specification – UNI-DSL.

As nbn progressively optimises the performance of the FTTN/FTTB networks, the handling of non-compliant devices may change over time.

This means that if your modem does not support all the requirements of the nbn Network Interface Specification – UNI-DSL, your connection may be affected in the following ways:

  • Your connection may not run at its full speed or may drop out
  • nbn may block your modem from connecting if it is interfering with other users’ services
  • nbn may not accept fault reports for your service until the modem is changed.

FTTC Network Connection Devices (NCD) cannot be used on the FTTN and FTTB networks

The FTTC NCD is not fully compatible with the FTTN and FTTB networks. If it used, your connection may be affected in the following ways:

  • Your connection may not run at its full speed or may drop out
  • nbn may block your modem from connecting if it is interfering with other users’ services
  • nbn may not accept fault reports for your service until the modem is changed.