Guides · All topics
Telco Help guides, sorted by topic
These plain-English guides cover Australian phone, internet, mobile and streaming problems, grouped by what has gone wrong. Pick the section for your problem, then the guide that matches your symptom.
Bills, disputes and complaints
Start here if the bill is wrong or the telco will not fix it.
- How To Cut Your Telco Bill: a Complete Guide
A plain guide to cutting your business telco bill: what a bill audit finds, the overcharges to look for, and how disputes and refunds work. - Telco Overcharge? How to Dispute a Phone Bill in Australia
Overcharged by Telstra or Optus? You don't have to pay a wrong bill. Read the charge, gather evidence, and escalate to the provider then the TIO. - Escalate a Telco Complaint to the Ombudsman (TIO)
Your telco won't fix it? How to escalate an unresolved telco complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), and what to do first. - Why Is My Phone Bill So High? Excess Data Explained
Opened a phone bill bigger than usual? The real reasons bills spike, why 'unlimited' plans still charge extra, and how to stop a surprise bill happening. - Seven Things Your Telco Quietly Hopes You Never Work Out
The loyalty tax, the paid-off phone you keep paying for, the discount that expired in silence. Seven things your telco hopes you never notice. - How to Merge Multiple Telstra Accounts (or Untangle Them)
Stuck with several Telstra or telco accounts and separate bills? How account merging works, what can and cannot be combined, and how to untangle it.
nbn connections, faults and box lights
Read your connection type and the lights on the box, then find out who to call when the service is down.
- HFC vs FTTP vs FTTN: Find Your NBN Connection Type
HFC vs FTTP vs FTTN compared: find out which NBN connection type you have, why it caps your speed, and whether you can upgrade to full fibre. - Which NBN Speed Do You Actually Need?
Paying for NBN 100 but only need 50? How NBN speed tiers work, what each handles, why your WiFi is often the real bottleneck, and how to stop overpaying. - Internet Down? Check for an NBN Outage and Get It Fixed
Total internet outage, not just slow? How to check for a known outage, report a fault to your provider, and escalate to the TIO if it drags on. Plain steps. - Australian Telco Outage Register: Every Carrier, One Table
Major and significant telco outages in Australia, joined from carriers' official outage registers. Search by suburb or postcode. Free CSV/JSON download. - How the Australian Telco Outage Index Is Built
The sources, matching rules and limits behind Telco Help's cross-carrier outage index, including why one outage can appear in several carriers' registers. - nbn Box Lights: What Every Light Means, By Connection Type
What the lights on your nbn connection box mean, from nbn's own tables. FTTP, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, plus why FTTN has no nbn box at all. - FTTP nbn Box Lights Explained
What every light on your FTTP nbn connection box means, from nbn's own published tables, plus what to do about each one. - FTTN nbn Box Lights Explained
FTTN connections have no nbn connection box. What you actually have instead, and what its lights mean. - FTTC nbn Box Lights Explained
What every light on your FTTC nbn connection device means, from nbn's own published tables, plus what to do about each one. - HFC nbn Box Lights Explained
What every light on your HFC nbn connection box means, from nbn's own published tables, plus what to do about each one. - Fixed Wireless nbn Box Lights Explained
What every light on your Fixed Wireless nbn connection box means, from nbn's own published tables, plus what to do about each one. - Red Light on Your nbn Box or Modem: What It Means
A red light means something different on each nbn technology. What red means on FTTP, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, and what to do about each. - nbn Box With No Lights: What To Check
No lights on your nbn connection box usually means power, not network. What to check, in order, and when it is the box itself. - Flashing Lights on an nbn Box: Normal or Fault?
Flashing is often normal on an nbn box, and sometimes it means a firmware update you must not interrupt. Which is which, by connection type. - Your NBN Landline Now Runs Over the Internet (VoIP)
On the NBN your landline now runs over the internet as VoIP. How the handset connects, keeping your number, and why the phone goes dead in a blackout. - Alarm Stopped Working After NBN? The 4G Fix
Your alarm went quiet when the NBN took the copper phone line. How to test a back to base or monitored alarm today, and the cheap 4G dialler that fixes it. - Replace Your ISP Modem With Your Own Router (VDSL)
Run your own router on a VDSL/PPPoE line, even when the ISP says not supported. You need the PPPoE login, the VLAN ID if used, and the MTU set to 1492.
Internet dropping out or slow
Start with the dropout diagnoser if you are not sure which symptom fits.
- Why Does My Internet Keep Dropping Out? Australian Diagnoser
Work out why your internet drops out, by symptom or by your nbn box lights. All five nbn technologies, and what to tell your provider. - Internet Dropping Out? WiFi or ISP, How To Tell
Internet keeps dropping out or NBN running slow? One cable test proves whether it's your WiFi or your provider, then escalate properly, up to the TIO. - The internet drops out at the same time every day
Drops at the same time daily. Why it happens on FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, what to try, and what to tell your provider. - The internet drops out when it rains
Drops out in wet weather. Why it happens on FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, what to try, and what to tell your provider. - Wi-Fi keeps dropping out but a cabled device is fine
Wi-Fi only, cable is fine. What causes it, what to try yourself, and what to tell your provider. - The internet drops out then comes back on its own
Drops, then returns by itself. Why it happens on FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, what to try, and what to tell your provider. - The internet drops out every few minutes
Drops every few minutes. Why it happens on FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, what to try, and what to tell your provider. - The internet has been dead since a particular day
Dead since a specific date. Why it happens on FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, what to try, and what to tell your provider. - The internet is slow but never actually drops out
Slow, but the connection holds. Why it happens on FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC and fixed wireless, what to try, and what to tell your provider. - Why Is Your Internet Slow at Night? Peak-Hour Congestion
Fast all day, then a crawl at dinner time. That is classic peak-hour congestion. Learn the three causes, how to tell them apart, and what fixes each one. - Never Lose the Internet: How Failover Actually Works
Never lose the internet again: how failover works. A dual-WAN router with a mobile SIM backup that takes over automatically the moment your main line drops.
Streaming and TV
Pick your streaming services and cut what they cost.
- Which Streaming Service Should I Get? A 2026 Comparison
Pick a streaming service by what you watch, not by what's advertised loudest. Ad tiers, rotating one at a time, and where free-to-air and sport fit in. - Cut Your Streaming Bills Without Missing What You Watch
Paying for Netflix, Binge, Kayo, Stan and Disney at once? How to cut streaming costs, the rotate-don't-stack trick, and what password-sharing rules mean. - Streaming Cost Calculator: Your Real Yearly Cost
Add up what your streaming services really cost a year, and see what rotating one at a time instead of stacking would save. A free interactive calculator. - Password Sharing Crackdown: What It Means for Your Bill
Netflix, Disney+ and the password-sharing crackdown, explained for Australians: who counts as your household, and how to keep sharing legitimately. - Free TV Apps Australia: Every Free-to-Air Catch-Up Service
Every free-to-air catch-up app in Australia in one place, plus the free streaming services worth a spot on your TV. No subscription, no trial, all legal. - Watch the Footy and Cricket Online Without Foxtel
Which streaming routes carry AFL, NRL and cricket without a Foxtel box, what each costs, and the honest catch on rights moving each season. - Foxtel, Telstra and Streaming: Do You Still Need the Box?
Still paying for a Foxtel box you barely watch? How Foxtel, Telstra bundles and streaming apps Kayo and Binge compare, and how to keep the footy for less. - Netflix Keeps Buffering? Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Netflix buffering and loading over and over? Work through the app, device, quality settings, WiFi and your plan in order, and most stalls clear in minutes. - How Much Data Does Netflix, YouTube and Sport Use?
Streaming data by the hour: SD, HD and 4K for Netflix, YouTube and live sport. Change one quality setting and protect a capped plan or a phone hotspot.
Mobile phones and plans
Compare plans and coverage, and keep your number when you switch.
- Prepaid vs Plan: Which Is Actually Cheaper for You?
Prepaid or a plan? The honest comparison: which suits light and heavy users, when a plan's extras are worth it, and how to stop paying for a phone twice. - Same Towers, Cheaper Bill: Telstra or Optus for Less
MVNOs resell the big networks, so you get the same coverage on a cheaper plan. What you keep, what you trade, and how to check which network it runs on. - How Much Mobile Data Do You Actually Need?
Most Australians buy more mobile data than they use. Work out your real usage, learn the GB behind each activity, and pick a plan that fits. - "Unlimited" Data Isn't Unlimited: Speed Caps Explained
Unlimited mobile data almost always hides a speed cap and excess-data charges. Here is what the fine print means, so the plan you buy is the plan you get. - Fair Use, Throttling and Network Management Explained
Why your data slows at busy times, what 'fair use' really means, how MVNO priority works, and how to read a Critical Information Summary before you sign. - How to Switch Carrier Without Losing Your Number
Want to change telco without losing your number? How porting works in Australia, the one rule that protects your number, and how to switch with no downtime. - Unknown Number Called You? What Your Phone and Carrier Can Tell You
Australia has no public reverse phone directory. What you can actually check about an unknown number, what the caller ID proves, and what to do next. - Australian Mobile Coverage: Telstra vs Optus vs TPG
How to compare Australian mobile coverage properly: the official maps for each network, what they leave out, and why coverage isn't the same as reliability. - No Mobile Signal at Home? Wi-Fi Calling Fixes a Dead Zone
Weak mobile signal at home? Wi-Fi Calling lets your phone take normal calls over your home wifi, free. How to turn it on for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. - iPhone Says SOS Only or No Service? How to Fix It
Phone showing SOS Only, No Service or No SIM? A plain checklist to fix it yourself, on iPhone and Android, and how to tell a fault from a network outage. - Travel eSIM Guide for Australians: Skip Roaming
A travel eSIM often costs a fraction of carrier roaming for a two-week trip. Set it up at home in ten minutes and keep your Australian number for SMS codes.
Moving house, email and accounts
Move your internet and phone with you, and sort out email and accounts.
- Moving House: Transfer Your Internet Without Weeks Offline
Moving house? How to transfer internet and phone without weeks offline, when to book, why moving is when telcos overcharge, and the checklist that saves it. - Moving House Internet: The Cutover Plan That Avoids the Gap
Moving house? The internet cutover plan: order the new address early, keep the old service until the new one is proven, and bridge the week with a hotspot. - Bigpond Email Not Working? Fix It & Move Off
Bigpond or Telstra email not working, or stuck asking for your password? Fix it today, then hear the hard truth: the real fix is moving off telco email. - Email Suddenly Stopped Working? A Plain Fix-It Order
Email suddenly stopped sending or receiving? Work through the fixes in order: password on every device, app passwords, a full mailbox, then the SMTP port. - Closing a Loved One's Phone, Internet and Email Accounts
After a death, a practical, gentle guide to closing a loved one's phone, internet and email accounts: what to keep, what to cancel, and how to ask for help.
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