How to connect your family home

Keeping a family home running smoothly is no easy feat. From comfort to entertainment, there are many elements to consider when creating your ideal family home.

Whether you’re after fast connections for gaming and entertainment or interactive smart systems for your house, there are many options you can choose from to build the perfect home for you. Fortunately, Optus internet plans and smart devices provide speedy and reliable solutions for your family home.

Here are some tips to help you connect your home.
 

The average Australian home has 20 connected devices ¹, all of which are consuming data from a WiFi connection to entertain, stream movies and music, educate, or safeguard loved ones. 

We all know how demanding our loved ones can be, especially when it comes to having fast and reliable internet connection all throughout the house. As a result, it’s been reported that the number of smart, connected devices in our homes will increase to an average of 30 in the next few years ¹.

In fact, the Internet of Things (IoT) Home market is predicted to be worth over $4 billion by 2025, growing at a rate of 23% per annum ¹ . Smart appliances could make up a third of all appliances sold by 2026¹ , with laundry appliances, fridges, and air cons, all further requiring connection to keep your family home running smoother than ever.
 

When it comes to your family home’s broadband connection; there are a few things to consider. 

Depending on your family’s typical data uses (e.g. browsing the internet, playing games, streaming live videos), you may need to be mindful of how much data is included in your internet plan. Optus offers a range of unlimited data plans.*

Fast speeds and improved bandwidth mean you can connect multiple devices at once, with less loading and waiting. Whether you’re looking at an nbn® or 5G Home option (dependent on the services available at your home), speed is important. 

Optus offers a range of speed options to suit your needs. What your family will need depends on a few factors:

• The size of your home
• The type of modem and hardware you have
• The number of people in the family home
• The number of devices running and at what times they run (peak vs. off-peak)

For more information, visit our Key Facts Sheet.

The larger the family home, the harder it may be to get quality signal to all corners; whether it’s your quiet study upstairs, the baby nursery, the main bedroom tucked away down the hall, or the smart security camera outside in the driveway.

In some cases, you may need a booster to ensure everyone is happily connected and the whingeing is kept at a minimum. If you have an nbn connection, you may be able to purchase a WiFi Booster from us. The Optus Ultra WiFi Booster (Gen 2) is available on eligible nbn® plans with the Optus Ultra WiFi (Gen 2) modem. Contact us to find out more. 
 

When deciding on an internet plan for your family home, you will also need to consider the number of people in your home, as well as what their usage might look like. We recommend the following speeds (based on typical busy period speeds) for varying households and internet activities.

Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)

• Ideal for households with 1-2 people

Great for casual internet use on a computer or phone. This plan (BYO nbn modem only) is suited to general web browsing, plus playing your favourite music and streaming some videos online. This plan speed is not recommended for cloud storage services or collaboration tools.

Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)

• Ideal for 3-4 people

Great for multiple devices using the internet at once. If you like to stream videos and music, or keep up with your favourite TV or movies online, this plan can give you the boost you or your family need. Also ideal for home offices or small businesses who use cloud storage services and collaboration tools.

Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)

• Ideal for 5+ people

Whether you're regularly download files, playing online games or streaming your favourite movies in HD, this plan might be just what you need. Also ideal for small business customers who use cloud storage services and collaboration tools.

Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)

This pack provides all the benefits of lower speed packs plus a significant increase in typical download speeds that are ideal for concurrent 4K and 8K streaming, serious online gaming, downloading large files and business collaboration tools.

Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)

This pack provides all the benefits of Home Superfast with improved upload speeds that are ideal for concurrent 4K and 8K streaming, competitive online gaming, downloading or uploading large files and business collaboration tools – all at the best speeds.
 

Advanced technology modems will keep your whole household’s needs flowing. Whether you’re in the final moments of a season finale or it’s cartoon time, having 4G backup on the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem Gen 2 ensures you get to see the final credits rolling no matter what. Even if you already have a modem that you’d like to keep using, Optus has an nbn BYO internet plan you can sign up for, provided your home has nbn connection.

Optus’ latest modems are compatible with Optus’ Living Network features that may help you manage your household’s connection like never before. Optus Pause is a simple way to take a breather from digital distractions and make family time count, whether that’s homework time, dinner time, or family movie nights.^#
 

The more people in a home, the greater your need for speed and bandwidth – if you want to avoid the dreaded buffering circle of doom that is, usually followed by whingeing from all sides. The age and interests of your family members also play a role in determining what kind of nbn or internet plan you’ll need.

For families with younger kids, this may be a challenging time raising the little ones, where half an hour spent watching their favourite show or on a game gives you the breather you desperately need. There is always a balance to strive for, as we as parents can tend to feel concerned and even some guilt when our loved ones enjoy too much screentime.

In these homes, there typically are a few tablets and devices connected such as smart televisions, and music streaming potentially off smart speakers in the bedrooms. Parents may be working from home, requiring data to run their laptops for meetings and work. 

Typically, families with 3-4 people can comfortably enjoy a Standard Plus speed option. You may err on the faster side, dependent on how many people are in the home and whether there are any streaming bingers, or heavy work-from-home requirements.

The latest modems like Optus’ Ultra WiFi modem Gen 2 or Nokia 5G modem enable you to pause the network as required using Optus Pause^# – super handy for balancing the screen time habits of your little ones. Optus has a number of Digital Thumbprint tools and resources to help you feel better about your family’s technology habits, including education quizzes about cyberbullying and balancing time online. 

The home has its highest number of connected devices at this stage, when laptops are required for high school, first phones are handed down or gifted to keep track of the kids, and entertainment in the home places more demand than ever on the need for a fast, reliable connection. At this stage in life, you as parents may have increased concerns on how your teens engage online and are seeking ways to help support them. 

The Standard Plus plan will typically be ok if there are 3-4 people in the household, however we recommend families with 5+ people should opt for a Premium speed or higher. 

Optus’ Home Superfast or Home Ultrafast plans can satisfy those larger households with serious online gamers, and discerning 4K and 8K streamers. Optus Plus Family Entertainer plans offer Netflix standard subscriptions included as part of the plan through Optus SubHub. Optus SubHub lets you manage all your streaming subscriptions in one place. 

Optus also has a number of Digital Thumbprint tools and resources to help you feel better about your family’s technology habits, including education quizzes about cyberbullying, balancing time online, and how to protect personal information. Optus Pause can also provide a digital breather from your home’s WiFi connection for whenever that moment arrives which can be accessed via the My Optus app.^#

The connection demands of the home change as your children grow older. Your older children may be studying and working, and there may be in-laws or grandparents living in the home too. Quality time together is more important than ever, as time slips away and the emptying of the nest looms. 

With more family time priorities, families with multiple users in larger homes may choose to take-up internet plans with Home Superfast or Home Ultrafast speed packs. These speeds are enough to support online gaming as well as concurrent 4K and 8K streaming. 

Check what service and speed option is available at your address here. 

Optus’ latest modems allow you to take full advantage of Living Network – a range of network innovations that make your family’s life easier, allowing you to Pause the Wi-Fi, or could enable you to add extra speed for those big data usage days at home.

Find out everything you need to know to connect your family safely to our network.

Connect and build your ideal family home with Optus nbn home plans. Get more choice with Optus Home Internet. The home of better internet.

Optus Digital Thumbprint supports digital safety and wellbeing with educational workshops, guides and resources for young people and families. The program is developed with independent education consultants and has been endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.  

Making sure your family takes a digital breather regularly is important. Press “pause” on the home’s WiFi during your family dinner time with Optus Pause and turn attention to valuable real-life conversation rather than online chat.^# Free for eligible Optus customers via the My Optus app.

^#Optus Pause: T&Cs and eligibility criteria apply. Select modems only. See website for details.

¹ Telsyte Australian IoT@Home Market Study 2022

*Fair Go Policy applies.