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NBN modem-router reviews

Last updated: 20 August 2019

How good is your NBN modem-router? The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently released findings on the performance of 43 modem-routers from service providers and third-party manufacturers.

Our CHOICE experts took the publicly-available results and compared each unit, assigning scores to help you make sense of the data and see which ones came out on top.

  • To find out more about how this test was carried out, read ACMA's test method.
  • See our own NBN gateway reviews to find out how some of these models performed in recent CHOICE in-house testing - the test method used by ACMA was slightly different to that used for our regular Wi-Fi router reviews, so the results are not directly comparable between the two.
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Our interactive comparison tool helps you find out which modem-routers have the best connection speed outside your home to the internet and which have the best within your home network on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

We also tell you which have key features such as support for guest users and parental filter controls, and the types of ports they have for connecting other devices.

These modem-routers are for copper NBN services, compatible with fibre to the node (FTTN) and fibre to the building (FTTB) connections, which are currently based on VDSL technology.

Matthew Steen
By Alex Angove-Plumb
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Brand

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List of brands we tested in this review.

    Price

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    Where the price is displayed as $0 the modem-router is supplied by an internet service provider (ISP). However, there can be extra costs associated with getting a modem-router from an ISP when signing up to a broadband plan.

    enter value/s in increments of 1 between 0 and 799

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    Wireless (Wi-Fi)

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    Modem-routers without Wi-Fi connectivity scored worse. These were the Billion BiPAC 8900X, DrayTek Vigor DV130, and Netgear DM200.

      Overall DSL score

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      DSL = internet connectivity. We created a weighting system for DSL performance, based on a download score (60%) and an upload score (40%).


      enter value/s in increments of i between 0 and 72

      Overall Wi-Fi score

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      A combination of router performance on the 5GHz band (60%) and the 2.4GHz band (40%).

      enter value/s in increments of i between 12 and 77

      Included in this review

      Members-only access
      • Recommended
      • Model
      • CHOICE score
      • Overall DSL score
      • DSL download score
      • DSL upload score
      • Overall Wi-Fi score
      • 2.4GHz overall score
      • 5GHz overall score
      • Brand
      • Price
      • 2.4GHz with interference degredation
      • Retailer sourced modem
      • Supplied by ISP
      • Internet service provider
      • Wireless router
      • Dual-band
      • 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
      • 5GHz Wi-Fi
      • Best Wi-Fi standard
      • Stated 2.4GHz Wi-Fi speed
      • Stated 5GHz Wi-Fi speed
      • Ethernet ports
      • Gigabit ethernet
      • USB ports
      • Parental controls
      • Website
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