Optus NBN: Plans, pricing and everything you need to know

When it comes to buying a mobile plan, you’re buying a plan on either the Telstra, Optus or Vodafone network. For internet, while Optus may be a household name, it’s one of dozens of providers that sell plans on the NBN.

When you buy an Optus NBN plan, you get a PAYG phone service by default, which can be upgraded to include calls for $10 per month. Optus also tosses in an Optus Sport + Fitness subscription as well as an Optus Ultra WiFi Modem (with 4G backup), the latter of which has a $0 cost if you stay connected for 36 months (otherwise an incrementally decreasing hardware fee applies).

Let’s take a closer look at Optus NBN plans, including a daily updating snapshot of plan pricing, as well as what modem is included and how to configure it.

Optus NBN is available in selected metro areas serviced by fixed-line NBN technologies. These NBN technologies include:

• Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP)
• Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC)
• Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB)
• Fibre-to-the-Curb (FTTC)
• Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN)

If you live in an area that Optus services, all fixed-line technologies above should be able to sign up for Optus NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans, while only FTTP and select HFC homes can sign up for NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans from Optus.

When it comes to NBN plans, Optus skips over the first two NBN speed tiers (NBN 12 and NBN 25) and jumps straight into the most popular NBN 50 one. An NBN 50 plan is a great choice for average homes (with around three or four people), which has a good mix of value and speed.

To see how this Optus NBN plan fares against other offerings in our comparison engine, check out the daily updating list of NBN 50 plans with unlimited data below.

Optus also offers NBN 100 plans in selected areas. NBN 100 plans are meant for homes with five or more people, or for users who want to double their download speeds compared to the more popular NBN 50 speed tier.

For comparison, check out the daily updating list below of popular unlimited-data NBN 100 plans from our database.

Optus offers NBN 250 plans in selected areas for homes connected to via FTTP and HFC technologies. NBN 250 plans are meant for larger homes with many internet users and are a great fit for those who want to stream multiple simultaneous 4K streams.

And below is a daily updating list of popular NBN 250 plans with unlimited data from our comparison engine.

Finally, Optus also offers NBN 1000 plans to selected areas serviced by FTTP and HFC technologies. NBN 1000 plans are for homes with more than five people who want all-round no-compromise speeds for downloading large files and seamless internet use across multiple simultaneous bandwidth-intensive tasks.

For comparison, below is a daily updating list of popular NBN 1000 plans from our database.

​If you sign up for an NBN plan with Optus, you can expect to be sent one of three preconfigured NBN-compatible modems:

• Optus Ultra WiFi Modem
• Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN
• Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem

Optus also sells an Optus Ultra WiFi Booster that works as a WiFi extender for boosting the WiFi signal in larger homes.

Follow these steps to get online with the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem, which also includes 4G backup:

• Download the My Optus app from the App Store or Google Play Store for guided installation.
• Place the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem near a window. Alternatively, place it in a spacious area or somewhere away from electrical devices.
• Connect the power adaptor to the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem and a nearby power socket. Switch the power on.
• FTTP, HFC and FTTC users connect the provided Ethernet cable with red connectors to the red WAN port on the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem and the other end into the UNI-D port on the NBN connection box.
• FTTN and FTTB users connect the grey-connector telephone cable into the grey port on the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem and the other end into the NBN wall socket (without a line filter).
• If your Optus NBN connection is working properly, you should see lights on the WAN and Internet indicators on the front of the device.
• Optionally, connect your landline phone via the grey connector cable between handset and Phone 1 port on the Optus Ultra WiFi Modem (FTTN and FTTB users should use an existing telephone cable).
• Connect the devices in your home via Ethernet cable or WiFi to get online.

If there aren’t any flashing lights after three hours, contact Optus NBN support. You can find a complete Optus Ultra WiFi Modem guide here (in PDF form).

Follow these steps to get online with the Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN (note that there aren’t installation steps for FTTC users, but these should be identical to those for FTTP and HFC users):

• Download the My Optus app from the App Store or Google Play Store for guided installation.
• Connect the power adaptor to the Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN and a nearby power socket. Switch the power on.
• FTTP and HFC users connect the provided Ethernet cable with red connectors to the red WAN port on the Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN and the other end into the UNI-D port on the NBN connection box.
• FTTN and FTTB users connect the grey-connector telephone cable into the grey port on the Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN and the other end into the NBN wall socket (without a line filter).
• If your Optus NBN connection is working properly, you should see lights on the WAN and Internet indicators on the front of the device.
• Optionally, connect your landline phone via the grey connector cable between handset and Phone 1 port on the Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN (FTTN and FTTB users should use an existing telephone cable).
• Connect the devices in your home via Ethernet cable or WiFi to get online.
• You can test your connection by opening a web browser on a connected device and visiting the http://192.168.0.1 address. Enter the username and password from the provided magnet.

You can find a complete Sagemcom F@st 5366 TN guide here (in PDF form)

Follow these steps to get online with the Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem:

• Connect the Australian plug to the power adaptor then connect that to a power outlet. Keep the power off for now.
• Plug the DC connector end of the power adaptor into the DCIN port on the Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem.
• FTTP, HFC and FTTC users connect the provided Ethernet cable with red connectors to the red WAN port on the Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem and the other end into the LAN or UNI-D port on the NBN connection box.
• For FTTN and FTTB homes, connect the provided telephone cable to the grey DSL port on the Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem and the other end to an NBN wall socket.
• Power on the Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem by turning on the wall outlet power and pressing the power button on the modem-router.
• Wait a few minutes for solid white lights to appear on the DSL (FTTB and FTTN users) or WAN (FTTP, HFC, FTTC) LED indicator to confirm your Optus connection is up and running.
• Connect the devices in your home via Ethernet cable or WiFi to get online.

You can find a complete Asus AX5400 Gaming Modem guide here (in PDF form).