How to minimise internet disruption when moving home

It’s moving time – congratulations! You’re about to embark on a new adventure of getting to know a new home, learning a new local area, and discovering just how much stuff you really have (it’s always a surprise).

Beyond needing to pack everything into boxes, making sure that nothing breaks during the move and then figuring out where to put everything once it’s again unboxed, moving home is a time-consuming and stressful process. The last thing you need is to find that you’re also having trouble with your critical utilities.

In particular, having your internet service set up and ready for the day you move in will result in one less headache to deal with when you’re trying to get settled.

In order to make sure that your internet service can make the move smoothly with you, we’ve put together these simple, but important steps:

1. Before moving, check whether you can keep the same internet service

If you were on a nbn™ plan at your old home, check and make sure the same nbn™ connection is available at your new place. There’s every chance it will be, as the nbn™ now reaches roughly half the country. But if it’s not, then you’ll need to have a chat with your ISP about what options are available to you.

At the very least, you’ll need to move to a non-nbn™ ADSL plan until the nbn™ can be installed in your new location, and the speeds and data that might be available to you will be different than under the nbn™.

That may well be a very temporary situation however, because the nbn™ is being rolled out at a rapid place, and if you sign up for a non-nbn ADSL service you may be forced to adopt a nbn™ plan soon after, because once the nbn™ is installed previous services are switched off.

It’s worth checking when NBNco has your new home scheduled for installation if the nbn™ is not currently available at your new address, and to also speak with your ISP about your options while waiting for the nbn™ to arrive.

To find out if your new home is eligible for Aussie Broadband nbn™ services, click here.

Another thing to consider is that some service providers might not be able to continue to service you at your new location. This is especially true if the move is a long distance away, such as interstate.

If you do choose to move to a new ISP, you’ll also need to consider the additional services that you might lose. Any email address provided by your ISP, for example, will be cancelled unless you pay to have them ported to your new ISP. Television and phone services are also often wrapped up in an Internet service, and might not be available with a new provider.

All of the above can be figured out with a simple call into your ISP. Give them the address of your new home, and they’ll be able to tell you what kind of internet services are available, and whether they’re able to supply a service to that home.

And, if nbn™ is not currently available at your new location, there is a handy tool provided by NBNco that lets you check what date you can expect your address to be connected to the network.

2. It might not be free

If you’re able to keep the same ISP, and the same internet plan, then it might be possible to relocate for free. However in some cases there might be a small relocation fee.

However, if you need to change internet plans, you may need to be prepared to face new service activation and setup fees, in line with signing up to the ISP for the first time. This could apply whether you’re getting a new internet plan with an existing ISP, or moving to a new ISP.

The biggest fees would hit those who are still under contract with their previous ISP and need to cancel their service early because their provider cannot service their new location. You are still going to be liable for early termination fees in such cases, the terms of which will be outlined in the contract you signed when signing up. Those fees can be close to $1,000, depending on how close you are to the end of the contract term.

The process for existing Aussie Broadband customers

Once you have determined what date you will be moving, it’s recommended that you contact our Support team as early as possible to notify us of the move, and the date you will want to close the current nbn™ service address. Once this is done, our sales team will set up the new address to be activated from that date.

Our existing customers will receive a pro-rata note on your monthly bill during the move – the invoice will be raised on the old service, but once the new service is up and running we will credit you so you only pay for the time you were connected in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

In terms of a connection or setup fee, Aussie Broadband is proud to state there are no fees involved with moving your nbn™ service address unless you are moving to a new housing development.

In the case of it being a new housing development (such as a property you have bought ‘off the plan’ or when it is newly built), NBNCo. will need to install a lead in, lines to home, etc. This will result in an additional charge from the NBNCo. to connect the home, and this fee is usually about $297.

For more information about moving home with Aussie Broadband, or if you are already planning a move and have not yet notified our team, contact us on 1300 880 905.

3. Consider what new service you sign up to

If your next location is only temporary – for example it’s only a short-term rental between homes – it may be worth signing up to a month-to-month contract, to help prevent those early contract termination fees hitting you again on the next move. Or simply choose a provider such as Aussie Broadband who offer month-to-month services for a great price. Find out more here.

4. Be aware that connections might take time

When you move, you expect the electricity and gas services to be working from the moment you arrive, but this is not something you may get from your internet service.

With the nbn™, you can expect a fairly seamless transition unless there are technical issues that pop up (for example, sometimes a nbn™ installation in a new location might not work as expected). Part of the purpose of the nbn™ was to give Australia a standard, unified, telecommunications platform so that internet would function like the power grid.

Nonetheless, some providers are telling consumers to expect a connection to be live in between two and 30 days. The good news is that you can tell your ISP of the move well in advance, when you’re first aware that you’ll be moving, to minimise the disruption once you reach your new location.

However, some ADSL services from providers may take up to 20 working days to connect. This applies whether transferring a service to a new location, or setting up a new service.

5. Do you need new equipment?

In some cases, you’ll need to acquire new equipment for your internet service at your new location. This is particularly true if you’re moving to a nbn™ plan from an ADSL one. Some older routers and modems are not compatible with the nbn™. Your ISP will often supply an nbn™-compatible modem router with new plans, potentially for an additional fee.

There are other peripherals you’ll need to consider, too. You might have phone services, including handsets, that you’ll need to check compatibility with as well. If you do have your phone service delivered over nbn™, there’s a couple of things to keep in mind when making a move (physical location and/or to a new ISP):

• Do not cancel your existing service before changing providers. If you do so, you’ll lose your existing number. In most cases it is possible to keep your phone number, but to do so you need to still have it active when making the move.

• If you are changing ISP providers, make sure you tell your new provider that you want to keep your existing number as soon as possible, both to prevent them setting up a new number for you, and so they can make the porting request to your previous provider quickly.

What do I need to know about specific providers?

The above process applies fairly universally to all ISPs and telecommunications providers. There are definitely variation in the time-frames and costs involved, however, so it’s always important to call both your existing ISP and prospective new one to ensure you’re clear and happy about costs, timing, and services delivered.

In most cases it’s possible to sign up for services either online or over the phone – your ISP will want to know the address of your new location, as well as your preferred start date. And your previous provider will want to know your cut-off date.

You should also be aware of where you are in the billing cycle – it might be worth ending the service a day or two early so you don’t need to pay for another month just so you can continue to use the internet for a day or two, and most ISPs won’t offer an end of service pro-rata rate when you’re terminating a service early in the billing cycle.

Finally, be aware that small business and home connections work in much the same way. If you’re moving your business location, disruption to the internet service can have a meaningful impact on businesses’ ability to operate, so make sure you carefully plan the move with your ISP to minimise disruption. There are redundant links available that will prevent any connection issues during the transition – read about them here.

If you’re about to move home and want to ensure your internet is ready and waiting for you at the new address, reach out to Aussie Broadband today to discuss our nbn™ plans and if they are available at your new address. You can reach us online here or call us on 1300 880 905.