FTTP vs FTTN: why your NBN type matters more than you think

Not all NBN connections are the same. The type of NBN technology at your address determines your maximum speed, your reliability, and in many cases your daily experience working from home. If you are buying a property and you or anyone in the household works remotely, this is worth checking before you sign.

The four main types

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises). Fibre optic cable runs all the way to your house. This is the best connection type. It supports the fastest speeds currently available on the NBN (up to 1,000 Mbps) and is the most reliable because there is no old copper in the connection. If your property has FTTP, that is a genuine asset.

FTTN (Fibre to the Node). Fibre runs to a box in your street, then old copper telephone wiring carries the signal to your house. The further your property is from the node, the slower and less reliable the connection. Maximum speeds are typically 50 to 100 Mbps, but real world speeds can be much lower if the copper is old or the distance is long.

HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial). This uses the old pay TV cable network. It can deliver decent speeds (up to 250 Mbps on some plans) but can slow down during peak hours because the bandwidth is shared with your neighbours. If you are in an area with a lot of HFC connections, evening speeds can drop noticeably.

Fixed Wireless. A radio signal from a nearby tower. This is common in regional and outer suburban areas. Speeds are improving but are generally lower than wired connections, and weather can affect performance. If you need a reliable connection for daily video calls, this may not be enough.

Why it matters for property buyers

Since 2020, working from home has become normal for millions of Australians. A video call on Zoom or Teams needs about 3 to 5 Mbps of upload bandwidth to run smoothly. That sounds low, but if you have two people on calls at the same time while a kid is streaming something in the next room, an FTTN connection can struggle.

Upload speed is the key difference. FTTP offers symmetrical or near symmetrical upload speeds. FTTN upload speeds are often capped at 20 to 40 Mbps and can be much lower in practice. For anyone who regularly uploads large files, runs video calls, or streams, this is the bottleneck.

NBN type also affects property value. FTTP is increasingly seen as a selling point, especially for properties marketed to younger buyers and remote workers. FTTN is seen as a limitation. This is unlikely to change as more households rely on fast internet.

How to check

Go to nbnco.com.au and enter the address. It will tell you the connection type, the maximum speed tier available, and whether an upgrade is planned. This takes about 30 seconds.

Some properties that currently have FTTN are eligible for an upgrade to FTTP under the NBN Co Technology Choice program. This is a paid upgrade and costs vary, but it may be worth investigating if the property is right in every other way.

On housematch, we show the NBN connection type on every listing. If you work from home, you can filter for FTTP properties only.

The short version

FTTP is the best. FTTN depends on your distance from the node. HFC is decent but can slow down at peak times. Fixed Wireless is fine for basic use but may not handle a household of remote workers. Check the address before you inspect.