If you are renting a house, choosing a broadband internet plan can a difficult task. There are many factors to consider such as:
- How long do you expect to be in the house for?
- How many other people are in the house?
- What speed do you need?
- What is your budget?
For the sake of this article, let’s split renters into two groups – long term renters (>1 year) and short term renters (<1 year) as their internet needs can be quite different.
Short Term Renters (people moving on in less than a year)
If you plan on being in a rented house for less than a year and know for sure that you will be moving somewhere else afterwards, then wireless broadband internet is a very good option.
Wireless internet is fast, affordable, quick and hassle free to setup and most importantly, you can take it with you when you move.
By choosing wireless broadband, you don’t need to wait for a NBN technician to come to your house and activate the connection. Once you receive your wireless broadband modem in the mail, all you have to do is plug it in and it should work. Wireless broadband uses the same 4G & 5G networks that your mobile phone uses.
One of the drawbacks of wireless broadband is that it is not available in all areas and it may suffer from reduced speeds when the mobile networks get congested.
Most wireless internet providers offer a money back guarantee for a trial period so it would be worth doing a trial to see how it goes at your house.
You can view a list of wireless broadband internet plans that we recommend here.
Long Term Renters (people renting for more than a year)
Whilst wireless broadband is also a good option for long term renters, a good NBN plan offers more reliability over the longer term.
If you are going to be staying in the same house for more than a year, it is probably worth going through the hassle of getting connected to the NBN as it will offer a faster, more reliable and potentially more affordable broadband internet connection in the long term.
If you are unsure of how to get started with the NBN, our guide on how to connect to the NBN will be useful.
You can view a list of NBN internet plans that we recommend here.
What speed internet connection speed will I need?
Below is a guide of the download speeds required for different activities:
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Suitable for |
| 12 | Low use, single person households, web browsing, email and light video steaming for a single device |
| 25 | Fine for singles or couples, HD video streaming and video conferencing, 4K video streaming may buffer |
| 50 | Good for families, sharehouses and working from home, allow multiple video streams and video conferencing |
| 100 | Great for large families or sharehouses, allows multiple simultaneous 4K video streaming, great for gamers |
| 250 | Super fast speeds for heavy internet users. Great for live streaming and gaming. |
| 1000 | The faster speed tier, faster than most people would use, only available for FTTP and HFC connections |
Get the best broadband plan for you
Fortunately, there are many broadband internet options for renters in Australia, so the most important thing is that you sign up to a broadband plan that fits your budget and that you are happy with.
OZ Broadband Reviews offers the best and accurate broadband internet reviews in Australia. We help Australians choose the right broadband internet company. Browse our reviews today!
