NBN Fibre Upgrade Checklist for Seniors — Landlines, Medical Alarms & Wi-Fi

If you're a senior in Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock or anywhere in the Hunter and you've received a letter about your NBN fibre upgrade, this guide is for you. We've kept it simple, and we'll answer the questions we hear most often when older customers call us worried about the change.

'Will they drill holes in my walls?'

The NBN technician needs to drill one small hole through your outside wall to get the fibre cable inside. It's about the size of a pencil — around 8 millimetres wide — and they seal it neatly with silicone afterwards, so it's virtually invisible. You'll barely notice it. If any drilling inside the house is needed to bring the connection to your preferred room, that's usually done by a local cabler (like Netlink) before or after install day. We generally route cables through ceiling cornices, under floorboards or through existing service voids so nothing shows in your living areas. Most senior customers are surprised at how tidy the finished work looks.

'What happens to my landline phone?'

This is one of the most important parts of the upgrade to understand. The old copper phone line will be disconnected as part of the switch to NBN fibre — usually about 18 months after your fibre is switched on. Before that happens, you have two options:

• Keep a phone at home but plug it into the new NBN Connection Box. Your internet provider can set this up — it's called a VoIP phone service, and to you it will feel exactly like your existing phone: same handset, same dial-tone, same number.
• Move fully to mobile phones. If everyone in the house already has a mobile and doesn't use the landline much, this is the simplest option.

If you rely on your landline for family calls, medical services or emergency contacts, make sure your provider gives you a working VoIP replacement before the copper is cut off. Don't leave this until after the switch, because that's the moment the phone goes dead and you find out the hard way. Your existing phone number can be kept — nothing changes on that front.

'What about my medical alarm?'

Many medical alarms and pendant alerts were designed to use the old copper line to call the monitoring centre. They can stop working the moment the line is disconnected. This is the number-one issue we get worried phone calls about from families of elderly residents. Please: call your alarm company before your install day and ask them two specific things:

• Is my device compatible with NBN FTTP? (Some newer devices are; older ones aren't.)
• If it's not compatible, can you supply a 4G cellular replacement? (Most providers can — devices like the Chubb SmartCare, Tunstall Gem4 and INS LifeGuard 4G will keep working after the copper is gone.)

Do this at least 3–4 weeks before your NBN install date so the replacement device arrives and is tested before the changeover. Do not wait until after the copper is cut off — that's when we get panicked calls from families.

'Will the internet actually be faster?'

In most cases, yes. Copper-based NBN (FTTN and FTTC) is limited by how far the copper runs from the node to your house and by the condition of the copper. Fibre is not affected by those limits. Most Newcastle and Hunter households on FTTN see 30–70 Mbps download; the same households on a 100 Mbps FTTP plan see close to 100 Mbps consistently. Streaming video, video-calling grandchildren, or using online health services all become smoother and more reliable.

One important point: the speed you notice depends on the plan you sign up to. If you stay on a slow plan (25 Mbps), fibre won't make it any faster — you'd need to move to a 100 Mbps or higher plan. Your internet provider can advise on the best plan for how you actually use the internet.

'I don't understand technology — will I need to change anything on my computer?'

Almost certainly not. Your computer, tablet, smart TV and phone will keep working exactly the way they did before. The only thing that changes is the small box on the wall that everything connects to (via Wi-Fi or Ethernet). If your Wi-Fi password is stored in your devices, they'll reconnect automatically once the new NBN service is live. Nothing needs to be reinstalled or reconfigured on the devices themselves.

If you're comfortable with your current setup and don't want anything to change on your side, that's perfectly fine. The only thing to double-check afterwards is that your Wi-Fi is still reaching every room you use — see the checklist below.

The 5-step senior checklist

• 1. Book a family member, neighbour or trusted friend to be home with you on install day. It's a 2–4 hour visit and it's much less stressful when someone is there to help make decisions about where the box goes.
• 2. Call your alarm or medical device provider a month before install day — check compatibility and ask about a replacement if needed. Get the replacement before the switch, not after.
• 3. Call your phone and internet provider — ask what will happen to your landline number, and confirm your VoIP replacement (or mobile) is set up before the copper is cut off.
• 4. Book a free 10-minute chat with a local tech (like Netlink) if you want someone to walk your home and make sure the router ends up in the right room, and the Wi-Fi covers where you actually sit.
• 5. After the install, ask the tech to wait five minutes while you check the internet works on your usual device before they leave. If something's not right, it's much easier to fix it while they're still on site.

You can call us any time

We work with a lot of older residents across Newcastle and the Hunter. If you're not sure what to do — even if you just want to understand what the NBN letter is asking you to do — call us on 1300 890 470. There's no obligation, and we can talk you through it in plain English. If you'd like a technician to attend on your install day to help you through it, that's a service we offer regularly. Nobody should have to figure this out alone.