Which NBN tier?

Match your household size, usage and connected devices to the right NBN speed tier — grounded in ACCC and NBN Co figures.

See tier specs explained

Match Your Household to the Right NBN Speed Tier

The right NBN speed tier is decided by how many people in your home use bandwidth-heavy activities at the same time — not by the number of devices connected. A phone on standby draws almost nothing; a 4K stream, a video call and an online game running together are what strain a connection during the busy evening period. The ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia reporting (verify current 2026 edition) tracks typical evening (7pm–11pm) speeds by tier, which is the real-world number a household experiences, not the headline advertised speed. Use concurrent heavy use as your yardstick.

1–2 people, light use

NBN 25–50Light

Browsing, email, HD streaming on one screen at a time. NBN 25 to NBN 50 covers this comfortably.

2–3 people, moderate use

NBN 50Moderate

Two simultaneous HD streams plus browsing and occasional video calls. NBN 50 is the common fit.

Family of four, heavy use

NBN 100Heavy

Multiple 4K streams, work-from-home video calls and gaming at once. NBN 100 handles concurrent load.

Large or power household

NBN 250–1000Power

Frequent 4K, large downloads, several remote workers and heavy gamers together. NBN 250 or 1000 buys headroom.

What Actually Uses Your Bandwidth

Concurrent activity, not total device count, determines the tier you need. Ten idle smart-home devices draw far less than two people streaming 4K at the same time. Estimate your peak-evening load by counting the bandwidth-heavy things happening together, then match that to a tier with room to spare.

Streaming

Standard-definition needs little; a single 4K stream can draw around 25 Mbps. Two or three 4K screens at once is where a lower tier starts to struggle in the evening peak.

Work & video calls

A single video call is modest, but several remote workers on calls simultaneously — especially with screen sharing and cloud sync — adds up quickly across an evening.

Gaming & downloads

Live gameplay needs low latency more than raw speed, but large game and console updates download tens of gigabytes and compete with everyone else on the line.

Advertised Speed Is Not What You Get in the Evening

The tier you buy is a maximum, not a guarantee. The number that matters for a busy household is the typical evening speed — the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia programme measures download speeds during the 7pm–11pm peak and reports how close plans come to their advertised rate (verify the current 2026 quarterly figures at time of reading). Your real-world speed is also capped by your connection technology: an FTTN line may not reach the same ceiling as FTTP on the same tier. Choose a tier with headroom above your concurrent peak so a busy evening does not drop you below what you actually need. If you suspect your current plan is falling short of its advertised speed, that is a diagnostic question rather than a tier-selection one.

How to Choose Your Tier in Four Steps

Work through your household's real peak-evening load, then pick a tier with headroom above it.

  1. 1

    Count concurrent heavy users

    How many people stream, game or video-call at the same time on a typical weeknight evening — not total devices.

  2. 2

    Add up the heavy activities

    One 4K stream plus one work call plus one game is a very different load to one person browsing alone.

  3. 3

    Match to a tier with headroom

    Pick a tier whose typical evening speed sits comfortably above your concurrent peak, so the busy hours do not slow you.

  4. 4

    Check your technology can deliver it

    Confirm your connection type (FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC, Fixed Wireless) can realistically reach the tier before you pay for it.

Before You Upgrade a Tier

Frequently Asked Questions

what speed should I get on NBN
The right NBN speed depends on concurrent heavy use. One or two light users suit NBN 25–50; a busy household streaming, gaming and video-calling together generally wants NBN 100. Match the tier to how many bandwidth-heavy activities run at the same time in the evening peak.
which NBN plan do I need for a family of four
A family of four that streams in 4K, works from home and games at once typically needs NBN 100 for enough headroom during the 7pm–11pm peak. NBN 50 can cope with lighter simultaneous use, but concurrent heavy activity is where the higher tier earns its place.
which NBN speed tier do I need for my household size
Household size matters less than concurrent heavy use. Two people rarely streaming at once may only need NBN 25–50; three or more people running 4K, calls and gaming together lean toward NBN 100. Count simultaneous heavy activities, not the total number of connected devices.
is NBN 50 enough for my household
NBN 50 suits most one-to-three person households with moderate use — two HD streams plus browsing and occasional calls. It can strain when several people run 4K, work calls and gaming at the same time in the evening peak, where NBN 100 gives more headroom.
does the number of devices decide my NBN speed tier
No. Device count is a weak guide because most connected devices are idle or use little bandwidth. What decides your tier is how many bandwidth-heavy activities — 4K streaming, video calls, gaming, large downloads — run at the same time during the busy evening period.
should I upgrade my NBN tier if my internet is slow
Not always. A higher tier only helps if you are maxing out your current tier's speed in the evening peak. Wi-Fi limits, an old modem, or a plan underperforming its advertised speed can cause slowness a bigger tier will not fix. Confirm the cause first.