Slow NBN and office Wi‑Fi fixes: practical troubleshooting for Brisbane businesses

Slow NBN or patchy office Wi‑Fi dragging down your team in Brisbane? Before you call your ISP, try these quick checks. This guide gives business‑ready steps, clear tests, and when to escalate.

Key takeaways

• Rule out easy stuff first: power cycle, check cabling, test with Ethernet.
• Log speeds by time and device. Your ISP will ask for this.
• Tune Wi‑Fi channels and bands to dodge office interference.
• Know your NBN type; copper‑based lines behave very differently to fibre.
• Escalate fast if you see dropouts, high packet loss, or NBN light changes.

What it is and core concept

Definition

Slow NBN means your internet throughput is below your plan speed or too unstable for work. It can be the NBN access line, your router settings, office Wi‑Fi, or a device bottleneck. The trick is to test each layer one by one to find the real choke point.

Why it matters

Teams in Brisbane rely on cloud apps, POS, Teams and Zoom. Dropouts hurt sales and calls. Lunch‑time slowdowns in the CBD, storm‑season glitches on the southside, or old copper in some suburbs can all hit productivity. Fast diagnosis keeps the office moving.

How it works and step-by-step

Process

Use this quick flow to separate Wi‑Fi from internet issues and decide who to call.

• Check the NBN/Internet light on your modem/NTD. If red/off, it’s likely an ISP/NBN issue.
• Power cycle NBN device and router (unplug 60 seconds, plug back in).
• Test on Ethernet direct to router. If Ethernet is fast but Wi‑Fi is slow, fix Wi‑Fi.
• Run three speed tests at different times. Log time, device, and results.
• Check other apps: Teams/Zoom call quality and ping to a local server.
• Compare results to your plan speed (e.g., 50/20, 100/20).
• If all devices are slow on Ethernet, call the ISP with your log.
• If only some areas are slow on Wi‑Fi, tune channels or add access points.

Featured answer

To fix office internet, isolate the fault. Reboot NBN gear and router, test speeds on a wired PC, then compare to Wi‑Fi. If wired is slow, escalate to your ISP with logs. If wired is fast but Wi‑Fi is poor, change channels, move the router, or add business‑grade access points.

Quick checks to rule out simple issues

• Power: After storms, modems hang. Unplug NBN box and router for 60 seconds.
• Cables: Replace the WAN/Ethernet patch lead. Bent clips cause flakey links.
• Heat: Brisbane heat can throttle gear. Make sure the router has airflow.
• Plan cap: Confirm your plan. A 25/5 plan won’t hit 100 Mbps, no matter what.
• Background syncs: Pause big OneDrive/SharePoint or backup jobs during tests.
• Guest network: Make sure guests aren’t streaming footy on office Wi‑Fi.

How to test and log speeds properly

Good logs speed up fixes and stop the blame game. Use this method.

• Wired first: Connect a laptop to the router with Ethernet (disable Wi‑Fi).
• Three tests: Morning, lunch, and late arvo. Note time and results.
• Use a local test server. Record download, upload, ping, and jitter.
• Repeat on Wi‑Fi beside the router, then 10 metres away.
• Try a second device to rule out a slow laptop or old Wi‑Fi card.
• Keep a simple sheet: date, device, wired/wireless, results, notes (e.g., storm, outage).

What “good” looks like on a 100/20 plan: wired tests around 90–105 Mbps down, 18–22 Mbps up, ping under 15–25 ms to a Brisbane server, minimal jitter. Wi‑Fi can be lower, but not by half unless you’re far away or on 2.4 GHz.

Optimise office Wi‑Fi: channels, bands, placement

• Bands: Use 5 GHz for laptops and calls; 2.4 GHz for printers/IoT. If you have Wi‑Fi 6E gear, 6 GHz is great for short‑range high speed.
• Channels: 2.4 GHz use 1, 6, or 11 only. 5 GHz start with 36–48 or 149–161. Avoid DFS near the airport due to radar triggers.
• Channel width: Start at 40 MHz on 5 GHz in busy offices; 80 MHz only if the air is clean.
• Placement: Put access points above head height, central, away from metal, fridges, and microwaves.
• Roaming: Enable band steering and fast roaming on business APs for smoother handoffs.
• Capacity: One consumer router cannot serve a whole floor. Use multiple APs with wired backhaul.

Typical wins: shifting crowded 2.4 GHz clients to 5 GHz, moving the AP out of a cupboard, and using two or three ceiling‑mounted APs instead of a single all‑in‑one router.

NBN technology types in Brisbane and what they mean

• FTTP (Fibre to the Premises): Best stability and speed. Great for 100–1000 Mbps plans.
• HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coax): Common in inner and bayside areas. Fast, but can slow at peak if the segment is busy.
• FTTC (Fibre to the Curb): Short copper run from the pit. Usually solid, some modem resets seen after storms.
• FTTN (Fibre to the Node): Longer copper. Speed depends on line length and quality; 50/20 may be the practical ceiling in some streets.
• Fixed Wireless: Outskirts and acreage. Weather and line‑of‑sight can impact performance.

Upgrade paths: Many suburbs now support fibre upgrades when you order a faster plan. If you’re on FTTN with poor speeds, ask your ISP about a fibre upgrade or alternate access (4G/5G backup) for critical workloads.

When to call your ISP vs your IT support

• Call your ISP if the NBN/Internet light drops, wired tests are slow, or upload is stuck at 0–2 Mbps across all devices.
• Call IT support if Wi‑Fi only is slow, some areas are dead zones, or you need VLANs, guest networks, or QoS tuned.
• Call both if dropouts happen with wet weather or at the same time daily; share your logs to speed up action.

Tip: When lodging a fault, include your test times, wired vs Wi‑Fi results, screenshots, and the NBN box light state. This shortens the back‑and‑forth.

Hardware upgrades that actually move the needle

• Router: Move to a business router with better CPU and QoS. Helps Teams/Zoom and VoIP.
• Access points: Add Wi‑Fi 6 APs per 150–250 m², with wired backhaul. Avoid cheap mesh for offices.
• Switch: Use gigabit or 2.5G PoE switches to power APs cleanly.
• Failover: Add 4G/5G backup for POS and calls during NBN faults.
• Cabling: Cat6 runs to meeting rooms and printers reduce Wi‑Fi load.

Costs vary by size, but many small offices get a solid lift with two APs and a better router. Plan small staged upgrades during low‑risk hours.

Professional help: onsite and remote options in Brisbane

Common help jobs include Wi‑Fi surveys, channel tuning, AP mounting, router QoS setup, and NBN fault triage. Remote sessions fix config issues fast; onsite visits solve cabling, placement, and interference. Most small offices can be assessed in under two hours, then tuned the same day.

Common problems in Brisbane

Weather and infrastructure

• Seasonal heat, storms, humidity impacts.
• Older buildings and NBN quirks by suburb where relevant.

• Summer storms cause brief power dips; gear hangs until rebooted.
• High humidity in comms cupboards near kitchens slows overheated routers.
• Older copper in parts of Annerley, Holland Park, and Clayfield can limit FTTN.
• HFC segments in the CBD, Fortitude Valley, and South Brisbane can clog at lunch.

Troubleshooting and quick checks

Short answer

Test with Ethernet first. If wired is fine, fix Wi‑Fi: change channels, move the AP, or add another access point. If wired is slow across devices, log results and call your ISP. Reboot NBN gear after storms and replace any suspect cables.

Quick checks

Safe checks you can try now:

• Move the router out of cupboards; keep it cool and high.
• Switch 2.4 GHz devices to 5 GHz if supported.
• Disable VPNs for a test. Some slow traffic.
• Check your router for firmware updates.
• Turn off old 802.11b support to reduce airtime drain.

How to fix slow NBN in your office

Confirm plan speed, test wired at three times, then escalate to your ISP with logs if wired is slow. If wired is fine, tune Wi‑Fi channels, add APs, and set QoS for calls. Consider a fibre upgrade or 4G/5G backup for uptime.

Safety notes and when to call a pro

Red flags

Call a pro if the NBN light flashes red, you smell burning, the router is very hot, or speeds drop after every storm. Also get help when Wi‑Fi works in one room but not others, you need VLANs/guest isolation, or you run clinics, retail, or warehouses with card machines and can’t risk downtime.

Local insights and examples

Brisbane/SEQ examples

We often see channel clashes in Fortitude Valley offices with many neighbours. In Milton and Toowong, APs in steel‑lined rooms underperform until moved to halls. Southside warehouses in Acacia Ridge and Coopers Plains need extra APs and wired backhaul. North Lakes and Chermside shops benefit from 4G failover during HFC faults. Storm‑season resets help FTTC sites in Carina and Morningside.

FAQs

Q1: Why is my Wi‑Fi slow but Ethernet is fast?

Wi‑Fi shares air time with neighbours and office gear. Crowded channels, walls, and old devices can halve speeds. Change to 5 GHz, pick a cleaner channel, and add access points with wired backhaul. If Ethernet is fast, your NBN line is likely fine.

Q2: What speed should I expect on a 50/20 plan?

On wired tests to a Brisbane server, around 45–55 Mbps download and 17–22 Mbps upload is normal. Wi‑Fi may be a bit lower depending on distance and interference. If you see much less on multiple devices, log it and contact your ISP.

Q3: Do I need a new router for Microsoft Teams and VoIP?

Often yes. Business routers with QoS prioritise calls and meetings, keeping them clear even when someone is syncing files. Consumer routers can choke under load. A mid‑range business router and two Wi‑Fi 6 access points suit many small offices.

Sources and further reading

This guide follows a layered network approach: test physical, link, and application layers separately; compare wired vs wireless; log results by time; and tune radio settings (band, channel, width). It blends fault triage, capacity planning, and Brisbane‑specific NBN behaviour observed across common technology types.

Wrap-up and next steps

Start with quick checks, run clean wired tests, then tune Wi‑Fi for your floor plan. Use your logs to push faster ISP fixes. If you need help, we can assess, tune, and stabilise your office network in Brisbane. Service:
IT Support & Help