Tips and Advice

This 5-step guide will help you get the best internet connection

Article by Homes to Love

Plan for a future you can’t yet imagine. That’s what Chorus tech expert Kurt Rodgers recommends to homeowners who are thinking about their tech requirements when planning a new home or renovation

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By December 2022, almost 90 per cent of New Zealand’s population will be within reach of ultra-fast broadband, so it’s important to plan fibre capability with any new build or renovation project. Even if your site isn’t fibre-capable now, it very soon may be.

Here’s our five-step guide to getting connected

1. To find out what broadband options are available at your site, enter the address into the Broadband Checker tool at chorus.co.nz.

2. Even if fibre isn’t in your area yet, it makes sense to equip your home to make the most of it when it arrives. That’s because it’s easy to install cables during the build phase, but much trickier once the walls have been lined and painted. And if you’re pouring a new driveway, that’s your opportunity to underground the duct that carries the fibre from the road to your home.

Even if fibre isn’t in your area yet

it makes sense to equip your home to make the most of it when it arrives

3. Ideally, you’ll locate your home distributor box, which connects the incoming signal from your broadband provider to your home data network (think of it as the fuse box of the data world), close to your fuse box, so you can run ethernet cables alongside your electric wiring into the different rooms of the house.

4. Think about how you’ll use the internet in your home. What sort of devices will be connected and how many? Where will the entertainment hub be? Locate your modem where most electronics are usually consumed – for most people this is the main living area. Plug in your smart TV via ethernet cable so you’re set for streaming, then connect your other devices such as playstations. In a bigger home, you may need a wifi extender to increase the range.

5. Chorus is responsible for delivering the fibre connection to your home, but you’ll need to shop around for a broadband provider that will offer you the best deal on an ongoing broadband subscription.

For a trouble-free streaming experience, Kurt recommends opting for a minimum of 100Mbps on an unlimited plan. “The wiring is the same whatever your plan, but the speed comes from the plan you choose,” he says. “For the best experience, opt for the highest speed plan you can afford.”

For more information or to find out when fibre is coming to your neighbourhood, visit chorus.co.nz

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