AU

Published on: 26-07-2023 NBN Co has completed a $4.4 million project to install 33 hybrid power cubes to improve the resilience of the NBN in disaster-prone areas of Queensland. The newly installed cubes power NBN fixed wireless towers using a combination of solar powers, a battery and a diesel generator to ensure uninterrupted power supply during emergencies. The cubes were installed across the Gympie, Whitsunday, Fraser Coast, North Bur-nett and Bundaberg Regional Councils using grant funding provided under the $390.9 million Black Summer Bushβire Recovery Grants Program, which was created by the federal government with the support of the National Emergency Management Agency in the wake of the devastating 2019-20 bushfires. NBN Co received an $805,202 grant to implement the NBN Bushβire Resilient HPC Project within the Fraser Coast council area, $1.34 million in the Bundaberg area, $134,200 in the North Burnett council area, $671,000 in the Whitsunday area, and $1.47 million in the Gympie area. No grants were awarded for the project outside of Queensland, despite the grants program also covering NSW, the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Communications minister Michelle Rowland said the program has helped bolster sustainable and reliable communications across south eastern Queensland ahead of the next bushβire season. The work complements government projects to improve communications resilience including the $50 million Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Program, which is expected to launch its first round shortly, as well as the recent Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters programs. “We know how important connectivity is for homes, businesses and communities –and never more so than in times of natural disaster. Access to reliable communications can be the difference between life and death,” she said. “It’s fantastic to see the deployment of these innovative Hybrid Power Cubes across Queensland to help keep communities connected and informed when they need it most.” Dylan Bushell-EmblingFrom Commsday OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top global and Australian financial media, Occom has set the bar for exceeding Aussies’ expectations towards customer service. Occom’s young, passionate and professional team will keep on pushing the boundary for what is possible in the future. Tel：1300 200 999

Published on: 13-08-2021 Because of the pandemic outbreak, most of us work and learn from home, and it is essential to have a fast wireless network that reaches every corner of the premises. But are you getting the most out of your NBN internet connection? What is the root cause of slow Wi-Fi speed? The size of your home, the location of your modem, and the performance of your router. I will speak about some of the things you can consider to extend your Wi-Fi range and provide a reliable connection for all of your devices. Select the best location for your router Not all the places inside your premise are optimal for placing the router. To start with, avoid placing your router near metal objects and devices which emit electromagnetic waves. They may disrupt the Wi-Fi signals, and their presence may lead to dead zones. To cover the entire premise, you should be placing the router roughly at the centre. You will be able to boost your signals by elevating the router above the floor level. Wi-Fi signals travel out in all directions, so if the router places on the floor, its ability to emit strong signals is limited. People who live in multi-storied houses should always locate a Wi-Fi router near the ceiling on the first floor. If this doesn’t work for you, consider using a mesh router system. Consider using mesh routers or Wi-Fi range extenders. A mesh router is ideal for people who live in big homes or are stuck with a modem at one end of the premise. It has multiple units(access points) where one unit connects to your existing router with an ethernet cable, and the others are placed in a central part of the home or on other levels of the house and connected to power. These mesh routers communicate back and forth with each other to create a broader and more robust wireless network. The larger space it has to cover, the weaker the signal you will get. A Wi-Fi range extender can help improve your router’s signal strength and cover a large area or penetrate thick walls. Keep your router updated (update firmware) Once the malware infects a router, it can steal bandwidth and spread itself across the network to other devices. So it is crucial to update your routers regularly to keep away from these attacks and get the best performance from the router. The updates can reduce bugs and increase the reliability of the routers. You can find the latest firmware on the website of the company which manufactures your router. Find the model number at the backside of your router and find the appropriate firmware for your router. Get a more robust antenna for your router. Although most of the new routers have got internal antennas, some still use external ones. These antennas are most probably omnidirectionally, ensuring that the signal reaches every part of the premise. If your router is behind a wall and you can’t move it, the signal strength reduces since the antenna beams data into the wall. Installing a high gain antenna can maximise the router’s signal strength as they allow you to aim the wireless signals in a single direction. If an omnidirectional antenna works best for you (if your router is placed in a central position away from any obstruction), consider using longer antennas as they can boast better performance. You need to purchase an antenna with more gain than your current one to boost the Wi-Fi signal. OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top global and Australian financial media, Occom has set the bar for exceeding Aussies’ expectations towards customer service. Occom’s young, passionate and professional team will keep on pushing the boundary for what is possible in the future. Tel：1300 200 999

Published on: 13-08-2021 Do I have to pay for the NBN setup? The NBN is installed at your house free of any charges, although you will have to pay for the ongoing use of the NBN plans through an internet provider. For this, you can spend anywhere between $56.88 per month to $149.88 per month, with data allowances, speeds, and extras varying widely across the price points. If your dwelling is new, you may have to pay NBNCo a $300 new development fee for the initial installation. Beyond this, the NBN rolled out across Australia is free – the only thing you’ll have to pay for is the ongoing service through your Internet Service Provider. The initial NBN installation as an upgrade is free. The NBN’s core concept is to give Australia’s internet a country-wide upgrade so that you’ll have reliable internet no matter where you go. Because of this, the installation is free. Regarding NBN’s value, at Occom, we will provide the best NBN plans in terms of your internet preferences and needs. More than that, we will respond to you ASAP and guide you when you need help on modem configuration. To know more about Occom’s NBN  plans, installation tutorials, and promotions, please visit https://occom.com.au/adaca-testing. Occom will offer top-rated customer service and make everything easy for you. OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top global and Australian financial media, Occom has set the bar for exceeding Aussies’ expectations towards customer service. Occom’s young, passionate and professional team will keep on pushing the boundary for what is possible in the future. Tel：1300 200 999

Simple steps to change your nbn service provider Published on: 13-08-2021 Most of us think that switching the nbn provider is quite a daunting task and causes a lot of hassle. There might be many questions going through your head, such as: How long will it take? How long will the internet go down? Will the new provider cancel the old contract? How much is it going to cost? Are there any cancellation fees? But the fact is that it is easier than you think. It may benefit you in many ways, like finding a better price, flexible contracts, and better customer service. You might need to consider this option when your current provider is no longer providing you with the standards they offer. Contrary to the perception, moving to a new service provider can be done in a snap. We have prepared a guide to doing this step-by-step so that you can know what to expect. Step 1: Find an internet plan which you want and research on nbn providers. The first step is to figure out your requirement/expectation from the internet service provider – either a cheaper internet plan or unlimited data with fast internet speeds. There’s every chance you’ll find several providers who offer similar services. Compare the services provided by different service providers, read the reviews on their services and customer support. Expand your search by looking into customer reviews and the company website.Now, get in contact with your new provider, start a conversation about installation, and set up so that there is minimum downtime when you cancel your current service. As a top-rated nbn™ provider in Australia, Occom delivers customers a premium internet experience with faster connections and professional customer support, faster internet speed, faster respond. Occom received 1400+ 5 stars google reviews. Step 2: Know how much it costs for switching nbn providers and give your current provider notice. If you are currently on a month-to-month contract, check with your service provider how many days you need to give to cancel the service. This is known as the notice period, and in most cases, it is 30 days. If you are on a fixed-term contract, then early termination fees may apply. It may be calculated based on how many months remained in your agreement or a one-off charge. Reach out to your internet service provider to enquire more about this before you make the switch. Make sure that you give them proper notice so that you can time it with the time taken by your new internet service provider to set up everything, and there is minimum disruption time. Do not cancel or schedule a cancellation with your current provider while transferring to a new provider. Ensure that you have confirmed the installation date from your new provider before officially cutting ties with the old provider. If your service is ‘cancelled’ instead of ‘transferred’, downtime could be up to 5 business days. Step 3: Migrate all the data off your existing service provider and back it up. If your phone line connects to your internet service, tell your new ISP that you’d like to port over and keep your existing phone number. Step 4: Make sure that you have got the right equipment. This is the final step while transferring your service. Your previous service provider may restrict your router from other internet providers. In this case, you will require a new router. Store-bought routers will be compactable with most nbn internet providers and will have to be re-reconfigured to your new provider’s network with the settings they give you. The provider supplied devices are usually a basic model, and you’ll have to upgrade this depending on the number of people who use the service. Occom can offer you a wide range of routers to suit your need. SummaryIf you have troubles or issues continually, switch to a better service provider. Follow the steps above while switching service providers, as this will keep you informed about the requirements, making it more manageable. OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top global and Australian financial media, Occom has set the bar for exceeding Aussies’ expectations towards customer service. Occom’s young, passionate and professional team will keep on pushing the boundary for what is possible in the future. Tel：1300 200 999

Published on: 29-07-2021 It may be frustrating when you are doing something online like watching movies or having a video conference and suddenly your internet stops working. There can be several reasons for this, maybe a faulty device or an unauthorized intruder in your network. Here are some of the reasons why you may find the internet not working. I’m going to discuss common internet issues and how to fix them. REASON HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT INTERNET OUTAGE Try visiting any other websites, if you can load other websites then it simply means that the website you are trying to access is down. Check if you are the only one with the issue. If the internet is down in your area, check your email if you have received any notice from your Internet Service Provider regarding an outage. Please contact them if you haven’t received any notice. You must not reset your router during the outage. The service will be back on after the outage have been restored. ROUTER OVERLOADING This simply means that the router is handling too many devices or processes at the moment. One of the first signs which you will observe is that the amount of time taken for downloading items is longer. This might also be the reason for your router to behave erratically or shut down randomly. If you have such issues, you can do these: ·       Get a new router: Consider upgrading to a new router with better performance if you think that the current device is not able to handle your workload. Occom provides a wide range of good performance routers to suit customers’ needs. ·       Reboot your router: Network hardware tends to crash sometimes. You can troubleshoot this by power cycling the router. This is done by switching off the networking device for 30 seconds and then turning it back on. These 30 seconds make sure that the device fully discharges and restarts again. This also gives the operating system time to refresh itself in case it’s frozen. ·       Consider using mesh routers: This is recommended if you have to connect to a large number of devices or in a larger area. Using such a system will reduce stress on one access point by distributing the workload to a second one with better coverage. Occom provides great mesh routers of the most popular brands. Network Termination Devices (NTDs), not connecting to the internet. There might be several reasons which lead to the unavailability of the internet and out of those relating to the Network Termination Devices (NTD). ·       Miscommunication with the router, which can be either because of loose connections or damaged ethernet cables between NTD and router. ·       Fibre cut which is caused by an accidental break in the fibre cable, typically due to new construction in your area. ·       No proper power supply to the device. Troubleshooting Network Termination Devices (NTDs): 1.      Power check: The power light from the NTD indicates if the power is off. Check the power cable. Make sure the power supply is plugged in and turned on. 2.      Connection Check:  Examine the ethernet cable between NTD and router, check for loose or frayed connections. A faulty Ethernet cable can result in connectivity issues. 3.      Fibre optic cable check:  If the Optical/PON light is red, check if there is damage to the fibre cable or loose connection. Report to your internet service provider to fix. 4.      Rebooting the NTD: This can be done by shutting down the device and turning it back on, if you are rebooting the NTD, it is important to reboot the router as well. UNAUTHORISED DEVICES ON YOUR NETWORK Your internet speed drops when an unauthorised user or device is connected to your network. The most simple and effective method is to change your Wi-Fi credentials and reconnect the devices which you trust. To see who’s using your Wi-Fi follow these steps: ·       Log in to your router through any internet browser. ·       Look for DHCP settings, go to ‘attached devices’ or a section which is named similarly. ·       Look through the devices which aren’t yours. ·       If there are some unauthorised devices, change your WiFi password. MALICIOUS PROGRAMS There might be chances of your internet connectivity affected by a malicious code that runs on your device. Do a system scan for spyware, viruses and other malware which can impact the internet speed and performance SLOW INTERNET SERVICE If you have noticed that your connection slows down during different times of the day or week. Please refer to this article for more details: https://occom.com.au/adaca-testing/why-does-my-internet-slow-down-at-night/ If you find that your internet service provider does not provide reliable service or responsive support, it is time to switch to the Australia top rated internet service provider, Occom.  Occom offers a wide range of NBN/OptiComm internet plans with speeds up to 1Gbps, to find out more, please visit: https://occom.com.au/adaca-testing/ OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top global and Australian financial media, Occom has set the bar for exceeding Aussies’ expectations towards customer service. Occom’s young, passionate and professional team will keep on pushing the boundary for what is possible in the future. Tel：1300 200 999

Published on: 25-06-2021 There are several methods you can adopt in order to get these wireless services at your home and most of them depend on availability and geographical location. If you have the access to a wired internet service, you will be able to set up your own WiFi at home. This can be done by connecting a router to your modem which enables you to share your internet connection with all the wifi enabled  devices within a given range. In case you have a two storied home or a relatively larger area to cover, it is advised to have a wifi extender or a mesh router system to cover the whole premises. It is also important to know as the number of devices increase so does the demand for bandwidth. To have your devices running at its full potential you may need to upgrade your internet plan accordingly. Occom offers a wide range of best NBN/OptiComm internet plans with speeds up to 1Gbps, to find out more, please visit: https://occom.com.au/adaca-testing/ Wi-fi at home Have you ever considered how exactly emails or a streaming video gets into your device so seamlessly and in real time? Well that’s Wi-Fi in action. I’m going to tell what it is and how we can set up this system at home. Wi-Fi router uses radio frequency to send signals between devices. The two Wi-Fi frequency bands are 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Taken the case of home Wi-Fi systems, it is the radio signals which are sent from a wireless router to a nearby device, which are then translated to data that we see and use. It is a much easier way of connecting to the fibre internet via Wi-Fi rather than having to connect by cables as used by a generation before. Setting up Wi-fi at home Please follow these steps if you haven’t set up home WiFi system yet. Find the best location to set up a router The optimal location is the central location of the premises, free from any obstructions. It is also important not to place a router close to windows or a microwave. If you have large area to cover then it is recommended to use a mesh router system which can extend the range of connectivity to the whole premises. Buy a wireless router Perhaps this is the first step which you will have to consider while setting up a home Wifi system, you can use an existing router if you have got one. Occom is able to provide you with preconfigured router, which you can just plug in and use. Connect router to internet via Network Termination Device(NTD) Power off the NTD first. Once turned off plug an ethernet cable into the router WAN port and connect the other end of Ethernet cable to the Network Termination Device’s LAN port. Connect both the devices to power and wait for them to boot up. Configure your Wifi network Now that you have the connection ready, its time to configure the network. This process may be different according to the device you are using. This can be done by connecting your device to the router’s LAN port with the Ethernet cable. Login to the managemnet web page of the router and this can be done by typing the IP address of the router (default gateway) on a web browser. Once login the configuration page: Choose “Advanced settings” option. Go to network and choose WAN on the left side of the page. Now change the WAN connection type to PPPoE. Enter the PPPoE username and password as provided by your internet service provider. Save the details. Now the router will connect to the internet. Check the status and if it shows any IP address, the connection is established.Under the option wireless settings you will see a field labled SSID, enter the name for your network here. This is what devices see when scanning for WiFi. Choose a security method from the list of available options, it is recommended to choose WAP2 as encryption method, the most recent and effective encryption type. It protects your network from hackers and intruders. Once the encryption method is selected enter the passphrase and save the changes. OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top global and Australian financial media, Occom has set the bar for exceeding Aussies’ expectations towards customer service. Occom’s young, passionate and professional team will keep on pushing the boundary for what is possible in the future. Tel：1300 200 999

Published on: 21-06-2021 We now live in an era where internet connection is essential in most of our daily activities. It may become really frustrating when your internet keeps on dropping out or when your Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting. The advancements in fibre internet technology are not exempted from flaws. Keeping this in mind I would like to talk about what are the reasons such unexpected errors may occur and how to fix these issues. Reasons why the internet may keep dropping out? Network overloading This simply is a result of multiple devices using your router network simultaneously, which may lead to congestion in the bandwidth as well as buffering issues. You might face this problem while watching videos online or browsing websites. What to do? In order to avoid these issues and attain a buffer-free browsing experience, it is always recommended to upgrade your internet plan to a bigger bandwidth suiting your requirements. This will in turn solve issues with congestion. Unauthorized users or devices in your network. Your internet speed drops when an unauthorized user or device is connected to your network. This can be detected by getting into your routers admin page, this can be done by the following steps: Open any internet browser from a device that is connected to the network. Inside the browser type http://www.routerlogin.net, which opens a login screen. Enter the username and password for the browser, this opens a basic home screen. Now select attached devices. This will display the above information such as device name, IP address, MAC address. You will be able to view a list of devices that are currently connecting to your modem router. Once an intruder is found, take necessary actions. What to do? The most simple and effective method is to change your wi-fi credentials and reconnect the devices which you trust. On a more technical aspect, it can be done by creating reservations for all known devices and cover the DHCP scope to an exclusion range so that only the MAC addresses with the reservations can get access with dedicated IPs. Outdated router firmware Using an outdated version of router firmware may result in constant turning off or poor functioning of your WiFi network. It is also important to know that an outdated router puts you at risk of attacks and vulnerabilities. What to do? The router firmware carries out all the integral functionalities of your router, a regular or periodic update to your router firmware can improve its connectivity at the same time keeping it secure. In order to update firmware, it is always recommended to download the latest firmware from the vendor website. Reboot the router once the firmware is updated. It is always advised not to download the update from any third-party providers. Interference from other signals As we know that the range of signals grows with the advancements in technologies, this may lead to crossing paths with other signals. This has been recognized as one of the major reasons we face network disturbances. Some of the most common sources of signal interference are: Household appliances such as fluorescent lights, microwaves, power cables, etc… Gadgets such as videogame controllers, analog audio systems, motion detectors, wireless security cameras. Building materials: Dense building materials such as concrete is not good for a signal to pass through and may cause interference. Wireless devices. What to do? Such interference can be reduced by bringing the wireless devices closer to the router and by keeping the wireless devices away from a common interference source. Avoid close proximity usage of multiple wireless devices. A more technical approach that is adopted now is the usage of mesh routers. This system consists of the main router which is connected to the modem and a series of nodes (satellite modules) which is placed around the premise to get good coverage. Broken cables The usage of old and unreliable cables might be one of the other reasons why you face network issues. You will have to use different cables according to the need. There are four types of cables that are commonly used in the home network which are Optical cable, Ethernet cable, Phone cable, and Coaxial cable. The damage to any of these cables can make the whole network suffer. Problems relating to these cables may lead to unreliable WiFi connectivity of frequent dropouts. What to do? Ensure that all the cables are working properly in a regular interval and make sure that it is plugged into the right port. Installation of incompatible software packets This can be the least likely issue which can disrupt the internet connection. In this case, the Wi-Fi might be failing because it contains incompatible software installed including services patches and other modifications which may alter the networking capabilities of the OS. Would you like to increase your home Wi-fi speed? Follow these steps: Upgrade your router: Using an old and outdated router might be one of the reasons why you may face issues with your internet speed. It may not be a cheap solution but updating your router to the latest technology can bring out the best performance within the network. Upgrading your NBN/OptiComm internet plan: Network overloading can be reduced by upgrading the internet plan according to the number of devices in the network. An alternate option for network overloading would be reducing the number of devices in the network. Use a mesh router system: Any physical obstruction tend to weaken the Wi-fi signal. Using a mesh router system will enhance the quality of the network through a series of nodes that connect to the main network router covering the whole house. Thus reducing the weakening of signal through a physical medium. OCCOM—Optical Communication Expert Occom is an Internet service provider dedicated to delivering faster fibre and mobile services and faster support. Occom has been praised by tens of thousands of satisfied residents and businesses, and our products have attained commendation from industry experts. As one of the fastest growing telcos endorsed by top … Read more