Regional Tech Hub can do a Desk Check for you if you want to complete this form here Otherwise you can follow the steps below and complete your own desk check.
- Type your address into Google maps and see where the marker is placed. There is a good chance, if you are a rural property, the marker is not placed anywhere near where your house is. Take a screenshot of the map where the marker is and put the screenshot in a word document (the snipping tool is an easy way of selecting part of your screen. Instructions can be found here
2. Obtain the GPS coordinates of your house by following the instructions here. Record the GPS coordinates in your document.
3. Type your address into the NBN address checker You will most likely have to drag the marker so that it is over your place. Take a screen shot of what NBN says and where your house is in relation to any NBN footprint (Also note the incorrect address NBN give when the correct address is typed in!)
4. Go here and type in the GPS coordinates to see what Fixed Wireless towers are within 14km of you. Complete the table as follows
5. You will get a list of NBN towers in the area like this
Click the Elevation Profile button to see if you have line of sight. If you have line of sight, then go to step 6 (you may have line of sight to more than one tower)
You may also get other towers listed if NBN is co-located with other services, also some Optus services are in the frequency range, make sure you check that the tower has NBN on it. Click on a Site where the T/R client column says T.
6. You will get something like
You will need to copy the top part
7. Click on one of the IDs where the T/R column that has a T
Record the Antenna Height and note the frequency (some towers have both 2.3GHz and 3.6GHz
8. There maybe more than one tower, copy the details from each tower, go back to the webpage mentioned in step 5
9. Sign up for a Free account here
10. Then follow the instructions here.
11. Your form should look something like this
Click Calculate Link
12. Take a screenshot of the result
13. You need to do this for each different tower that is within 14km of your location. The closest tower may not be the ‘best’ tower for you.
14. Create a document with all your information. Save it as a PDF and then you will need to email that document to your RSP that you will order through. Say the following in the email.
I have a clear line of sight to the nbn tower & we are under 14km from the nbn tower.
Can you please reclassify our address to nbn Fixed Wireless
BIRRR find SkyMesh to be very helpful in these situations, and you could send your information to them – use this form to contact them – https://get.skymesh.net.au/desk-check/
PLEASE NOTE
This calculator is ‘just for fun’and may bear no resemblance to the levels that the installer actually records. It is to be used only as a guide, and for preparing a file to send to NBN (or your RSP), so they can consider your case. On the ground reasons may mean you will still not get NBN Fixed Wireless such as dense tree cover, no actual line of sight, interference issues.
Kindly prepared and illustrated for BIRRR by John Kitchener and Julie Stott and with reference to the Whirlpool wiki here. Updated 30/08/18
Better Internet for Rural, Regional & Remote Australia (BIRRR) 