nbn™ to second dwellings, Airbnb, outbuildings and granny flats

Do you have an Airbnb, granny flat, or a shed on your rural or town property and need two nbn™ connections?

A tricky situation you find yourself in! And one that the NBNCo. lightly address by stating “…each nbn™ service must be linked to a unique address“.

1. We would need confirmation of the exact distance between the 2 dwellings. And please confirm if there is direct line of sight between the 2 roofs?
2. What type of roof does each building have please?
3. Is there a man hole to get inside the roof on both buildings?

• Sharing the connection with the main house means it would be a good idea to upgrade that connection to a high speed tier and plan, but it would mean a cheaper connection for you both.
• It will be the cheaper option in the long run.
• If you are renting out an Airbnb then you will recoup the cost soon enough.

If it is not registered with council as it’s own Lot number then it is not recognised on the NBNCo. national database. And believe me when I say that getting a dwelling on that database without it’s own accurate Lot number … is impossible.

If the suggestion above cannot be done for whatever reason, then these are the other potential scenarios/options:

1). A 2nd NBN connection on a different Lot number – ideal.

If the house or building had it’s own lot number, NBN can be installed. To get a Lot number requires council approval though.

2). A 2nd NBN connection on the same Lot number – impossible.

I think too many people have taken advantage in situations in the past where it wasn’t really necessary and now the NBN have a rigid process that will not allow any NTD installation (the device they install on a dwelling with no Lot number). One per address.

3). There are a few other options for buildings that are within 100m of each other:

i). Wi-Fi extending to the 2nd dwelling. The problem here is, even if you get strong routers that can push a signal that far, your actual devices (phones, computers, laptops, do not have the power to push the signal all the way back). So generally it either doesn’t work or it’s not a good solution.

ii). Powerline adapters (or in other words, an extender that runs through your electrical circuit)…this is a good option if possible.

But it can only work on the same electrical circuit, most separate dwellings/granny flats/cottages/sheds will be on a separate electrical circuit making this impossible. If it is the same circuit then another thing to note is that it only works up to 200m. Once again a physical constraint.

iii). Cable, running an Ethernet cable (and you do get outdoor/underground cabling), only handles up to about 90m to 100m. And it can be a fairly pricey/messy solution anyway, running a cable like that. If you have an unused Telstra copper line between the 2 buildings, this can be an option.

So unfortunately as you can see, there are not too many options. The best option is 1, but without council approval, not possible.

Not too sure about all this? Get in touch.