Telstra Smart Modem 3: everything you need to know

What is the Telstra Smart Modem 3?

If you’re a new customer and take up a fixed home broadband service with us, we’ll send you home with one of our “Smart Modems”.

Previous generations of the Smart Modem have featured 4G backup (used by over 50,000 customers daily); smart tech support features which have lowered the amount of time spent on the phone, and compatibility with EasyMesh for our Smart Wi-Fi Boosters to power our Wi-Fi Coverage Guarantee.

Our latest modem, which we’re calling Smart Modem 3, keeps all the features you love, while also providing faster Wi-Fi networking thanks to our software and the addition of Wi-Fi 6.

And it’s still very easy on the eyes with a sleek new all-black design where the enclosure is now made from 85% recycled materials.

Let’s dive into what it all means.

What is Wi-Fi 6?

Much like smartphones, Wi-Fi technology is classified in different “generations”. The latest generation to roll-out to Australians is known as Wi-Fi 6. In a nutshell, it offers better range, and more bandwidth for a whole home of connected devices.

With the addition of Wi-Fi 6, alongside our software and hardware, you’ll be getting a big leap in speed, security and convenience.

Wi-Fi 6 on the Telstra Smart Modem 3 is capable of faster theoretical maximum speeds for your networking, with throughput up to 4.8Gbps available over your in-home Wi-Fi network (remember: home Wi-Fi speed and internet connection speed are two different things). That’s a sizable jump compared to Wi-Fi 5, which topped out at 3.5Gbps as a theoretical maximum.

More important than straightline speed, however, is Wi-Fi 6’s ability to connect multiple devices at once without slowing down the wi-fi performance of other users connected.

Whereas previous Wi-Fi generations were meant for only a few laptops and maybe a gaming console to connect at once, our Wi-Fi 6 Smart Modem 3 will keep everything connected smoothly. Thanks to our in-built software, your devices will get the Wi-Fi speed they need for a smooth experience.

We also update that software regularly, pushing out millions of little changes to make streaming, working and staying connected easier at home.

The modern home now comes complete with smart assistants, connected TVs, multiple gaming consoles, smartphones everywhere and just as many laptops and tablets. During peak times, you could have tens of devices all connecting to the modem at once, hence the need for the Smart Modem 3 and its multi-channel Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.

The new Telstra Smart Modem 3 continues to support “beamforming” with Wi-Fi 6. This means that instead of broadcasting a signal in all directions, the Smart Modem 3 locks onto the device it’s streaming a connection to for a better experience.

We’ve worked with a third-party to validate that our modem outperformed all the competitors home modems that we tested, giving you the best Wi-Fi experience in the furthest corners of your house, so you can use technology like Wi-Fi 6 to get the most out of your home nbn connection.

Safer than ever

Through Wi-Fi 6, the new Smart Modem 3 delivers major security enhancements to help keep the home wireless network secure. Automatic software updates also ensure the modem’s security protocols are kept up to date.

Outside of the modem, we’re also working on how to keep you safer online.

While other nbn retailers will just sell you the connection to the ‘net (and some make you pay for your modem!), we stop harmful messages, emails and attacks from reaching you in the first place.

Smart diagnosis, more time for you

We’re all hyper-connected, and whether you’re working from home or even running a business: every minute of downtime can prove costly.

The Smart Modem 3 not only has 4G backup that takes over in the event of an nbn outage, but a suite of smart diagnosis tools that help you get back online faster.

Another cool feature called “SmartFix” proactively monitors internet performance and automatically tries to resolve faults in the background before they cause an issue or outage.

We’ve been testing it for a while now and found that it fixes more than 15,000 services a month automatically.

If it runs into an issue it can’t correct by itself, it automatically contacts the customer to organise an appointment with nbn Co if one is required.

And Telstra Smart Troubleshooting helps customers easily diagnose Wi-Fi issues and offers troubleshooting suggestions within the My Telstra app. These proactive support features – and more – help deliver a great customer experience if a fault does occur.

Pricing and release date

You’ll be able to get your hands on the new Smart Modem 3 from today.

Customers who sign-up to our nbn plans will receive a modem included for use with their plan at no extra charge*.

You can also recycle your old modem in your local Telstra store as part of our eCycle Program. Get more info on plans and the new Smart Modem 3.

Things you need to know

* If you leave before 24 months, simply return your modem or pay a $200 non-return fee.