What you need to know about NBN evening speed

What is NBN evening speed?

NBN evening speed refers to a period (generally at night, typically between 7pm and 11pm) when the internet tends to slow down because of increased traffic—i.e. everyone hopping online at once to surf the web or stream their favourite shows.

Due to the congestion on the NBN network during this peak time, you might find it takes a little longer to load pages and upload/download files compared to when fewer people are online. 

Does the NBN only slow down in the evening?

No. Despite the name, evening speeds can occur at any time of the day when a large number of people are using their NBN connection.

With the rise of work from home and more users being online during traditional office hours, you may find yourself experiencing ‘evening speeds’ more often.

What are the typical NBN evening speeds? 

NBN evening speeds will differ from provider to provider and plan to plan.

This list of the typical evening speeds from popular Australian NBN providers as of March 2022 can help you get a gauge of how speeds can fluctuate:

As you can see, not all NBN connections slow down much, or at all, come night time. This is thanks to the respective Internet Service Providers (ISPs) controlling the amount of congestion on their network by purchasing the right amount of NBN bandwidth for their customer base, which allows them to handle congestion more effectively.

Why do I need to know the NBN evening speed?

It’s important to know what NBN evening speed you’ll be getting when you sign up for an NBN plan, so you’re aware of any circumstances that may affect the usefulness of the service to you. If you do lots of work at night that requires a super quick internet connection, you’ll want to know you’ve chosen a plan that’s not going to mean you’re inconvenienced when you need the service most.

Knowing the typical evening speed of NBN plans can also help you:

• see how your service should perform during peak hours
• easily compare services between providers, so you can choose a plan that suits your budget and internet habits
• identify if your service is not operating as it should.

What do I do if my evening speed is too slow?

If you’re finding it hard to enjoy a movie or get things done because your internet keeps buffering, it might be time to reconsider your NBN plan.

Moving to a new plan with a higher speed tier may help you experience better speeds in the evening, as well as the day.

Are there other reasons why my internet may be slow?

Yes. Your internet can become sluggish because of factors beyond user congestion. These include:

• the length and quality of the copper cabling used in your NBN connection
• the condition of your in-home wiring (this can often be assessed by your ISP)
• where your Wi-Fi router is housed; the closer you are to the router, and the less obstructions in the way, the better your signal may be
• the number of household members and devices that are online at the same time
• connecting to your router or modem via Wi-Fi instead of an Ethernet LAN cable
• the age of the hardware and software you use to access the web (i.e. modem, router, laptop or mobile) 
• depending on the content you’re trying to access, there may be insufficient server capacity or other issues affecting a specific website or online game
• letting applications operate in the background, performing activities such as updates and uploads/downloads, could contribute to slower speeds.

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