Made with upgraded wireless technology, Telstra has launched its Smart Modem 4 for personal and business internet customers.
It uses Wi-Fi 7 technology, an upgrade from the Gen 3 model’s Wi-Fi 6 specs, and now has a 5G fallback should your home internet drop out. As you might expect, this backup option applies to Telstra customers signed up to one of the telco’s Upfront Internet plans that start at $93 per month.
Don’t expect blazingly fast speeds on the 5G backup, though. Telstra says it’s capped at 25Mbps download speeds and 5Mbps uploads, which is fine for most internet-based tasks.
Although it’s a Wi-Fi 7 device, the Telstra Smart Modem 4 only includes 2.4GHz and 5GHz network bands. There’s no faster 6GHz band, which is typically reserved for pricier routers. That’s not a huge omission, considering Telstra’s modem costs a relatively inexpensive $240 outright via the telco’s website. Or, if you stick with a Telstra internet plan for 24 months, it comes at no extra cost.
However, the addition of Wi-Fi 7 means that the router supports Multi-Link Operation (MLO). MLO lets compatible devices access multiple network bands at the same time, helping secure a stronger connection if one band encounters interference.
Telstra claims that the Smart Modem 4 “is capable of faster theoretical maximum Wi-Fi speeds”, but doesn’t list the potential speeds on the device’s specs page. It includes one gigabit WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports, and one USB 2.0 slot.
Without knowing the exact wireless speeds, it’s tricky to determine how well-suited the modem is for the NBN speed upgrade in September. Telstra advertises the modem as being ready for higher speed tiers, but the lack of multigigabit ports means the new NBN 2000 plans would be out of reach.
