Home Support Centre All about fibre What is Home Fibre 920 and how does it work?

What is Home Fibre 920 and how does it work?

Home Fibre 920 delivers gigabit broadband and is the best home broadband available on the Chorus network – combining the best broadband technology (fibre) with the fastest residential plan available. Home Fibre 920 is available to everyone connected to the Chorus fibre network.

Check to see if you can get Home Fibre 920 at your address

So how does it work?
Chorus provides your gigabit broadband connection using world-leading GPON (Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks) and GE (Gigabit Ethernet) technology, built under our ultra-fast broadband contract with the New Zealand Government.

Chorus Home Fibre 920 broadband operates at a maximum download speed of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), and 550 megabits per second (Mbps) upload speeds. In practice, due to network overheads, the service you get from your broadband provider should achieve peak average download speeds around 850Mbps and average upload speeds around 500Mbps.

What are network overheads?
Chorus provides your Home Fibre 920 broadband connection using GPON (Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks) and GE (Gigabit Ethernet) technology. That technology uses approximately 5-10% of your 1Gbps download and 550Mbps upload capacity to package up and carry your data backwards and forwards. We call that network overheads.

These overheads mean that you should see average download speeds around 850Mbps and average upload speeds of 500Mbps. If you are consistently experiencing download speeds of less than 850Mbps when you conduct a speed test please check your computer is connected to your modem using an ethernet cable or contact your broadband provider.

What can I expect from Home Fibre 920? 
While you have an ultra-fast Home Fibre 920 broadband connection, there are other things that influence the speed you will ultimately experience when online. These are:

Your modem
To experience your plan to its full capacity you need a gigabit-compatible modem. Some modems can only reach maximum speeds of 100, 200 or 500Mbps, so ask your broadband provider whether your modem can handle gigabit speeds.

Your home wifi
The age and layout of your wifi can affect the experience you have when accessing the Internet using your home wifi network. You should also make sure your modem is positioned where you are using your Internet the most. Larger houses may need wifi extenders which boost your signal to ensure you have an optimal experience no matter where in the house you are. Your electronics retailer will be able to give you advice here.
A wired connection correctly installed will provide a more consistent and faster internet experience.

Your device
If the hardware or operating system on the smartphone, tablet or computer you’re using is older, your device could have trouble processing high-speed broadband. Check that your computers, laptops and smart devices have the capacity for gigabit broadband technology and have updated software and protection against viruses or malware. There’s heaps of info online or your friendly electronics retailer can provide guidance here.

How information travels
While Chorus Home Fibre 920 broadband can reach peak average speeds around 850Mbps, the sites that you are connecting to might not be able to respond as quickly. If you’re connecting to a website, their server could slow you down based on where in the world it’s located and the technology that site is using, even if your broadband connection is top notch.

Your broadband provider’s network and capacity
Chorus provides a gigabit broadband connection between your address and your broadband provider’s network. From there your broadband provider delivers your plan to you. The capacity of the provider’s network can affect your ultimate experience. They’ll be able to tell you more.

How much does Home Fibre 920 cost?
Charges for all broadband plans differ depending on the details of the plan and the broadband provider you choose. Websites like broadbandcompare.co.nz and glimp.co.nz present information and costs for plans from multiple providers making it simple to view your options in one place.