NOW Broadband Review

Summary: 

• NOW in a Nutshell: NOW is one of the largest broadband providers in the country, and its differentiating factor is its immense commitment to offering the best broadband technical support in New Zealand.
• Coverage: NOW offers ADSL, VDSL, and Fibre broadband nationwide, to find out what type of service is available in your area, visit their website
• Plans and Pricing: NOW offers three plans, the 125GB Plan (from $75/month), the Unlimited Plan (from $85/month), and the Ultra Unlimited Plan (from $99/month).

 
How to get the best price on NOW broadband plan: 

1. New Customers: Plans with NOW are cheapest when you sign up for an unlimited data plan, and don't plan to change providers for at least 12 months (therefore avoiding the early exit fee).
2. Renewing: If you're happy with NOW and would like to continue, the best approach is to compare the pricing when your contract comes up for renewal. If NOW is offering a better deal than the renew rate, contact their support team and ask for them to apply it to your account.

 
Our review: 
This guide details the five plans’ pros and cons and compares the plans side-by-side and outlines those most suitable for NOW for broadband. We cover:

• NOW Broadband Set Up and Installation Charges
• How fast is a NOW broadband connection?
• Comparing NOW Plans - 80GB vs Unlimited vs Ultimate Unlimited vs Rural Broadband Plan
• Choosing the Right NOW Plan
• NOW Broadband Frequently Asked Questions

Know this first: When comparing broadband providers, service setup charges are an essential part of the deal. Fortunately, in the case of NOW, there are no major differences between its broadband plans since all have the same setup costs. 

1. Set up fee: NOW does not charge any set-up fee for standard installations, that is, when you already have an existing ADSL, VDSL, or Fibre connection at home. However, if that’s not the case, you may end up paying a non-standard set-up fee.
2. Modem: Regarding the modem, when signing up with NOW you can bring your own modem (BYO), rent the standard Netcomm router for $10/month, pay it upfront ($120), or opt for a next-gen Whole-home Wi-Fi kit for $40/month ($480 if you prefer paying it upfront). In all cases, you will have to pay a small delivery and handling fee of $14.

 
Important: 
There are no set up fees associated with standard ADSL/VDSL or Fibre installations. However, you may have to pay a non-standard installation fee if your household does not already have a fibre connection. 

The speed of your internet connection will be determined by the type of line available in your area. Depending on your location, NOW may have VDSL, Standard Fibre or the newest HyperFibre lines available. Below is a reference of what to expect from each line: 

• NOW’s ADSL/VDSL Speed: Up to 70Mbps download speed / 10Mbps upload speed
• NOW’s Fibre Speed: Up to 100Mbps download speed / 20Mbps upload speed
• NOW’s Ultra Unlimited Fibre Speed: Up to 900Mbps download speed / 400Mbps upload speed

NOW offers three fixed-line broadband plans, the 125GB Plan, the Unlimited Plan, and the Ultra Unlimited Plan. Also, for extra $19.95/month ($16/month on Ultra Plan), you can sign to Home Assist Membership which gets you access to unlimited remote tech assistance, two in-home visits per year to enhance your household wireless network, 10% off NOW’s smart-home products and more. For detailed information regarding Home Tech Assist, you can visit NOW’s website.
 
Important: The pricing below assumes you choose a “naked” broadband plan, with no phone line add-ons.

Our view is that, for most homes and professional content creators, the 'middle tier' Unlimited Fibre Plan offers the best value for your money. As runner-up, you have the Ultra Unlimited which offers excellent value for Fast Fibre broadband at $99/month.

To determine which plan best suits your needs, consider the following specifications and features:
 
1. Connection Speed: In general terms:

• The ADSL/VDSL Plans offers a connection speed adequate to perform the most usual online tasks at home, from reading the news and emails to watching YouTube videos or streaming services. In other words, when signing up for 125GB or Unlimited plans, you can choose this technology if your home does not require heavy use of bandwidth-consuming applications.
• The Standard Fibre Plans by selecting a fibre plan; you can enjoy reliable 100/20 Mbps speeds that are more suitable for larger families that require more bandwidth to enjoy HD streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ etc. This speed also offers more than enough speed and bandwidth for most content creators and online professionals.
• Ultra Unlimited Plan This plan only offers one option, the super-fast 950/500 Mbps connection which is an excellent choice for professionals that work from home, content creators, and large families with huge bandwidth requirements.

 
2. Flexibility:

• This is possibly NOW's weakest point since it does not offer open term plans unlike most broadband providers. This is a clear disadvantage for all those who do not feel comfortable sticking to a 12-month contract and landlords and tenants looking for more flexible and untethered broadband service.

 
3. Set-Up Charges:

• To make up for its lack of open term plans NOW offers a free installation service for all homes with an existing ADSL, VDSL, or Fiber connection. However, take into account that if your address does not have such a connection, you will have to pay a non-standard connection fee that will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Another notable weakness of NOW is that it does not offer the option of a free modem in any of its plans. You have the option to bring your own modem (BYO), rent a basic modem for $10/month, buy said Netcomm router for $120, or rent NOW's whole-home Wi-Fi kit for $40/month (or a one-off payment of $480 ). In all cases, a shipping fee of $14 also applies. Simply put, if you are considering any of NOW's plans, you should be prepared to bear these additional costs.

 
4. Monthly Costs: From a cost point of view, it is clear that ADSL and VDSL plans are not a good alternative. You end up paying the same rate as fibre plans, giving you greater speed, stability, and bandwidth. On the other hand, while it is true that the Unlimited and Ultra Unlimited plans offer great value for your money, you should take into account the previous point (set-up charges) where we mentioned that you should rent your router for an additional $10/month. All in all, in our opinion, NOW fibre plans make more sense when you already have a modem or are willing to buy it when you sign up for the plan.
 
5. Additional perks: NOW is a provider that focuses on providing the best possible technical support to its customers. In this sense, it offers two unique subscriptions, the Remote Assist Membership ($9.95/month) and the In-Home Assist Membership ($19.95/month on all plans except Ultra where has a discounted price of $16/month). Solving all customer problems and providing live support is certainly an advantage that other providers do not have. In that sense, if you are looking for a broadband provider with a premium level of support, then NOW is a good alternative to consider. On the other hand, if you are the type of person used to dealing with WiFi technology, probably none of these services are of interest.

To help you decide if NOW is right for your home, we've included several frequently asked questions to help you know more about the service.

Most likely - you'll need to type in your address to see if you're covered. You can do that here under See Availability.

No, unfortunately NOW does not offer a free modem in any of its plans. However, you can bring your own modem (BYO) using NOW’s recommended setting.

Yes, NOW offers two technical support subscriptions, the Remote Assist Membership ($9.95/month) and the In-Home Assist Membership ($19.95/month on all plans except Ultra where has a discounted price of $16/month). Moreover, NOW also offers the option to rent or buy a whole-home WiFi router kit for better signal coverage in large or multi-level households. In addition to those perks, you can also add a Static IP address to any plan for $5/month.

No, NOW does not offer an open-term contract since all its plans require a 12-month membership.

No, NOW does not offer discounts for broadband plans; however, it does not charge any set-up fee to households that already have an ADSL/VDSL/Fibre connection.

NOW is a Hawke's Bay-owned broadband company that also has huge participation of Spark (26%).

Yes, you can add unlimited local calls $5/month or you can add a plethora of call packs ranging from $10/month to $30/month.