Orcon Broadband Review
We review Orcon broadband's five broadband plans and outline the pros and cons of each, benefits and how to get the best price.
Updated 12 May 2022
Summary:
How to get the best price on Orcon broadband plan:
Our review:
In this guide, we detail the pros and cons of the five plans, compare the plans side-by-side, and outline how to choose the best Orcon broadband plan for you. We cover:
- Orcon in a Nutshell: Orcon is the third-largest broadband provider in New Zealand with an approximate market share of 13%. Besides its leading position as a broadband provider, Orcon is also a top electricity and mobile operator in the country.
- Coverage: Orcon provides broadband services to most of New Zealand, to check availability in your area you can enter your address on Orcon's broadband page.
- Plans and Pricing: Orcon offers four plans:
- Fibre (100/300Mbps) Plan (from $89.95/month)
- Fibre Pro 950Mbps Plan (from $99.95/month)
- Hyperfibre 20000Mbps Plan (from $149.95/month)
- Hyperfibre 4000Mbps Plan (from $184.95/month)
- Hyperfibre 8000Mbps Plan (from $274.95/month)
How to get the best price on Orcon broadband plan:
- New Customers: Plans with Orcon are cheapest when you sign up for 12-months and bundle your Broadband plan with other Orcon services.
- Renewing: If you're happy with Orcon and would like to continue, the best approach is to compare the pricing when your contract comes up for renewal. If Orcon 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:
In this guide, we detail the pros and cons of the five plans, compare the plans side-by-side, and outline how to choose the best Orcon broadband plan for you. We cover:
Christopher Walsh, Founder of MoneyHub, shares his views on comparing broadband providers:
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Orcon Broadband Set Up and Installation Charges
Know this first: When comparing broadband providers, service setup charges are an essential part of the deal. Fortunately, in the case of Orcon, there are no major differences between its broadband plans since all have the same set-up costs.
Important:
There are no set up fees associated standard fibre installations. However, you may have to pay a non-standard installation fee of $199 if your household does not already have a fibre connection, and the technician needs to do all the necessary wiring. The same fee of $199 applies to new installations of other Hyperfibre connections.
- Set up fee: Orcon 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.
- Modem: When signing up with Orcon, you have the option to either bring your own modem (BYO) or use the one provided by Orcon for free. Keep in mind though that a shipping and handling fee of $14.95 will apply.
Important:
There are no set up fees associated standard fibre installations. However, you may have to pay a non-standard installation fee of $199 if your household does not already have a fibre connection, and the technician needs to do all the necessary wiring. The same fee of $199 applies to new installations of other Hyperfibre connections.
Orcon Broadband Customer Service and Outage Support
- Orcon's Technical Team Hours are 8 am - 10 pm, during weekdays, and 8 am to 8 pm on weekends.
- Unlike other broadband providers, most support queries are taken by email instead of the phone. Nevertheless, Orcon does provide a free Technical Support phone 0800 13 14 15 if you are not able to use the email channel.
- Alternatively, you can use the Live Chat feature of the Orcon website from 10 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday.
- Last but not least, you could also check Orcon’s knowledge base.
How Fast is an Orcon Broadband Connection?
The speed of your internet connection will be determined by the type of line available in your area. Depending on your location, Orcon is dedicated to Fibre and Hyperfibre connections. Below is a reference of what to expect from each line:
- Orcon’s Fibre Speed: Up to 300Mbps download speed / 20Mbps upload speed
- Orcon’s Fibre Pro Speed: Up to 950Mbps download speed / 500Mbps upload speed
- Orcon’s Hyperfibre Speeds: Up to 8000Mbps download and upload speed
Comparing Orcon Plans - Fibre vs Hyperfibre
Orcon is focused on fibre, offering a Fibre plan, a Fibre Pro plan and three Hyperfibre plans. We outline the offering of each, as well as the pros and cons.
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Orcon Fibre Plan ReviewSummary: The Fibre Plan offers enough bandwidth and speed to meet the expectations of large families requiring a fast and reliable connection to enjoy video streaming services on multiple screens simultaneously
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Orcon Fibre Pro Broadband Plan ReviewSummary: Orcon’s Pro Fibre Plan is ideal for large families, content creators and online professionals in need of a super-fast broadband service either for work or fun.
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Orcon Hyperfibre Plans ReviewSummary: The three plans give you the fastest internet connections currently available in New Zealand, ideal for content creators and professionals who work from home and need as much bandwidth as possible.
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Which Orcon Broadband Plan is the Best?
- Our view is that, for most homes, the Fibre Broadband Plan offers the best value for your money. Moreover, if you combine it with power or mobile services from Orcon, you can get an even better value which is always welcome.
- On the other hand, for professionals working from home, the value offered by the Fibre Pro plan difficult to ignore. For an extra $10/month you can enjoy a considerably faster connection, ideal for bandwidth-hungry applications.
Choosing the Right Orcon Plan - Fibre vs Fibre Pro vs Hyperfibre Plans
To determine which plan best suits your needs, consider the following specifications and features:
1. Connection Speed: In general terms:
2. Flexibility:
3. Set-Up Charges:
4. Monthly Costs: One of the great advantages that Orcon offers are its rates. The Fibre and Pro Fibre plans offer an excellent cost/benefit ratio. Furthermore, since these plans offer both the modem and the installation for free, they become an exciting alternative to consider.
1. Connection Speed: In general terms:
- The Fibre Plan is more suitable for medium and large-sized families that require additional bandwidth to enjoy video streaming from services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+ etc.
- The Fibre Pro Plan offers more than adequate speed for enjoying 4k video streaming in multiple screens, high-quality audio streaming, content creation, gaming, and more.
- The Hyperfibre plans are a one-of-a-kind plan, offering the fastest connection available in New Zealand. This plan will definitely meet the expectations of content creators, developers, gamers, and Kiwi families requiring mind-blowing download and upload speeds.
- If, like most people, you're looking for a specific speed, data limit or have a fixed budget, we suggest reviewing our broadband comparison. This trusted list outlines our top providers and is grouped by unlimited fibre, open plans, capped broadband, 4G/5G and gamer-focused plans. We shortlist the best plans that deliver fast speeds, low (or zero) setup costs, great support, flexible terms and competitive monthly costs.
2. Flexibility:
- Evaluating the flexibility that Orcon offers, there is one positive and one negative factor. On the one hand, Orcon allows you to add a large number of additional services at reasonable prices, and even get discounts. But on the other hand, all plans require signing a 12 or 24-month contract, which can be a deal-breaker for many Kiwis, especially when you consider the $250 early termination fee.
3. Set-Up Charges:
- One of the great advantages that Orcon offers is that the Fibre plans come with free modem rental and free installation, so the only thing you have to pay is $14.95 for shipping and handling of the modem. However, the Hyperfibre Plans come with a $199 set up fee.
4. Monthly Costs: One of the great advantages that Orcon offers are its rates. The Fibre and Pro Fibre plans offer an excellent cost/benefit ratio. Furthermore, since these plans offer both the modem and the installation for free, they become an exciting alternative to consider.
Orcon Broadband Frequently Asked Questions
To help you decide if Orcon is right for your home, we've included several frequently asked questions to help you know more about the service.
Is Orcon available at my address?
Most likely - you'll need to type in your address to see if you're covered. You can do that here under See Availability.
Does Orcon offer a free modem?
Yes, Orcon offers a free modem with every plan. If you prefer, you could also set up your own modem. For further information regarding using your own modem read Orcon Knowledge Base.
Does Orcon offer additional perks?
Yes, Orcon offers many perks with most of its plans. From a Google Nest Wi-fi Pro to discounts on other services, Orcon is one of the providers who add more value to its broadband plans.
Does Orcon offer an open term contract?
No, unfortunately, Orcon does not offer open term contracts.
Does Orcon offer discounts for broadband plans?
Yes - You can get 10% off when you bundle broadband and power services; additionally, you can also get $5 off for each mobile plan you add to your account (maximum 4 lines are allowed)
Who owns Orcon?
Orcon is owned by Vocus Group Limited, a telecommunications company based in Sydney, Australia.
Does Orcon offer a home phone add-on with its broadband plans?
Yes – Orcon does provide phone lines, as part of its portfolio of add-on services.
