Please stop selling NBN boxes on Gumtree and Facebook: NBN

If you’ve ever browsed Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, you’ve likely seen people selling something that’s definitely not theirs.

Online marketplaces in Australia are full of listings for “NBN connection boxes” – devices that allow you to use the internet by connecting your home or workplace to the national broadband network.

These little boxes, usually white or black with the NBN Co logo, are found hidden under desks or in cupboards in most Australian homes. Importantly, they do not belong to either the homeowner or the person who signed up to the internet provider.

NBN Co owns these boxes and is aware that people are selling them online. They want you to know that people are fed up with having to replace them once they have them.

“NBN Co owns the NBN connection boxes and they should not be removed, sold or moved to a different address. Each box is attached to a specific property and should remain there,” an NBN Co spokesperson said. My godMost devices have the phrase “NBN feature” on them.

Despite this, there are currently dozens of NBN boxes for sale online for up to $60, despite the fact that they are both free and – if they are pre-installed – completely useless when used anywhere other than the original address. This has been an ongoing problem for years, and it is unclear whether any of these boxes have actually been purchased.

One cause of this issue is thought to be confusion between NBN boxes and the devices used to connect homes to the internet.

NBN connection boxes — also called network terminal devices — are modems that connect to the curb via a fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) or hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) connection. Then there are routers (sometimes called modems) that connect your phone or computer to the individual’s NBN box, either over a wired or wireless network.

If your eyes are glazed over, all you really need to understand is that in most of our homes there are two internet boxes with flashing lights talking to each other. One has to stay in the house and is owned by the NBN; the other is owned by the occupant and goes with them if they move. Understandably, people get the two confused and so they both get online.

When this happens My god The reporter tried to tell people listing the boxes for sale to stay home, but the responses they received suggested they were not grateful for the help:

“Okay, people are selling these on Gumtree. I’m not the only one.”

“Anyone can use it, brand new, never used.”

“Listen, first of all, if you’re not buying it this is none of your business, secondly this is NEW IN THE BOX so it has never been installed or shipped in ANY HOME BEFORE, thirdly the supplier sent me a written email saying I can do what I want so please stop bothering me. Goodbye.”

NBN Co in 2020 and 2021 Replace 101,402 boxesAlthough a significant portion were due to lightning damage. The company said that even among the missing boxes, the majority were not sold online. Many were likely taken by Australians who were moving and were expecting to have to install these devices in their next home.

Understandably, NBN Co is trying to tell people that there is no point in stockpiling these little internet boxes.

“We are currently running an information campaign to educate the public about the importance of leaving boxes behind when moving. We are also collaborating with the property sector and exploring how we can work with them to reduce the frequency of lost devices.”