Households will have two broad options: using a wireless router to farm out the internet connection to other rooms in the house, or using wired connections, which will cost more but will deliver faster and more reliable speeds. We spoke to two Sydney-based network engineers and cablers who gave us the following breakdown on potential costs: NBN box with four high-speed data ports and two voice ports – no cost, provided by NBN Co.

Back-up battery – no cost, provided by NBN Co.

Option 1 – install high-speed internet ports in rooms other than the room with the NBN box. Cat 6 cabling parts and labour $150 - $400 per room plus network configuration $150.

– install high-speed internet ports in rooms other than the room with the NBN box. Cat 6 cabling parts and labour $150 - $400 per room plus network configuration $150. Option 2 – use wireless router attached to NBN box, less speed but enough to wirelessly surf the web on laptop or iPad. Wireless router $100 - $200 for max speed 54 megabits per second, $200 - $400 for max speed 300 megabits per second. Most wireless routers available today are not capable of supporting the full speed - up to 1 gigabit per second - promised by the NBN. The latest generation of routers can theoretically handle up to 300 megabits per second but in real world conditions it will be difficult to reach the 100 megabits per second minimum speeds promised by the network.

But this could change by the time the network is available to most metropolitan customers. In that case, many homes will most likely have all of the equipment they need to make full use of the NBN. But those who do not use wireless LAN and want an internet port in every room of their house will need to pay an electrician to wire up their rooms or run internet cables under their carpets. Louis Park, director of Network Computers in Alexandria, said hype surrounding the cost of NBN-proofing people's homes was over the top. "At the end of the day if you're already using an existing broadband connection you'll have most of the networking equipment already in place and you'll simply reuse that equipment on the NBN," Mr Park said.

"Changing the set-up would be pretty minimal." Electrician Andrew Hardingham, whose business Sydney Electrical and Data specialises in installing network cabling, said the price of running cables into different rooms depended on the type of house. "Some houses are built from concrete, in which case getting cabling around it is pretty difficult," he said. "It could be as little as $150 a point but I would think $250 a point would be right on the money [for most homes]." Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said it was reasonable to expect people to pay to install infrastructure that would give them access at the fastest end of the NBN.

"If you want to watch four internet TV channels in four different rooms, yes, you may have to upgrade and that's no different to, say, if Foxtel came into your home and said: 'Here's your package, now will you like Foxtel in another room?' And you pay more money," he said. Upgrading or buying a wireless router was a good compromise between doing nothing and rewiring a home, he said. "You're not chained to the wall, you can move around your house and get the experience from the NBN," Senator Conroy said. More information: • NBN Co frequently asked questions

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