It’s been another busy month at Westnet HQ, so let’s get straight down to business.

This month we’ve given our bundled ADSL1 plans a bit of a makeover, now with even more rewards for Westnet members who combine their broadband with phone. Take a look.

If you’re making early plans for a Christmas holiday, take a look at precautions you can take when using shared computers and public wireless networks while you’re away. Help protect your personal information by taking our handy tips on board when surfing the ‘net in public.

It’s only fitting that this month we’ve got double movie passes up for grabs to see Arthur Christmas – the latest animated film from the folks at Sony. Check out how you can win passes to this great family film in the lead up to Christmas.

That’s it for this month, until next time.

Summer’s just around the corner, so we’ve whipped our residential ADSL1 plans into better shape with bigger quotas and better prices when bundled with phone.

As part of the changes, we’ve introduced more benefits for bundling ADSL1 broadband with phone – like boosts to monthly download quota, faster speeds and big discounts on monthly bills.

If you’re currently on an eligible ADSL1 Home plan bundled with phone, you’ll be automatically migrated to a new-and-improved plan in the next week or two (if you haven’t already). Keep an eye out for an email with more details.

Plan features and pricings stay the same for those on a stand-alone ADSL1 plan without phone (but you’re more than welcome to get in on the act).  Click your way through our new-look ADSL1 bundled plans for more information.

We continue to grow the Westnet Freezone, with notable inclusions such as the lead-up coverage of the World Sailing Championships in Perth next month, extra entertainment for children and loads of other great content.

2011 World Sailing Championships

The 2011 ISAF World Sailing Championships come to Perth in December and the Perth 2011 ISAF channel is now part of the Freezone.

Take a look at videos from the Perth International Regatta, Perth 2011 Emerging Nations Programme, highlights from the Australia Cup Match Racing and more.

Racing World Daily Bite

The frocks were out and suits pressed for the 2011 Spring Racing Carnival and Freezone has highlights from the colourful action, plus updates from each big day of racing available on Daily Bite.

Freezone Kids

We’ve now included all videos in the main Freezone website so young and old can enjoy. There’s heaps of shows available quota free including the Transformers Animated series, He Man, Finley the Fire Engine, Ghostbusters, She Ra Princess, Boom & Reds and more. Tune into Freezone kids.

ABC iView

Just a reminder that ABC iView comes unmetered through the Freezone thanks to our great friends from the ABC. Catch up on all the best ABC TV, with most shows available on demand to watch up to 14 days after it’s been added. Mind you, ABC News24 channel is an exception to the rule and is not quota free.

Although convenient, using the Internet on a shared computer or over a public wireless network (WiFi) can make you more vulnerable to theft, fraud and hardware infections.

While browsing at a library, café, hotel or airport, it’s important to take some extra care and limit the amount of personal information you transmit. These handy hints will help you keep your private bits private when you’re out and about.

Think before you click; cover your tracks

Be mindful of the sites you visit when using a computer or device that’s not part of your secure home network.

- When logging onto a website or checking email, untick the box that saves your personal information like usernames and passwords. This simple step means your details won’t be visible to the next person that uses the computer.

- Delete browsing history before logging off. Browsers store information about the sites you visit, so it’s a good idea you clear your browsing and download history, cookies and cache.

- Limit the amount of personal banking and online shopping you do when using public computers or WiFi. Stick to general browsing where your private details and passwords are not required.

Watch your back

Always be aware of your surroundings when using an Internet café.

- If possible, choose a computer with a screen that faces a wall or has unattended computers around it.

- “Shoulder surfing” is when someone snoops over your shoulder to read what you’re typing. Just like when you’re using an ATM, make sure no one is watching what you’re doing and what you’re typing.

- If you leave the computer for any reason, even to grab a quick coffee, log out so that your computer can’t be accessed by a passer-by.

A word on hotspots

When you connect to a public wireless access point (or hotspot) it’s likely the connection is not secure; making it possible for others using the same network to monitor your activity.

- Avoid hotspots that are run by people or organisations you don’t know. The not so nice out there can set up rogue networks and access your private information.

- Upon connection, if you’re prompted to select a network type, always select “public” when connecting to a WiFi network outside of your home. This gives you increased security so you can rest a little easier.

- If you keep personal files on your PC consider making them unreadable to others (also known as encrypting) so they’re protected from snooping outsiders that might be using the same public network.

Safe surfing

As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. These final precautions provide peace of mind and are best practiced whenever you’re using a public computer or connection.

- When you’re done, disable your device’s wireless and Bluetooth. It can save your security from being compromised and, as a bonus, it will save your battery life.

- Avoid using your USB memory stick in public computers because malicious software can transfer from an infected computer to your home PC. If you must transfer documents via USB, make sure your virus scanner vets the stick before you use it again.

- Make sure your security settings are always up-to-date. This means activating virus definitions, firewalls, and anti spyware.

Westnet and Sony Pictures are proud to present Arthur Christmas – when two billion presents are delivered in one night.

This animated family comedy answers every child’s question: “How does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole.

But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero: Santa’s youngest son, Arthur. When this amazing operation misses one child out of hundreds of millions, the least capable Claus embarks on a hilarious, exciting rogue mission against the clock to deliver the last present before Christmas morning dawns.

Thanks to Sony Pictures, we’ve got 25 double passes to see Arthur Christmas (yet to be classified), in cinemas November 24^th. To be in the running to win, email newsletter@westnet.com.au with “Arthur Christmas” as your email subject. Please include your full name, postal address and Westnet username to be eligible. Entries close Wednesday, November 23. One entry per member.

It’s exciting times ahead with the National Broadband Network is really gathering speed.

Earlier this month Westnet unveiled its new NBN plans available to those in early release sights, big on speed and big on value. Take a look at what’s on offer and even check our coverage map to see the areas where fibre-optic broadband is now available.

October means Christmas is just around the corner, so chances are you’ve started to think about gift-buying for the festive season. A strong Australian dollar is seeing more people head online to shop, so this month we take a look at some of the steps you can take to help ensure a safe and secure online experience.

As always, we’ve also got a bundle of giveaways so get your entries in early for your chance to win a double pass to one of two new movie releases.

Thanks for reading; see you next month.

On October 1^st we were excited to unveil our brand new NBN offering – a mix of three plans with a range of simple options to make life easy for our customers in NBN-ready areas.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is changing the way Australians access the Internet thanks to lightning-fast fibre optic technology. Westnet is excited to be a foundation partner of NBNCo and the leading provider of this state-of-art Internet service.

Our residential NBN plans start from $49.95 per month for minimum speeds of 12 Mbps, with the option to upgrade to speeds of up to 100Mbps with our ‘Turbo Pack’.

Right now there are several thousand Australians lucky enough to be in the first NBN-enabled areas. To see if you’re one of them, visit our NBN coverage page for maps and further details.

It’s all happening pretty fast, but our NBN experts are ready to bring you up to speed on getting connected and making the most of your super-fast broadband speeds.

If you’re a lucky Westnet member who’s been trialling the NBN up until now, keep an eye on your inbox for details on how you can continue to enjoy broadband in the fast lane.

It’s more than just a fancy name – Wireless Bridge puts an end to running long cables around the house, coming up with a shiny new product that makes it a cinch to connect entertainment units to your broadband.

Wireless Bridge explained

Just as the name suggests, Wireless Bridge hardware is used for quickly and easily connecting internet-reliant products to the one broadband connection.

Thinking big, a wireless bridge can be used by large companies to link two or more buildings to a central network connection, but for the everyday internet user it helps create a stronger wireless connection throughout the home or office. Wireless Bridge can be used to link your modem to a fetchtv service, Xbox or PlayStation, or any device that relies on the internet to work. This means less wiring throughout the house, which can only be a good thing.

Wireless Bridge devices come as a pair, one on each side of the “bridge”. By connecting one half of the bridge to your wireless modem and the other to your receiver device, Wireless Bridge technology is a handy way to lock in a stronger and smoother wireless connection, helping eliminate dead spots around the home.

New Westnet members can pick up Wireless Bridge for just $119 as part of the fetchtv signup, while existing members can get it via MyAccount.

For more information Wireless Bridge, visit our hardware page.