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The first WiFi home phone built for Australian families.

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YOUR NBN CAN POWER YOUR KID'S PHONE

An NBN phone for kids uses your home internet connection to make calls — exactly like a landline, but without the fixed cord. It needs no SIM card, no mobile plan, and no 4G data. The child can only call parent-approved contacts, and cannot access the internet, apps, or social media.

No SIM Required Runs on Your NBN No Internet Access $0 Monthly Cost

Plain Language Explainer

HOW VOIP CALLING OVER NBN WORKS

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is the technology that turns a voice call into data packets and sends them over an internet connection — the same way an email or a web page travels. When the packets arrive at the other end, they are reassembled back into audio. The person you are calling hears your voice in real time.

This is not new technology. Your NBN provider almost certainly already uses VoIP to deliver your home phone line — the phone socket on your NBN box works this way. The difference with a kids WiFi phone is that the device connects wirelessly to your home router rather than through a cable, and the parent controls a whitelist of who can be called.

From your NBN connection's perspective, a VoIP call from a kids phone looks identical to any other small amount of internet traffic. It uses roughly the same data as loading a single webpage — but spread across the duration of the call. A 10-minute call uses less than 5 megabytes of data. On any standard Australian NBN plan, this is negligible.

The critical point for parents: connecting to WiFi for calls is not the same as having internet access. Yaps connects to your WiFi network to make voice calls. It cannot use that connection to browse, stream, download, or access any website or app. The WiFi is the pipe — but the device only uses it for one purpose.

WiFi is the pipe. Yaps only uses it for calls.
The internet connection powers the phone. The phone cannot access the internet.

The Safety Argument

WHY THIS IS SAFER
THAN A SIM PHONE

01

No Mobile Internet

A SIM card connects a device to a mobile network. Even the most basic phones on a SIM have some form of mobile data. With a WiFi-only device, there is no mobile network connection at all — the internet access vector that SIM phones carry does not exist.

02

No Browser or App Store

Yaps has no screen capable of displaying web content and no app store. Even though it connects to WiFi, there is no mechanism by which a child could open a browser or download an app. The restriction is structural, not a setting that can be toggled off.

03

Parent-Controlled Contacts

The approved contact list is set by the parent through a web portal. The child can only call numbers on that list, and can only receive calls from those same numbers. Unknown callers cannot reach the device. There are no group chats, no unknown numbers, no way to add contacts without parent approval.

A SIM phone requires ongoing monitoring and management. An NBN WiFi phone is safe by design — the risk is removed at the hardware level, not managed through settings.

Setup Requirements

WHAT YOU NEED TO
GET STARTED

Setting up an NBN phone for kids is straightforward. You need three things:

1. An active NBN connection. Any NBN plan from any Australian provider will work. The speed tier does not matter — even the minimum NBN 12 plan is more than sufficient for VoIP calls. You do not need to change your plan or contact your provider.

2. A home WiFi router. Your NBN modem-router combination is what connects the Yaps device to the internet. If you have working WiFi in your home, you have what you need. No additional networking equipment is required.

3. The Yaps handset. $149 AUD, one-time cost. The handset connects to your WiFi during setup and is ready to use. You manage the approved contact list through a browser on your own phone or computer — no app download required on your end.

That is the complete list. No SIM card. No mobile plan. No additional monthly fees. No installation appointment. Setup takes approximately 10 minutes.

Cost Breakdown

NBN PHONE VS SIM PHONE —
THE REAL COST OVER 2 YEARS

Cost Yaps (NBN / WiFi) Dumb Phone + SIM Plan
Upfront hardware $149 $50–150 (handset)
Monthly plan $0 $10–30/month
24-month total $149 $290–870
Internet access risk None Yes (even basic phones)
Works outside home No (home only) Yes
Parent contact control Full whitelist Varies
YAPS

How Yaps Uses NBN

YAPS IS AN NBN PHONE
BUILT FOR KIDS

Yaps is a retro handset — designed to look and feel like a classic telephone — that connects to your home WiFi and uses your NBN connection to make voice calls. It is the modern version of a landline: wireless, controlled by the parent, and with zero internet risk.

When a child wants to call someone, they pick up the handset and select from the approved contacts the parent has set up. The call goes out over your NBN connection to the recipient's phone — whether that is a mobile, a landline, or another Yaps device. The person receiving the call does not need a Yaps device.

When someone calls the child, the call only connects if it comes from an approved contact. Unknown numbers cannot reach the device at all. There are no group calls, no voicemail from strangers, and no unsolicited contact.

Yaps is designed for children aged 5 to 10 who spend most of their time at home — after school, weekends, school holidays. It gives them communication independence — the ability to call mum, dad, grandparents, or a friend — without any of the risks that come with a connected device.

Common Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

Does an NBN phone for kids need a separate internet plan?

No. An NBN phone for kids runs over your existing home internet connection — the same NBN plan you already pay for. There is no separate data plan, no additional monthly fee for the device's internet usage, and no SIM card required. The only ongoing cost is optional: if you want your child to call external mobile numbers, a small add-on fee applies. Yaps-to-Yaps calls between two devices are always free.

Can a child access the internet through an NBN phone?

Not with Yaps. Although the device connects to your home WiFi network to make calls, it has no browser, no app store, and no screen for displaying web content. The WiFi connection is used exclusively for voice calls via VoIP technology. The child cannot browse the internet, access social media, download apps, or use the internet connection in any way other than making approved phone calls.

What NBN speed do you need for a kids WiFi phone?

Voice calls over WiFi (VoIP) use a very small amount of bandwidth — approximately 100 kilobits per second per active call. Any standard NBN plan in Australia — including the entry-level NBN 12 tier — is more than sufficient. The call quality will not be affected by other household members using streaming, gaming, or video calls at the same time.

Is a WiFi phone better than a dumb phone for kids in Australia?

For home use, a WiFi phone is generally the better choice for Australian families. A dumb phone with a SIM card requires a monthly mobile plan ($10–30/month), and still provides SMS access which some parents prefer to avoid. A WiFi home phone has no monthly cost beyond your existing NBN plan, no SIM card, no SMS, and no way to access the mobile internet. The tradeoff is that it only works at home — it cannot be taken to school or used outside the house.

Keep Reading

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YAPS

YOUR NBN ALREADY
POWERS THIS PHONE.

No SIM. No plan. No internet access. Just a phone your child can use to call the people you trust — powered by the internet you already pay for.

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