1

Your Plusnet
handbook

v1.10
Hi, welcome to Plusnet Contents
Getting your broadband up and running should be pretty straightforward. Before you’re up and running... 3
Your activation date, your router and how to log in to your online account.

Your broadband speed 4

Just so you know exactly what to expect, it’s well worth reading this Your speed, what can affect it and going faster with Plusnet Fibre.

handbook. We’ve based it on the experiences of other new Plusnet Keeping track of your broadband usage 5
How to check your usage and what happens if you go over your allowance.
customers. So, we hope it’ll give you lots of useful information, as well as
Using your Plusnet email 6
showing you where to look if you’d like to find out more. Get a Plusnet email address and find out how to use it.

Plusnet Home Phone 7

How to switch your phone to Plusnet and which calls are included if you do.
Of course, our UK based, award-winning customer Support Team is
Understanding your bill 8
always here to help if you need us. How and when we’ll take your bills and how to check them.

Where to find help 9

Find the help you need in Help & Support on our website.
Happy browsing!
How to get in touch 10
What to do if you’re having problems and how to contact our Support Team.

Plusnet Protect and Plusnet SafeGuard 11

How to stop computer viruses and filter out inappropriate content.

Refer your friends and Our community 12

Earn money by referring your friends to Plusnet.
Sarah Hague
Advanced router details 13
Head of Customer Operations Wi-Fi details for your Plusnet router and setup details for other routers.
 Before you’re up and running...
> Activation
today
3

Activation today Email or text notification

Your activation date Setting up your Plusnet router

How long it takes to activate your services depends on what you’ve ordered and If you’ve ordered a Plusnet router, it should arrive a day or two before your
what services you already have: broadband activation date.

• Switching from another provider: will take a minimum of 10 full working days Please wait until we’ve confirmed that your broadband is ready to use before setting
up your router.
• If you need an engineer to install the service: we’ll arrange the appointment to
install the service on the earliest available date

We’ll aim to get your services activated on the same day, although for some orders
your phone line may be ready a few days before your broadband. As soon as we
know your activation date, we’ll contact you via email (and text if we have your
number) to let you know.

If we need to speak to you about your order, we’ll contact you through the details
stored on your account.

To manage your contact details, log in to www.plus.net/mydetails (see below if you Our routers come with everything you need to get started. Just follow the simple
need help) and follow the on-screen instructions. step-by-step booklet included with your router.

Logging in to your online account

If you’re not using a Plusnet router...
You’ll need your Account Username and Password to log in. You chose these when
you signed up. You’ll need the connection settings shown on page 13 to get set up.

If you need a reminder of your Account Username, you’ll find it in the emails we sent Want to use a router from another broadband provider? Be aware that most
after you signed up. providers lock routers to their network so you may not be able to use it.

And if you need a Password reminder, go to www.plus.net/forgotpassword and If you need a Plusnet router, contact our Support Team and we’ll arrange to
follow the on-screen instructions. send you one, subject to the same terms offered to new customers.
 Your broadband speed 4

Your speed estimate Plusnet Fibre

Your speed should be close to the estimate we gave when you signed up. If you Traditionally, broadband speed has been limited
want to check this, it’ll be in your Welcome to Plusnet email. by the telephone network it’s supplied on. The
longer the line (between the exchange and your
We’ll also send a reminder two weeks after your service is activated, comparing your home), the slower your broadband will be.
estimate to the actual speed you’re getting.
That’s because the telephone network was
originally designed to carry phone calls, rather
During your first 10 days than broadband data.

We’ll check your service to find out the fastest stable speed that your line can With Plusnet Fibre, new fibre optic cables designed to carry huge amounts of data
support. supply the broadband signal, so distance from the exchange is no longer a problem.

As we do this, your speed will go up and down and you may occasionally lose your
connection. Don’t worry, it’ll come back straightaway. What this means for you
After 10 days, your line will settle down and your speed should become more With fibre optic technology we can offer super-fast speeds, far higher than standard
consistent. Small changes in speed are normal and nothing to worry about. broadband.

And it’s not just about speed - Plusnet Fibre means you can do so much more online.
If your speed isn’t what you were expecting
Whether it’s gaming, streaming video or downloading music, Plusnet Fibre means
There are a number of things that can affect your speed. These include: your whole household can go online at the same time, without slowing each other
down or having to wait for someone else to finish what they’re doing.
• The quality and length of your line from the exchange to your home
• Bad weather and electrical interference
• Problems with your phone line
• Where you put your router Find out more about broadband speed
• How often you switch your equipment off
For more about broadband speeds and tips to help you get the best out of
You can avoid most problems by following the speed tips on our website. See the your broadband, see www.plus.net/speedhelp
link on the right to find out more.
 Keeping track of your broadband usage 5

Checking your usage is easy. Just log in to www.plus.net/usage and you’ll see the following information:

• Your broadband product

• Your billing period (the time your usage How much of your allowance you’ve used (so
allowance applies to) far) during your current billing period.
• Your usage allowance and when it
applies (usage doesn’t count towards
your allowance between midnight and
8am)

This graph shows your usage in your current

billing period.

• Usage this month: a daily breakdown of The pink bar shows how much of your
usage in your current billing period allowance you’ve used in your current billing
• Usage history: your total usage for each period. The blue bar shows how much of your
of the last 3 billing periods usage is free usage (between midnight and
• Usage breakdown: see how you’ve used 8am).
your broadband in the current billing
period Below that you’ll see your usage for each day
of the current week.

What counts towards your usage allowance? If you go over your allowance...
Any use of your broadband connection (downloads and uploads) between 8am and An extra 5GB will be added to your allowance for the month. This costs £5 (which
midnight counts towards your usage allowance. will be added to your next bill). You can control how much extra usage is added, by
logging in to www.plus.net/manageusage and following the on-screen instructions.
That includes streaming services and sites (e.g. BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Spotify), online
gaming (e.g. XBOX Live, PSN, Steam), as well as the more traditional ways of using Don’t forget that usage between midnight and 8am is completely free and doesn’t
broadband (e.g. web browsing, email, etc). count towards your allowance. This is a good time to make larger downloads.
 Using your Plusnet email 6

How to get a Plusnet email address Check your email anywhere with Plusnet Webmail
If you didn’t choose a Plusnet email address when you signed up: Plusnet Webmail gives you the convenience of sending and receiving email wherever
you are. All you need is an Internet connection.
• Go to www.plus.net/email and log in
• Click Manage My Mail
• Follow the on-screen instructions

It’ll take a few hours and once it’s ready we’ll send an email to your current contact
address to confirm:

• Your new Plusnet address

• The Email Username and Password for the new address
• Information about how to set up your Plusnet Email address on your
computer and other devices
To get started, log in to www.plus.net/webmail with the username and password for
the email address you want to check.
Need more email addresses?
Once you’ve registered your address, you can add as many email addresses as you Set up your email on your computer, tablet or smart phone
need. Just follow these steps:
You can set up your favourite email program (e.g. Outlook, MacMail, Mozilla
• Log in to www.plus.net/email Thunderbird or Windows Live Mail), smartphone or tablet (iOS, Android, Blackberry
• Select Manage My Mail etc) to check your Plusnet email.
• Click Create New Email Address
• Follow the on-screen instructions. You’ll find settings and guides for the most popular programs on our website at:
www.plus.net/emailhelp
You’ll need to choose whether your new address is a separate mailbox with a
password or a forwarding address that redirects mail to another address of your
choosing.

Adding a new email address takes about half and hour. We’ll send an email to your
contact address to let you know when it’s ready.
 Plusnet Home Phone 7

We don’t just offer award-winning broadband, we also offer home phone packages. Which calls are inclusive?
Switching to Plusnet Home Phone is quick and easy and you’ll get the convenience of Inclusive calls are for UK landline numbers starting 01, 02 and 03, 0845 and 0870
having your broadband and phone on the same bill at a price that’s hard to beat. (some exceptions apply), and for UK mobiles (on the Unlimited UK & Mobile and
Evening & Weekend UK & Mobile call plans only).

How to get Plusnet Home Phone These calls are inclusive:

If you’ve not yet joined Plusnet, you’ll be able to choose a phone package when you • 24/7 with Anytime International 300 and Unlimited UK & Mobile
sign up. If you’re already with us, go to www.plus.net/productchange and select the • Between 7pm and 7am weekdays and all weekend with Evening & Weekend
phone package you want (you’ll be asked if you want to change your broadband UK & Mobile
package first, just choose ‘Keep this product’ if you don’t want to).
Anytime International 300 provides 300 inclusive minutes to countries listed in our
• Evening & Weekend UK & Mobile gives you inclusive calls to UK landlines top 35 international destinations.
and 1000 inclusive minutes to UK mobiles to use during evenings and at
weekends UK inclusive calls become chargeable after 60 minutes and International inclusive
• Unlimited UK & Mobile gives you inclusive calls to UK landlines and 2000 calls become chargeable after 30 minutes. In both cases, you can redial to avoid
inclusive minutes to UK mobiles to use at any time charges.
• Anytime International 300 gives you inclusive calls to UK landlines at all
times and 300 minutes to selected international destinations to use at any
time How much do charageable calls cost?
Some call features are included as standard. You can add others for a small monthly You can see find details of call charges to UK numbers, service numbers and
fee, find out more at www.plus.net/phonehelp International destinations on our call tariff at: www.plus.net/phonetariff

Switching home phone to Plusnet usually takes about a fortnight. Your phone service
should carry on working with your current provider until the day of the switch. You
should be able to keep your number, but we’ll let you know if not.
Want to know more about Plusnet Home Phone?
Managing your account online For more on our call plans, features and charges, see www.plus.net/phonehelp

Once your phone line is ready, you can control your account at the Home Phone
Control Panel. To get started go to www.plus.net/managephone and log in.
 Understanding your bill 8

Your billing date Checking your bill

We’ll bill you at the same time each month. This will start on the day that your first Log in to www.plus.net/mybill
Plusnet service was activated.
Each line of the table shows a separate payment. Click an invoice number to see a
If you’ve taken broadband and phone together, it’s likely that the activation dates will full breakdown of that payment (see your bill in detail below for more information).
be different. Rather than bill you twice a month, we’ll make an adjustment to cover
the difference between the two dates when both are ready, If you have Plusnet Home Phone (see page 7 for more on this) you can see fully
itemised call charges by logging in to www.plus.net/phonebill and choosing a time
You’ll see this as a one-off charge or a credit on your next bill (depending on how the period from the list.
dates work out). After that you’ll be billed for all your services on the same day each
month.
Your bill in detail
How to pay On each bill you’ll see some (or all) of the following items. All services are charged in
advance unless stated otherwise.
• For regular payments: we’d rather you paid monthly bills by Direct Debit. You
can pay by card for an additional charge of £1.50 a month
• For one-off payments, we only accept credit and debit cards Everyone will see: Home Phone customers will also see:

• Line rental
With Direct Debit you won’t have to worry about updating your details if you get a • Your broadband package
• Your call plan
new bank card or confirming regular payments - everything happens automatically. • Additional usage (if applicable)*
• Call charges (if applicable)*
• Add-Ons (if applicable)
• Call features (if applicable)
Managing your payment details
* Additional usage and call charges are charged in arrears.
Changing or updating your payment details is easy. Go to www.plus.net/mypayment
log in and follow the on-screen instructions.
If you have any questions about your bill
If you have Direct Debit and card details stored on your account, we’d always take
payment from the Direct Debit if it’s active. A Direct Debit can take up to a week to Please see our billing guide at www.plus.net/billhelp or contact our Support
set up so bear this in mind if you’ve only just added or updated one. Team (see page 10).
 Where to find help 9

If you can get online, you should be able to find what you need in our Help & Support section.

To get there, go to www.plus.net/help, or simply click the Help & Support link shown at the top of every page on our website.

Service Status
Support Pages
If a problem affects a large number of our
This is our online library of guides and FAQs. customers, we’ll announce details about it here
You’ll find information on all aspects of your and post regular updates until it’s fixed.
Plusnet service. Browse through the different
topics, or search to find what you’re after. Having connection problems? Call our
Broadband Service Status line: 0800 917 6714

Customer Support Stats

The Help Assistant
Our support stats show when the best time is
Want to ask us a question? The Help Assistant to contact our Support Team.
might save you a phone call.
You can see our call volumes over the last
If we have the answer on our website it’ll 24 hours, how many people are waiting right
show you where to look, or you can send a now, how long they’ve been waiting and how
message directly to our Support Team. quickly we’re responding to messages sent
through the Help Assistant.
 How to get in touch 10

If your broadband isn’t working Contacting us online

The guide that comes with your router contains troubleshooting tips which will help Want online help? You can use the Help Assistant to contact us.
you fix the most common problems. If you can’t find it:
To get started, log in to http://help.plus.net and select the subject that you want to
• Switch your equipment off and on again ask us about.
• Make sure all cables and connections are fitted securely
As you type your query, the Help Assistant will search the Plusnet website for related
You should also check that your phone line has a clear dial tone without any guides and articles. If that doesn’t help you can pass your questions to our Support
interference or background noise. Team.

• If it doesn’t, give us a call (or call your telephone provider if it’s not us) and
try your broadband again when it’s fixed Prefer to call?
• If you can hear a clear dial tone, report the problem to our Support Team
If you want to call, our friendly UK-based Support Team are always available on:

How to report problems • 0800 432 0200 - free from landlines

• 0345 140 0200 - free from mobiles with landline minutes
If you can get online, the Broadband Troubleshooter will help you report problems to
our Faults Team quickly and easily. To speed things up, have your Account Username and Password handy when you call.
See Logging in to your online account on page 3 if you’re not sure what they are.
You can use it from any Internet connection (e.g. your smart phone, a friend’s
broadband connection or at work).

• Log in to http://faults.plus.net
• You’ll be asked questions about the problem and guided through step-by- 0800 numbers are free to call from landlines, but may be chargeable from
step checks of your wiring, sockets and computer equipment mobiles. Rates will vary depending on your network and call plan.
• The Broadband Troubleshooter will then test your line and check for problems
in your local area 0345 numbers are charged at the same rate as landline numbers, including
• If the problem isn’t fixed, it will be passed to our Support Team for further calls from mobile phone networks.
investigation
Calls may be recorded for training purposes.
If you can’t get online, call our Support Team (see the numbers on the right).
 Plusnet Protect Plusnet SafeGuard 11

Plusnet Protect powered by McAfee, is specifically designed to help keep you and Plusnet Safeguard helps to block access to inappropriate online material such as;
your personal details secure online, and help keep you safe from dangers and threats adult content, gambling, violence and the threat of cyber bullying through messaging
on the Internet. and social media.

You can install it on up to 7 Windows PCs or laptops, so you can have the peace of It’s included with all our broadband packages - so you can decide what your
mind that your whole household is protected. household can see.

Switch on and stay in control

What does it do? Activate SafeGuard when you sign up, or at any time afterwards by visiting your
control panel in the Member Centre. Then, just change the settings to the level of
• Blocks viruses - Anti-Virus software stops viruses getting onto your protection you need.
computer, checks there are none already there and removes any it finds
• Blocks spyware - Anti-Spyware software stops spyware being installed and Block unsuitable websites & categories
removes existing spyware, keeping your data safe Stop access to a particular website or for greater control, a range of categories (e.g.
• Stops hackers - The firewall stops unauthorised access to your system adult content, gambling and image sharing). So, when everyone’s online you won’t
• Identity protection - Anti-Phishing software protects your identity need to worry about who’s seeing what.
• Protects children - Parental controls lets you set safe boundaries, so your
children can browse the Internet, with offensive content and pictures filtered Allow access to safe websites
out Creating a list of safe websites that your household can view is easy. (E.g. you could
put a general block on gambling websites, but still allow access to the National
Plusnet Protect works with Internet Explorer and Firefox on Windows XP (32bit), Lottery).
Vista, 7, 8. It’s not available for Apple OS X or Linux systems.
Timed access
Your computer needs at least 256MB RAM 350MB of free hard drive space and a Control when to block, not just what to block. Set the hours your household can view
300MHz processor. everything on the Internet, or when to limit access.

How to install Plusnet Protect How to get Plusnet SafeGuard

Go to www.plus.net/protect and select the Plusnet Protect Add-On from the list. Simply go to the SafeGuard control panel, switch it on and follow the
instructions on screen - www,plus.net/my-account/safeguard
We’ll email you when it’s ready to download.
 Refer your friends Our community 12

Refer your friends to Plusnet and we’ll give you money off your bill every month for We’re not just a company, we’re a community. Have a look around our community
as long as they’re with us. We’re giving discounts of over £60,000 each month, so site to see what we mean: http://community.plus.net.
why not start to get your share now?

There’s no limit to the number of people you can refer and you’ll get a bigger
discount if they take more than just broadband. Refer enough people and we’ll start
paying you!

Find out how much you can earn and check how much you’re currently saving each
month at: http://referrals.plus.net

How to refer someone

It’s really easy to refer - all you have to do is tell your friends your Account
Username. When they sign up we’ll ask who recommended us - make sure they
quote your username and you’ll start to get your discount after their first bill.

Other ways to refer

As well as the latest news about Plusnet and broadband in general, the forums are
You’ll find more ways to refer your friends at http://referrals.plus.net always handy if you need help, You’ll find our staff and customers chatting about
loads of subjects and there’s a good chance that other customers have asked the
same questions as you.

Social networking
• Create Plusnet links on your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn pages We’re big fans of social networking and you can find us on the following sites:
• Send emails with Plusnet links to 5 of your friends
• Link to Plusnet from your own website with a referrals banner • Twitter - www.twitter.com/plusnet
• Facebook - www.facebook.com/plusnet
Anyone who signs up after clicking one of your links will count as your referral and • YouTube - www.youtube.com/plusnettv
start earning you money after their first bill.
 Advanced router details 13

Your Plusnet router’s Wi-Fi details Connecting with your own router
Your Plusnet router is secure. No one can connect to it over Wi-Fi without knowing The names used for the settings below can vary so we’ve included the most
the Wi-Fi Name (SSID) and Wi-Fi Password (or key). commonly used alternatives.

• The Wi-Fi Name starts with Plusnet

• The Wi-Fi Password will be no more than 10 characters Your Broadband Username and Password
Not sure what these are? You’ll find them printed on the back of your router and the Your Broadband Username looks like this: [email protected]
reference card so you’ll always have them close to hand.
• Replace username with your Account Username
Handy reference card • Force9 customers: replace plusdsl.net with force9.co.uk
Wi-Fi Network: PLUSNET-C2F3G5
Wi-Fi Password (Key): a2b3c4d5e6
• Freeonline customers: replace plusdsl.net with freeonline.net
Router Address: http://192.168.1.254
Router Password: A3E4F6H7J9
Your Broadband Password is the same as the one you use to log in to our website.
Passwords are case sensitive

If you need more help with Wi-Fi please see www.plus.net/wifihelp Router settings for standard broadband
Setting Should be
How to get to your Plusnet router’s settings Connection type / Encapsulation PPPoA / PPP over ATM

If you need to access your routers advanced settings: Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) 0
Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI) 38
• Open your web browser and go to 192.168.1.254
Multiplexing Method VC Based / VC MUX / VC-Multiplexing

Router settings for Plusnet Fibre

• You’ll be asked to log in. Enter admin for the username and your router’s
serial number (printed on the bottom and the included set-up card) for the Setting Should be
password Connection type / Encapsulation PPPoE / Always on

Want to find out more about your router? Go to www.plus.net/routerhelp