General - Frequently Asked Questions
Browse through our most commonly asked broadband, phone and fibre optic questions. You'll find the answers here.
All your general broadband questions answered
Standard broadband and fibre packages with home phone
If you sign up for a package which includes line rental and you've got an active phone line, both your broadband and phone will be switched over in as little as 10 working days’ from the date of your order.
If your phone line is inactive or you don't have one, we'll get an engineer to come and sort it out. Your broadband and phone should go live within five working days’ of the engineer’s appointment.
Full Fibre packages
Full Fibre (also called Fibre To The Premises) connects straight to your home so you don’t need a phone line. If we need to install a new Full Fibre connection switching can take 10 working days.
If you’ve already got a Full Fibre connection we can often get your service switched in just 3 working days.
Once you've chosen a package and signed up, we'll contact your current provider to arrange the transfer for you. If you're switching from a cable service, you'll need to contact them to cancel any services that you no longer require.
It won't cost you anything to switch your broadband, however they might hold you to any contract you've taken out with them. (i.e. you may need to pay any outstanding charges).
This depends on your current service and provider, and the type of package you've ordered, but switching should take between 3-10 working days'.
If you've signed up for our standard broadband or standard fibre package and need an engineer to install a phone line, your broadband service will usually be switched on the same day as the installation.
If you've ordered Full Fibre and we need to install a new Full Fibre connection, switching can take 10 working days. But if you've already got a Full Fibre connection we can often get your service switched in just 3 working days'.
Please see What contract and setup options are there?
We provide award-winning support 365 days a year, either online or over the phone. It's free to call from any UK landline or mobile.
There are a number of ways to contact us. Our help articles, FAQs and Community Site forums will also give you quick answers to your questions.
If you’re signing up to our standard broadband and fibre packages with line rental you'll need:
- An active Plusnet or other BT compatible landline
- A compatible router
- One microfilter per active phone socket
- An Internet capable computer
All packages can be ordered with a wireless router, or you can use your own. We strongly advise taking one of our routers, unless you're an experienced Internet user. Some routers from other providers may be locked to prevent them from working with other services.
Your computer needs:
- An Internet browser
- A compatible connection port, either:
- An Ethernet port
- Wireless 802.11 (B, G or N)
For support with your connection you'll need:
- PC - Windows XP and above
- MAC - OS X 10.0 and above
With Plusnet Protect powered by Norton™ you can keep you and your family safe from online threats. Read more about the anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall and other features available in our Plusnet Protect FAQ.
Standard broadband and fibre packages with home phone
In some cases, an engineer may need to install a new phone line at your property. For example, if you don't already have a phone line, or if you're switching over from a cable service. If this needs to happen we'll tell you when you sign up and you'll be able to book an engineer appointment that's convenient for you.
Full Fibre packages
If you've ordered Full Fibre and we need to install a new Full Fibre connection we'll arrange for an engineer to visit your home to get this set up. You can book an engineer's appointment when you sign up.
If you've already got a Full Fibre connection we can often get your service switched without a visit from an engineer. We'll confirm this as part of your order.
You can also find out more about Full Fibre set up in our handy guide.
After you sign up we'll confirm your account details and tell you what will happen next. This depends on:
- Whether you've signed up to broadband and/or Home Phone
- If you're switching from another provider
- If you need an engineer to visit your property
After you've ordered your Plusnet service, we'll email you confirming the details about your service and what you can expect to happen next. We'll keep you updated about the progress of your order until it's active.
- Standard broadband - 12 or 18 month contract: Pay a £5 broadband activation fee and choose a free wireless router.
- Standard fibre broadband - 12 or 18 month contract: Pay a £10 broadband activation fee and choose a free wireless router.
- Full Fibre broadband - 24 month contract: No activation fee. Choose a free wireless router
- Standard broadband - No annual contract: Pay a £50 broadband activation charge and choose a free wireless router.
We've always got great deals on all our packages with discounts on activation fees. To see what offers and speeds you can get in your area enter your details into our broadband postcode checker.
Yes, you'll still be able to do all the things you normally do online whilst we switch your broadband (and phone service, if you've chosen Home Phone) over to Plusnet.
Once we've let you know your service is ready you'll need to set up your hardware, activate your broadband connection and log in to your new service. Setting up is very straightforward and we have lots of step-by-step guides to help you.
We'll bill you once a month for your Plusnet services. Broadband and phone subscriptions are payable in advance. Call and usage charges are paid in arrears.
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