Print out and keep safe Hello and welcome We really hope you ll enjoy using Plusnet and being part of our community. This guide will help you get your fibre optic broadband set up. It ll also show you how to set up your email and tell you about the many features and tools you can use. After you ve settled in and you ve used Plusnet for a bit, you can start to look at the other benefits you get. These include our Community site and referrals scheme where you can save money by recommending us to family and friends. Happy browsing Steve Woods General Manager, Plusnet Customer Support Contents Page 1 2 5 7 8 9 10 11 Things to know before your fibre broadband is ready Setting up Plusnet Fibre Questions & Troubleshooting Your first 10 days of broadband Setting up your email When you need help Our Community Earn some cash by telling people about us Things to know before your fibre broadband is ready You should be ready to start surfing the Internet once your fibre service has been installed and you ve connected your fibre router. If you re paying by Direct Debit only you might have to wait a little bit longer while we sort out the details with your bank. If you have any questions about the service, check out our fibre optic broadband support pages: www.plus.net/fibrehelp To connect you ll need a BT fibre modem and fibre router (the BT engineer who installs your fibre service will bring your modem. If you ordered a fibre router from us, we ll include everything you need to get started. It should arrive before your installation date). If you want to use your own router, check you can use it with fibre optic broadband. The majority of broadband routers won t work with fibre, but some cable routers will. You can find out more information on our website. If you re not sure, ask us. 1
Setting up Plusnet Fibre The service will be installed by a BT engineer. This involves work at your telephone exchange, your nearest green cabinet and your home. The engineer will install a new master socket and a fibre modem in your home (provided by BT Openreach). What you ll need to get connected Fibre router Ethernet Cable Power Supply Fibre Modem The engineer will bring a BT fibre modem. You ll need to connect your fibre router to it once the engineer has installed it. Don't set up your router until the engineer has installed the fibre modem in your home. You won't be able to connect until then. Part 1: Before the engineer arrives Where do you want to install the service? Once the service is installed you ll have a new master socket installed at a point close to where your line enters the house. Bearing this in mind, there are three points you should consider: 1. The fibre modem will be directly connected to your new master socket 2. The fibre router needs to be connected to the modem with the included yellow Ethernet cable 3. Both will need to be plugged into a new power outlet If your master socket isn t in a convenient place (e.g. if there are no nearby power outlets, or it s in a garage or attic), the engineer can fit a data extension cable. This will allow you to install the fibre modem up to 30 metres away from your master socket. If you re considering this, try to pick the new location before the engineer arrives. If required, the engineer can pin the cable to a skirting board and door frames, but may not be able to drill holes in your walls or run it under carpets. If you re going to use wireless, you ll get a better signal by placing the router close to where you ll be using broadband the most. It likes being out in the open, so try not to put it under a desk, near electrical appliances or behind large objects. Thick walls, concrete floors and large metal surfaces can weaken the wireless signal, so try to avoid these where possible. 2
Setting up Plusnet Fibre (cont.) How will you connect to your router? You can use Wireless or Ethernet to connect each of your computers or devices, it s up to you. If you want to connect via Ethernet, make sure you have an extra Ethernet cable available. The yellow Ethernet cable included with your fibre router is needed to connect it to the fibre modem. You can buy extra Ethernet cables cheaply from many electronics retailers, or you can use the one that came with your current router. Part 2: When the engineer visits On the day the engineer will: Call to tell you when they ll start working on your line and when they ll arrive at your house (make sure you re in) Temporarily cut off your telephone line while they work. This won t be for too long but make sure you have a mobile handy if you need to make or take a call on the day Install your new master socket (and extension cable if required) Connect the fibre modem and check that the DSL light turns green Before the engineer leaves: You should check your telephone line to make sure it s working properly. To test outbound calls: Dial 17070 from one of your handsets and choose the Quiet Line test. You should be able to hear the test voice clearly with no background noise. To test inbound calls: Ask someone to call your home number from another line or mobile. Make sure your telephone rings and you can hear the caller clearly. If you find any problems with your line, make sure you tell the engineer so they can look at it for you. Part 3: Connect your router Now the service is installed, it s time to connect the fibre router to your BT fibre modem. Switch off and unplug your old broadband router and filters and put them to one side Connect the yellow Ethernet cable to the LAN 1 socket on the BT fibre modem Connect the other end of the yellow Ethernet cable to the yellow socket on the fibre router (labelled WAN on the bottom of the router) Switch the fibre router on with the power button at the back. After about a minute, the fibre router s power and Internet lights should both turn green. Now you ll need to connect the fibre router to your computer. 3
Setting up Plusnet Fibre (cont.) Part 4: Connect your computer This part s up to you: do you want to use the yellow Ethernet cable or wireless? Choose one method for each computer or device you want to connect. Ethernet Wireless (Windows computers) Wireless (Mac OS X computers) Check that your computer has an Ethernet socket. This is a small socket on the back or side of your computer that s usually marked LAN or Ethernet. If you aren t sure, check your computer manual. 1. Plug an Ethernet cable into one of the four Ethernet sockets marked on the back of your router. 2. Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into your computer s Ethernet socket. You can connect a laptop or a desktop computer to your router, or both it s up to you! Up to four wired devices can be plugged into your router 1. Click the wireless icon in the system tray (at the bottom right of your screen): Windows 7: go to Step 2 Vista: click Connect to network XP: go to Step 2 2. Select your router s wireless name from the list (it ll start with PlusnetWireless) and click Connect. (If you don t see it, try refreshing the list) 3. Enter the Wireless Key printed on the bottom of your fibre router 4. Click Connect and wait a few seconds while your computer connects to your router 1. Click the AirPort Status icon in the menu bar 2. Highlight your router s wireless network name (it ll start with PlusnetWireless, refresh the list if you don t see it) 3. Mac OS X 10.4 and below: in the Wireless Security box, select WPA Personal and and enter the Wireless Key printed on the bottom of your fibre router Mac OS X 10.5 and above: enter the Wireless Key printed on the bottom of your router 4. Click OK and wait a few seconds while your computer connects to your fibre router Part 5: Connect to the Internet This bit s easy Put this guide down, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and come back in 15 minutes. Don t try to use the Internet while you re waiting (even if the Internet light turns green), as your router might still be setting itself up. 15 minutes later Welcome back you re nearly there. Open your computer s web browser (for example: Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari). And that s it. You should see your web browser s home page showing you re online. (You can change this to Plusnet later). To make sure everything s working, go to www.google.co.uk and search for something. If you get results, that s it, you re on the Internet. What s next? Now you re connected you can browse the web and visit any site you like. Remember to login to www.plus.net and check out My Account. There you can see your bills, usage, broadband speed and more. 4
Questions & Troubleshooting I see the Broadband setup page when I open my web browser 1. Enter your Account Username and password (see page X if you don t know what they are) 2. Check your provider in the drop-down list and change it if you need to 3. Click Go when you re finished If everything s working, you ll see a big green tick. (This might take up to 15 minutes) and you ll be able to browse the internet. I see an error page when I open my web browser Check the cable connecting the fibre modem to your master socket is in the higher of the two sockets (data connection port) and make sure it s secure at both ends If you re using an extension cable make sure it s connected at the master socket Make sure the yellow Ethernet cable is connected to LAN1 on the fibre modem and the yellow WAN port on your Netgear router Switch off your fibre modem and router Switch them back on and wait for 15 minutes before trying to connect to the Internet again If there s still a problem, use a pointed object to press into the reset pin hole on the back of the Netgear router. Keep the button pressed in for at least 5 seconds. When the power light starts to flash, release the button and wait until the power light Still having problems? Give us a call on 0800 432 0200 What s my Account Username and password? You ll find both of these in the email that this pack is attached to. Your Account Username is a single word and you ll need it (along with your password) to log into www.plus.net Should I leave my router and modem switched on all the time? Yes. Leaving your fibre router and modem on will make sure you get the best speed and performance from your service. Don t switch it off at night! Regularly switching off your router can make it look like your service is disconnecting. If this happens, your broadband speed my be reduced because the system thinks your line is unstable and can t cope with higher speeds. 5
Questions & Troubleshooting (cont.) How fast should it be? Try running a speed test to see how your new broadband service is shaping up. We recommend using www.mybroadbandspeed.co.uk. Results are shown in kbps and MB. In the example on the left 37149kbps is about 37Mbps. In your browser and applications this translates to download speeds up to 4Mbps. Don t worry if the speed seems a little low at first. In most cases the speed will increase within a few hours. If you see some variation in speeds over the first 10 days it s because we re testing your line for speed and stability. You may even get disconnected a few times. Don t worry, this doesn t mean there s a problem, so please bear with it. Connecting wirelessly? Wireless G can t connect at the full speeds that fibre optic broadband offers, it s limited to about 20Mbps. Your fibre router supports Wireless N and Wireless G connections. If your wireless speeds are low, we highly recommend installing Wireless N adapters on all the computers you use wirelessly. In some cases, we ve had reports of speed problems while using certain anti-virus software. If you believe that you re affected by this, you may wish to consider upgrading to a quality commercial package such as Plusnet Protect powered by McAfee. Where can I get more help? If you re online you can find help for most subjects on our website. The most common areas are covered in the quick links on the following page. Find out more about fibre www.plus.net/fibrehelp Find answers to the most common questions on fibre broadband, detailed troubleshooting guides and an online version of this installation guide. 6
Your first 10 days of broadband At first we won t know exactly how fast your broadband will be. During the first 10 days you ll see your speeds go up and down. You might even get disconnected from time-to-time. Don t worry though, this doesn t mean you ve got a problem, so please bear with it. This period is where we find the best balance between speed and reliability. In a few days it ll settle down for you. Why am I not getting maximum speeds? The maximum speed is the theoretical maximum possible based on ideal conditions. The length and quality of the phone line between your house and your local exchange all affect the speeds you can get. The broadband network will adjust your line speed to be as fast as possible without becoming unreliable. My broadband speed has suddenly dropped. Why? A temporary fault on your telephone line, even some dodgy British weather can cause your speed to drop, as we try to keep your connection stable. Once the problem has passed you ll see your speeds go up again. If your speed doesn t go back to normal after 3 days, try switching your modem or router off and on again, once a day for about 5 days. This forces the network to get your line s highest speed. My broadband is too slow to use Your broadband shouldn t be that slow. If you can, try and tell us about your problem through our Broadband Troubleshooter - http://faults.plus.net Just before you do, you ll need to do 3 speed tests using BT s Speed Tester website. Go to http://www.speedtester.bt.com/ and follow the on screen instructions. Try to do the 3 tests at different times of the day. This will give the best average. http://faults.plus.net Having connection problems but still able to get online? Give our Broadband Troubleshooter a try. Our troubleshooter will test your phone line and ask you a few questions as it s doing this, to work out what s gone wrong. Sometimes it can t work out the cause of the fault right away. If this happens it ll let our Faults Team know. They ll then look into your fault in a bit more detail, keeping you regularly updated about what s happening. Tip: You can use the Broadband Troubleshooter from any Internet connection. This means you don t have to use your own, you can tell us about a fault from a friend s house, the library, or from work. If you can t get online, just call our Support Team on 0800 432 0200. 7
Setting up your email If you've chosen a Plusnet email address, there are guides to show you how to set up email programs such as Windows Mail, Mac Mail, Outlook and Entourage on our website. Find them by going to www.plus.net/emailhelp and clicking Email Setup Guides. If you've not yet created a Plusnet email address you can do this at any time by following the instructions at www.plus.net/email and clicking Manage My Mail. Summary of Email Settings Incoming mail server: mail.plus.net Outgoing mail server: relay.plus.net Username: Your account username Password: The password you provided when you signed up Your default email address: <your first name>@<your username>.plus.com What s my email address? Your address is made up using your account username, so it ll look like this: something@accountusername.plus.com E.g. if your account username was smith your email address would be: sarah@smith.plus.com If you didn t choose one we ll have set your address by default to <your first name>@accountusername.plus.com It s easily changed though, whenever you want. Need more email addresses? That s fine, you can have as many email addresses as you like. Go to Manage My Mail in the Member Centre and here you can add new mailboxes, new names for mailboxes, or redirect your emails somewhere else. Go to Manage My Mail: http://email.plus.net If you re confused about email or just want to find out more check our help pages: www.plus.net/emailhelp 8
When you need help There are lots of ways for you to get help if things go wrong. Even if you don t have a problem and just want to ask us something about your service, we ll be happy to hear from you. Service Status http://status.plus.net Is your service playing up? It s possible that it s not just happening to you, so we may already know about a problem. If you can get online, head to Service Status. Once we ve found a problem, we ll announce details about it straightaway. Whilst we work to fix what s gone wrong we'll post regular updates. Help & Support http://support.plus.net This is our online library of guides and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you d prefer, you can even sit back and watch a video tutorial. Browse through loads of different topics, or do a search to find what you re after. Help Assistant This will give you a helping hand with your service when you need it. Use it to find information more quickly, or send a message to our Support Team. We reckon it s the best way to get in touch with us. Why? You ll get quick answers to your questions, so no waiting in phone queues at busy times. You can track the messages (we call them Questions or Tickets) you send to our Support Team. Just log into the Help Assistant and choose My Questions to see how we re getting along with your enquiry. We don t do our support by email because emails sometimes get lost and it s hard to follow the history of an email conversation. The Help Assistant lets you rate the level of help we ve given you. That way you can tell us if you re happy, so you ll be helping us too. Go to the Help Assistant by clicking Help & Support on the top menu bar of our website www.plus.net and then the Help Assistant link. Or you can just go directly there: http://help.plus.net Support Line Our support team are available on our helpline 24/7. So, no matter what time it is, there s always someone here who ll be happy to help. Ring us on 0800 432 0200. Alternatively, if you can get online then you might find the answer to your question on the website and fix it without having to call us. Member Centre http://portal.plus.net Member Centre is the part of our website where you can take control of your account features. It s where you can check your Webmail, set security preferences, view payment details, manage your webspace, plus loads more. We'll also feature news, competitions and polls here. To pay a visit, just enter your Plusnet username and password you chose during signup. 9
Our Community Plusnet isn't just a company, it's a community. What do we mean? The best way to find out is to have a look. around our Community Site - http://community.plus.net. It s a great place to tell us what you like and don t like about Plusnet. You ll find other customers and members of our staff in the Forums. This makes it a great place to get some quick help from people in the know. Even so, if you re feeling shy you can just as easily read our blogs or keep up with the latest news. The front page news on our Community Site will keep you up to date with the latest developments that may interest you. You ll get insights into our business with our regular end of day features and learn more about the stuff that matters in our informative blogs. The hub of our Community. Got a hot topic you want to talk about? You can sure that someone will join in the discussion. You ll always get a friendly reception at the Forums. Visit http://community.plus.net anytime and take a look for yourself! 10
Earn some cash by telling people about us Recommend us to your mates and you could get even better value for money. When your friend signs up for broadband or home phone on your recommendation we ll cut your monthly bill. That s every month that they remain a paying customer. So where do you start? Chat to people If you like our service and know someone else who might too, why not let them know about us? When you mention Plusnet, don t forget to tell them your account username. When they sign up we ll ask them who recommended us. Get messaging Our online referrals tool makes it really easy to spread the news about Plusnet. We ve designed it so you can email up to 5 people at once if you want. Every email you send includes a unique link which makes sure you get credited if that person then signs up with us. Fly Plusnet s colours Got a website? Why not pop a referral banners on it? Each time someone clicks through and then signs up you ll get the credit. If you re interested in finding out more about referring go to http://referrals.plus.net 11