Leaving Plusnet (Broadband/Domain/Webspace/Email)

[#1]

I'm about to leave BT and Plusnet for Sky.  Sky have advised me that my expected activation/transfer date to their FTTC broadband & landline phone service is 9th April 2024.

I've had written notification from BT about the 'phone line being taken over.  I've not heard anything from Plusnet about the broadband change, so I called the Plusnet 'Thinking of leaving' support line, and the agent I spoke to verbally confirmed that Plusnet has been informed by Sky and will be cancelling my account (I'm out of contract).

I've changed the nameservers for my domain name at the registrar from the Plusnet force9 ones to those of my new web hosts; Mythic Beasts.  I've set up DNS for my domain with Mythic Beasts and so my website and my domain emails are now hosted and working OK with them.

I've deleted all my web files and dropped the database on the Plusnet/Hostopia server, before I lose access, and there's nothing in my Plusnet mailbox and no aliases (although I expect all that would happen automatically on account closure anyway).

Is there anything else I or Plusnet need to do before the transfer date for everything to go smoothly?

P.S. Thanks to @bobpullen and others in the Plusnet team & Community for help & support over the last 18 years or so.

Julian.

[#2]

@jtonline  welcome to the ex-Plusnet club !  😀

You seem to have covered everything in your Plusnet leaving preparations !

Assuming that your BT landline phone number will be transferring from PSTN to Sky's VoIP service,  therefore your existing phone will no longer be plugged in to the BT Master Socket's filtered faceplate, instead in to the Sky router's phone socket.

If you wanted to be really perfectionist, you might want to consider removing the Master Socket "Phone"+"DSL" filtered faceplate (and any associated internal phone extension wiring), and converting back to the original single outlet "Phone" socket.

Plugging your new Sky router directly in to the unfiltered "Phone" socket, will give the Openreach VDSL DLM initial ten day learning period the best chance of giving you improved sync speeds from day one.

However, your new router is likely to arrive with an RJ11 to RJ11 connection cable (as would have been required on FTTC),  but as you will effectively be on SoGEA (FTTC without analogue phone service) and the supplied RJ11 cable won't plug in to the unfiltered "Phone" socket, you might want to buy in advance a suitable cable fitted with RJ11 and BT431A plugs.

Last summer I moved from Plusnet FTTC+landline to A&A SoGEA+VoIP, keeping the same modem and router that I'd used for years, and discovered that having unplugged the analogue phone handset and removing the DSL filter from my Master Socket, that my VDSL sync speed increased by 8Mbps and my speed test results improved by 6Mbps.

Wishing you a successful and uneventful migration to Sky,  and let us know how it goes ! 

.

[#3]

I don't think I'll be on Sky's VOIP service initially, although I'm aware it'll happen eventually.  Their help site states "Your Sky Talk package will come with Internet Calls if you have one of our Gigafast, Ultrafast or Full Fibre 100 broadband packages. And you might get Internet Calls if you have Sky Broadband Superfast – we’ll let you know when you choose your package."  I'm getting the Broadband Superfast service and nothing was mentioned about VOIP calls when I setup the contract.  My new router is due to arrive by post on Friday ahead of switchover day.

Thank you for your reply and good wishes.  Reasons for the move of services include a good deal for Sky Stream TV, Broadband & Talk through my work, and the ability to have an SSL Certificate on my website.

[#4]

@jtonline  That all sounds as clear as mud from Sky, you might get internet calls, or what? No calls at all? It could of course be down to the fact that Sky are an LLU supplier and may still be providing copper line telephone service from their own exchange equipment. Not too sure about transferring your existing phone number if that's what you want, It may be worth asking them.🤔

[#5]

Yeah, I think I'll just be using the same copper line 'phone service I have now.  They're transferring my existing 'phone number over.

[#6]

Nope.

Have a read of this - Openreach Stops Selling New UK Analogue Copper Phone Lines 

Your existing BT phone service is provided by Openreach.

Since 5th September 2023 it has been impossible to change phone suppliers and continue to have the phone service provided by Openreach.

The ONLY way you 'might' still have an analogue phone service is if Sky happen to have their own LLU phone equipment in your telephone exchange (most don't), and that they are transferring you to that,  but why would they do that ?

It does seem odd that given that the entire country is converting to VoIP, that you are given the impression that Sky will provision a new customer's phone service on to an obsolete technology which is in the process of being decommissioned ?

.

[#7]

When signing up you would have had this question

This suggests internet calls are calls made over your broadband connection be it Full Fibre or otherwise.

[#8]

Is there a false assumption in that a mobile will always be capable of calling emergency services?

[#9]

@jtonline   You said ... I think I'll just be using the same copper line 'phone service I have now.  Actually it isn't the same,  with Plusnet you are on an Openreach WLR (Wholesale Line rental) circuit. Moving to Sky, if you are staying on a copper phone service you will be on a SKY LLU line using totally different exchange equipment. It will be interesting to know if they can successfully transfer your existing phone number. Please let us know how it goes.

[#10]

I'm currently with BT for my 'phone.
I don't really need landline 'phone calls, but you can't have the Sky package without having Sky Talk.
My new router has arrived, ahead of my planned switchover on Tuesday.
I won't know for sure how the 'phone will connect until I get a text from them to say it's all been activated.
The online help says if I have VoIP (what Sky is calling Internet Calls) my bill, available to view online, will say Sky Talk Internet Calls on it, but I won't see a bill until the service has been activated.  Of couse, the other way to tell will be if my 'phones go dead and start working again if I plug them into the port on the router.
I was more concerned about whether or not I'd done everything I needed to do re. my Plusnet account stuff, but it seems I have.

[#11]

Just a quick update in case anyone's interested...

I lost PN broadband at about 1am yesterday morning. 
At 8am yesterday I got a text from Sky to say my Sky Broadband was active & I could connect my new hub.
Once the hub was connected I got green lights for Internet, WiFi & Voice.  My BT 'phone line was still working at this point in time. I changed the SSID for 2.5GHz & 5GHz WiFi and connected all my wired & wireless devices to the new hub.
At about midnight the login to my PN email in Outlook stopped working.
At some time overnight my BT 'phone line stopped working and so I have now plugged my DECT base unit, via a 'phone extension cable, into the Sky Hub and am using the Sky VoIP (Internet Calls) service provided.  Sky have ported my old BT 'phone number over, as requested when I filled out the online order.

I received a bill from PN on Monday for the period 8th Apr 2024 - 7th May 2024, due to come out of my bank account by Direct Debit on 15th Apr.  As the PN account was closed on 9th Apr., I should receive a refund of most of that bill (in about 20 days going by what I've read in this Community).  I'm disappointed by the lack of any correspondence, automated or otherwise from Plusnet thus far; no 'Sorry to see you go, this is what'll happen next' kind of thing received.

[#12]

@jtonline 

Thanks for letting us know, I'm glad it went well. 👍

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@jtonline wrote:

I'm disappointed by the lack of any correspondence, automated or otherwise from Plusnet thus far; no 'Sorry to see you go, this is what'll happen next' kind of thing received.

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When I moved both broadband and landline, I received a Plusnet "Sorry you're leaving" email eleven days before my broadband was due to move, however my landline supplier's "Your phone service is being taken over" email arrived about seven hours before the transfer to VoIP was due - so I had almost no time to respond if the move was wrong !

With your new Sky broadband, what performance are you getting ?

Can you post a screenshot of "Speed", "Latency" and "Bufferbloat Grade" from this test - Waveform speed test 

.

[#13]

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@Anonymous wrote:

With your new Sky broadband, what performance are you getting ?

Can you post a screenshot of "Speed", "Latency" and "Bufferbloat Grade" from this test - Waveform speed test 

.

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Screenshot below as requested. Still in the 10 day settling down period of course.  It's fine for my needs; HD Sky Stream, Web browsing and email. I don't do any gaming:-

Waveform results as at 10/04/24

[#14]

That looks great ! 

Thanks for taking the time to share that, it's always useful to know how other ISP's routers perform. 

.