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Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

vcobtn
Newbie
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-10-2016

Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Hi, we have had a terrible time starting up with plus net and I've really struggled to get any help -- phone and online waiting times are insane and there is no way to open a ticket for a problem (on the phone with someone today he said he would open a ticket for me but it's a "closed question" and I can't respond to any of it).

I am hoping that others may have gone through similar teething problems and may have good advice.

Our main problem is speed. We are getting under 30 Mbps on unlimited fibre, and also our wireless devices (especially iPhones and iPads) just drop the wireless all the time -- so you have to go an manually reconnect to the wireless network.

 

I went onto the router configuration page (connected by ethernet cable to be sure) and the 5 GHz network "is not enabled". Clicking the "enable wireless connections" on the 5 GHz page does nothing. Absolutely nothing happens. So I don't know if that's anything to do with our poor speed issues.

 

There is also an orange warning light on the front of the router. Apparently it's the "wireless" icon and means that security has been turned off (!) -- but on the configuration page it says our security for 2.4 GHz is "WPA2 only".

 

We have that terrible sinking feeling -- now we're committed for 18 months and there doesn't seem to be any help available from Plusnet. We don't know what to do. We just changed from Sky for price, and although Sky wasn't remarkable it was definitely faster and more stable. Nothing apart from the router and the provider has changed.

Any advice or help would be great -- thank you in advance

 

11 REPLIES 11
marclm
Newbie
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎03-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Have you tried resetting the hub back to defaults and followed the setup guide again?

If you’re having problems with setting your router up, it might be worth resetting it. Use a paper clip, pen, or something pointed to press in the reset pinhole button on the back of the router.

Keep the button pressed for 20 seconds. When the light on the front of your Hub turns green, release the reset button.

When the light on the front of the Hub turns blue, it’s now restored to factory settings.

(Keep in mind that if you do this, it’ll completely restore your router to the settings it had when it arrived. So if you’ve made specific changes to your settings, they’ll need to be made again.)
There is also a trouble shooting guide on the plusnet website you could try: https://www.plus.net/help/broadband/connection-troubleshooting/
vcobtn
Newbie
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Hi, thanks for the help. But I'm afraid doing the reset brought the router back up exactly as before, including the orange warning light.

 

The video could be helpful for some people, but we have checked all of those steps. And anyway, it was all working fine before we put in the Plusnet router with the old Sky router. So I don't think it's anything to do with the line or phone connections.

That does make me wonder -- can we just go back to using the old Sky router with Plusnet? and just scrap the Plusnet Hub One that seems defective?

bill888
Champion
Posts: 1,254
Thanks: 263
Fixes: 38
Registered: ‎18-10-2008

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

 

Sky hub is locked to Sky and definitely won't work on Plusnet.

Try disabling 'Sync with 2.4 GHz', and edit the name of the Wireless SSID as shown below:

Adv.Setting-Wireless-5GHz.jpg

Also try manually setting the Channel number to 36, 40, 44 or 48.

If you still cannot turn on the 5 GHz wifi, I think you may have a faulty Hub One.  

 

A factory reset should have cleared the wifi problem imho.

Adv.Settings-Systems-Reset.jpg

ex-Plusnet (ADSL, FTTC) 2008-2023. now BT (FTTP) 2023-
vcobtn
Newbie
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Thank you but I'm getting the same result. I did the Factory reset as you showed, but the warning light is still on and I cannot enable 5GHz wireless. I just click the button and the same page reloads over and over (I've attached a screenshot).

 

I told the plus net customer service team that my router was faulty, but it took over an hour to speak to someone and he just sent me instructions to do what you're suggesting (unsync with 2.4 GHz) -- and as I can't turn on 5 GHz, I can't do that.

Is there any way for me to ask for a new router without going back on the phone for that kind of time? I'm sure there is something wrong with this router.

Thank you again, I appreciate your ideas and I'm trying everything out diligently.

 

bill888
Champion
Posts: 1,254
Thanks: 263
Fixes: 38
Registered: ‎18-10-2008

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

You may need to wait for a Plusnet rep to see this thread and respond to it.

 

In the mean time, were you previously using a Sky SR101 or SR102 hub ?

If yes, you could configure it as a wireless access point and connect it to the Hub One, to offer a substitute wifi signal.

ex-Plusnet (ADSL, FTTC) 2008-2023. now BT (FTTP) 2023-
NigeBoy
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 165
Thanks: 42
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎07-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Hi,

I've been activated today and have run into exactly the same issue with the 5GHz wireless.

All was fine for around 20 minutes then suddenly the router rebooted itself. When it came back up the orange wifi light was on.

I followed the instructions to check and reactivate the security and found that the 5GHz band was disabled and will not enable again. I hadn't attempted to access the hub manager before this unexpected restart.

I have since found that clicking on 'Home Network' in 'Advanced Settings' causes an immediate restart of the router. It has also restarted on trying to enter the Admin password on a couple of occasions. 

I do have a connection and ethernet seems fine. The 2.4 GHz connection seems okay and doesn't appear unstable but speed has varied considerably when using speedtest on the same wireless devices when close to the router.

I suspect that an automatic update of the firmware caused the initial reboot, the loss of 5GHz wifi and the annoying orange light to appear. The details at the bottom of the pages on the hub show :-

Plusnet Hub One | Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.226 | Last updated 07/10/16.

Hopefully someone can help us get the 5GHz band back and get rid of the orange wifi warning light.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

vcobtn
Newbie
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Nigeboy that does sound _exactly_ like our problem. After spending two days trying to fix it, I finally found a way to open a ticket (you go to the complaints section of the plus net website, not the Member Centre as I had been told by a customer adviser) and then on Wednesday I got a message saying that a new router was being sent. That arrived yesterday and I will try to start again at some point today. I'm going to take out all the old equipment, to make sure I'm not re-using anything at all, and this time I've been told to let it all sit, without connecting any devices to it for an hour or so, which I will try. Like you, I can still use the internet with the faulty router, but it is slow and my wireless devices keep getting knocked off.

NigeBoy
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 165
Thanks: 42
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎07-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Many thanks for that vcobtn.

I'll raise a ticket when I get chance later today.

Interesting that they have suggested leaving it for an hour before connecting anything. That is significantly longer than the 5 minutes it says in the setup guide. It also suggests to me that they know exactly what the cause is!

I hope it resolves your problem and that I can also get a replacement router by opening a ticket.

Thanks again for the advice, it is much appreciated.

vcobtn
Newbie
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Definitely do request a new router. It's only been 24 hours so I hope I"m not speaking too soon, but in our case the new router seems to be working properly. No warning light, and the 5Ghz options are all visible in the configuration screen.

The only thing we haven't plugged back in is the Youview box, which was connected by ethernet. Not sure if it could possibly have any effect -- as far as I can tell the first router was just faulty.

It's just a shame that Plusnet made it so difficult to get it replaced. But hopefully the new one will last. The _hours_ I spent trying to speak to someone, and the arrogance of the staff on the phone -- telling me that the orange warning light was supposed to be on and that everything was as it should be. I've only begun my contract and can't wait to leave.

NigeBoy
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 165
Thanks: 42
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎07-10-2016

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

Thanks. It is good to know that it seems to have solved your issues.

I did raise a ticket on Saturday afternoon referring to this thread, explaining my problem & requesting a replacement router.

As yet I have had no response. I will be chasing them if I don't hear something very soon. At least I was able to avoid the hours on the phone thanks to your advice.

I too am new to Plusnet and am not exactly filled with confidence about the next 18 months after reading some of the other threads on here! 

Fingers crossed I will hear from them soon. Hopefully it is just a faulty router issue.

ChrisBee
Hooked
Posts: 7
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎26-11-2017

Re: Nightmare joining Plusnet -- can anyone help?

I know this thread is over a year old, but I have just joined PlusNet on a Fibre Extra connection, and i have >exactly< the same symptoms here with my new PlusNet One hub.

 

Have tried numerous resets (pin in the reset hole in the back of hub, reset via the advanced hub config pages). Every time the hub comes back up I always get the orange wifi light on the front with the blue main light. I also have the spontaneous reboot behaviour if I select the "Home network" option on the hub admin config web pages.

 

 

My installation was only about 10 days ago, and had no problem for the first 2-3 days. I had 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands up and running with no problems. I then went away for christmas and returned yesterday to this issue after starting up the router (it had been off for a few days).

 

2.4GHz seems to work ok, but nearly all the devices in my home are 5GHz capable and the 2.4GHz band is pretty crowded where I live.

 

Will try raising a ticket to get this sorted as the hub is only a few weeks old, so this doesn't bode well!! In case anyone else is seeing similar issues, my hub firmware is showing:

 

Plusnet Hub One | Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.237.2.2 | Last updated Unknown

 

4 years ago I left BT after a nightmare cancellation experience that saw me being charged for services despite being able to prove I had cancelled the service and was out of contract. Took weeks to resolve with frustrating call centre experiences.

 

 

I currently also have Virgin media cable broadband (out of contract, and will terminate once I know the PlusNet connectivity is sound), but after weeks of unexplained connectivity issues culminating in a 10day complete outage of my broadband, and a paltry £20 compensation offer I decided enough was enough. I have now signed up with PlusNet in the hope that I may actually experience something vaguely like a stable high speed broadband connection with at least halfway decent customer service!

 

 

On the upside at least the Plusnet customer service chat allows you to request a chat transcript when you complete your session. Virgin only allow you to call up a call centre and the level of service is appalling!

 

Suspect that once I get the Hub One issue resolved I will get a decent aftermarket router / hub. I did this a few years ago when on BT Infinity at my last place and the stability and wifi range were significantly better. My current place has thick brick walls so I struggle to get wifi signal at the back of the house, so tend to use power line wifi boosters which work well.

 

 

The wifi signal from the PlusNet Hub One is significantly weaker than the Virgin super hub 3 I was using though... which also means a change to something better seems like a good move.

 

Will post back on this thread with outcome from ticket in case it helps anyone else.

 

Thanks