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Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

Tibbastun
Newbie
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Registered: ‎03-01-2021

Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

Hello,

l’m very new to plusnet, around 2 months and have been having problems with my broadband dropping out. Open reach have been out 3 times, changed cable and I have had 2 Plusnet routers, still no success.

Plusnet have now recommended using a 3rd party router and offered me £40 to purchase one. I have read a few posts regarding a BT smart series 6, but I wasn’t sure whether to go for a home model or business model. Could anyone recommend one please. It’s for fibre broadband.

Thanks

 

11 REPLIES 11
jab1
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

Welcome to the forums @Tibbastun Unless you are one of those who like to play about with some of the more obscure features, I would suggest you went for the home version. In default mode they both work the same, AFAIK, and although I haven't checked I  suspect the home edition is a bit cheaper.

John
Baldrick1
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

@Tibbastun 

£40 should get you a business version. I would go for one of those.

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Tibbastun
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

Hello Jab 1 and Baldrick 1
Thank you for replying. No I don't need anything fancy, I read on a couple of other threads about the BT Smart 6 router, I believe Baldrick wrote about them but wanted to confirm that was the best choice.
Baldrick 1 could I just ask you quickly why the business model (sorry if you've been asked loads of times the same question)
Thanks for your help, much appreciated!
Baldrick1
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

@Tibbastun 
As @jab1 says, you have more setting options. The most useful is the option to set your own choice of DNS servers rather than the default being those provided by Plusnet. You might not want to use these features at the moment but if Plusnet are prepared to reimburse you for the device with these extras then why not get them?

Personally I use OpenDNS with mine but many others are available.

The hardware is the same but the firmware is different. In terms of basic performance there’s no difference. However if there’s an important security firmware update required you might think that BT would prioritise rolling it out to their business customers first.

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Tibbastun
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

Thanks for the extra info, although I don’t really understand what you mean by choice of DNS servers. I’m going to get the business model. I think you’ve already posted how to set it up, so I’ll have a go and see how I get on. Thanks again for the information.

redrook
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

We've been having issues for months, now on our third Plusnet router, and have just been offered £30 to buy a third party one. 

We will be switching ISP as I believe there is a firmware issue with Plusnet routers.

Baldrick1
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.


@redrook wrote:

We ..... have just been offered £30 to buy a third party one. 

We will be switching ISP as I believe there is a firmware issue with Plusnet routers.


So Plusnet are offering to pay for you to get a Smarthub 6, which will quite likely solve your problem. Consequently you will be changing ISP because the Plusnet hub, for which Plusnet are offering to reimburse you for replacing, has flaky firmware?

Maybe it's me!

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redrook
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

I didn't mention a Smarthub 6 did I? That's an old model you only get used anyway.

So no, they are telling us to go and buy a third party router giving us £30 towards it. Since a new Smarthub 2 is £200, that doesn't really work does it? If Plusnet admit we need a new router, they should provide one which works.

Maybe you'd be happy buying a used router with no warranty or recourse, and upon which further issues could be blamed, but like you say, that's you Wink 

ebach
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

"So Plusnet are offering to pay for you to get a Smarthub 6, which will quite likely solve your problem. Consequently you will be changing ISP because the Plusnet hub, for which Plusnet are offering to reimburse you for replacing, has flaky firmware?"

 

Sorry, but that logic doesn't work in any other customer service situation. I cannot think of another situation, other than perhaps when something is discontinued and has not been replaced with a new model, where a company would reimburse a customer after telling them to go and buy a third party part to replace something of theirs which doesn't work. To me this smacks of a company knowing there is an issue, as it is a frank admission that their product can't deliver their own service.

And also, if it will fix the issue and a service isn't being delivered, why wouldn't the customer switch to a provider than can provide a functional product without the need for third party devices lol

redrook
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

I think an ISP should be able to provide a router that works.

I also think that providing good community interaction means politely answering people without sarcasm, and sympathetically engaging with them (which is probably why there's a stark difference between staff and non-staff posts). If a mistake has been made, pointing it out with civility and entering into a conversation.

But maybe that's me. 🤷‍

ebach
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Re: Plusnet recommend a 3rd party router help please.

Agreed! Unfortunately there are some people that have been on forums so long and made thousands of posts that they act like a snobby patron of a club.

 

FWIW I use a Netgear Nighthawk for gaming, but I don't think most people need that. A BT hub may well sort the issues that you @redrook and OP are experiencing, but I 100% agree that you shouldn't have to. Using a third party router should be a choice.