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Faster Plusnet Broadband, for free

Faster Plusnet Broadband, for free

Faster Plusnet Broadband, for free

Bigger, better, faster, more – those words seem to encompass the internet these days. Content is getting richer, and more and more services from television to financial transactions through employment and shopping are basing themselves online. But is connectivity keeping up with this? Are speeds good enough? In order to make sure that they are, we’re arranging bulk upgrades for our customers on to the up to 20Mb service on BT Wholesale’s 21st century network. The best bit? It’ll not cost you a bean! We’re starting in March with around 12,000 customers and continuing onwards with another 8,000 customers per month. Our aim is to have over 60% of our customers connected on up to 20Mb speeds by the end of 2011, against the 15% already on these speeds. If you’d like to know more about this we have an FAQ published here. In our experience though, while connection speed is important it isn’t everything. A fast line is all well and good, but what do you do if you want to call your family in Australia using Skype or frag some guys in Call of Duty when your housemates or kids are busy downloading their new games? You may have heard that Plusnet use traffic shaping. We do, and we’re proud of it. It’s our expertise in this field that’s helped us keep the latency – that is, the time taken for your broadband traffic to pass through our network – as low as it is. All VoIP and all Gaming (except on Value accounts) traffic is classified as Titanium, the highest priority traffic on our network. Next down from that is Gold, which includes Value gaming, web browsing and email, video streaming, VPN traffic and several other types (read more on our website here). Over the past six months the average latency for Titanium and Gold traffic across the 20CN network, that is the up to 8mb speeds, was 1.20ms and 1.91ms respectively. The average across the 21CN network was even better – just 0.17ms for Titanium traffic and 0.96ms for Gold. We’re not stopping there. Since the middle of last year we’ve invested a lot of money in our broadband network, replacing the older 155Mb and 622Mb pipes that used to form the backbone of the UK’s broadband network with 10Gb hostlinks – you can read more about our new network in Dave’s blog. If those last few paragraphs went past in a blur, here’s a summary. We’ve spent a lot of money our new network in order to make sure that your gaming, web surfing, emails, video calls, iPlayer and VPN traffic will continue to work as they should no matter how heavily your connection is being used… and now we’re investing further to upgrade your connection speeds. This means you’ll have the fastest and most reliable broadband service possible. If you've got any questions, or would like to know more, then why not ask it on our Community Forums.

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60 Comments
Can I have "Faster Plusnet Broadband, for free" - at present I have to pay Plusnet for "Fairly Average Plusnet Broadband", please?
TicnTac
Grafter
Speeds aren't good enough, bandwidth is not sufficient on either of the base packages, prices are too high. Traffic management is restrictive. UP to means on average 3.5 Mb/s which is according to most 3rd party speed testers the Plusnet average. Before all this investment how about some basics first, customer support response times, workable lines and Internet access, fault tolerant Gateways that don't break themselves ;-) To the average end user, all this means nothing, and will give no advantages at all. How's about scrap it all and throw fibre at 8000 customers / month with no extra charges. That'll put a smile on lots of faces. There is no point glossing it by putting people on Up To 20Mb when their Up To 8Mb is still only getting them a low throughput and sometimes an unstable synchronization. It is just a load of gloss (a few folk might call it something else) ;-) Lets face it, BT says jump, Plusnet says "how high?"
Chris
Legend
@axisofevil If your exchange is 21CN enabled then you may well be due to move, you can opt-in earlier if you like by following the FAQ. @ticntac Unfortunately faults can and do happen on ADSL, I know you've been affected for quite a while by an ongoing fault but we're (Adam) continuing to do what we can to get it resolved for you.
Chris, I am fully 21CN enabled, ADSL2+ etc and I get sync rates (at the router) of about 5Mbps. I opted-in during your ADSL2+ test (a long time ago).
nadger1
Not applicable
I found move from 20CN to 21CN only gave a marginal increase at 3Km from exchange. That said, I get a straight line download graph (24/7) of 6.5Mb using Ofcom/Samknows device attached to my router as part of the trial - results just announced. For £5.99/month who's complaining. My cabinet has FTTC but my usage doesn't really warrant it right now.
steve741
Not applicable
I personally asked to be put on ADSL2+ when my exchange got enabled, I raised a ticket and within that week I was moved over, Outstanding performance sine then, Download doubled, Upload doubled and all for the same price, Excellent value for money and I recommend plusnet to everyone.
ben_taylor
Not applicable
it is the worst service dont get it ? they play second fiddle to BT customers an there slhttp://www.speedtest.net/result/1181576827.png my average speed is this 234kbps on average its a joke an wen include line rental better off with sky least u get some channels to watch lol
bobpullen1
Not applicable
Sorry to hear you're having problems Ben, have you reported them to our helpdesk?
Gus
Aspiring Pro
Forget the up too X speed adverts and rethink them before you are forced to remove them in the near future. As a customer with at best a 2500k IP profile, if you had planned on charging to be moved from 20cn too 21cn would see me leaving. So the fact you are phasing out 20cn this advert is obvious spin.
john_galloway
Not applicable
would all this explain why Virgin claim to be able to give me 11-12Mbps down the existing BT wiring, which BT Wholesale say is good for 2.5-6.6Mbps?
bobpullen1
Not applicable
Hi John, Virgin services use coaxial cable to deliver their services rather than (typically) copper that's used on BT's 'local loop'. Copper is far more susceptible to noise and other conditions that can affect speed. Having said that, BT's fibre offerings are pretty much on par with what Virgin can offer (although not as widely available yet).
Merlin
Grafter
well this is all interesting, my sync speed has steadily fallen over the past four or five months from about 2.6Mbs to 1.5Mbs or even lower now. Upstream sync seems to hop around at either 448Kbs or 224Kbs. I note that BT has been doing a lot of work at the local cabinet perhaps they have degraded my already long line. Hopefully I can get on the FTTC beta trial as my exchange/cabinet has been connected. I have not heard anything from PN though since I put in the ticket.
aPlusnetUser
Not applicable
I thought Plusnet have been bulk migrating customers from 20CN to 21CN for over a year now? I recall I was moved to 21CN and retained my upto 8mbps ADSL1 connection last summer on my legacy BBYW plan. Will this new migration work affect customers already migrated to ADSL1 on 21CN ? (ie. upgrade to ADSL2+)
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Hi aPlusnetUser, It's just customers from 20-21CN, as you're already on 21CN it won't affect you. Jojo Smiley
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Hi Merlin, If you tell me the ticket No. I'll take a look for you. Jojo Smiley
bobpullen1
Not applicable
@aPlusnetUser, to correct what JoJo's said, we *are* upgrading 21CN ADSL1 customers to ADSL2+ In fact we've quite a few scheduled for this month.
Merlin
Grafter
Hi Jojopillo, ticket is 40145567
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Hi Merlin, I've one of the provisioning team looking at this for you. Your ticket should be updated shortly. @aPlusnetUser, sorry bit of a blonde moment there :/ Jojo Smiley
Simon7
Not applicable
Hi Chris & team, I'm a GlobalNet user, can I switch to this? I've just raised a ticket asking if it's possible. TIA, Simon
bobpullen1
Not applicable
You would need to switch to a Plusnet account Simon and there are likely to be implications in doing so (best explained when your ticket gets picked up). Our RADIUS platform isn't built to support Global customers on the 21CN platform.
Brian_Goodwin
Not applicable
All this sounds good, but what does it mean to a non technical end user? I am 7km from Chesterfield exchange and currently get only 650Kbps. BT have just installed their fibre cabinet in Wingerworth (our nearest village) which is 2.5km away from my home. What will you be doing and when to increase my speed?
Merlin
Grafter
Thanks jojopillo for getting someone to look at my FTTC trial request. Unfortunately BT seems to have thrown a spanner into the works as PN is having problems with converting adsl2 circuits to FTTC. Looks like a few more weeks before anything can happen. I seem to remember similar problems with other online BT order systems over the years - "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" as they say.
nadger1
Not applicable
With regard to BT "c'est tres vrai"
Barry1
Not applicable
Hi Have been with plusnet since last October, had speed of 1.8mb before joining from sky.email from plusnet in November stated that i was getting speed of 1.75mb which was great for my needs. This lasted around two weeks and since have a speed around 200kbps. Help assistant seemed great. but now after three months, with two bt engineer visits, fault being escalated umpteen times by plusnet nothing has changed and no one really seems to know what they are doing. plusnet spend a huge amount of money on advertising, but for me the service is not fit for pupose and if not resolved in next week will be moving on.
Ian5
Just browsing
My connection seems to have stabilised after disconnecting for move around at home a week ago at the following checked with the BT Speedtester. Download speed 620Kbps DSL Connection rate 1120Kbps IP Profile 750Kbps Acceptance range 200-1000Kbps This is a pretty miserable state of affairs, perhaps I should save money and change to dial up. Is this the best I can expect from PlusNet? I checked my next door neighbour's system at the same time, she is connected to the same exchange from the same pole but with ISP KeConnect. Download speed 2228Kps DSL Connection rate 7616Kbps IP Profile 6500Kbps Acceptance range 600-7150Kbps As you can see she has download speed three times faster than mine and an IP Profile almost ten times bgger than mine. Can you explain why the difference please? I have been waiting since early Sat for a response from Support on this.
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Hi Merlin, Très vrai, très vrai, as they say. I hope it get's sorted for you soon. Jojo Smiley
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Hi Ian, I've just tested your line. Are you using an extension socket/cable. Have a look here http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/bbfaults/slowspeed.shtml#downstreamLow especially the test socket part. Jojo Smiley
Ian5
Just browsing
Hi Jojo. I do have it on an extension socket because it is more convenient but I have run the tests on the main test point with no appreciable difference, certainly knowhere near my neighbour's service. I have just switched back over and done the speed test. Download speed 827kbps Acceptable range 200-1000k Connection rate 1312kbps IP Profile 1000k. The only difference between my neighbour's and mine that I can see is that I have a small connection box where the line comes into the house and before the master socket that has a small circuit board in it marked RC910.140.01 Iss 3 and with two small black cans. When BT were in last year for a line fault the engineer commented that I had one of those, but no idea what one of those is. Regards, Ian Rutherford.
maranello1
Not applicable
As my connection can only manage 1.5Mbps on ADSL1 and won't improve with ADSL2+, I have had to contain my excitement at this news. How about a sweetener of increased usage allowance for free for those who cannot get any improvement on from 21CN?
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
HI maramello, No harm in asking I suppose, but highly unlikely. Jojo Smiley
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Hi Ian, If you put it in the test socket you wouldn't see any improvement in speed but it would give us a chance to run some conclusive tests on it. Jojo Smiley
Gregory_Berry
Not applicable
Great news Plusnet :D Am I likely to see my uploads speeds increased? That is my only downfall at the moment with my connection Smiley
bobpullen1
Not applicable
Not by default Gregory, however you can request that we uncap the upload once you've been moved across. You may sacrifice a little download speed as a result mind you.
russellbutler
Not applicable
I1ve been with plusnet for something like 18 months and am getting 110 Kbps download speed at the moment, have only had a little over 200 Kbps since the very beginning. Plusnet was my first attempt at Broadbanb and what a dissapointment that has been, every so often plusnet sends me an email asking me to recommend someone to their Broadband, Is it possible to dislike someone that much.. Russell Butler
Dunc1
Not applicable
I carried out another speedtest on my line and looked at the previous last year I was getting 6.3m download spead (varied between 5.6 and 6.7) but was stable and fast this year I am getting a 1.7m download and the BT tester shows 994kbs!! I dont really mind how big the speed is, but over the past month if anyone else is using the wireless network my gaming pings soar to unuseable hights!! Plusnet do say they will restrict the bandwidth at peak times, but it has never affected my gaming previously and that is my baby! If it continues I will have to seek an alternative ISP....:-( I've been with Plusnet for years and dont really want to go but its been a great service up till now...Have new bosses been getting you to restrict the bandwidth a bit too much? Do they know that in attempting to save money they might actually be pissing off a few long term stable paying customers? As I said I like Plusnet, stayed with em through the lean times and never had a problem which wasnt sorted, but guys! this is now becoming a bit too much! Any Mods with an answer?
bobpullen1
Not applicable
@Russell, have you reported your problems to our help desk before? If so, do you have a support ticket reference so that we can take a look over your account? @Dunc, we've more bandwidth to cater for our customers now than we've ever had in the past! Your problems undoubtedly lie elsewhere. The same offer I've extended to Russell applies to you too. If you can give us some means of identifying your account then we'll be happy to take a look and see if we can spot anything untoward?
Dunc1
Not applicable
Thanks Bob, but its definately a Bandwidth usage issue as today (at 1430hrs) I can get 6.74megs which is what it used to be but someone is crushing it down in the peak usage time, which I can accept, but they're squeezing it just a tad too much, when my ping goes from a cool 41 to a minging 3000!! and the game almost stops! Its all to do with the bandwidth control, my end of things works fine during the non peak times. Regards Dunc
Alex1
Not applicable
Just to actually get some Internet service from this company would be good. I've been a customer for 4 weeks and have had no service for over 2 weeks. Still no sign of it been resolved. Get me any service first - then we'll talk about faster service.
bobpullen1
Not applicable
@Dunc, that still doesn't sound normal - even if you've exceeded your bandwidth allowance your ICMP traffic/pings shouldn't suffer. @Alex, have you a recent ticket reference from your account you can provide us with so that we can take a look at your account?
Alex1
Not applicable
refs are 40691194 or 40691421
mapletree1
Not applicable
Is there any advantage at all for people with a long line, who currently get low speeds, moving to 21CN? The BT speed predictor shows a [b]slower[/b] speed on 21CN for me.
Ellis
Grafter
I moved from Tiscali last August, my best speed on plusnet was a few times when it managed 6+Mbps. Most of the time it varies from 250Kbps to 3Kbps but most times under 1Mbps. With Tiscali I was getting 2 to 2.2Mbps. I can't use BBC Iplayer any sense as it keeps struggling to buffer the stream (even on the lowest definition). High definition is impossible. My computer in quite capable of handling HDV from my camera. I am beginning to regret the change.
russellbutler
Not applicable
I`m very pleased to say that after an engineers visit on Thursday 15th , who gave me a new line to the local exchange my speed has improved so it`s fingers crossed, and maybe things will settle down from now on. Many thanks for all the help I have received. Russell
sameh_maher
Not applicable
hi,just to say that I am paying £28 per month for nothing if we compared the speed with other providers.I need a solution for the low speed broadband. thanks sameh
bobpullen1
Not applicable
Hi Sameh, Have you contacted our helpdesk to see if there's a better package available to suit your requirements?
kwacee
Not applicable
Plusnet is just a rip off as I paid 42 pounds for february. I regret joining this company and will never recommned it to anyone. I cannot wait for my contract to end.
Chris
Legend
@kwacee That sounds like you've been charged for additional usage, have you checked to see if any of our other products are more suited to your usage needs?
NetworkGuy
Not applicable
Just a word in PN's favour. I had my BT line reconnected in February 2010 and heard a hum, so had BT check line with engineer visit. Was told I was just being fussy, and Openreach charged for the visit (when the bill turned up 5-6 weeks later I challenged it and as engineer said it was internal wiring [impossible, because all tests were with standard phone at master socket in hall], I got charge reimbursed). My initial connection speed to exchange was up to about 2 Mbps, but any time it rained I lost broadband and voice calls for up to 5 days at a time. I was able to do tests via Three mobile dongle on my line with nothing connected... all BT test site results suggested internal wiring, and in one instance they decided to visit even though I had not ticked the box - knew they would try to charge me and indeed they did try, yet again, but I had already complained about unexpected "we have fixed an appointment" SMS they sent and told them I had not confirmed they could visit, because I had no wish to pay when the problem came every time it rained and thus not an internal wiring problem! Happened several times from May to September, when a young engineer turned up and before I had reached the front door, was up his ladder and ripping down the old dropwire. Insulation had perished, and he then fitted a new downlead and master socket my 'computer room' upstairs. Hum has gone too, now !! Connection has been fine ever since, sync speed around 3 Mbps and profile speed 2.5 Mbps now. So not all down to PN, sometimes it is completely out of their hands. Comparing with neighbours would have made no difference in my case as it was just poor quality of external wiring for this property only. Distance to exchange ~3 km as crow flies, ~6 km for route of cables. Just keeping fingers crossed FTTC will arrive (100ish metres to cabinet).
NetworkGuy
Not applicable
Forgot to add that during the summer my connection was often below 200 kbps and BBC iPlayer test showed no chance for anything but radio. Was very annoying but not PN's fault.
tarquel
Grafter
Doubt I'll ever see FTTC where i live hehe (small town in mid-wales Cheesy :P) Good to hear that some of you good people will be able to take it up though Smiley