Affordable - one of the cheapest providers in the UK
Unlimited broadband - no download or upload usage allowances
Fibre packages available - speeds averaging 66Mb download and 18Mb upload available in enabled areas
Full Fibre available - speeds of up to 500Mb in anabled areas
Phone bundles available - add an inclusive minutes call plan to any package, from £5.71 additional monthly cost
UK-based customer services - get support from a guaranteed UK call centre
Possible downsides
Annual CPI plus 3.9% price rises - prices for broadband, line, call plans and call charges will increase with the Consumer Price Index plus 3.9% on March 31st every year
Features at a glance
Download speeds average 10Mbps for standard broadband, 36Mbps for Fibre, 66Mbps for Fibre Extra and up to 75Mb on Full Fibre
18 month price contracts offered as standard, cheaper 12 month contracts may be offered during promotions
All deals come with unlimited usage
Many deals with free or discounted activation
UK-based telephone support from 8am to 8pm, 7days a week
Safeguard online parental controls - easily block or allow websites and categories with no download needed. Plusnet Protect powered by Norton - optional security suite of Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and Anti-Spam protection (£2 extra on standard fibre)
Free AC-rated Plusnet Hub Two with fibre packages
Inclusive minutes phone packages may be added from £4 a month extra
Sometimes the best way to get a feel for a broadband provider is to read what those who are already customers think of the service they're receiving. Below are all the reviews we've received for Plusnet.
Ratings are left by users of our speed test as well as by reviewers. Recent star ratings summarise the last 12 months of ratings or the last 100 placed, whichever is largest.
I'm not happy with the service and fixing issues...I've been with this company for 2 years but whenever I really need Internet there was a problem and takes days to fix..
Satisfaction
3 stars
Customer Service
2 stars
Speed
3 stars
Reliability
1 star
Aliakbar Shakoor
Portsmouth
Plusnet
2024-04-11
BEWARE! DO NOT USE! Plusnet are like Delboy, crossed with the Chuckle Brothers and Mr Bean! Everything they touch is a mess, there new name is PLUSMESS!!!! My family have been with Plusnet since they launched many years ago, since DAY ONE! We were one of the first customers and WERE avid fans! We used to love them, There customer service has gone down hill, it's now awful, a total MESS and we are thankful to have left. They have a UK call centre, but everything they do is full of problems and errors. Imagine Mr Bean on the phone with an attitude, that is there average call handler. They are just candid and rude. Everytime we moved house in past 8 years, they messed it up somehow, everything they touch is a MESS!! I dont want them anywhere near my internet connection Thank you very much. This time around we were moving house in 2024 and yet again, they messed it up, even though i carefully went through everything in fine detail with the Plusnet agent. They ended up delaying my internet being installed in my new house, as they didnt process the request properly... ofcourse, so i just paid to leave the contract as cant stand this ridiculous mess anymore. I would call them PLUSMESS as everything they touch goes to mess, like the CHUCKLE BROTHERS or MR BEAN. When they install the internet they should say ''To me, to you, to me, to you'', like the chuckle brothers did with carrying a ladder. Its an embarassment. My internet even went down in my old address, and when i logged it, they ended up not even logging that properly. Literally EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH is a TOTAL MESS!!! Stay away!! Its just ridiculous, they are PLUS at messing stuff up.... An indian call centre would actually be better. I suggest they fire EVERY CALL CENTRE MANAGER in the Uk and start again, because i can foresee this company going bankrupt. People are NOT happy, and I was there biggest fan, well.... not anymore!
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
Greg Mahony
Norwich
Plusnet
2024-04-02
Was once the go to service. Been thrown out for mobile phones (2). Price increases!! Cannot talk to the staff as you used to be able to! assume more complaints!! Cannot wait for my contract to finish!!!!!
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
2 stars
Reliability
2 stars
Jonathan
Bournemouth
Plusnet
2024-04-01
Truely horriffic service!
I have had speed issues for over 5 months. During this time I have been working with the tech team at plusnet, there is no resolution, and the said if I want to leave it will cost me over £100 (170 if I remember correctly) and to top this off they want to increase the price above the amount I signed up for by 3.9% above CPI! What a rip off.
All of this just to try to get the "minimum guaranteed speed that's hidden in the small print! I have NEVER seen the 41-60Mbps the lured me in with!!!!
AVIOD AT ALL COSTS!
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
steve
Essex, UK
Plusnet
2024-03-30
Terrible service. Toxically cheerful and folksy customer service are unable to follow through on any of their promises. Internet service is slow when its needed (afternoons and evenings as I work for a US company). At other time its vaguely about the right speed but useless for videdo calls and conferences. The ONLY reason I signed up was because they allegedly had speed. They did not. AVOID them!
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
2 stars
Reliability
2 stars
Evans
Wythenshawe
Plusnet
2024-03-14
Terrrible customer service, mis-sold products and rude. avoid at all costs.
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
Scott
Edinburgh
Plusnet
2024-02-28
Signed up for 2 years at 31.99. 2nd month was sent an email that my price is being increased by 2.53 per month.
Apparently they raise their prices every March on all contracts... so what is the point in me being in a contract with these muppets then?
It is in their terms and conditions - I read them after I got this email, but from a legal standpoint it's got to be dubious. They didn't point out that the price would change and if they had, I wouldn't have gone with them.
Definitely leaving them at the end of the contract. Unfortunately I have nearly 2 years to go.
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
3 stars
Reliability
3 stars
Alex Walls
Cambridgeshire
Plusnet
2024-02-23
Really poor customer service- William was not at all helpful.. I have been a loyal customer with Plusnet . I must have come out of 18 mth contract no notification and my bills nearly doubled . Explained to William customer service assistant no refund allowed , not interested .Response must have gone to your spam. In the current economic climate the company should be a little more empathetic. Company must be inundated with customers as they are not interested in retaining them!!!!
Satisfaction
3 stars
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
3 stars
Reliability
4 stars
Suzi Snell
Frodsham
Plusnet
2024-02-09
Removed the old broadband line to install full fibre on 26/01/24
Since the installation, we have have no service since then (6th day now)
Must have called 30 times in the last 6 days to try and get this over the line and sorted out.
We are no further now, with plusnet blaming open reach and open reach blaming plusnet, than we where 6 days ago.
These faceless organisations who are growing at a rate that far exceeds their ability to offer a service, take a payment prior to being able to use said service and fob you off with weak arguments as to why it doesn't work.
They now have asked me to take a second day off work, so the incompetent engineer and return and put this right.
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
2 stars
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
mark elliott
sevenoaks kent
Plusnet
2024-01-31
Rubbish customer services Just had what can be described as a ri off price increase. So rang them to tell them to stick they product, Instantly the staff member offered my a monthly cost just lower than, my current price they planned to almost double. He cancelled my DDM so he could set up a new 12month contract. What did I get today an email from plus a text message threatening to restrict my broadband service unless the rip of monthly cost was paid. Still what can yo expect from a division of BT, strange how they keep quite about that though but the engineer let the cat out of the bag when they had to come out to correct a router and socket fault. Avoid like the palgue they are BT even the same standard BT routers with a Plusnet sticker on them
The reviews published on this page are those of the individual authors who have warrantied that they abide by our review guidelines. Reviews are not the opinion of Broadband.co.uk.
Ofcom's latest figures on broadband complaints are out - and it's bad news for Virgin Media. The company has rocketed to the top of the list as the major broadband supplier that gets the highest rate of complaints.
The report covers January to March this year, and counted the number of complaints made to Ofcom about providers with a market share of 1.5% or more.
It shows that Virgin Media generated 33 complaints per 100,000 customers, an increase of 20 in just a year. That puts them a long way ahead - or should that be behind - the next two worst performers, with Vodafone and TalkTalk both getting 24 complaints. Vodafone had been the worst ranking provider in six of the last seven quarters. Plusnet also generated complaint levels above the industry average.
And that's not the end of the bad news for Virgin Media. They also racked up the highest complaint levels for their landline service (19 per 100,000) and their pay TV service (17 per 100,000), and were second worst for mobile (5 per 100,000) behind Three.
The biggest reason why customers complained to Ofcom about Virgin Media was failings in the broadband provider's own complaints handling system - amounting to 39% in total. A third complained about faults and issues with the service, and a further 13% about billing problems.
Industry-wide, faults, service and provisioning issues accounted for 42% of reports, followed by complaints handling and billing.
Sky and EE were the least complained-about providers, generating just seven apiece. They've been in the top two positions for the last two years. The only other provider to beat the industry average was BT, with 15.
In good news for the industry overall, the average number of complaints has more than halved over the last decade, from 40 per 100,000 in the first quarter of 2011, to 19 now. The numbers are up from a record low of 10 in Q2 of last year, perhaps in part a consequence of pandemic disruption and the increasing importance of internet access for work, school and entertainment.
Broadband complaints per 100,000 customers
EE: 7
Sky: 7
BT: 15
Industry average: 19
Plusnet: 21
Vodafone: 24
TalkTalk: 24
Virgin Media: 33
In pay TV, Virgin Media generated 17 complaints against an industry average of 6. Sky performed best with just two. For landlines, Virgin had 19 complaints, eight more than the average, and EE and Sky tied as best performers with five each.
Mobile complaints were largely flat, and at much lower levels. Three performed worst with six complaints, while Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE had just one each.
Service reliability, billing, and complaint handling are important factors you should consider when choosing a new broadband provider. Our site contains thousands of customer ratings and reviews that can give you a true feel for how each provider performs. Currently, Zen top our list for customer satisfaction.
If you aren't happy with the service you're getting from your supplier, and you're coming to the end of your contract, it's easy to switch. Use our postcode checker to find the best broadband deal available in your area today.
If you're splashing out on a big screen smart TV, perhaps to watch the Euros or to build your dream Home Cinema experience, it's worth also checking to make sure that your broadband package is up to scratch.
It's not really a big deal if you've gone for a smaller set, but if you're rocking a 65 inch screen or more, you want the best resolution you can get. 4K streaming is a must.
So what exactly do you need? When it comes to broadband for TV streaming, how fast is fast enough? Let's take a look.
What speeds do you need?
First, load up our speed test tool, go and stand next to your telly and run it a couple of times. This will give you an idea of the speeds your TV is able to get.
Now, you can compare the results to the speed requirements for many of the most popular streaming services:
BBC iPlayer - 4K: 24Mb, HD: 5MB. (iPlayer currently only offers a few shows in 4K, including the whole of the Euro 2020 competition.)
NOW TV - 1080p HD: 12Mb (There's no 4K option at the moment.)
Netflix - 4K: 25Mb, HD: 5Mb
Amazon - 4K: 15Mb, HD: 5Mb
Disney+ - 4K: 25Mb, HD 5Mb
Apple TV+ - 4K, 15Mb, HD: 8Mb
You might need to upgrade your subscription to get 4K streaming on some of these services. They will stream in 4K if your connection is fast enough, but will drop down to 1080p HD (and potentially even lower) if it isn't, so you don't have to worry about adjusting the settings of your streaming apps to find the appropriate quality.
Smart TVs use the same bandwidth as dedicated streaming sticks or set-top boxes, so the requirement is the same if you're using one of those instead - it's based on the software rather than the hardware.
And if you're wondering whether streaming uses more bandwidth than downloading, it's basically the same. You can technically download at a higher quality on a slower connection if you're willing to wait long enough, although you wound't want to do that too often. The big difference is for live TV, where you're always reliant on your internet connection when streaming, as compared to an aerial, cable or dish, where you always get the highest quality available, regardless.
How can you speed up the internet for your smart TV?
If you're struggling with buffering or pixellated images, or you're concerned you aren't getting the maximum quality available, there are a few things you can try.
Check your TV has a good Wi-Fi signal to begin with - you can usually see this if you delve into the TV's W-Fi settings. The weaker your signal, the slower your connection might be, and if it gets too weak, there's where you're likely to encounter problems.
If you have a weak connection, make sure there are no electrical devices nearby that can cause interference, like a cordless phone.
Also, you could try moving your router so that there are no heavy, physical objects like large bookcases that could block the signal.
Most smart TVs should have an Ethernet port around the back, so you can plug in a cable direct from your router to ensure a fast, consistent connection. Alternatively, you could use something like a Powerline adapter to extend your network coverage into a room where your Wi-Fi performance tends to be less than stellar.
The best broadband for your smart TV
As you can see from the speed requirements above, even 4K streaming is easily within the capabilities of almost all fibre packages, assuming you don't live too far away from your nearest street cabinet. This can cause a big drop-off in your download speeds.
The complication comes when you factor in what the rest of your household is doing while you're watching.
A typical entry level fibre deal, with 36Mb download speeds, comfortably exceeds the 25Mb requirement for 4K. But if you've got kids YouTubing and FaceTiming, and a partner in your home office downloading, all at the same time, your bandwidth will be spread a lot more thinly. Suddenly, that 4K streaming could be off limits.
So what speeds should you go for? Assuming a busy household, a top-end fibre-to-the-cabinet package should be the minimum. These have speeds in the region of 63-66Mb, and are enough for a few people to be busy online at the same time. Vodafone, TalkTalk and Plusnet are among the providers that offer great value fibre deals with these speeds.
But you should go faster for a larger household, to get the peace of mind that your connection will always be speedy enough to meet your needs. Most providers offer packages faster than 100Mb, including Sky, BT and Virgin Media.
If you're ready to upgrade to get the best TV and Home Cinema experience possible, use our postcode checker to discover the best broadband deals available in your area today.
Plusnet Broadband Buyers Guide - Is Plusnet right for you?
Can I get Plusnet?
Plusnet is owned by BT and benefits from BT’s network covering most of the UK. With a good 95% of homes covered, you should be able to get Plusnet broadband
While you'll still need to be in enabled areas for higher speed Fibre to the Cabinet and Full Fibre packages, no matter where you are, Plusnet are there for you. This is good news if you're in a rural area, as you'll be able to benefit from Plusnet's competetive pricing with standard broadband packages. You can find out if this applies to where you live by using our postcode checker.
What packages are available?
Plusnet offer three core broadband packages in a variety of configurations. You can choose your length of contract, and also get them with or without a phone line.
These are the three basic Plusnet broadband deals:
Unlimited - standard broadband with an average speed of 10Mb
Unlimited Fibre - average download speeds 36Mb, average upload speeds 9Mb
Unlimited Fibre Extra - average download speeds 66Mb, average upload speeds 18Mb
Full Fibre 74 - average download speeds 74Mb, average upload speeds20Mb
Full Fibre 145 - average download speeds 145Mb, average upload speeds 30Mb
Full Fibre 500 - average download speeds 500Mb, average upload speeds 75Mb
All deals are unlimited, with no traffic prioritisation. For standard and Fibre to the Cabinet products you can usually choose between a contract of 12 months or 18 months, but special offers may only apply to one or other contract length. Full Fibre products are all on a 24 month contract.
Standard and Fibre to the Cabinet include call plans where you only pay for the calls you make, but you do have the option to add an inclusive calls phone service to any of these packages. For an extra £5.71 a month you can upgrade to Evening, Weekend and Mobile calls, and for £10.28 a month you can upgrade to Unlimited UK and Mobile calls. Finally, you can upgrade to Plusnet International Anytime 300 for an extra £10.28 a month, which comes with free inclusive anytime calls to UK landlines and 300 inclusive anytime minutes to 35 international destinations as well as 25% off top international call destinations outside of your 300 minutes. Mobile calls aren't included in this.
There are no call packages for Full Fubre products as these do not use the landline system, it's fibre all the way to your property. This suits most people these days as we tend to use our mobile phones for calls and don't need a landline phone. In the event that you do, there are VoIP services available that provide you a similar service, but it's done over the internet rather than the old landline system.
Which package should I choose?
An important first question to ask yourself is whether you need the speed of fibre if you can get by with standard broadband speeds.
The extra speed is indeed much faster and thus a tempting prospect, but there is no point paying for it if you’re not going to use it. Plusnet’s ADSL speeds averaging 10Mb are easily sufficient for most online activities including Skype calls and downloading music. However, this is not the case if you live far enough from a telephone exchange that your ADSL speed would be very low.
It would also be worth getting fibre if you are a heavy downloader, or regular gamer, as these are both activities that would benefit from the extra speed, reducing download times and preventing lag in games. Fibre packages will help also prevent slowdown in households with many heavy internet users, such as student flats or homes with large families, where one connection has to be divided between several people.
If you're a heavy uploader, perhaps because you share your own YouTube videos or use cloud backup and sync services, or if you're in a busy household where several people may be streaming HD video at once, then you may benefit from the upgrade to Unlimited Fibre Extra offering up to double the download speed and almost 10 times the upload speed.
Points to consider before you choose
How far do you live from a BT telephone exchange, and will this be a problem for your ADSL speeds?
How many people will be using your broadband connection at any one time, especially for heavy downloading or online games?
Are you a heavy uploader, or someone who uses cloud backup and sync services?
Is fibre optic broadband available in your area?
Is the extra expense of fibre broadband really worth it for you?
It's always good to know upfront what you'll get when signing up with an ISP so you know what you can enjoy for free, or to budget for any extras you may want.
Wireless router - All new customers signing up to Plusnet will receive a free wireless router. On the Unlimited deal you get an N-rated Hub Zero, and on the fibre plans you get the more up-to-date Hub Two. This is AC-rated, giving it a stronger signal over a greater range. If you wish to use your own router instead, Plusnet will allow that provided you check with them that it is compatible.
UK-based customer service - Unlike most other providers, Plusnet’s customer service is entirely based in the UK, and is available between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week to help with any queries you may have. All Plusnet phone customers get free calls to Plusnet's customer service.
Plusnet Protect - Powered by Norton, Plusnet Protect is Plusnet’s internet security package free to Unlimited Fibre and Fibre Extra customers, available for an extra £2 per month for standard Fibre after a three month trial. Up to 7 PCs can be protected through its anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing and firewall tools. It also allows you to set parental controls to filter what children using the internet can access.
Static IP available - Customers on Unlimited Broadband and Unlimited Fibre Extra can add a static IP address for a one off payment of £5.
What are the benefits of Plusnet?
The benefits offered by an ISP may be what seals the deal in your decision to buy a package from them.
Cost - Plusnet is among the cheapest of the large providers, making it a good choice for those on a tight budget or those who just like to save money.
Unlimited usage on all deals - There's no reason to choose between price and usage allowance when Plusnet's entire range of broadband products come with no limits on the amount you're allowed to download or upload each month.
What are the drawbacks of Plusnet?
Let's face it, not everything can be perfect, and even the best deals may have a downside.
Few extras - Unlike many of the larger providers, Plusnet does not offer much in the way of extras like wi-fi hotspot access, online TV, or a home move service. However this is reflected in the cheaper cost, and it does not affect the core broadband service.
Annual CPI increases apply - Prices for broadband (and any other addons, such as line, call plans and call charges) increase by the Consumer Price Index March 31st of each year plus 3.9%, and then each March onwards
