Help and Support

Summary: Frequently asked questions about John Lewis Fibre Broadband

Information about John Lewis Fibre Broadband

  1. What is fibre?
  2. How does it work?
  3. Will speeds go up and down?
  4. Who can get it?
  5. How can I find out if John Lewis Fibre Broadband is available in my area?
  6. How much does it cost?
  7. How long does it take to set up?
  8. What happens on the go live day?
  9. Can I use my own extension cable(s)?
  10. Will I need a new router?
  11. Tell me more about the router you'll send me
  12. Can I use my own router?
  13. Can't find what you're looking for?
  14. Having problems with your broadband connection?

1. What is fibre?

Fibre refers to fibre optic broadband. We offer two packages offering super-fast download speeds:

  • Fibre, 36Mb average download speed*.
  • Fibre Extra, 66Mb average download speed*.

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2. How does it work?

John Lewis Fibre Broadband uses technology known as 'Fibre To The Cabinet' (or FTTC), which connects telephone exchanges to street cabinets using fibre optic links.

The faster network can then be used to deliver more bandwidth-hungry broadband services.

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3. Will speeds go up and down?

Yes, fibre uses Dynamic Line Management (DLM) to control the speed of your line.

You'll probably see your speed vary over the first 10 days, as the broadband system runs tests to find the best combination of stability and speed for your service. This can cause your speeds to go up and down. You may even get disconnected a few times. Don't worry, this doesn't mean there's a problem, so please bear with it.

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4. Who can get it?

Our fibre broadband service is available to anyone in a fibre-enabled area.

If you're a new customer, find the product you're interested in, select 'Buy now' and we'll let you know if it's available.

Existing customers can upgrade through our Product Change tool.

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5. How can I find out if John Lewis Fibre Broadband is available in my area?

When you select 'Buy now' on any of our products, we'll run a check. If you try to order fibre, we'll tell you if it's available. If you check for broadband, we'll tell you if you can upgrade to fibre.

Note: There are some reasons why you may not be able to get John Lewis Fibre Broadband, even though you live in a fibre optic broadband enabled area.

  • If you're connected directly to a telephone exchange, rather than via a green street cabinet
  • If your line is too far from your nearest green street cabinet to support a stable fibre optic broadband service
  • Work hasn't yet been done at your nearest green street cabinet
  • Your green street cabinet isn't suitable for fibre optic cabling

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6. How much does it cost?

John Lewis Fibre Broadband costs £26.11 per month
John Lewis Fibre Extra Broadband costs £31.90 per month

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7. How long does it take to set up?

If you're new to broadband your service should be up and running after 5-10 working days. If you're transferring your service from another provider there's a 10 working day minimum period and you'll be able to choose a set up date if you wish. We'll email you as soon as possible to confirm the date your service will start.

Once you've been notified your service is live, setting up your router takes just a few minutes depending on your set up.

Note: On the go live day your broadband and telephone won't work for a short while; this is whilst the engineer is connecting your service at the green cabinet.

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8. What happens on the go live day?

An engineer may carry out work at the telephone exchange and green cabinet.

Once you've been informed your service is ready you'll just need to plug your new fibre router into either the supplied microfilter or directly into your master socket with one of the included yellow Ethernet cables. The setup guide will explain which of these two options is applicable to you.

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9. Can I use my own extension cable(s)?

Yes. Bear in mind however that this will almost certainly reduce your overall broadband speeds.

If you have a master socket with a double socket especially for broadband you can plug your extension into that - you won't need to use a microfilter at all in this case.

If you have a master socket with only one socket which is shared with phone and broadband, you'll need to use a microfilter and plug your extension into that. Never filter at both ends of your extension lead!

Best broadband speeds are always obtained by plugging your router directly into your master socket.

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10. Will I need a new router?

Yes. We supply a fibre wireless router when you sign up. We'll make sure it arrives before or on your go live day.

We strongly recommend using the router we supply. You can try using your own router if you'd prefer, however this may not work. (For more information see question 12).

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11. Tell me more about the router you'll send me

The John Lewis Fibre router offers dual-band wireless and 4 gigabit ethernet ports to enable high speed connection to all your devices. A firewall, enhanced wireless security and parental controls are also included.

It's easy to set up using the included guide or the installation guide on our website.

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12. Can I use my own router?

We strongly recommend using the router we're supplying. You can use your own router if you'd prefer, but please note:

  • Make sure it's compatible: It must support VDSL2 - if you're not sure, check the details on the box or the manufacturer's website
  • Routers from other providers may not work: most providers lock their routers, so you may not be able to use it with John Lewis Broadband
  • We can't support other routers: Our Support Team can only help you fix problems with the routers supplied by John Lewis Broadband - if something goes wrong with your router you'll need to contact the manufacturer

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13. Can't find what you're looking for?

If we've not been able to address your query through a support article please contact Customer support for further assistance.

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14. Having problems with your broadband connection?

Report your problem with your service and we'll diagnose and fix the problem.

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Having problems with your broadband connection?

Report a problem with your service. It's faster by text.

Service Status

For full details of our current issues or any maintenance work that could be affecting your service please visit our Service Status site.

Can't find what you're looking for?

If we've not been able to address your query through a support article please contact Customer support for further assistance.

For your information

John Lewis Broadband is provided by Plusnet plc.

John Lewis Broadband is a trading name of John Lewis plc, but the services are provided by Plusnet and the contract for these services is between you and Plusnet plc.

Broadband and Fibre Broadband

To sign up to one of John Lewis Broadband's services, you will also have to sign up to John Lewis Broadband Phone, both on a 12-month contract. John Lewis Broadband Phone includes the Evening and Weekend† call plan as standard. You can choose to take one of our other call plans at an additional monthly charge.

*Broadband speed is described as 'average download speed of 10Mb' and 'average upload speed of 1Mb' as it is based on speed available to at least 50% of customers at peak time (8-10pm). Your actual speed will be dependent on your location, phone line, home wiring, wifi connection and time of day. Find out why speeds vary. Check your speed and products available at your location at www.johnlewisbroadband.com.

*Fibre broadband speed is described as'average download speed of 36Mb' and 'average upload speed of 9Mb' on Fibre and 'average download speed of 66Mb' and 'average upload speed of 18Mb' on Fibre Extra as it is based on speed available to at least 50% of customers at peak time (8-10pm). Your actual speed will be dependent on your location, phone line, home wiring, wifi connection and time of day. Find out why speeds vary. Check your speed and products available at your location at www.johnlewisbroadband.com.

Our broadband contracts: You must sign-up to a 12-month contract for one of the broadband services (John Lewis Broadband Unlimited, Fibre or Fibre Extra) and John Lewis Broadband Phone. If you choose to end either or both services within the minimum period, you will have to pay an early termination charge by way of compensation for ending your service(s) early. This charge depends on your monthly price and the length of time remaining in your minimum term. How we calculate these charges is set out in the Price Guide.

Phone

To sign up to the John Lewis Broadband Phone service, you will also have to sign up to one of the broadband services (John Lewis Broadband Unlimited, Fibre or Fibre Extra), both on a 12-month contract. If you choose to end either or both services within the minimum period, you will have to pay an early termination charge by way of compensation for ending your service(s) early. This charge depends on your monthly price and the length of time remaining in your minimum term. How we calculate these charges is set out in the Price Guide.

John Lewis Broadband Phone includes the Evening and Weekend† call plan as standard. You can choose to take one of the other call plans at an additional monthly charge. If you need a new phone line installing at your property, there is a £49.99 installation charge (excluding external construction charges). Details on the available call plans are set out below:-

†Call Plans

Evening and Weekend calls: Means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 made Monday-Friday 19:00-07:00 and anytime Saturday or Sunday (except calls to indirect access numbers (which include calling cards), dial-up Internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes). Calls must be started and finished within these times to be inclusive (non-chargeable) and any call that lasts more than 60 minutes will be chargeable. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes a month (whichever is reached first) applies to calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. (if you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions). Our Evening and Weekend call plan is included as standard when you take John Lewis Broadband Phone.

Anytime calls: Means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 at anytime (except calls to indirect access numbers (which include calling cards), dial-up Internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes). Anytime also includes a 25% discount on calls to the top 35 international destinations. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes a month (whichever is reached first) applies to calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. (if you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions). Our Anytime call plan costs £6.86 a month.

Anytime and International: Means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 at anytime (except calls to indirect access numbers (which includes calling cards), dial-up Internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes). Hang up and re-dial before 60 minutes (local) and you won't be charged. Anytime and International also provides 300 inclusive minutes per month to the top 35 international destinations and a 25% discount on any further calls made to those 35 destinations over this amount within the month. Hang up and re-dial before 30 minutes on international calls, whilst in your inclusive minutes, and you won't be charged. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes a month (whichever is reached first) applies to calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. (if you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions). Our Anytime and International call plan costs £9.15 a month.

Mobile Bolt-on: Unlimited calls to UK mobile and 070 personal numbering services, hang up and re-dial before 60 minutes and you won't be charged. Mobile Bolt-on is available only to Anytime and Anytime and International call plan customers. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes (whichever is reached first) a month applies to calls to 070 personal numbering services. If you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions. A Mobile Bolt-on costs £5.00 a month.

Service calls outside of your inclusive minutes: The charge for calls to service numbers beginning 084, 087, 09 and 118 consists of a 9.58p per minute access charge from John Lewis Broadband, plus a service charge set by the company you called. For all John Lewis Broadband Phone pricing, please see our Price Guide.