Customer Service

Plusnet Assist is instant technical support on your computer desktop and it's free for all Plusnet Broadband and Plusnet Fibre users.

Once installed, it's your first port of call for all Broadband connection, Wi-fi and email problems. If ever you can't connect, Plusnet Assist automatically guides you through some simple checks to get you back up and running again.

Plusnet Assist also gathers diagnostic information about your computer. So if you ever need to call our Support Team it's much easier for them to help you find and fix problems.

File size: 9.5MB
(when prompted select Run to start the installation)

1. What are the minimum system requirements?
2. How do I use Plusnet Assist?
3. Why must I wait 5 mins after I install Plusnet Assist?
4. Which routers does Plusnet Assist support?
5. What options are available on the Plusnet Assist home screen?
6. Which email programs does Plusnet Assist support?
7. How does Plusnet Assist configure email accounts?
8. I'm having problems connecting to the Plusnet email service, what should I do?
9. Is Plusnet Assist safe?
10. I'm trying to install Plusnet Assist and I get a message about trusting the website, should I?
11. When I try to install, I am told this program could harm my computer
12. What data does Plusnet Assist collect and what is it used for?
13. Can I use Plusnet Assist and opt out of the data gathered from my computer?
14. Why am I being asked to accept cookies when I run Plusnet Assist?
15. I've noticed that Plusnet Assist installs a lot of Internet Explorer 'Mcci Browser' add-ons. What are these?
16. When installing Plusnet Assist, which username should I enter?
17. How do I change my account details in Plusnet Assist?
18. I don't use Internet Explorer, can I use Plusnet Assist?
19. Why does Plusnet Assist close unexpectedly when I try to enter my wireless network key?
20. Will I be able to use Plusnet Assist if I already have BT Broadband Desktop Help installed?
21. Is this only for Plusnet customers?
22. I've not been able to find the answer to my question here, what shall I do?

1. What are the minimum system requirements?

• Connection type: Plusnet Broadband or Plusnet Fibre
• Operating system: Windows XP SP2+ (32bit only), Windows Vista or Windows 7
• Processor: Pentium II 450 MHz or higher
• Memory (RAM): 128 MB or more
• Hard drive space free: 200 MB or more
• Browser: Internet Explorer (v6 and above)

If you're using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, User Account Control (UAC) must be switched on to use Plusnet Assist. Sometimes people turn this off to prevent pop-up alert prompts for software changes; however it can lead to a less secure system. Plusnet Assist needs to have UAC switched on to work properly.

Please note: Plusnet Assist is not currently available for Apple OS X or Linux systems.

2. How do I use Plusnet Assist?

Once installed, Plusnet Assist sits in the background and monitors your computer. If it finds a problem with your connection or email settings it'll pop-up on-screen and offer to help fix the problem.

You can also launch Plusnet Assist yourself, using the icon on your desktop or the Systray (on the bottom right of your screen).

If you're online, you'll be taken to the Plusnet Assist home screen (see question 5 for more on this). If you're not, it'll offer to help fix any problems it can find to get you online.

If you ever want to stop Plusnet Assist from running, right-click the system tray icon and choose Exit.

3. Why must I wait 5 mins after I install Plusnet Assist?

After installing Plusnet Assist it's best to stay connected to Plusnet Broadband for at least 5 minutes afterwards. This gives Plusnet Assist time to download all the files it needs to support any broadband or email problems in the future. After this time you can disconnect or turn off your computer.

4. Which routers does Plusnet Assist support?

Plusnet Assist is designed to support the following Plusnet supplied routers: the Thomson 585v8, the Speedtouch ST-516 and the Netgear WNR1000.

Other routers (including older Plusnet supplied routers such as the Thomson 585v7 or BT Voyager range) are supported with a generic guide.

5. What options are available on the Plusnet Assist home screen?

The home screen is divided into three columns: Home, My Network and Plusnet Services

6. Which email programs does Plusnet Assist support?

Plusnet Assist can setup (or repair problems with) Plusnet email accounts in Microsoft software such as Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail.

It does not

7. How does Plusnet Assist configure email accounts?

New accounts are set up to use POP3 and SMTP authentication (with the same login details used on your inbound POP3 server). This lets you send and receive email from any Internet connection (We don't recommend using public Wi-Fi hotpots to check or send email. Find out more in our Wireless security guide)

Plusnet Assist won't setup accounts, change or repair settings if you use IMAP or your own domain.

8. I'm having problems connecting to the Plusnet email service, what should I do?

If you are using Plusnet Assist to set up or troubleshoot email and see the message 'Sorry, we checked your connection and email settings and haven't been able to connect to the Plusnet email service', please check the following:

1. Check that you selected whether this is a Primary email account or an Additional mailbox from the drop-down menu when first using email account set up.
2. Check that your Plusnet account username was entered correctly when you first installed Plusnet Assist. You can check this and update it if necessary by right-clicking on Plusnet Assist in the Systray (bottom-right of your screen) and choosing 'Update My Identity'.
3. If you have just created a new Additional mailbox from our website check that you have waited at least 30 minutes for it to have become active.

If you are sure that you have your email account details correct and you are still seeing this error message this may be caused by your firewall. Please check that your firewall settings allow Plusnet Assist to connect to the Internet. The firewall you will be using will either be Windows Firewall (found under the System and Security settings in the Control Panel) or that of any anti-virus software you have installed. Please check with your vendor if you are unsure how to change firewall settings in your security software.

9. Is Plusnet Assist safe?

Yes, the solutions it offers have been thoroughly tested and are designed to repair problems on your computer. No changes will be made to your computer without your permission.

Any data transmitted over the Internet is encrypted before it's sent, so it can't be read in transit. This keeps Plusnet Assist secure and private.

10. I'm trying to install Plusnet Assist and I get a message about trusting the website, should I?

Depending on your version of Windows you might see a message like this:

'A website wants to open web content using this program on your computer. This program will open outside of Protected mode. Internet Explorer's Protected mode helps protect your computer. If you do not trust the website, do not open this program.'

This message is explaining that Plusnet Assist will see if it can reach the Internet to check if you have any connection problems. It does this by checking that you can get to Yahoo.com, BT.com and Google.com. Please click Allow if you see this message.

11. When I try to install, I am told this program could harm my computer

This message is given by Internet Explorer when its SmartScreen filter comes across new software it does not recognise. It does this to protect you against installing viruses from untrusted sources. If this happens while installing Plusnet Assist, please choose the option to Run anyway. You will be able to tell that Plusnet Assist is trusted software because it is digitally signed by us.

12. What data does Plusnet Assist collect and what is it used for?

Plusnet Assist gathers information from your computer that our Support Team will be able to use to help diagnose problems if you ever need to call for help. The data gathered includes information about your:

• Basic PC specification
• Network connection settings
• Operating system
• Browser information
• Installed Anti-Virus or Firewall software
• Default POP3 Email program

Please note: Plusnet Assist does not gather or tamper with your personal files.

13. Can I use Plusnet Assist and opt out of the data gathered from my computer?

Yes, you can opt out of the data collection function of Plusnet Assist by following these steps on each computer that Plusnet Assist is installed on:

• While connected to the Internet, open Plusnet Assist (click the desktop icon or right click on the system icon and select Open)
• On Home page, select the Plusnet Services tab
• Select the link to the Plusnet Terms and Conditions of service page
• Remove the tick from the small checkbox

You can opt back in at any time by following the same steps and re-ticking the box.

14. Why am I being asked to accept cookies when I run Plusnet Assist?

If your web browser is set to prompt you when websites ask to use cookies, you may be asked to accept cookies from yahoo.com bt.com or google.com.

Plusnet Assist tests your Internet connection by connecting to one or more of these websites when it first runs. This is no different than if you had visited any of these websites yourself in a web browser. If you prefer, you can choose not to accept these cookies (with no detrimental effect to Plusnet Assist).

15. I've noticed that Plusnet Assist installs a lot of Internet Explorer 'Mcci Browser' add-ons. What are these?

Plusnet Assist uses Internet Explorer technology to create the alert boxes that guide you if you have connection or email problems, or if you're using the Utilities from the Home screen. The alert boxes are powered by a proprietary technology used in Plusnet Assist known as Mcci Browser.

If you're using Internet Explorer 9 you may be prompted to prevent these add-ons from running. You shouldn't do this as it will prevent Plusnet Assist from working properly.

16. When installing Plusnet Assist, which username should I enter?

Please enter your Account Username. It's the one you use to log in to this website. If you're not sure what it is, please see our Usernames guide.

17. How do I change my account details in Plusnet Assist?

When you install Plusnet Assist we ask you to type in your username, phone number and postcode. If you have entered any of these incorrectly it's easy to change them.

Right-click on the Plusnet Assist icon in the Systray (bottom-right of your screen) and select Update My Identity.

• Username is the single word you chose to represent your Plusnet account (it's the one you log in to this website with)
• Broadband phone number is the telephone number you have broadband installed on
• Postcode is the postcode of the property where your broadband is installed

These details allow us to help you more effectively if you need to call our Support Team, so make sure they're up to date.

18. I don't use Internet Explorer, can I use Plusnet Assist?

We recommend that you use Internet Explorer to download and install Plusnet Assist. You can then use Firefox or other popular browsers and Plusnet Assist will still be able to detect and help you fix connection problems. Sorry, but Plusnet Assist does not support Google Chrome at this time.

Please note: Plusnet Assist can only help configure settings in Internet Explorer.

19. Why does Plusnet Assist close unexpectedly when I try to enter my wireless network key?

This is likely to be because you are using a Wireless Key that's longer than 32 characters (Plusnet Assist does not currently support keys above this length). Please see our wireless connection guides for help connecting wirelessly.

20. Will I be able to use Plusnet Assist if I already have BT Broadband Desktop Help installed?

Plusnet Assist will replace BT Desktop Help if you have it installed on your computer. We recommend that you uninstall BT Broadband Desktop Help and restart your computer before you install Plusnet Assist.

21. Is this only for Plusnet customers?

Yes, Plusnet Assist has been designed to support Plusnet Broadband. We're sorry but Plusnet Assist won't provide specific support for Force9 and Free-online settings.

22. I've not been able to find the answer to my question here, what shall I do?

Visit our Community Forums to see if anyone has answered your question there. If not, please contact our Support Team.

If you're not yet registered on the forums you can sign up here: http://community.plus.net/registration/

This page last updated 17^th January 2012