Router?

I am out of contract on Plusnet fibre and thinking of switching to Now. Now provide their own router.

Would my Plusnet router still work with Now, meaning I had a spare?

Alternatively, if I elected to sign for another 18 months with Plusnet, can I squeeze a new router out of it? They used to do it with ADSL for p&p only - especially if you were stuck on an old model that didn't match the latest they were sending out. But I don't know if it's still true with fibre.

I've been concerned for some time that I don't have a backup if the router suddenly fails.

I've never had a problem getting a replacement router when the (suspected) need arose.

If you're still using a Hub One then you really need to get a Hub Two to replace it. Very much a chalk and cheese situation in my experience. My sync uptime used to be measured in hours whereas with my Hub Two I'm currently on "DSL uptime:19 Days 3 Hrs 56 Mins"

If you are renewing the contract they will send you a Hub2 for the p&p which I think is £6.99.
You have to request the new router though it's not automatic so if you order online you won't get it unless you contact support and ask.

Your Plusnet Hub One won't work with Now.
Plusnet will upgrade it for free to a Smart Hub 2 if you ask and recontract.

I know this is tempting fate, but generally speaking I have had no issues with the router (no idea which model it is, although I'm sure the blurb did say somewhere). Not owning a smartphone, my main concern is it's my only means of getting online, even if I only needed to for two minutes to order another router!

And I can't very easily get to the shops either!

Back in the days of ADSL, I typically had one or even two old ones kicking around that could get me back online in an emergency, even if they were a bit rubbish. Also useful to have a swap anyway in case you have a technical problem, and are having to go through the nause of proving to PN that it isn't you!

First thing they ask is always: "Have you tried a different router?"

OK, thanks, I'll have a think about it.

Thanks, having Googled the images, it seems clear I do have the older Hub1, so it would be worth requesting the upgrade.

I was using a Fritz!Box 7530 last summer but it succumbed to the heat in my loft. I got it replaced under AVM's 5 year warranty but in the meantime I had spoken to PlusNet about constant loss of sync with the Hub One when I temporarily put that back into service. They sent me a Hub Two and it worked so well that when my replacement 7530 finally arrived, I didn't bother setting it up.

One of the things that made me decide me to leave the Hub Two in place was that with the Hub One you can't set up a BQM (it does not respond to pings) whereas the user interface of the Hub Two allows you to enable or disable the facility.

Why do you want to change, is it price?
I must admit I was looking at NOW due to price, but they have increased the prices.
I was using the HUB one and to be honest it is not a bad router, based on one of the BT ones, then again the Hub 2 is based on a BT one.
I decided to buy my own router, as I can use it on other networks, not so sure about now as they have a strange handshaking system.

In part price, especially the immediate inflation-busting rise in March and another next March, with an 18-month lock-in.

Also had a bit of a "misunderstanding" with them that led to me feeling a bit forced into the present contract.

They promised me a "special" deal to make up for the kerfuffle, but I believe I'm still paying more than others here, and definitely more than new customers, which hasn't left me feeling that positive about them. But there's still an element of "Better the devil you know..."