How to set up your Plusnet 2704n router
A step-by-step guide on connecting your Plusnet 2704n router.
How to set up your Plusnet 2704n router - ADSL
As well as your set-up guide, you should have:
- your router
- a power supply (this'll come in two parts)
- a grey Internet cable
- a microfilter
- an Ethernet cable (the one with the yellow ends)
- your reference card
When you get your Plusnet Hub, it's understandable that you want to get things up and running as soon as possible.
But patience is key. The placement of your wireless router can seriously impact the quality and reliability of your broadband. Electrical interference, walls and even fish can all affect your browsing experience.
Put it somewhere sensible and you'll have many solid, stable, connected years together.
1. Avoid the kitchen
Kitchens are a place for cooking, creativity and attempting to recreate something you've seen on TV.
They're not a great place for your wireless router. Electronic appliances and metal surfaces can disrupt your signal, while microwaves use the same channel and will get in its way.
Too many chefs spoil the broth. Too many kitchen appliances will spoil your broadband.
2. Place it centrally
Think of your router like a sprinkler, spitting out broadband signals in all directions to cover your home. The more centrally you place it, the more of your home will be covered.
If you put it near a window, it will broadcast signals outside. Put it somewhere centrally and enjoy a good signal all the way around.
3. Avoid walls
If you've ever tried to talk to someone in a different room, you'll know how hard it is to get your message across. It's the same with broadband. Thick walls will absorb your signal and reduce the quality of your connection.
Try to place your router somewhere that people walk through often, meaning the doors will be open and your broadband signal will have free passage to the rest of your home.
4. Keep it out in the open
Not only are walls bad news, but so are shelves, bookcases and desks. Blocking your router can have a bad effect on your broadband signal. Keep it visible, proud and fabulous for the best results.
5. Avoid electrical items
Your home is full of radio signals. Mobile phones, baby monitors and radios (obviously) will all try and compete with your broadband connection. Keep your router away from them to give your signal the room to breathe.
6. Don't put it on the floor
If your router is on the floor, your broadband performance will go the same way as its signal - down. Place it on a shelf or on top of a cabinet to achieve a better coverage, while also reducing the risk of any unfortunate 'foot vs router' accidents.
7. Adjust the antennae
On some of our older routers, you'll need to adjust the antennae to get the best signal throughout your home. As a rule of thumb, if your router is upstairs, position your antennae sideways. If you've got it downstairs, point them upwards.
8. Fear the fish
Fish tanks are full of water. That's great news for any fish you might have, but bad news for your WiFi signal, as it'll struggle to get through.
Mirrors are also trouble, as they reflect the signal causing it to get distorted. Shiny surfaces in general should be avoided, unless you want to check out how great you look.
9. Experiment
Your broadband router might take a bit of time to find somewhere it's comfortable. Try different locations to see where you get the best signal strength and stability.
10. Use the master socket
Your master socket is where your phone lines comes into your house, and it provides the most powerful connection. You'll usually find it in your living room. Plug your router in there. It will make it happy.
Microfilters stop your phone and broadband signals interfering with each other. Without them, you'll probably get problems with your broadband connection and speed, or noise on your phone line.
You won't need microfilters if you've got a double master socket, so the first thing to do is check what type of socket you've got.
Standard master socket or no master socket – you'll need to use microfilters if your socket looks like this
Double master socket – you won't need a microfilter if you've got a socket like either of these
- If you've got a double master socket, skip to the next section
- If not, read on to find out how to connect your microfilters
The first thing to do is connect the microfilter directly to the phone socket you're using. If you had to remove something to do this, connect it to the phone socket on the microfilter.
If you've had broadband with another provider, please remove all the equipment.
Next, connect one end of the grey Internet cable to the DSL socket on the back of your router, and the other end to the DSL socket on your microfilter.
You can use any active socket in your property but we recommend using the master telephone socket, as it's where you'll get the best broadband speed for your line. If you're not sure where the master socket is, it should be the one closest to where your phone line enters your property.
You'll need to connect a microfilter to each phone socket in use at your property. As well as your phone, sockets can be used by alarm systems, fax machines and digital TV boxes, so make sure you don't miss any.
At the bottom of your router, you'll see two little 'feet' to help it stand. Extend them out so it's sitting steady.
Use the grey Internet cable to connect your router to your phone line
Connecting with a microfilter
Connecting with a double master socket
- If you've got a standard master socket or no master socket: use a microfilter
- If you've got a double master socket: connect directly to the smaller of the two sockets without using a microfilter
Now plug your router in and switch it on
Put the power adapter together by sliding the plug into the main unit (the black box) until you hear it click into place. Then plug this part into a wall socket, and the other side into the back of your router.
Press the black power button on the back of your router to switch it on.
The router's broadband light will then start to flash. Wait for it to turn green. This can take up to five minutes, so don't worry if it seems to be taking a while. If it won't turn green, take a look at our help guide.
Wireless connection
To connect wirelessly, follow the instructions included with your computer, phone or other device to connect to your router via WiFi. If you need help with this, please see our Wireless connection guide.
- The WiFi Network (or SSID) you need to connect to starts with PLUSNET and has letters or numbers at the end, e.g. PLUSNET-A1BC
- Your WiFi password (or key) is 10 characters long and it's case sensitive, so enter it exactly as shown
You'll find the connection details printed on the back of your router and on the handy reference card included with your router.
Wired connection
If you're using the Ethernet cable (yellow ends) connect it to any of the four yellow Ethernet sockets on the back of your router.
Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet socket on your computer or laptop.
This is the easy part. Your router needs a few minutes to configure settings and connect to the Internet. While it's doing this, go make yourself a drink.
Wait for at least 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.
Once you've finished your drink, just open your web browser of choice (e.g Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, Firefox) and you should see your home page.
If you've got any questions about your 2704n router, please see our Router user guide.
First of all, take a look at the front of your router. Then follow whichever steps make sense from those below.
My broadband light is flashing.
This means the problem's with your broadband signal. If you're setting up for the first time, make sure we've let you know your broadband service is ready. If we have, check your microfilters and the connection between the router and your phone socket. If the Broadband light is always flashing, have a look at the steps in our Connection troubleshooting guide.
My Broadband and Internet lights are green but I'm only seeing the 'Broadband Setup' page
Good news. Everything's working fine, you just haven't quite finished the set-up process yet. Follow the steps below to get yourself connected.
- If you're setting up for the first time or have just done a factory reset, close your web browser down and try again in 15 minutes
- If you're getting the same screen again, type in the username and password you use to login to the Member Centre
- Use the dropdown to pick the right provider
- Click go - in a few minutes, you'll see a green tick. This means you're good to go online
| Light / Colour | What it means |
|---|---|
| Power / off | It's off. Check the cables and make sure you've switched it on at the back and at the wall socket |
| Power / red | It couldn't start up and went into recovery mode |
| Power / green | It's ready to use |
| Broadband / off | It's in Fibre mode. Check the lights on the BT Openreach modem instead |
| Broadband / flashing | There's a problem with the broadband signal. Make sure all the cables and microfilters are plugged in properly |
| Broadband / green | Broadband's detected and working |
| Internet / off | There's no Internet connection |
| Internet / red | The Internet connection isn't working. Try opening your web browser and following the steps on your screen. It might be because you've used the wrong username and password, so double check them and try again |
| Internet / green | It's connected to the Internet |
| Internet / flashing | It's transferring data |
| WiFi / off | WiFi's off |
| WiFi / green | WiFi's on |
| WiFi / flashing | It's transferring data |
| Eth 1-4 / off | There aren't any devices connected with the Ethernet cable |
| Eth 1-4 / green | You've got a device connected using an Ethernet cable |
| Eth 1-4 / flashing | It's transferring data |
| WPS / off | WPS's off |
| WPS / flashing | WPS's on and ready to connect |
| Light / Colour | What it means |
|---|---|
| Power / off | It's switched off |
| Power / yellow | It's starting up. It should turn green shortly |
| Power / green | It's powered up and ready to use |
| DSL / off | It can't find a broadband signal |
| DSL / flashing green | There's a problem with your broadband connection |
| DSL / green | Your broadband's connected and working |
| LAN 1 / off | It can't find a connection to your router or the Ethernet cable isn't connected |
| LAN 1 / green | The Ethernet cable's connected |
| LAN 1 / flashing | It's transferring data |
If you're having problems after setting up, read our troubleshooting guide.
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