Summary: Find out why dial-up Internet connections sometimes drop and what you can do about it.

Here are some of the more common causes of disconnections and dial-up problems, and some ways of getting round them.

Please note: This page will help you to troubleshoot dial-up problems only. If we have a service wide dial-up problem, this will be explained on our Service Status page.

If you have problems with your broadband connection, please visit our Broadband Troubleshooting page.

If you have problems with email, please visit our Email Troubleshooting page.

 

Symptom Things to check
You are asked for your username/password repeatedly then disconnected.

Check you are entering your username and password correctly. The username is the username you chose when you joined Plusnet and both it and your password must be entered in lower case. Any spaces, even after the username or password, can also cause this error.

Modem is not dialling out

Check all of the hardware connections are made to and from the modem correctly.
Check that the correct modem drivers are installed.

Modem disconnects after password entry.

Check in Network in Control Panel that you have TCP/IP installed (Win 95/98 only).

Modem connects, but disconnects seemingly randomly.

The hardest one of all to track down as almost any element could be the cause. A good place to start is to ask your telecoms provider if you have "automatic gain control" on your phone line. If you do, ask them to turn it off. Also check your modem manufacturer's website for updates for your drivers or modem firmware.

Modem connects, but I can't get any mail or access any sites - I get a 'hostname not found' error.

The DNS server settings are probably incorrect - follow the installation instructions relevant to your Operating System on the Support pages, or contact our Support Team.

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