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.