Stay safe online with Plusnet Protect

[#1]

We’ve teamed up with McAfee to keep your Windows PC’s safe from online dangers and threats. We’re pleased to offer a security suite designed to offer all the protection you need to keep you and your family safe online. Our new Plusnet Protect add-on means you can:
 
 

• Block viruses - Anti-virus software stops viruses getting onto your computer, checks there are none already there and removes any found
• Block spyware - Anti-spyware software stops spyware being installed and remove existing spyware, keeping your data safe
• Stop hackers - The firewall prevents unauthorised access to your computer and your data
• Protect your identity - Anti-phishing software protects your identity
• Protect your children - Parental controls lets you set boundaries, so your children can browse the Internet, with offensive content and pictures filtered out

Plusnet Protect is included at no extra cost with our Extra and Pro services, as well as most of our older products. If you’re on Value, Essential , Broadband Your Way Option 1 or Unlimited, you can enjoy all the benefits of Plusnet Protect for just £2 a month.
  Visit the Add-Ons section of the Member centre to get Plusnet Protect
  We’ve put together this FAQ to help with any questions you might have about Plusnet Protect:

1. Do I have to use this Antivirus package? No, it’s entirely optional.
2. What happens if I have problems installing or using Plusnet Protect?Our support teams have all been trained by McAfee, so just contact us through the usual channels
3. Do I get the full security suite? If you choose to take Plusnet Protect you’ll get anti-virus, anti-spyware, a firewall, as well as parental controls.
4. Are you supplying this for Mac and other non windows-based operating systems? No, unfortunately this is only available for Window’s PC’s at the moment.

[#2]

Whilst I qualify for the free McAfee offer, my experience tells me to avoid McAfee - I have found it to be resource hungry and can disrupt other programmes on Windows XP. Microsoft Security Essentials has proven, for me, to lighter on resources and compatible with all other programmes I have tried it with. Best of all Microsoft Security Essentials is **FREE** for anyone to use!

[#3]

HI Richard, It obviously depends on how beefy your computer is. I have just tested this on mine (quad core 4GB RAM) The Mcafee Agent uses 1.3MB in idle and just under 20MB whilst scanning. So it's not as bad as it used to be. My advice would be to give it a go and see!. They have fine tuned it and it's much improved. I was on the trial and it was worse then but it got better with updates.My Little netbook which is a 1.2GHZ Atom with 1GB RAM also runs it fine.

[#4]

Also to be fair and put it into perspective. Spotify uses 29MB to run so it's clear McAfee is very very lightweight indeed.

[#5]

I would love to try it But! "Your Plusnet Protect software is not ready for download yet."

[#6]

My understanding is that the wireless router comes with a firewall and so all I need is anti virus. Is trhis correct? I am thinking of downloading the free AVG. Is this enough?

[#7]

hi, logging onto plusnet home page via explorer, showing invalid certificate and advising against using website, any answers please.

[#8]

@captain, i've just tried logging in using IE8 and didn't get any errors. What web address are you trying to log in from and are you using any other Internet security applications or plugins?

[#9]

Why on earth did Plusnet decide to partner with McAfee. It is possibly one of the worst security solutions out there at the moment. I work am a self-employed Technician and I am constantly removing infections from machine with McAfee installed. It's resource hungry and has terrible detection rate, is easily circumvented and is next to useless with Rootkits and Fake malware. Michael: True your router will have a firewall, but the best security is multi-layered, so having a hardware firewall and software firewall is better. Because they are seperate they won't conflict either.

[#10]

Flipping 'eck, McAfee! Not the best choice unless they have suddenly changed overnight? If you are looking for free antivirus then one of the following would be far better, Avira, Avast or Microsoft Security Essentials and used in conjuntion with Malwarebytes malware scanner.

[#11]

Microsoft Security Essentials is all you really need, we have it installed on all our machines. Microsoft really should ship it with Windows or atleast provide it via Windows Update but then companies like McAfee would cry foul that they can't peddle their crapware.

[#12]

Is Andrew Clayton a Plusnet employee?

[#13]

If it helps less techy folks keep their PC in good order then well done. If it causes more problems then not so good. Time will tell, but trying to help out less techy folk seems a step in the right direction.

[#14]

@axisofevil, yes Andy is a Plusnet employee.

[#15]

Great.. but there's a lot of non-Windows users here. McAfee also ship anti-virus etc for other operating systems: what about them?

[#16]

I can only go by my own experience, a friend's nearly new laptop was practically unusable due to slow boot and slow window opening. Removing McAfee and replacing it with an alternative appeared to cure the problem.

[#17]

This is something that clearly divides people. Personally, we've been a champion of PlusNet for almost 7 years and referred lots of our customers but am disappointed you've partnered with McAfee for this. Our personal experience of McAfee and their closest competitor (Sym.....) is not a good one and I'm hoping that the customers we've referred DON'T take you up on this offer. If it were my choice I'd have gone with someone like AVG - low-cost, exceptionally reliable, one of the lowest memory footprints in the market, fast scanning.... Is there any link to the fact that BT offer McAfee with their own broadband bundles?

[#18]

Perhaps I am not surprised about PN's choice of McAfee because most ISPs offering AV software seem to choose that or Symantec/Norton. Personally after trying most of them including AVG and Kaspersky (dreadful) I use Sunbelt Software's Vipre Professional. It is paid for software but offers choices of 1,2 or 3 year cover and site licences if you have multiple boxes. You can get it from Amazon on CD but the best way is by download from http://www.sunbelt-software.com. The app is very low on system resources and uniquely, as far as I know, gives you all software version updates as well as virus signatures during your licence period. Excellent support too either by email or instant messaging.

[#19]

What about offering BT Vision as well as your offing more and more BT Internet products! I for one would be very happy to take that box!

[#20]

While I disagree with the choice of software that is being offered, I do agree with offering additional support to your end users by providing security software. However I do feel that you have managed to fail by only supporting Windows users. As someone else pointed out there are more than Windows users using your services, where is their support. A software bundle for linux and mac users I am sure would have been most helpful and that way you are then offering support to all your customers/clients.

[#21]

I am please Plusnet have added this service, I had it with BT, although I will say it seems to be much better now, not using so much memory. Mind you I do not need it at the moment as yet again plusnet have let me down with the service again with no connection. and the endless excuses and escalations.

[#22]

HI wildorchid2, I'm sorry to hear of the trouble you've had. I have spoken to our faults dept. and am getting someone to find out what's going on for you. I'll get them to update you as soon as possible. Jojo

[#23]

McAfee software is very poor in my experiance, after installing avast anti virus free version because my pc was running slow and strange it found 14 nastys and removed them all. McAfee didnt detect any of them. Still have to say well done for +net for trying to help the less tech savey user's.

[#24]

HI Bob Pullen i am also getting those messages when i try to log in i also get a message saying i have not paid this months account & asking me to put in card details etc NO WAY i smell a scam in there some were , i have emailed plus net but the responce was not that good, if i dont get satisfactory results soon i will move my isp, this problem is not just confined to one of my computers but all three of them , one of them a old laptop is very realy used on the internet , so it is not a problem that part of the software is not on a computer ,when as i said all three have the same problem, to put it mildly i am fed up to the back teeth of going on the phone help line & be kept waiting for ages. no matter what time of day evening or at night early hours of the morning there seems to be a constant wait of around 15 minutes i will try again tomorow to get at least one computer on the net. regards Tel1749

[#25]

Hi Terry, What messages? The one's @captain is talking about? IIRC this was something to do with some sort of site validity software the user had installed. What security software are you using? I can assure you there's nothing wrong with the certificates installed on our website. The message about you not having paid is something I'd need to look into but in order to do that you'll need to provide me with your username or a support ticket number from your account? There's no scamming involved here, at least not judging by your comments.

[#26]

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