A business internet connection includes several different components. PacketSky may manage some of these, while others are controlled by the Fibre Network Operator, your IT provider or your business.

Understanding where each responsibility begins and ends helps faults reach the correct team more quickly.

Important: The exact support scope depends on your PacketSky service, the equipment supplied and any managed-service agreement in place.

The Fibre Network Operator

The Fibre Network Operator, often called the FNO, owns and operates the physical fibre network serving the property.

The FNO is generally responsible for:

• The fibre network in the street or business park
• The fibre connection into the property
• The fibre cable leading to the ONT
• The ONT or fibre device
• Physical fibre faults
• Network outages on its infrastructure
• Fibre installation and repair appointments

PacketSky remains your point of contact. Where a fault is located on the FNO network, we will log and manage the escalation with the relevant operator.

PacketSky’s responsibility

PacketSky is responsible for delivering and supporting the internet service supplied under your agreement.

Depending on the service, this may include:

• Activating and managing the internet service
• Monitoring the connection where monitoring is included
• Supplying or configuring the router
• Managing a PacketSky-controlled router
• Investigating line, routing and performance faults
• Escalating FNO issues
• Providing technical support for the supplied service

Where PacketSky manages the router, do not factory-reset it or change important network settings without first contacting Support.

What is a managed router?

A managed router is a router that PacketSky has supplied, configured or agreed to manage as part of the service.

Management may include:

• Internet connection settings
• WAN configuration
• Basic routing
• Remote monitoring
• Firmware or configuration changes
• Failover configuration where included
• Remote diagnostics

The exact features depend on the service agreement.

A managed router does not automatically mean that PacketSky manages every switch, access point, firewall, server or device connected behind it.

The customer’s internal network

The internal network begins after the PacketSky service or agreed network handover point.

Customer-managed equipment may include:

• Network switches
• Wi-Fi access points
• Mesh systems
• Firewalls
• Servers
• Internal cabling
• Patch panels
• VPN concentrators
• Printers and workstations
• CCTV and access-control equipment
• Cloud and business applications

Problems within this equipment need to be handled by your IT provider, network administrator, cabling contractor or equipment supplier.

What is the network handover point?

The handover point is the point at which PacketSky delivers the service to the customer’s network.

Depending on the installation, this may be:

• The Ethernet port on the ONT
• The WAN port on the PacketSky router
• A LAN port on a managed router
• An agreed network interface

Wi-Fi coverage and internet service are not the same

A fibre service can be operating correctly while users still experience poor Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi may be affected by:

• Distance from the access point
• Walls and floors
• Wireless interference
• Poor access-point placement
• Too many users on one access point
• Customer-owned mesh or extender equipment
• Older wireless devices

PacketSky does not manage the customer’s Wi-Fi network, therefore support may be limited to confirming that the internet service and router are operating correctly.

See What is wireless interference and how can I reduce it?

Firewalls, VPNs and security systems

Third-party firewalls and VPN equipment can affect internet access, remote connectivity and application performance.

PacketSky can help determine whether the internet service is reachable, but your IT provider may need to investigate:

• Firewall rules
• VPN settings
• Security policies
• Port forwarding
• Remote-access software
• Server availability
• DNS or application configuration

What happens when the cause is unclear?

PacketSky will help isolate where the likely fault is occurring.

We may ask you to:

• Test directly from the managed router
• Bypass a customer switch or firewall temporarily
• Perform a cabled speed test
• Run a ping or traceroute
• Confirm whether all users are affected
• Ask your IT provider to test the internal network

These checks do not mean that PacketSky is refusing support. We help separate the internet service from the customer’s internal systems.

Who should I contact?

Contact PacketSky first where:

• The entire site has lost internet access
• The ONT shows a warning light
• The managed router appears offline
• All users and devices are affected
• Performance has changed across the entire service
• A PacketSky-managed failover service is not working

Contact your IT provider where:

• Only one user or department is affected
• Only the internal Wi-Fi or LAN is affected
• A firewall or VPN is blocking access
• A server or business application is unavailable
• A customer-owned switch or access point has failed
• Internal cabling appears damaged

Log a support ticket

Where you are unsure, log a ticket through the PacketSky Customer Portal.

Provide details of the affected site, users, equipment and symptoms. PacketSky will help identify the most likely area of responsibility.

See What information should I provide when reporting a business internet fault?