Connecting Directly Through the ONT via PPPoE

Welcome to the Freeola internet customer support pages. This guide is designed to help with troubleshooting your FTTP (full fibre) internet connection, specifically by connecting a device directly through the BT ONT. For more internet help topics please visit our main Support Page.

If you are reporting issues with your Freeola FTTP Internet connection you may be asked to test by connecting your laptop or desktop machine directly to the Openreach Modem (or ONT). As connecting directly via this modem can help identify any potential internal causes of your reported issue, it is strongly advised to carry out this test if advised to do so.

As the BT line coming into your premises terminates at this modem, BT will only guarantee a service to this point. Testing directly using the ONT, without a router, can therefore help identify internal hardware and wiring problems quicker, and reduce the potential of a costly charge for an unnecessary BT engineer visit.

You will require your Freeola Connection Information to properly follow this guide. This will have been sent to you via e-mail before your activation, but can also be accessed by selecting Broadband Details and Usage from within your MyFreeola Control Panel.

• Windows

• MacOS

This guide was written using Windows 10/11 as a base. These steps should still work on older versions of the Operating System, with some slight visual and text differences.

To connect in this manner you will need to connect your device directly to the ONT through the use of an Ethernet cable.

1. Press the Windows key and X (or right-click the Start Menu) and click Settings from the menu that appears.
   

2. From the window that appears, click Network and Internet.
   

3. Now, click Dial-up from the left-hand menu.
   

4. Click Set up a new connection under the Dial-up heading.
   

5. Select Connect to the Internet and click Next.
   

6. Select Broadband (PPPoE) on the next screen - this may be the only option on this screen, depending on the hardware available on your computer.
   

7. You will now be prompted to enter your Freeola Connection Information. If you have not made a note of these, you can confirm these easily from within the Broadband details & Usage section of your MyFreeola Control Panel.

   • In the Username field enter your Freeola Connection Username.

   • In the Password field enter your Freeola Connection Password.

   • Connection Name can be anything you like, it does not affect the connection in any way.

8. Click Connect.
   

9. If everything has been entered correctly, your device should now connect to the internet. You can now use this connection to complete any tests or checks you have been provided by Freeola Support.

This guide was written using Mac OS Sonoma 14 as a base. These steps should still work on older versions of the Operating System, with some slight visual and text differences.

To connect in this manner you will need to connect your device directly to the ONT through the use of an Ethernet cable.

1. On your Mac, open the Apple menu (the Apple symbol) then click System Settings, then click Network in the window that opens.
   

2. Click the Action pop-up menu (looks like three dots) on the right (or the + icon on some versions of the OS), then choose Add Service.

3. On the window that opens:

   • Interface should be PPPoE.

   • Ethernet needs to be Ethernet.

   • In the Service Name field, enter anything you like but we would recommend something you can identify easily.

   
   Click Create.

4. In the Network Service list, select the new PPPoE service you just created, then click the Details button.
   
   On some versions of the OS, this may open automatically.

5. Enter a name for the service (again, anything you like) in the Service Name field, then your Freeola Connection Username in the Account Name field. Your Freeola Connection Password should be entered in the Password field.
   
   We would also recommend turning on Remember password.
   

6. Click Connect (or OK in some versions). If everything has been entered correctly, your device should now connect to the internet. You can now use this connection to complete any tests or checks you have been provided by Freeola Support.