topic Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates in Broadband & Landline

Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Profile closed — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:16:49 GMT

My Smart Hub Plus router is currently running firmware version r1.35.0-R-1138091-PROD-83002. I've just set up an EE service for my parents, and their Smar Hub Plus updated and is running r2.68.11-R-1260390-PROD-83002.

The newer firmware has two key differences:

a "compatible WiFi mode", which seems to broadcast two SSIDs: the main one, and a secondary one with the same name followed by "-comp". Each SSID can have diffrent security, so the main one can have WP3 enabled, and the "-comp" one can have WP2, so devices that don't support WP3 can still connect, but are separated from the main network.
signifincantly, DDNS, is back in the advanced options, and can be configured to work with popular sevices like NoIP.

I really need the latter service. How can I get my router to update to the latest firmware? If it's necessary for EE to trigger that from its side, can any of the EE staff here help me to do that, please?

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

XRaySpeX — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:21:20 GMT

All you can do is leave it running & EE will fire the update when they're ready & able. I'm still on r1.35.0 after nearly a month.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Profile closed — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:22:19 GMT

Thanks @XRaySpeX. I reckon the tech team at EE can force the udpate if they want to. Any EE staff here willing to push it to my router, please (or to send me a new one that's already updated)?

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

XRaySpeX — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:35:03 GMT

This user discussion forum can have no access to your specific account. You need to raise this with CS.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

JimM11 — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 07:54:58 GMT

@Profile closed New or Replacement routers may come with a lower version of FW in a OOB situation, and part of the first connect will be upgraded to latest FW. Call EE CS tech support see if they will accommodate your request, forum cannot help but you already possibly know that.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Huggons1 — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:52:29 GMT

Just wondering if you are still on r1.35.0, or if you have received any further update yet?

Cheers

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

XRaySpeX — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:17:32 GMT

@Huggons1 : Still the same! Thought you had a SH Pro.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Profile closed — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:56:02 GMT

@Huggons1 Still on the old firmware without DDNS support. I have a new router that only arrived today, but it's got the older version too 😞

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

JimM11 — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 06:08:36 GMT

@Profile closed Was that your method to try to get the router to the updated FW version?

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Profile closed — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:14:22 GMT

@JimM11 Well, yes, but not directly.

I recently helped my parents to move to EE from Plusnet (another BT brand, much better than EE, but we had to move because Plusnet doesn't offer Digital Voice). Because I was helping them, my mobile number was on the account whilst it was being set up. Somehow, that seems to have caused an issue that meant my login to my own accounts broke: I could log in to my EE ID but then saw a message that "Something went wrong" and could not therefore manage my broadband or my mobile.

Last time this happened, soon after I joined EE, it took six months to resolve. I wasn't prepared to wait that long again, and in any case, EE's tech team couldn't work out why it was broken, and the process of trying to resolve it was painful because, instead of the tech person dealing with it calling me and keeping hold of the case and working through it until resolution, the customer services team kept ringing me to ask for snippets of information, then passing that back to the tech team, so most of the time wasn't spent looking at the issue but waiting for messages sent between EE's internal teams to be picked up and read by different team members, so we were going round in circles.

I made a formal complaint, and the outworking of that is that EE decided to close down my broadband account and use its transfer process to move my service to a completely new account, as if I'd transferred to EE from another provider. EE is waiving the early exit fees on the original contract, because, of course, I'm not really leaving, and it's matching the price of the original contract on the new one. The aim is that having a new account will mean I leave behind whatever the problem is with the old account.

Because one account is ending and another is opening, there's a bit of a palaver with hardware: I have to send back the original router, hybrid connect and smart WiFi devices, and receive new ones, that are exactly the same, under the new contract!

When my parents' router arrived, it had the latest firmware which has DDNS available again, or, at least, it updated to that version as soon as it was powered up, and before I could check the version. I was hoping my new one would therefore have the later firmware, which would mean that a bonus of having to go through this process to get my account working again would be that I'd have DDNS again. As it stands, the router has the same firmware as my original one, but maybe when I set it up, after the account transfer on 3 February, it will update itself...

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Ewan15 — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:54:38 GMT

@Profile closed Here's a random thought, how about taking your new router to your parents after changing the network credentials and admin password to match theirs. Unplug their router and plug yours in instead? Then get them to fire up the my EE app. What do you think?

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

XRaySpeX — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 14:06:14 GMT

@Ewan15 : There are no network creds to set on SH+. They are hard-coded as BT's BB creds.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Profile closed — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 14:11:33 GMT

@Ewan15 Thanks mate - I did wonder about this, but the problem is that my parents live about 150 miles away, so it's not just a quick trip. I'll see what happens when my new service becomes live on 3 February. I can't see why EE would have some routers with the old firmware and some with the new, so I'm hoping that my parents' router actually shipped with the old one and then updated to the new one when it first connected.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Ewan15 — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 14:56:43 GMT

@Profile closed The only reason I can think of apart from non existent rollout strategy, is they do it area by area and wait for feedback via the forum, to make sure the firmware update is not going to cause massive issues.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Profile closed — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 15:12:49 GMT

@Ewan15 Possibly, although that doesn't seem to have stopped EE rolling out updates before!

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

Huggons1 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:43:00 GMT

Seems to be taking EE a long time to roll out the update above r1.35.0 to everyone. Never seen them take so long

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

JimM11 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:47:26 GMT

@Huggons1 Baby step's, lots off new features, playing safe!

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

dellybeanhead — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 18:52:26 GMT

Also parental controls and safe search do not work with that version. You need to upograde firmware. But I can not get anybody at EE to do that. They do not seem to understand what I am asking for and are getting me to just check things in the app!

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

JimM11 — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 18:56:54 GMT

@dellybeanhead YOU have NO control over FW updates, EE push those to the router whenever they get to it and in whatever timescale they apply, NEVER once heard that an individual had any success in doing so, either wait or get another router that will do it for you.

Re: Smart Hub Plus Firmware updates

dellybeanhead — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 19:11:13 GMT

Yes I know that. I am onto EE now. -Finally got through to somebody who has the authority to do it but it wouldn;t work/ So they are sending out all new hardware and a new contract.