topic Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please in Broadband & Landline

New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

Lacewing — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 22:14:28 GMT

Hi I apologise in advance if I'm asking questions that are well covered already, I am severely ill/disabled with very limited strength/energy to read, so I'm unable to scan the threads as I'd like to. Also problems with my cognitive function that make mean i get confused. this msg has taken me hours to write. I'm so grateful for the patience of anyone who reads my ramble.

I need advice on whether I'm going to need some kind of wifi extender please, and how best to do that.

I am just joining EE coming from a part fibre connection on plusnet. I found the wifi reasonably ok with them with some intermittent slws/momentary drop outs, but liveable with.

I'm going full fibre ( i dont really want the massive (for me) hassle of an engineer's visit as I mainly bedbound, it will have to be the carer who lets them in etc), but I was told by plusnet that i need full fibre to keep my VoIP landline come January, so I signed up. I later discover that was incorrect but I honestly havent the energy to go back and sort it out, I feel overwhelmed by the whole thing! And it seems all the ISPs are going towards FullFibre nowadays so I guess I'll have to do it eventually. So am sticking with it))

So the engineer is booked to install it. I am going to be given the Full Fibre 74 core, and a Smart hub 7 Plus. I understand there are different kinds of routers on different Hz but i dont really understand all that. I was on 55 speed through FTTC (I think it's called) before, and was perfectly happy with what I had.

I just a bit worried about it getting any worse. So Iam trying to think ahead.

The router/OTC (I hope i using the correct terms), will need to go in the same place as the part fibre router is now, because it's a really tricky set up with my hall and stairs and the plug sockets, I just dont see how it could go anywhere else really.

So that will be ground floor on a table about 3m in from the outer wall, at one end of the house.

House is rectanguar shape, brick internal walls and the furthest the signal needs to carry is up through a standard floor (just wood and plaster, and 2 or 3 (i cant quite work it out as it will be diagonal) interior walls. Distance approx 11m

I realise there are no guarantees, but what are your thoughts on whether I will likely need some kind of wifi extender? and if so where on earth do i start choosing one... do EE sell them? All the terminology is all bit beyond me, tbh and I struggle to learn new stuff these days. So I'd be really grateful for any thoughts or pointers.

BTW in case it makes a difference, I already have an ethernet cable upstairs from a period about 10yrs ago when my wifi was really unreliable, (checked all the usual culprits - appliances/interference/changing channels etc but never did discover the cause and it resolved itself after a couple of yrs), but I really dont want to have to start plugging a cable into my laptop, or ending up using loads of mobile date to stream on my phone. I don't have any smart TVs or anything it's just my laptop and phone, and no one else in the house. But irritatingly my bedroom where i spend my entire life... is the furthest from the router!

Edited for sense

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

XRaySpeX — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 02:11:34 GMT

@Lacewing wrote:
I was told by plusnet that i need full fibre to keep my VoIP landline come January, so I signed up. I later discover that was incorrect but I honestly havent the energy to go back and sort it out

1st of all, you had to go for Full Fibre regardless of the landline. Even if partial Fibre was available there, ISPs won't now sell it to you when Full Fibre is present.

Full Fibre 74 Meg is only just faster than FTTC 55 Meg. So you won't really see much change there. I should just see how it goes at 1st before you can consider getting a WiFi Extender from EE (or elsewhere).

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

JimM11 — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:41:10 GMT

@Lacewing Sorry to hear you are just not doing well so let's see the best way for you to tackle this......

You say that you have an Ethernet cable from the current hub position to the upstairs, so that may be a useful option, the problem with this is the NEW FF Full Fibre installation, do you think that the current hub position is going to be were OR will want to install the NEW ONT that is required for the Full Fibre..... If it can be installed and the Ethernet cable can reach were it's all going to be this is going to make the task a lot simpler for you, Now OR Open Reach like to have the ONT position on an outside wall, close to were the NEW Fibre enters the home close to a double Power socket so the ONT and the Hub can both be connected and operate, the landline phone will plug into the back off the Hub or if supplied what is called a DVA Digital Voice Adapter, this devices allows a landline phone to be a LITTLE distance away and connects to the Hub, will link that video so you can watch that.... Video for the phone side.... How to set up your Digital Home Phone - The EE Community

The final part is on your Ethernet Cable upstairs, Not sure how good the 7 Plus version of the Remote Extender is, and if you wish to go that route with additional cost of if EE will give you one, if so you plug the Ethernet cable into the unit and into the Hub, that will wire backhaul the two devices and give you remote wireless wifi signal on the Extender at the location as you say the cable runs to the Upstairs.... The cost i think is an additional £10 per month..... The other way is to outright purchase a Tp-Link RE Range Extender and use it in what is called AP mode of operation, these cost from £30 onwards so once you take a read post back and i will recommend a few to look at for you, there is NO need to go all singing all dancing as what you have just now working on you current Plusnet Connection as devices will possibly be older and WiFi 5 speed types..... Below an on the day what happens video.....

What to Expect During Your Openreach Full Fibre Installation

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

Lacewing — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:35:07 GMT

Hi JimmM11 thank you very much for your kind and detailed response its so helpful much appreciated, apologies for delay in reply - I was too ill to think coherently to take in what you said over the last few days (thats part of why I want to try and get ready now rather than just waiting to see what happens - because I'm unable to just react to things as they happen. It can be days or weeks of complete incapacitation. 🙄)

@JimM11 wrote:
@Lacewing Sorry to hear you are just not doing well so let's see the best way for you to tackle this......
You say that you have an Ethernet cable from the current hub position to the upstairs, so that may be a useful option, the problem with this is the NEW FF Full Fibre installation, do you think that the current hub position is going to be were OR will want to install the NEW ONT that is required for the Full Fibre

I think so... the current router is situated right next to the main telephone socket (the old fashioned box on the wall with just one socket in it), and the upstairs ethernet cable is plugged into the router and snakes from there all the way up the stairs. The socket is in the window recess in the front wall, about 15ft below & 2ft to the side of where the telephone wire attatches to the house high up on the wall. So I assume this would be a suitable/desirable place for the engineer to want to install the new Full fibre ONT?? Although I wouldnt want it in the window recess as it obstructs the blind but 6" away on the main wall would be fine.
It's about a metre away from a double power socket but I have to use one of the sockets for something else, so I use a short extension cable. I hope that will be acceptable?

Does that sound ok to you? I'm a bit anxious about getting my discovering on the day that they can't put it there, because I'll have got my carer to move all the furniture away from the area. LOL I dont know what I'll do if they want to put it somewhere else on the day because I could be too ill to think or speak that day, it's unpredictable.
So it'd be good to know if that's likely to be where they'd be comfortable putting it.

@JimM11 wrote:
The final part is on your Ethernet Cable upstairs, Not sure how good the 7 Plus version of the Remote Extender is, and if you wish to go that route with additional cost of if EE will give you one, if so you plug the Ethernet cable into the unit and into the Hub, that will wire backhaul the two devices and give you remote wireless wifi signal on the Extender at the location as you say the cable runs to the Upstairs.... The cost i think is an additional £10 per month..... The other way is to outright purchase a Tp-Link RE Range Extender and use it in what is called AP mode of operation, these cost from £30 onwards so once you take a read post back and i will recommend a few to look at for you, there is NO need to go all singing all dancing as what you have just now working on you current Plusnet Connection as devices will possibly be older and WiFi 5 speed types..... Below an on the day what happens video.....
What to Expect During Your Openreach Full Fibre Installation

I not keen on paying more every month if I can buy something outright, so any recommendations there would be hugely helpful thanks, particularly something user friendly. I've actually got 2 ethernet cables running up so I was able to use my laptop in the spare bedroom too when necessary, Just to clarify that I'm understanding correctly.... a 'Range extender' something that you just plug into a cable in one room and it acts like another router but upstairs... so I would only need the one cable and it'd give me a decent wireless signal at that part of the house. Is that right?

@JimM11 wrote:
there is NO need to go all singing all dancing as what you have just now working on you current Plusnet Connection as devices will possibly be older and WiFi 5 speed types.....

I not sure i understand... Is the suggestion that I buy it now and set it up on my current system?
I am happy to do that if you think it's a sensible idea, it probably is. But just to clarify in case it makes a difference in terms of gadget choice, that I dont actually need it currently because the previous wireless issue that I had (that i used the cable for) resolved itself somehow a couple of yrs ago. The cable is still there just not currently in use.

Once again huge thanks for your time and help

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

Lacewing — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:51:24 GMT

@XRaySpeX wrote:
@Lacewing wrote:
I was told by plusnet that i need full fibre to keep my VoIP landline come January, so I signed up. I later discover that was incorrect but I honestly havent the energy to go back and sort it out
1st of all, you had to go for Full Fibre regardless of the landline. Even if partial Fibre was available there, ISPs won't now sell it to you when Full Fibre is present.

Hi XRaySpeX thanks so much for responding to me and for your advice. That is very good to know, thank you for correcting me on that! I'd researched whether full fibre was absolutely necessary for VoIP and was told no by 3 different sources (human as well as AI), but if ISPs wont sell anything else then the answer is effectively yes and the Plusnet guy was correct. My bad.

@XRaySpeX wrote:
Full Fibre 74 Meg is only just faster than FTTC 55 Meg. So you won't really see much change there. I should just see how it goes at 1st before you can consider getting a WiFi Extender from EE (or elsewhere).

That is good advice but unfortunately, as I mentioned to Jim above, I am very often unable to respond at the time of need - everything takes an extraordinarily long time when you're this ill/incapacitated - it now takes me a month to achieve what used to take me a few hrs when I was healthy, and if it doesn't work it might be a couple of weeks without wireless before I'm well enough to look into it. So I'm forced to get as prepared as possible in advance, for everything.

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

JimM11 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:58:41 GMT

@Lacewing Here is the link below to the EE Hub that you suspect and expect to be getting, the 7 Plus version.

EE Smart Hub 7 Device Guide | Broadband Help

Below this one, is the EE favoured Smart Wireless device, they go hand in hand and there is just no MIX/MATCH from the previous generations so ONE has to be very very careful about getting etc.....

EE WiFi Extender 7 Plus Device Guide | Device Help

It goes under the name SW35 and may be as SW35a or A displayed about various sites.... Have linked an Amazon page gives you a bit off an overview off the various but the other is the Flea Bay site etc. You PC/Laptop and devices you use really determines the usage, but wifi7 is the latest and i for one do not have a single device off that ilk, plenty wifi 4,5,6 and a couple wifi6e, but use nothing off EE equipment now currently on the vodafone connection, with there hub back in it's box.

Will watch out for any reply, have a good day if you can. Jim

Amazon.co.uk : ee smart wifi extender

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

JimM11 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:24:39 GMT

@Lacewing Have done this separate for the Idea. Sorry just noticed that the first one only has a 10/100Mb/s Ethernet port so pushing a little speed for decent throughput it will not fully cut the mustard, the second is full tilt speed wise....

TP-Link RE330 AC1200Mbps WiFi Extender Booster, Ethernet Port, EasyMesh, WiFi Booster Range Extender, Internet Booster, Access Point, Works with Any WiFi Router, App Control Easy Setup, UK Plug : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

TP-Link RE550 AC1900 WiFi Extender Booster, Dual Band WiFi Booster, 3 Antennas, Gigabit Ethernet Port, Intelligent Monitor, AP Mode, APP Control, Ultimate Compatibility WiFi Mesh, Easy Setup : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

JimM11 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:35:57 GMT

@Lacewing Answer to the final question part, the RE correct is a Range Extender, but you are going to use it because off the Ethernet cable plugged into it as what is called a AP Access Point, turns the unit into a remote Wireless Wifi connection and shoves all the data down the cable, so good cable connected you will be expecting to get out off the 1Gb/s Ethernet connection full speed up near the RE..... That also depends on the devices you connect and how good they are.

Re: New to EE, advice on extending wifi please

JimM11 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:19:10 GMT

@Lacewing The on the day were it all goes, that is just not an easy one to answer, cable and fibre can be the same or different route, mine was pole fed, same pole copper / fibre so i had OR install it the same way, and i took care of everything that was required to do so. At the install time if you find it's not suitable or the Engineer doing the install, just call a HALT to it all, have the Engineer mark up his report to the when/why etc, that will inject some thought into OR when they need to re-address the reason, sometimes it's a third party installer doing on behalf of OR, time is the killer as it's a get it in and done move on to the next etc... If more time is needed they can/will sort it out.