topic Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS in Broadband & Landline

PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

OldNumber1 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 15:18:22 GMT

I was migrated to EE from Plusnet on 25th August 2026. The Smart Hub Plus arrived a few days beforehand and on the day my Plusnet Hub 2 light was red when I looked at it in the morning, so I changed to the Smart Hub Plus. Here are some issues:
1) The Smart Hub Plus light went aqua colour as expected but the phone didn't work - message of apology from EE on the line. I phoned EE on my mobile phone and they advised that the phone line may not migrate until the following day....good job I have a mobile, both for the non-functioning of the phone and to contact EE. The phone started working about 2 hours after the switchover

2) I could not get my robot vacuum cleaner and wifi extenders to work - these are WPA2 security, but the Smart Hub Plus is WPA3 by default, so none of these devices connected and the extenders are indispensible because my router is in one corner of the house and the walls are thick. There is no mention of WPA3 potential issues anywhere in the setup information. Fortunately I have years of hard-earned experience on internet set-ups so I looked at the router settings and found there is an option to swap wireless to a "Compatible" mode i.e. WPA2.

3) With WPA2 settings I was able to get the robot vacs to work, and I did not need to turn off the 5GHz frequency (the robots work on 2.4 GHz) BUT neither my Wifi extenders nor my printer would pair using with WPS, I had to use the password route and re-enter the mandatory 12 character password.

WhenI found I could not get the Smart Hub Plus to work with my wifi extenders I phoned EE who, with almost no delay, put me in contact with a technical person who looked at the router settings, agreed it should have worked in Compatible mode and ordered a EE-configured BT Hub 2 for me. After that I found out about the WPS problem.

The BT Hub 2 arrived and works perfectly, it took me about 10 minutes to set everything up including my own passwords and WPS worked for the printers and the extenders. The robots needed me to identify the router from a list, but that is easy. The Hub 2 is more compact than the EE Smart Hub Plus router, which is useful as my router sits on top of my desktop PC base unit under an over-desk cupboard. The Hub 2 status light is also easier to see - on the Smart hub you have to look at an angle to see it unless the room is dark when there is a slight glow in the two "EE" holes! Definite case of form over function there.

I wanted to send an e-mail to EE Technical Support to thank them for the BT Hub 2 and to advise them about the WPS issue...but there is no e-mail address. So I am posting this on the community as hopefully someone fro mTechnical Support reads these posts and my experience will be of use to other people who are "being migrated".

Regards

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

JimM11 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 15:55:41 GMT

@OldNumber1 Did you find that the BT Smart Hub2 version more resembled the PN2 hub that you had and used before.

WPS operation is slightly different when you go to operate in a wifi 6 mode and may depend on what EE is doing with it, there is a software start wps that may work slightly different.

EE Help is were you need to check anything in future, or BT Forum since you now are going to be using the SH2 instead.

EE like BT do not use e-mail at all for communications.

https://ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/compare-our-range-of-broadband-hubs

Different types of BT Hub | Broadband Help | BT | BT Help

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

XRaySpeX — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:36:29 GMT

Your points 1 & 2 appear to be solved in the recommended fashion & point 3 by the use of a BT SH2..

Nobody from Tech Support will be reading your posts. This is a public user discussion forum that can have no access to your specific account.

EE provide no email contact. Try calling EE CS on the Freephone no.(Opt 1) in my sig.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

OldNumber1 — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 03:26:42 GMT

The BT Hub 2 looks exactly the same as the Plusnet Hub 2 except it is black.
It has been reconfigured to work on the EE Broadband service and includes
land line phone functionality.

I would not surprise me if WiFi 6 works differently from WiFi 4, all I know
is that WPS did not work with various wifi devices such as
repeaters/extenders that give acceptable wifi coverage in my house.

Whilst the router says BT on it, my contract is with EE. If the Router
works as well as the Plusnet Hub 2 I was using until last week, I can't
imagine why I would have any problems with the router other than those
caused by line drop and power cuts.which will involve EE's help service.

The EE Smart Hub Plus advertises lots of capabilities I don't need, e.g.
better wifi for multiple users providing you can use Wifi 6 and WPA3. I am
happy to have a router that is equivalent to the PlusNet Hub 2 in that it
works with my existing wireless devices!

Regards

Old Number1

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

JimM11 — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 10:36:48 GMT

@OldNumber1 That you have got now BT SH2 and the PN SH2 are identical spec wise with the BT version having the ATA stage connection enabled.😶👍

The EE version off the BT SH2 is the SH20A same unit in EE clothing, with some slight modifications on the modem stage but would work just as well, one assumes.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

FoxRadio — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:52:32 GMT

@OldNumber1 wrote:
...on the Smart hub you have to look at an angle to see it unless the room is dark when there is a slight glow in the two "EE" holes! Definite case of form over function there...

I just had to make my own comment on this when I saw your post. I have an EE smart hub 6 plus. The design around the light on the front is ridiculous. As you say, it is impossible to see any light when looking straight on. I have set the brightness to maximum in the settings & it still cannot be seen.

What an absurd design idea to "hide" the light behind the black plastic!

My sister has the BT hub 3. The case is the same design (only without the broadband socket on the back), except for the light on the front. The light on that is around the BT logo, rather than hidden behind it, like it is with the EE logo.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

JimM11 — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:36:49 GMT

@FoxRadio SH3 is it a version with NO VDSL socket for a DSL Master Socket connection, will take a look on the BT Forum incase multiple versions like the EE Branded one it follows there is none see below single version only.

Edit:- FTTP version only to be supplied, those using a VDSL connection would get a BT Smart Hub 2 instead.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

OldNumber1 — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:52:42 GMT

As I wrote, I only wanted to inform EE that the Hub 2 had solved the
problem, and, as the Community seemed to be a forum to record my experience,
I could also to provide information for other people who have been migrated
to EE. I have no intention of waiting in a phone queue for that. If EE
send me a follow up customer satisfaction check, I will fill that in.

I would be surprised if EE don't periodically check what are hot topics in
the forum as a way of obtaining feedback without formal surveys. As it is
a public domain system, there is nothing to stop EE looking at the content.

Regards

Oldnumber1

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

bobpullen — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:56:49 GMT

@OldNumber1 wrote:
3) With WPA2 settings I was able to get the robot vacs to work, and I did not need to turn off the 5GHz frequency (the robots work on 2.4 GHz) BUT neither my Wifi extenders nor my printer would pair using with WPS, I had to use the password route and re-enter the mandatory 12 character password.

@OldNumber1 - how did you initiate WPS? The physical button on the router will only ever trigger WPS for the main WiFi network, not the Compatible WiFi network.

If you want to initiate a WPS event for the Compatible WiFi network then you need to do that using the software button in the Hub Manager on the Compatible WiFi settings page (below is from the new look Hub manager which you may not have yet but you get the picture): -

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

OldNumber1 — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:57:00 GMT

I tried that when the WPS button on the side of the router did not cause the status light to flash. It did not seem to make any difference and I may have lost the will to live....

I repeat, none of this is in the guides supplied with the router or the on-line help. The Community is useful, but if you don't know a Compatible Mode exists, why would you ask about it, let alone ask about what to do if the WPS button on the outside of the router doesn't cause the status light to flash.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:36:35 GMT

@OldNumber1 https://ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started

Does the EE Guide / Paper / Document supplied / reference anything about the link above etc.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

OldNumber1 — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:27:42 GMT

No, there is no mention of Compatibility Mode because it is written on the basis that you will be installing new EE extenders ..and with no consideration of other devices using WiFi e.g. printers, robot vacuum cleaners etc which may work on WPA2.

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:39:00 GMT

@OldNumber1 Ok so it looks like just a poor written document with NO pointers to EE Help at all, once you get to the online help there is many many references to doing it all. Have no idea what is in an EE box now been gone nearly 18 months, and Comp mode was not even a feature at the time, and then broke the connection the day they introduced it.

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

bobpullen — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:27:15 GMT

@OldNumber1 - if the physical button (not that it's of any help for Compatible WiFi) did not cause the hub's status light to flash then there were seemingly more problems with the hub than simply the WPA2 dilemma.

I do wonder what WiFi extenders you have. WPA3 has been a mandatory part of WiFi certification for 8 years now. The Hub 2 is of a similar age. Frustrating as it is, technology/standards sometimes outpace the devices we have 🤷

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

OldNumber1 — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:35:42 GMT

My British General wifi extender sockets were purchased in 2022 and 2025 -
the latter to boost the signal in the conservatory. They use WPA2 or
WPA2-PSK. It may be that devices first produced after a certain date have
to be certified to WPA3 but, as these were probably on sale before the
cutoff date, they did not need to comply. I repeat, there is no mention in
the set up material that the standard set-up requires WPA3. Nor is the
"Compatible Mode" fully compatible. I suspect there are a lot of people
with the same sort of kit i.e purchased after 2018 but not WPA3 - why would
they update to something with WPA3 if their existing wifi works fine!

For the benefit of everyone out there, please don't post any more stuff on
this, it was meant to be info for users, not a basis for a discussion thread
interrogating the capability of my wifi extenders.

Cheers

Old Number1

Re: PLUS NET TO EE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE- SMART HUB PLUS PROBLEMS

bobpullen — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 16:20:45 GMT

@OldNumber1 - it's a discussion forum 😉

Last input from me: -

A device does not have to support WPA3 to be compatible with WPA3-Personal-Transition or WPA3-Personal-Compatibility security modes. That is the entire point of them: they are designed to be backwards compatible with WPA2 devices - and they largely are; it's a minority of devices that don't seem to 'like' it for one reason or another.

@OldNumber1 wrote:
My British General wifi extender sockets were purchased in 2022 and 2025 -

Perhaps so, but if we're talking about these then the following says all it needs to: -

"Enjoy blazing-fast internet speeds with the BG Wi-Fi Extender Sockets. Featuring up to 300mbps through N300 Wi-Fi technology on a 2.4 GHz single band..."

'Blazing-fast' it most certainly isn't. That's WiFi 4, which is over 15 years old now (WiFi 8 is now on the horizon). In real-life conditions it likely has less than 100mbps of bandwidth to play with, and whatever is available needs to be shared between the act of repeating and actually serving WiFi to other devices. That's ignoring how susceptible 2.4GHz is to interference and congestion. If it works for you then great, but if you ever start to care about latency or speeds above the 'tens of mbps', then they're going to get in the way 🤷