topic New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus in Broadband & Landline

New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

karluk — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 22:04:51 GMT

I saw EE Broadband are now offering Smart Hub 2023 or Smart Hub Plus depending on the broadband package you select when ordering. Looks like these have just become available.

Does anyone know if both hubs have Wifi 6, I cant find the specs for both of these new hubs.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

XRaySpeX — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 23:56:33 GMT

I understand the Smart Hub Plus incorporates WiFi-7.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

Mustrum — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 07:50:35 GMT

plus.html Not seen much details, but believe the latest EE router will be based on the BT SH3, so Wi-Fi 6 likely.

See ISPReview https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/07/isp-bt-launch-uk-business-smart-hub-3-router-and-complete-wi-fi-plus.html

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

bobpullen — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 08:01:28 GMT

Smart Hub Plus is Wi-Fi 6 (not 6E).

Smart Hub (2023) is Wi-Fi 5, very similar to the Smart Router / BT Smart Hub 2 but in different clothing.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

MBEE — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 10:15:16 GMT

Saw the new TV ad campaign and was wondering if these had been made available yet, after looking into it earlier in the year:
https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Broadband-Landline/Technical-Specification-EE-Smart-Router/m-p/1267463/highlight/true#M82316

I too would be v.interested in seeing the full spec for the Smart Hub Plus, its functionality, and options to existing customers once they're out as I recently decided not to upgrade to the EE Smart Router, which is currently still being sold for 200 quid:

https://www.eehomebroadband.com/Home/ProductsDesc/110

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

karluk — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 23:07:54 GMT

Update: Got the Smart Hub Plus a couple of weeks ago it is Wifi 6 with a big improvement in Wifi speeds over BT Smart Hub 2 even on devices which don;t support Wifi 6. It is about 50% larger size than SH2, so maybe better internal aerials?

SHPlus also has a guest wifi you can set up. The hybrid connect also seems to work fine, for me this is a big plus of BT and EE as it's not too expensive for a WFH back-up even if outages on FTTP seem to only happen rarely at night.

I havent bothered with EE andline as set up a gigaset IP phone with Sipgate VOIP.

I have moved from BT FTTP 900 to EE FTTP 900, it seems to be an identical service given my IP address is BT too?!

I'm interested to see what the new BT TV service is like and decide whether to add this?

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

rajurahman85 — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 11:53:19 GMT

Hi,

Can the Smart Hub Plus be used in Modem Mode? I'd like to know as I want to use my own wireless router.

Also, does it have any 2.5G ports, if so how many? Would be good if it had two, one 2.5G WAN port and one 2.5G LAN port.

Would really appreciate it if you could take a picture of the port side and upload it here.

Thanks

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

XRaySpeX — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:12:40 GMT

@rajurahman85 : No modem only mode but you could disable WiFi & let other router handle all WiFi.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

rajurahman85 — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:53:36 GMT

Looking at another thread, it looks like you can just connect your own router on its WAN directly by Ethernet to the ONT. So no modem or Smart Hub Plus required.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

XRaySpeX — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:37:40 GMT

@rajurahman85 : That's correct.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

chrishyper1 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:27:11 GMT

my last provider required PPPOE to be enabled on my mesh system for this, is it just plug and play with EE as long as you plug your router into the ONT ethernet port ?

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

Mustrum — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:31:34 GMT

@chrishyper1 you also need to enter PPOE details in your router, but it is just the standard BT ones.

Who was your last provider?

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

chrishyper1 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:33:20 GMT

Last provider was Zen Internet using city fibre network

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

Mustrum — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:40:26 GMT

@chrishyper1 wow, you are lucky to be able to get Cityfibre and Openreach fibre!

Still waiting for either here..

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

wgwright — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 21:36:57 GMT

Think it's just the Smarthub plus that has WiFi 6

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

Mustrum — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 21:41:45 GMT

@wgwright that was confirmed earlier in the thread by @bobpullen

Smart Hub Plus is Wi-Fi 6 (not 6E).

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

davidperson — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 20:01:29 GMT

Can you give a link to that thread?

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

infinitywaiter — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 05:02:07 GMT

"SHPlus also has a guest wifi you can set up."

For those who didn't use BT Whole Home Wifi discs, then this feature was already present on the BT Whole Home Wifi Premium discs and the BT Whole Home Wifi 6 discs, it was not something new.

I have moved from BT FTTP 900 to EE FTTP 900, it seems to be an identical service given my IP address is BT too?!

As BT and EE both use Openreach and are the exact same company, then yes they are an identical service.

Nothing changes on your broadband, you still use the pppoe connection of BT etc, just your account is now under the EE brand instead

Just like EE Digital Home Phone is the equivalent of BT Digital Voice, and same for BT TV to EE TV and BT Mobile to EE Mobile.

The only difference is that they are run as two seperate branches with their own brand logo, BT now just for business customers and EE for consumers/residential.

However, at the present time being consumers can still order broadband through BT, although if you want to use the new 1.6gb tier from Openreach, then this is only available through EE.

Just note that this Openreach higher 1.6gb tier is still in pilot stage until early 2024 and not actually released publicly as of yet.

EE are the only provider that is offering the service as of yet, so if you order it and can't get it yet and have to wait on the 900 tier or have issues, then that is the main reason why.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

infinitywaiter — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 05:15:37 GMT

Also, does it have any 2.5G ports, if so how many? Would be good if it had two, one 2.5G WAN port and one 2.5G LAN port.

If you go for the newer 1.6gb tier through EE, then you will get a new ONT box with a new 2.5gb WAN.

Otherwise, the new hubs, either EE Smart Hub (rebranded BT Smart Hub 2) or the EE Smart Hub Plus (rebranded BT Business Smart Hub 3, with a lot of options locked out), are all coming with just the same 1gb ethernet ports.

There are multiple threads exisiting already on both BT and EE Community forums about this, as most would want the new Plus Hub to have at least come with 2.5gb ethernet ports as well, so look for those existing ones if you want to comment about it yourself.

Hence why many people swap out BT or EE Smart Hubs, to their own third party ones, to make use of their own wifi6 and 2.5gb ports on motherboard and router itself.

Even with the 1.6gb tier and getting the Plus Hub with wifi 6, many are still swapping to their own third party router.

Obviously, if you use either BT Digital Voice or EE Digital Home Phone, then you have to stick with the provided hub from BT or EE as the phones are using them, and are registered to the hubs through wifi and dect.

Re: New EE Smart Hub 2023 and Smart Hub Plus

infinitywaiter — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 05:18:04 GMT

Correct, plus they would need to make sure that they turn off DHCP too.