Alternative to Smart Hub Plus - DNS and VOIP service

[liamgc1993]

Hi

Openreach only brought FTTP to my area in the last few months.

After 18 months with Hyperoptic I have now switched my broadband provider over to EE's Full Fibre 500.

Like many other people on this forum seem to be, I frankly am very disappointed with the "Smart Hub Plus", particularly with the firmware preventing users from changing the DNS settings.

I have a Raspberry Pi with Pihole as a network-wide adblocker and this requires the router to have alterable DNS settings.

I am considering buying a different router to use in place of the so-called Smart Hub Plus, however I quite like speaking to my Nanan on my landline phone and as far as I understand it the VOIP landline service accessible via the router is a proprietary service based on the BT Digital Voice system and currently not available via third party routers.

What routers provided by BT consumer group companies are compatible with Digital.Voice VOIP landline AND also allow you to set custom DNS settings?

Frankly I find it contemptible that EE should be locking customers out of using such a basic feature on the router but alas we live in an age where companies think their customers are too thick to make their own choices about how tech works.

I have read many other posts and threads wherein people outline their problems with the smart hub plus

[Gunther]

Yes, the two-router solution works (I had it running for a while with the SH being the DNS). However doing a guesstimate that it needs about 10W it clocks up over 7kWh per month, that's £2.50 or more for a box that you don't actually want but have to use because BT/EE don't give you the VoIP login details. That's why I moved to another provider.

Don't like it that BT/EE force you to use their equipment? Complain to Ofcom. I'm saying that because they don't seem to be pro-active with new techonology. I did ask them: Ofcom mandates that ISP give you connection details for broadband but not for VoIP. However when she asked me whether that prevented me from using my own equipment and I said "yes" I think I had her attention. I suggested that procedures be updated for VoIP. I reckon they will mandate it sooner or later. If you want it sooner: Go call them and suggest so, it might speed it up. Just saying...