EE Smart Hub Plus and Wirelesss Extenders

[DavidF9]

I currently have BT Broadband 70MB delivered over copper. The circuit is delivered from a telegraph pole into my loft extension eaves, where the router and a switch is placed. I then distribute hard wired ethernet connections via a patch panel to data points throughout the house for optimum performance as I live in an old house spread over 3 floors and which has solid brick walls.

I am having EE Full Fibre installed this week and I have a few questions that I would appreciate some help with. The fibre is due to be delivered from the pole and I am hoping we can get it to the same position where the current router is, to use the distribution system. 

The wifi is currently delivered using 3 White Disc BT Whole Home Wifi units (one on each floor). Each one has a static IP address, and same SSID and connects back via an ethernet connection to the router. Wifi is turned OFF on the router itself. I have read that the black discs do not work with the EE Smart Hub Plus but that the white discs may work. 

Could someone please inform me if I can use the white discs. If so is the setup the same or does wifi need to be turned on, on the router itself and are there any other changes that need to be made.

I have also been sent 1 Smart Wifi Plus wireless extender. This has an ethernet port in the back. Can it be used in a similar way to the White Disc Whole Home Wifi where it connects back to the router via ethernet.  Can it be given a static IP address. Does it have a web interface to configure it?  I know if I have to use these boxes I will need more than one but I am also worried that if they are only making wifi mesh connections back to the router then performance may be worse. 

Thank you for your help

[JimM11]

@XRaySpeX Does not matter now, laid it all out with the issues to hand, know you have your own personal opinion on the Whole Home wireless and do not disagree should work but then again there is just no 100% even on Ethernet. PM is off the table now.

[JimM11]

@DavidF9 Told you right at the start would keep all that you had as a working unit, you just did not believe or ignored which ever was your choice, i have been doing this for over 45+ years, the title Engineer that i have is OLD School, none off this 2 weeks done it all got the certificate and passed the exam....

[DavidF9]

I hear you loud and clear. I didn't ignore you. I am new to EE and was trying to find out what things had issues and what didn't. It seems like there are potential issues with everything. I am so glad I joined this forum

The OR engineer is due to come tomorrow but I still have everything in place and can cancel.

Should I even bother trying to get the fiber installed even if I run it to the existing BT router and keep everything else in place. I would still have to get Digital Voice working with the BT router though and I don't know if there are any issues here. 

[JimM11]

@DavidF9 If it was me, get the Fibre in, use you BT Smarthub2, you will probably find with all the FW updates it has been getting in the secret past, Lan port 4 is already set on Auto connect you will see it if you web manager http://192.168.1.254 to it, last FW update that i know off was Apr 1st 2025, easy day to remember that one, Park all the EE stuff to the side, just now see you maintain a stable and working system, if you can have the OR engineer play nice, and have a spare telephone cable lying around out off the BT hub phone socket, 2 wires and lashed into your extension socket's will make them all live, ideal is the AB entry point, but you DO NOT want to mess with that until your Fibre is all transferred over from the copper, as @Mustrum has pointed out does take a while for the copper side to die down, so you may just have to address that at a latter date, anyhow you can always use a DVA if needed. BT Router is reported as 100% rock solid with DV side, not to say all the STUPID FW updates that they have been stuffing down to get the STUPID EE app to work and play nice with the BT hub at present.

Don't stop the rolling train get the Fibre in and working, you will not look back from that for sure....

Wi-Fi 6 upgrades, there is not a lot to gain, but it can cause a lot of pain. The BT Smarthub2 had one off the most impressive ability that NO one looks at, will find the old post from another site and you can go read. Will pop it under this.... On the link remember to click on the FULL REPORT shows it all.

BT Publish WiFi Speedtests for New Smart Hub 2 Router vs Rival ISPs - ISPreview UK

[XRaySpeX]

Oh, what a honey trap using some ugly bait!

Do not be mislead into believing that the EE Smart Hub being compared unfavourably in that review with the BT Smart Hub 2 bears any resemblance to EE's current offerings being discussed in this thread. That prehistoric report is dated 2018, at least 5 years before the advent of EE's Smart Hub Plus & Pro.

[DavidF9]

Hi Jim

Well after following all of your and XRaySpeX advice the whole thing has collapsed for now.

EE short delivered me. There were no Voice Adapters when i said I needed 4 and only 1 wireless extender when I told them I needed a minimum 3 (not that I was going to use them anyway). So 3 days before the installation I called EE and they said it would be shipped, but it never arrived

When the OR subcontractor came I went through the entire setup. He agreed with keeping the BT Hub and white wireless extenders.He was also happy to terminate in a similar grey box adjacent to the router (so no outside boxes).

But he did not have the parts with him to move my telephone cable so even if we managed to install the fiber we would have had to use voice adapters. I had to have the phones running on the installation day as I have an elderly relative who is very frail and only calls the house phone.

Unfortunately we could not get the fiber through. So I have had to call a halt for now, as I will have to get electrics into the front eaves so the grey box and ONT can be installed there. I can then run a very long ethernet cable via a different route with tight bends to the router.

When I called EE i told them what had happened. I asked them where the missing equipment was, UNBELIEVABLY they said my order had been suspended., but hadn't bothered to tell me. They said they could not process the order until after I had gone live., So imagine if I had been relying on EE equipment and the fiber had gone live. I would have had no phones and massive wireless blackspots.

In addition to this I had ordered an EE TV package to replace my Sky which they promised me was like for like. It wasn't and they wouldn't cancel this order as it was attached to the Broadband order and could not cancel it until the fiber had gone live. So I told them to cancel the lot.

Amazingly when I looked at the original communication from BT which is why I called them in the first place it said we will be connecting your fiber into your exisiting BT hub and providing voice adapters. Nothing about new routers or wireless extenders. 

What a shambles!

Thanks for all your help. 

[Mustrum]

@DavidF9   at least you have taken a lot of learning away from the experience.

Your requirements are far from standard, but it sounds like the contracter who turned up went well above what many would do, and what they are instructed to do the short time they are normally allocated for these jobs.

Hopefully the next time it will go a lot smoother and you will be better prepared.