Homebrew Smart Hub Pro upgrades from Smart Hub Plus - will it work?

[hostler]

Hiya

I can now get full fibre to my home and want to order one of EE's FTTP packages. We're currently running the whole house off a EE 5G Home 'Broadband' router - quite successfully as it happens - but it tops out at around 150Mbps. Fast enough for most things, but obviously a bit brittle being a cellular service.

So, time to just to FTTP.

I'd really like the WiFi 7 feature of the Pro hub & Pro Wifi Extenders (I have Wifi 7 devices plus the 2.5G ports are useful etc) - and we suffer int he upper rooms from poor wifi - so a Pro Hub and couple of Pro Wifi extenders would be perfect I think.

But, you have to shell out for the 16.Gbps service at £65+ pounds month over the 2 years.

The 900Mbps service is more than fast enough in raw speed terms for me, and at £39/month much bette value - but you don;t get the Pro hubs - -only the plus hubs.

I notice they are available to buy new in box on eBay and googling suggests they will swap out fine.

Is there anything I'm missing if I do this? I notice some config has now moved from the web interface to the EE app for example - will that recognise this as a legit device?

If you ignore the speed benefits of 1600 over 900 Mbps, the difference I'd be paying over the 2 years to 'rent' the pro  hub & extender is 5x more than I could buy privately for - and whilst nice, I don't really need 1600 and 900 is 4x what I'm getting now.

@JimM11  - you have been very helpful in the past to my questions - hope you don;t mind me calling you out - but wondered if you knew? Many, many thanks in advance.

[Matt_124]

Hi @hostler 

Not sure if something has got lost in translation on here from all the different voices but by paying the additional £10pm for the Smart Wi-Fi Pro service, you can get up to 2 additional extenders at no extra cost if the single Smart WiFi Pro extender provided isn't sufficient.

So it would be £240 across the term all-in, as it is a service package not a per-unit equipment rental charge.

See the below quote from the Smart WiFi Pro T&Cs: https://ee.co.uk/help/terms-and-conditions/broadband/smart-wifi-terms-and-conditions 

"If you’ve set up your Smart Hub Pro and your Smart WiFi Pro device in your home and you don’t get a minimum of 100 Mbps WiFi speeds in every room, we’ll run some diagnostic tests and if eligible we’ll send you another device. If you’re still unable to get a minimum of 100 Mbps WiFi speeds in every room, we may send you a third (and final) device."

"If you still don’t get a minimum of 100 Mbps WiFi speeds in every room, you can call us on 0330 123 1105 and get a one-off credit of £100 applied to your next EE bill. Only one claim is valid during the contract length."

[JimM11]

@Matt_124 100% correct, the ISP route is the most economical way off doing everything and at the best costing's and you just have to live with what you are given with all the restraint's that the ISP and there developers have.

Anyone who wishes not to do so and has the capability to change has too keep that in mind. An ISP system is to try there best to keep prying fingers away and causing all untold potential issue, the ISP's can do that there self by issuing FW updates and not fixing any off the inherent problems even if they decide that it is not a problem to them!

Everybody want's the latest and greatest it's the shiny magpie... 

[hostler]

Thanks @Matt_124 

You are of course correct - I had missed the fact that the £10/month uplift gives you the Hub Pro AND one WiFi Pro. It's confusing when they also list a WiFi extender for £7/month as well. 

That makes the FF900 + Pro Hub the most likely choice now - fast enough connectivity and the ability to enjoy faster in-network copying between devices.

Cheers.

[bobpullen]

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@hostler wrote:

Been mulling my options, and wondering if I'm better off buying my own WiFi7 mesh system to daisy chain off the EE Hub (Plus or Pro).

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You don't need to daisy chain off anything. It's pretty trivial to connect any third party router to an EE Full Fibre service if you're not reliant on TV/Voice. See here.