Just Ordered New Wi-Fi 7 Package - Updates & Review To Follow

[CarbonStar]

Morning Everyone,

After waiting for any news, I saw that the new WiFi 7 is being advertised and the Smart Home Pro is available. 

So I’ve signed up for the 1.6Gb package which includes the WiFi 7 Router. 

I will update this post once I receive everything and I’ll do a full review. 

I get the new iPhone 16 Pro Max this Friday on launch which is WiFi 7 so I’ll be able to test out the new WiFi capabilities and then I’ll do a wired test to my gaming PC. 

Estimated Date for equipment = 28 September 2024

Date for Installation - 2nd October 2024 - 8am to 1pm. 

Although I don’t need an engineer as I have everything in place from my previous internet so will see if I can just plug in myself 😄

 

 

 

 

[CarbonStar]

I think for existing customers, it's more a challenge, 

As a new customer, it was easy enough to order - I just needed an engineer to visit as i was told my current set up and box inside my home needs to be upgraded as it can only handle 1Gb so needs to be different for the 1.6Gb.

My WiFi 7 Router should arrive on the 28th September though and be up and running on the 2nd October.

[garetc]

When I signed up in January this year OR told me there were less than 500 customers on this service across all broadband providers.

I can't imagine there's been that much growth considering the price.

[Woggy]

Yeah I can’t think there are too many, but I’ve still not heard anything 

[grantero]

@iammbuk @I had a similar experience, I phoned on Saturday to ask if I was eligible for the smart hub Pro upgrade as I’m on the 900MB fibre plan, and the woman I spoke to said yes and that she would get one sent out. She put me on hold for a bit then came back and said she had to get her manager to order it but that it was done and it should be delivered on Wednesday (tomorrow) however I never got any email or notification.

So I phoned today and the man I spoke to told me there was nothing on my account and that I wasn’t eligible and it would be £10 a month. I was not happy with this and ended up starting a chat with them later and after going round all the departments and a complaint lodged I got through to a guy who told me that the woman I spoke to on Saturday had actually noted on the account I wasn’t eligible for the upgrade…

to say I’m annoyed is an understatement as i was specifically lied to. 
I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth just paying the extra £10 for the smart WiFi pro as my WiFi drops by half going from my bedroom to the livingroom as there is a stone wall between the rooms and the signal isn’t the best where I need it. 

[JimM11]

@grantero There are 2 ways to look at it, you may improve the wi-fi but you are asking a lot but who knows if it is any better than what you have, the other is for £240, there is no where currently that you can get a wifi 7 router and a smartwifi booster for if possible even twice that amount cash wise. Wither it can live up to the little real information as yet is not known. Gives you something to seriously think about! 

[grantero]

This is my thinking. I will think it over and probably bite the bullet tomorrow. As I like the idea of having things future proofed haha 

[iammbuk]

Sounds like your also having g the run around, seems the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing, and it will all be done to process and training I think we al, will. be bale to get the new router but it will just take time

Regarding paying the extra £10pm it is worth to over the course of your contract and its a cheaper option instead of buying an after market one, it is annoying though that they didn't make this clear for you.

I have tested most of the Wi-Fi 7 aftermarket routers available as I do a lot of product testing and they all come with various features etc, but to get something in comparison to what EE is offering you gonna be looking at spending hundreds or thousands of pounds from the testing that I've done I have found the best router available within the £300 mark is the TP Link Archer BE9300, they also do a cheaper model (£120) BE3600 which is only dual band but is Wifi 7 compatible,  and I have tested two of these meshed together and do work pretty well, you don't get the 6GHz band though, but for the price you cannot argue.

I am going to wait and see for happens in a few weeks with EE then make a decision.

[grantero]

@iammbuk @Yeah it seems that way unfortunately. I think I’ll also hold off for a few weeks and see what happens when things bed in with them. 

[JimM11]

@iammbuk Is the Tp-Link router the BE550, now obsoleted by them?

[iammbuk]

I believe this is the same model, as found here https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-be550/

The Archer BE800 is meant to be the best out of the range but very pricy and very hard to get hold off is on Amazon though is the US