Smart Hub Pro - what I wish I realised before I installed

[adriandw]

When I was switched from BT and installed the EE Smart Hub Plus a year ago, the system for moving over all my previous devices worked perfectly - use the same SSID and password as I'd been using before on my ASUS XT8 mesh network.

With three Smart WIfi Plus extenders the coverage in my house was excellent although I missed the extra functionality of the XT8.

I naively assumed the migration to the WiFi 7 Smart Hub Pro (with 2 Smart Wifi Pro extenders) would be just as easy.

Here's what went wrong

1. The Smart Hub Pro imposes new password rules for its main network. So although I could carry over my old SSID, I had to visit all my legacy devices and change passwords. Some have clunky interfaces so this was a pain.
2. For the main network the available security settings are WPA3 or WPA3-Personal-Transition, no WPA2. My old devices support WPA2. Many of them won't connect to the new main network using WPA3-Personal-Transition, so I had to use the option to set up a Compatible wifi network.
3.  I have a Firestick 4k Max. It's not supposed to support WiFi 7 but it did connect to the main 6Ghz. However, performance was painfully slow.  You cannot configure it to use a specific frequency (for example 5Ghz) on the main wifi network, so it too has to connect to the Compatible network.
4. I have more than 4 wired devices connected to the router so I use a  Netgear 8 port gigabit switch. The EE app (and the browser version) seem to be unreliable at reporting on devices attached via the switch.
5. The wired connection to my MacBook Pro (via the Netgear Switch and a Kensington Thunderbolt dock) drops occasionally. Manually recycling the power on the dock usually solves the problem.

If I were starting again I would set up the Compatibility wifi network to have the same SSID and password as the outgoing EE Smart Hub Plus. That should have picked up all the old devices.

Then I would move the wifi7 capable devices over to the new SSID one by one. 

 

[Welshdoc]

Thanks for this, I think I'll use the current SSID for the compatibility network when I migrate over later this week, but, some have said the Smart WiFi pro extenders don't transmit the compatibility SSID, only the main SSID, is this what you've found? 

[XRaySpeX]

1. I believe the pwd rules are just a warning & can be ignored. That true of the SH+ & I would believe it would carry over to the SH Pro.

[JimM11]

@Welshdoc It has been reported that the Guest network did not pass over the extender network, but not as yet the comp network side, you would be better to connect an Ethernet to the New router and set it up all offline before moving into operation, you may also find that not all devices work out of the bat, just treat those as separate till you get them working.

Hopefully someone will reply as to wither the comp network is passed over the extended network, The plus may be struggling a little with all the new changes but the Pro should manage it all fine.

[Welshdoc]

Just to confirm, the extenders do most definitely (confirmed with a wifi scanner)  transmit the Compatibility SSID as well as the main one (just not the guest).

Hope this helps others.

As side note, the extenders don't seem to daisy chain though!

[JimM11]

@Welshdoc Thanks for replying and clearing up what you see with the Smart wireless extended network. You may be able to see the daisy chain effect if operational easier with the web manager interface, and to where each is connected!

[Welshdoc]

I'm on another thread in this forum where everyone is concerned about the lack of daisy chain.

On the web interface, all the extenders are saying connected to hub, despite there being an extender half way between the struggling one and the hub (as I had with BTCW).

[JimM11]

@Welshdoc Got it, will have a look at the posting.