Thanks everyone for your comments. EE now include a new router with this product called Smart Hub Pro, which has been upgraded to use WiFi 7. I have ordered this along with the new mesh kit and will create an updated video once this arrives.
Thank you for the pppoe to Mac shortcut. I just got the package and the router is 2.5Gbps on 1 port - not sure about the others but I can use this hack if not.
Good video. Just moved to this from BT 900mb service. Essentially did it as they offered me £10 a month for unlimited data / calls / texts with phone package so it was a no brainer ( usual price £30 ) Kit looks decent. Was told cameras I have on 2.4Ghz will still work fine so here’s hoping 😄 Don’t have the new hub from Openreach yet but hoping I can plug it in and get it working today!
This is one of the main reasons I am with EE. This is still worded as ‘we will boost your existing EE SIM plans charged at more than £10 a month to unlimited data’ in the FAQ, but this perk may have been changed to £20 a month off a new SIM plan. These plans also appear to be on a 30-day rolling contract, which is flexible.
Interesting video. I have 1 gig with virgin, the hub 5 does have 2.5 gig ethernet port on it. As you are on full fibre your ping times should be around 3ms. Even on virgins HFC I get between 9 and 13ms. I do believe that with virgin its to do with the capacity at your local cabinet. In my case I got virgins external contractor to wire a direct connection from the cabinet to the hub with no breaks in the cable. This makes a huge difference in my opinion.
I’m trying to get this package however still in contract with BT I ask to be moved over as they are the same company they said not yet so hopefully in a few months
I have looked on the BT forums and it says 'The cancellation fees are waived on switch BT to EE'. It might be worth giving EE a ring. Let us know how you get on.
i switched from virgin to ee and ee covers early cancellation fees uo to £300. you sent them the final bill and they will credit your account for future payments.
I've just switched from BT 1 Gig to EE 1.6 Gig as I couldn't order from BT and had to switch to EE to get the 1.6Gig. As others have stated they will cover exit fees up to £300, my final BT bill is around £96 so I will ping that to EE. On a sidenote I'm loving the faster connection, using DUMeter I have ran a speed/bandwidth test downloading a80 gig file and DUmeter reports 1.6Gig connection is pulling down 11gig a minute, that's 660gig an hour. I have also installed my own ASUS router RT-BE88U and this router is a joy. Have fitted a 10gig module in the back of my router 10Gig SFP+ port then ran the fibre from the upstairs home office across to the 2.5Gb/10Gig SFP+ switch, then out of the switch to my network points and now have my PC connected at 2.5gig on the lan side and getting over 1600mbps as video shows ...ua-cam.com/video/YUBj-GAGy7s/v-deo.html funny thing where the Openreach guy came out to swap the ONT I confirmed that I didn't need to change the username or password on the PPoE connection from bthomehub.com and he said that was correct, so whilst now on EE 1.6 Speed test still shows BT, and my router is setup as PPoE directly plugged into the ONT and user the BT username and password, not fussed as connection is great.
If your in a city fibre area use one of them far cheaper than bt ee. It amazes me that bt still refuse offer symmetric fibre packages , the network needs an unbunded policy forced on it by ofcom so no matter who installed the fibre your not forced to remain with them yet still get the symmetric performance
Virgin now does 2gbps download and 200upload for £84 or you can pay £6 to get same download / upload so £90 for 2000mbps down and up. This is only for XGS PON areas! But you can pay £6 on any xgs plan to get same download and upload like 1gbps down n up for example.
Virgin customer service is really bad, I’m glad I left virgin, had problems with the broadband couldn’t give me a timeline to fix the issue, they lied to me and about me and also hung up the phone whilst I was trying to get the problem resolved. Best advice AVOID VIRGIN MEDIA AT ALL COSTS
I'm also with EE @ 1.6Gbps. I've never tried the stock router and always used my own equipment. Shocking that EE didn't provide equipment that could handle the speed of the service!
I have recently upgraded to the TP-Link Deco BE9300 Wi-Fi 7. A video review of this router mesh system can be found at ua-cam.com/video/aWFEHH2g9k0/v-deo.html
Hi Liam. You must set up a PPPoE connection from the PC/Mac to the ONT. It cannot automatically connect. The PPPoE settings you need for EE can be found at ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/using-and-configuring-a-third-party-router
Do I need to buy another router or does it come with everything I need to set this up to get advertised speeds? I have a very good PC that has a 2.5gb ethernet socket@@studioidris
You cannot get 2.5 Gbit speeds using ethernet as this router only has 1 Gbit ethernet ports. You would have to buy another router - I am currently testing one and will upload a video shortly.
@@studioidris thanks for the reply so I can get the full speeds if I do the the PPPoe settings on my pc correct? And I will be sure to sub for the other video to are doing
I considered the EE 1.6gbit but in the end didn’t think it was worth the money. I have Vodafone Pro II Broadband, I pay £46 a month but with that I get a WiFi 6E router and 6E Extender, also have a 4G backup incase the broadband goes down. On my iPhone 15 Pro which is also WiFi 6E I get 930mbps down and 110mbps upload.
i just had this installed and im only getting 1150 download over cat 6 via asus router, my actually download speed is slower at like 90 MB/s compared to bt 900 that was 110 MB/s, really am hoping this is just first day problems with EE not even hitting guaranteed speed of 1.3.
Interesting Video. I have just signed up for the full EE Fibre Broadband package. I note ythat you suggest for a domestic environment the backup should broadband fail might be a wasted expense. I am thinking you could be right, I received today the router and wifi extender but nothing else. my engineer is booked in a few days time so wondering what else he will be bringing.
I have used BT Broadband for years and EE for several months, and it rarely goes down. If it does, it tends to be in the middle of the night and only for up to 10 minutes. You should check the download speed of the EE 4G mobile connection that will be used as the backup in your area. Using the backup connection outside your home is against the terms and conditions. In addition, there are now 4G modems available that would allow you to use any network provider as your backup connection.
Are you sure the WAN port is restricted to 1GB? If you are using a CAT6 cable then you will only be able to get 1GB max as that is the limit of the cable. You would need a CAT6A cable which is rated at 10GB and that eliminate that bottleneck if the WAN port is 2.5GB. I would be interested to hear if the instruction manual clearly states there is a limitation. EE/BT should be using upgraded equipment for this speed.
The ports on the BT router are 1Gb (Giga Bit, not GB = Giga Byte) Mine is about to be installed, hopefully I will not need the BT router and will be able to use a 2.5Gb switch (with 2x10Gb ports) allowing me to connect it to my 10Gb local Network. I am assuming that the BT router is unnecessary. fingers crossed (I'm not using it anyway, I use an alternative router).
Great video & subbed. Just ordered the full fibre gigabit essential package & awaiting for an engineer to install the upgrade. On question, when the engineer installs the optical network terminal (ONT) do I get to choose where it is located?
Thanks for subscribing! I have had an ONT installed from scratch in two properties that I have lived in. In one, it was installed at the site of the old BT master socket. In the second, I asked for it to be installed on the second floor, which the engineer accepted. I suppose there is no harm in asking on the day.
Openreach engineer here 👋 Absolutely! On the day if you mention to your engineer where’d you like the router placed, they’ll scout out a connection route and normally 99% of the time it can be easily installed downstairs or upstairs. We however do not install ONT’s in attics or cellars 😊
@@VarissNI Great to know..... A question, well an assumption. When the ONT is installed can I just connect the LAN/WAN port directly into my home network, i.e. do I need a BT router at all. p.s. I currently use a TP-Link AC-2100 as the router for the BT service (I will keep it as a wireless access point).
@@grahampearce2405 Hey Graham! We get that question a lot from customers using their own gear, the answer is yes! You can connect your 3rd party hub directly to the ONT, however you will need to configure the PPPOE login and password to the ISP you choose (Just google BT, Sky, Vodafone PPPOE Login to find the username and password for your provider). Any questions at all shoot me another comment, or failing that contact your Provider :)
Have EE removed the bottleneck yet ? found issue where i decided to replace BT smarthub with a good wifi 6 router and i found that managing of the network and general speed is heads and shoulders above the smarthub, but digital phone is not an option which is a bit unfair if you do require some form of house phone.
The bottleneck will remain unless EE upgrades the Smart Hub router. EE allows you to use a third-party router, which will help you overcome these bottlenecks.
@@studioidris I have seen 1.4Gpbs over WIFI from the box so its defiantly 2.5Gig WAN. Is it WIFI 6 or 6E? And also I guess their approach is capacity not speed so it can hold more people on the hub without anybody slowing down.
Hi. Thanks for the video. Well explained. I’m trying to improve my internet connectivity and thinking about the WiFi mesh system. If I buy a more expensive WiFi 6e mesh rather than the cheaper WiFi 6, will they depend on my virgin media router? I currently have the power line extenders but I sometimes have issues when my mrs and I are on teams call simultaneously. I have a 2 storey building (3 floors), my virgin internet speed is just 300. Do you think a WiFi 6e mesh will be any better?
If you have a Virgin Media 300 Mbit connection, I don't think you will get much better speeds upgrading from WiFi 6 to 6E. If you have a recent Virgin media router, you may be able to get extra WiFi Pods from Virgin to improve your speeds in different rooms in your home. These may also be free, depending on your package. Have a look at www.virginmedia.com/help/how-to/broadband/order-wifi-pods
Is ee worth it ? I’m not the most tech savvy person 😅 what would the highest WiFi signal the ee would give you ? As most people won’t be plugging in directly. I have community fibre but it seems weak in alot of rooms. Does ee get to all the rooms ?
This depends on the layout of your house. I have the EE Smart Hub Plus and one Smart Wifi Plus device, which gets a Wi-Fi signal for most of my house. Problems are getting it to an EV outside the house - but this could be the EV rather than the router.
Great video and quite a few eye opening things you mentioned there! I'm currently on Plusnet, however Quinns/Openreach have just deployed the fibre optics here. I think all that n eeds is for Openreach to come out, inspect the duct and then sign it off to get the area 'lit up'. but thinking of possibly going for the 1.6gb line with EE, however, can you or anyone please tell me if which routers out there that would allow the full 1.6Gbps over a single wired connection (i.e getting the full 1.6Gbps to say a PS5 or a PC)? Or if i did this wireless would I get the full 1.6Gbps over wifi? The 1.6Gbps will seem as overkill, however I am a software tester for shall we say a "well known" video games company and need to download the applications quickly due to strict testing times when working from home. Any help/ advice would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks!
What speeds do you get from the EE hub from the four Ethernet ports I’ve just got virgin media hub 5 and I’m getting various speeds from the different ports I’ve tried different Ethernet cables from cheap ones to expensive chord company epic 5 meter cables £820 each I feel like I’ve just wasted nearly 6k on these cables
I am sadly in a new build area and I may have to wait until the end of 2026 to get full fibre connected 😪 so I am stuck on 56mbps download speed for another 2 years.
@@studioidris I am on EE and my mobile signal here is so weak too, so it will be no good, I have complained many times to EE but they say the nearest transmittor is borderline of too far.
This, in practice, is due to limitations to the underlying Openreach products on which this service is based. However, ultimately, it is due to a lack of competition and possibly a lack of demand for higher upload speeds.
i wasn't sure if it was just my PC so i pluged a laptop into the hub and i was getting over 1.3 on all ports, i called EE up and got handed over to the next-gen engineers and i was told they are relating a new hub that can give us the full speeds we pay for on all ports so i problby got lucky and got them the new hub.
@@studioidris no it looks the same as the one in the video. Only problem I had was there isn't any voip on the package and my current gaming access point didn't have 2.5gb ports so it was being wasted. I've had to swap to bt for a 1gb pack with voip. I'm hoping when the 1.6 has voip and I can swap back over and they send another hub out. Another problem is u can't separate the WiFi bands, u can only disable them.
Upload is a joke ! Why no symmetric connection? I have Vodafone full fibre for over 2 years 940mbit/s up and down 👏Avoid VirginMedia at all cost!!! Very bad customer service.
Open reach uses G-PON fiber 2.5Gbps DS 1.25Gbps US they can’t do symmetrical at those speeds. CityFiber, Netomnia and most others AltNets use XGS-PON fibre 10Gbps DS 10Gbps DS but almost of them won’t take full advantage of that except Netomnia YouFiber
Two reasons, they using GPON which is quite limited, but also they protecting their ethernet business. They wont want entities migrating from lucrative ethernet products to much cheaper FTTP. Cityfibre as an example do 1gig/1gig on GPON.
@@mahammad for them yes, because they have to replace all existing fibre. Or they slowly roll it out and use old full-fibre contract profits to pay for it. On average ISPs only start making profit after the 16th month of a consumer contract
@@pedrofortunas Interesting, I'm assuming they'll use the new version at some point or already do but to simplify their broadband plans they'll restrict everyone to asymmetrical speeds across the nation. Explains why Hyperopic and Community Fibre can do it as they were founded very recently. Or I guess in 10 or 15 years in the future when they do their next iteration of fibre, some places will have symmetrical speeds assuming they allow it. I guess that's what happens when you're the nation's network infrastructure company.
I'm curious what wifi 6 speeds you can get. I get 800-900 on my trooli 900 connection with there router and my own router with unifi 6 pro ap. the pings on Trooli are much better around 4ms.
Lots of issues with the smart hub plus I would not recommend it to anyone they basically rushed the hub out and EE even admits there's lots of problems like disconnections, WiFi problems, router after a few days stopping all Internet on devices so need to continue to power off and on and the WiFi controls on the app don't work and I have had a further 2 hub replacements and same issues so going back to BT and back to my faultless smart hub 2
I too on my fourth smart hub plus router - keeps triggering a ‘line fault’. 6 visits from Open Reach later and now being put back on the previous smart hub. OR say it’s the hub, EE deny there is an issue with their SHplus router. And all for 10 mbps supply 🙄
I've watched a few of your videos now and why do you always put a picture of yourself with hair in the thumbnail? 😂As for EE, thats a huge oversight only having 1gb Ethernet ports 🤦♂️
@@studioidris that's rapidly changing with all these providers popping up. I'm with a small company called county broadband the customer service is virtually non existent as you can get hold of anyone but it's the only option for fibre where I live at the moment. Best I can get via the BT line is 60 which for most is fine anyway I only got it to download ps5 games as they just eat space other than that our 60mbps connection was perfect.
Thanks everyone for watching the video and your comments below. EE have just released an updated router which has WiFi 7 and 2.5 Gbit ethernet ports. I have reviewed this - please have a look at ua-cam.com/video/BSt0p6T1rlQ/v-deo.html
Who needs 1.6Gb/s? 50Mb/s is enough and is provided over the BT copper. Unless of course you play online games which I find a bore. The BT copper line is also more secure and better quality for voice conversations, as well as providing emergency facilities, and does not fail when there is a power cut. Also Fibre is VOIP which really should be free but some providers still charge for TALK useage and rent. Where fibre scores of course is the massive speed and there be the thing.....Why not share one fibre between a whole street or a block of flats...But they don't....They just charge as many customers as possible. 1.6Gb/s divided by 50Mb'/s = 32 customers with perfectly good broadband.
@@nigeI We’ve been using 50Mb/s and even much less for years using copper lines from a nearby BT road green box and it works wonderfully well. What’s your problem?
I agree that a lower broadband speed is reasonable for general day-to-day use. However, a faster broadband speed improves productivity for certain users, such as those who download large numbers of high-resolution video samples for editing or those who have multiple computers at home requiring multiple updates of larger files.
@@maxthemagitionI have kids that play online, a TV in every room with 4K streaming on all streaming platforms, Sky Sports UHD, a security camera and smart appliances. 50mb/s won’t cut it
It's rubbish ee don't allow you to use your own router, I have a full mesh plugged in but as soon as I queried the speeds I was getting they said they won't fault find it unless I plug in the ee router. Spent weeks arguing with them with even openreach finding my package was incorrect to the house. Then suddenly it improved itself after they investigated it. For info I was only getting 350mb from my 900mb package. Yet when I was with Bt on the 900mb package I got 700-800mb
EE does allow you to use your own router but will not support it. Details can be found at ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/using-and-configuring-a-third-party-router I used these settings to get my TP-Link Deco to work.
@@studioidris ee doesn't provide you any support if you have an issue though unless you swap back to the ee one. I know I fought for about a look with them
This may be possible. Have a look at this post on the EE website at community.ee.co.uk/t5/Broadband-Landline/Moving-from-BT-to-EE-Mid-Contract/td-p/1368083
115mbps up is an absolute joke with those download speeds and pointless for home use. You should build yourself a pfsense box to get full speeds and block EE from seeing your devices.
@@kelbee8974 I have only 1 Gbit ethernet ports on the Smart Hub router that EE supplied when I signed up. If you wanted to use the full 1.6 Gbit on one device, for example, your PC, both your PC and the router would need faster ethernet ports than 1 Gbit to handle this speed. You would likely need to buy a router that has at least a 2.5 Gbit ethernet port.
Worth noting if you get this package now, the included router does have 2.5gbps ethernet ports
Thanks everyone for your comments. EE now include a new router with this product called Smart Hub Pro, which has been upgraded to use WiFi 7. I have ordered this along with the new mesh kit and will create an updated video once this arrives.
I think you made points well, and a unbiased presentation.
Thanks for the positive feedback.
Thank you for the pppoe to Mac shortcut. I just got the package and the router is 2.5Gbps on 1 port - not sure about the others but I can use this hack if not.
Good video. Just moved to this from BT 900mb service. Essentially did it as they offered me £10 a month for unlimited data / calls / texts with phone package so it was a no brainer ( usual price £30 )
Kit looks decent. Was told cameras I have on 2.4Ghz will still work fine so here’s hoping 😄
Don’t have the new hub from Openreach yet but hoping I can plug it in and get it working today!
This is one of the main reasons I am with EE. This is still worded as ‘we will boost your existing EE SIM plans charged at more than £10 a month to unlimited data’ in the FAQ, but this perk may have been changed to £20 a month off a new SIM plan. These plans also appear to be on a 30-day rolling contract, which is flexible.
I can't wait until full fibre Internet comes to my area, and I am with BT.
Interesting video. I have 1 gig with virgin, the hub 5 does have 2.5 gig ethernet port on it. As you are on full fibre your ping times should be around 3ms. Even on virgins HFC I get between 9 and 13ms. I do believe that with virgin its to do with the capacity at your local cabinet. In my case I got virgins external contractor to wire a direct connection from the cabinet to the hub with no breaks in the cable. This makes a huge difference in my opinion.
I believe that is correct. The capacity for virgin in my area is congested because for years it was the only way to get internet at higher speeds.
I’m trying to get this package however still in contract with BT I ask to be moved over as they are the same company they said not yet so hopefully in a few months
I have looked on the BT forums and it says 'The cancellation fees are waived on switch BT to EE'. It might be worth giving EE a ring. Let us know how you get on.
@@studioidris Thanks brother!
i switched from virgin to ee and ee covers early cancellation fees uo to £300. you sent them the final bill and they will credit your account for future payments.
I've just switched from BT 1 Gig to EE 1.6 Gig as I couldn't order from BT and had to switch to EE to get the 1.6Gig. As others have stated they will cover exit fees up to £300, my final BT bill is around £96 so I will ping that to EE. On a sidenote I'm loving the faster connection, using DUMeter I have ran a speed/bandwidth test downloading a80 gig file and DUmeter reports 1.6Gig connection is pulling down 11gig a minute, that's 660gig an hour. I have also installed my own ASUS router RT-BE88U and this router is a joy. Have fitted a 10gig module in the back of my router 10Gig SFP+ port then ran the fibre from the upstairs home office across to the 2.5Gb/10Gig SFP+ switch, then out of the switch to my network points and now have my PC connected at 2.5gig on the lan side and getting over 1600mbps as video shows ...ua-cam.com/video/YUBj-GAGy7s/v-deo.html funny thing where the Openreach guy came out to swap the ONT I confirmed that I didn't need to change the username or password on the PPoE connection from bthomehub.com and he said that was correct, so whilst now on EE 1.6 Speed test still shows BT, and my router is setup as PPoE directly plugged into the ONT and user the BT username and password, not fussed as connection is great.
Good video, thanks. Disappointing that the provided router can’t use the full download speed.
I agree that one user cannot use the total download speed ☹️. Hopefully, the new WiFi 7 router in the works will help.
Great video thanks. It’s good to watch content from someone who clearly knows their stuff 👍
Thanks for your positive feedback!
I was with Virgin for the longest time, now lefted they are ridiculously expensive
Community Fibre does 3GB download and almost 1GB Upload for £56. Hopefully they start connecting more areas
Yes, I agree we need more competition. Effectively in my area, there are only Virgin and BT Openreach at present.
Don't forget to connect the ONT, Router, Digital home phone etc to a UPS to maintain services, particularly the phone service etc.
If your in a city fibre area use one of them far cheaper than bt ee. It amazes me that bt still refuse offer symmetric fibre packages , the network needs an unbunded policy forced on it by ofcom so no matter who installed the fibre your not forced to remain with them yet still get the symmetric performance
Virgin now does 2gbps download and 200upload for £84 or you can pay £6 to get same download / upload so £90 for 2000mbps down and up. This is only for XGS PON areas! But you can pay £6 on any xgs plan to get same download and upload like 1gbps down n up for example.
200 upload on a 2g connection, what a joke!
@@edc1569 pay £6 for same download and upload on any plan as long as your area is covered by XGS and not docsis.
exactly!!! proper JOKE! You can get 2.3Gbit/s symmetrical broadband from Yayzi for £50 pm. Virgin sucks!@@edc1569
Virgin customer service is really bad, I’m glad I left virgin, had problems with the broadband couldn’t give me a timeline to fix the issue, they lied to me and about me and also hung up the phone whilst I was trying to get the problem resolved. Best advice AVOID VIRGIN MEDIA AT ALL COSTS
I'm also with EE @ 1.6Gbps.
I've never tried the stock router and always used my own equipment.
Shocking that EE didn't provide equipment that could handle the speed of the service!
Which kit do you use??
@@JohnBennion-k9w TP Link BE85 mesh system (3x).
WiFi 7 and 10Gbps ports
I have recently upgraded to the TP-Link Deco BE9300 Wi-Fi 7. A video review of this router mesh system can be found at ua-cam.com/video/aWFEHH2g9k0/v-deo.html
Im more curious how the ping droped by 5 just bypassing the router maybe better
The fact they supply you with a router withiut a multi gig port is ridiculous
When connected your laptop to ont with a Ethernet cable
Did you need to change any setting on your laptop or did it sync right away
Hi Liam. You must set up a PPPoE connection from the PC/Mac to the ONT. It cannot automatically connect. The PPPoE settings you need for EE can be found at ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/using-and-configuring-a-third-party-router
Do I need to buy another router or does it come with everything I need to set this up to get advertised speeds? I have a very good PC that has a 2.5gb ethernet socket@@studioidris
You cannot get 2.5 Gbit speeds using ethernet as this router only has 1 Gbit ethernet ports. You would have to buy another router - I am currently testing one and will upload a video shortly.
@@studioidris thanks for the reply so I can get the full speeds if I do the the PPPoe settings on my pc correct? And I will be sure to sub for the other video to are doing
@@studioidris What?...... So I am going to be limited by the speed of the BT routers ports?
Any ideas on a PPPoE router with 2.5Gb ports?
You didn't do any wireless test?
I considered the EE 1.6gbit but in the end didn’t think it was worth the money. I have Vodafone Pro II Broadband, I pay £46 a month but with that I get a WiFi 6E router and 6E Extender, also have a 4G backup incase the broadband goes down. On my iPhone 15 Pro which is also WiFi 6E I get 930mbps down and 110mbps upload.
How to remove speed limitation EE/BT Hub Full firber ??
i just had this installed and im only getting 1150 download over cat 6 via asus router, my actually download speed is slower at like 90 MB/s compared to bt 900 that was 110 MB/s, really am hoping this is just first day problems with EE not even hitting guaranteed speed of 1.3.
How do I remove the limiter ??
How to connect from my Mac any videos ??
Interesting Video. I have just signed up for the full EE Fibre Broadband package. I note ythat you suggest for a domestic environment the backup should broadband fail might be a wasted expense. I am thinking you could be right, I received today the router and wifi extender but nothing else. my engineer is booked in a few days time so wondering what else he will be bringing.
I have used BT Broadband for years and EE for several months, and it rarely goes down. If it does, it tends to be in the middle of the night and only for up to 10 minutes. You should check the download speed of the EE 4G mobile connection that will be used as the backup in your area. Using the backup connection outside your home is against the terms and conditions.
In addition, there are now 4G modems available that would allow you to use any network provider as your backup connection.
whats the point? 20 to 60 megs is fine.,
If you're an average user that just browses the internet and streams then yes
Sure grandpa
Are you sure the WAN port is restricted to 1GB? If you are using a CAT6 cable then you will only be able to get 1GB max as that is the limit of the cable. You would need a CAT6A cable which is rated at 10GB and that eliminate that bottleneck if the WAN port is 2.5GB. I would be interested to hear if the instruction manual clearly states there is a limitation. EE/BT should be using upgraded equipment for this speed.
The ports on the BT router are 1Gb (Giga Bit, not GB = Giga Byte)
Mine is about to be installed, hopefully I will not need the BT router and will be able to use a 2.5Gb switch (with 2x10Gb ports) allowing me to connect it to my 10Gb local Network.
I am assuming that the BT router is unnecessary. fingers crossed (I'm not using it anyway, I use an alternative router).
I don’t know the WAN port's maximum speed, but it can handle a 1.6 Gbps download speed.
I had absolutely no issues with my ee broadband
Do you have full fibre?
Great video & subbed. Just ordered the full fibre gigabit essential package & awaiting for an engineer to install the upgrade. On question, when the engineer installs the optical network terminal (ONT) do I get to choose where it is located?
Thanks for subscribing! I have had an ONT installed from scratch in two properties that I have lived in. In one, it was installed at the site of the old BT master socket. In the second, I asked for it to be installed on the second floor, which the engineer accepted. I suppose there is no harm in asking on the day.
Openreach engineer here 👋 Absolutely! On the day if you mention to your engineer where’d you like the router placed, they’ll scout out a connection route and normally 99% of the time it can be easily installed downstairs or upstairs. We however do not install ONT’s in attics or cellars 😊
@@VarissNI Great to know.....
A question, well an assumption. When the ONT is installed can I just connect the LAN/WAN port directly into my home network, i.e. do I need a BT router at all. p.s. I currently use a TP-Link AC-2100 as the router for the BT service (I will keep it as a wireless access point).
@@grahampearce2405 Hey Graham! We get that question a lot from customers using their own gear, the answer is yes! You can connect your 3rd party hub directly to the ONT, however you will need to configure the PPPOE login and password to the ISP you choose (Just google BT, Sky, Vodafone PPPOE Login to find the username and password for your provider). Any questions at all shoot me another comment, or failing that contact your Provider :)
Have EE removed the bottleneck yet ? found issue where i decided to replace BT smarthub with a good wifi 6 router and i found that managing of the network and general speed is heads and shoulders above the smarthub, but digital phone is not an option which is a bit unfair if you do require some form of house phone.
The bottleneck will remain unless EE upgrades the Smart Hub router. EE allows you to use a third-party router, which will help you overcome these bottlenecks.
@@studioidris at 1.6 there is no need to use EE hub anyway as digital phone does not work on that package.
@@EggleMacon EE does have a digital home phone service at ee.co.uk/broadband/digital-home-phone
Perhaps it has to be purchased as an add-on?
@@studioidris yup I know they do, word from EE is if you switch to 1.6gb the digital phone goes.
The Smart Hub Plus is suppose to have 2.5Gig ethernet?
You would have throught so. The four ports on mine appear to be 1 Gbps each. The WAN port may be the only one that is 2.5Gbps.
@@studioidris I have seen 1.4Gpbs over WIFI from the box so its defiantly 2.5Gig WAN. Is it WIFI 6 or 6E? And also I guess their approach is capacity not speed so it can hold more people on the hub without anybody slowing down.
It appears to be WiFi 6, and yes, the 1.6Gbit connection is shared between all ethernet ports, with each port a 1Gbps max connection.
Hi. Thanks for the video. Well explained.
I’m trying to improve my internet connectivity and thinking about the WiFi mesh system. If I buy a more expensive WiFi 6e mesh rather than the cheaper WiFi 6, will they depend on my virgin media router?
I currently have the power line extenders but I sometimes have issues when my mrs and I are on teams call simultaneously.
I have a 2 storey building (3 floors), my virgin internet speed is just 300. Do you think a WiFi 6e mesh will be any better?
If you have a Virgin Media 300 Mbit connection, I don't think you will get much better speeds upgrading from WiFi 6 to 6E. If you have a recent Virgin media router, you may be able to get extra WiFi Pods from Virgin to improve your speeds in different rooms in your home. These may also be free, depending on your package. Have a look at www.virginmedia.com/help/how-to/broadband/order-wifi-pods
Is ee worth it ? I’m not the most tech savvy person 😅 what would the highest WiFi signal the ee would give you ? As most people won’t be plugging in directly. I have community fibre but it seems weak in alot of rooms. Does ee get to all the rooms ?
This depends on the layout of your house. I have the EE Smart Hub Plus and one Smart Wifi Plus device, which gets a Wi-Fi signal for most of my house. Problems are getting it to an EV outside the house - but this could be the EV rather than the router.
Didn't think Manchester had fttp yetis still waiting for it
Great video and quite a few eye opening things you mentioned there! I'm currently on Plusnet, however Quinns/Openreach have just deployed the fibre optics here. I think all that n eeds is for Openreach to come out, inspect the duct and then sign it off to get the area 'lit up'. but thinking of possibly going for the 1.6gb line with EE, however, can you or anyone please tell me if which routers out there that would allow the full 1.6Gbps over a single wired connection (i.e getting the full 1.6Gbps to say a PS5 or a PC)? Or if i did this wireless would I get the full 1.6Gbps over wifi?
The 1.6Gbps will seem as overkill, however I am a software tester for shall we say a "well known" video games company and need to download the applications quickly due to strict testing times when working from home. Any help/ advice would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks!
Thank you for your comments and feedback. I am currently testing a mesh router with 2.5 Gbit ports - I will upload a video shortly.
I have BT copper FTTC broadband 30mb and City Fibre FTTP broadband 900mb installed at home.
Do you prefer FTTC or FTTP?
@@lauriannajones FTTP
What speeds do you get from the EE hub from the four Ethernet ports I’ve just got virgin media hub 5 and I’m getting various speeds from the different ports I’ve tried different Ethernet cables from cheap ones to expensive chord company epic 5 meter cables £820 each I feel like I’ve just wasted nearly 6k on these cables
You spent £820 on an ethernet cable?
On my version of the home hub, the ethernet ports are limited to 1Gbit.
I am sadly in a new build area and I may have to wait until the end of 2026 to get full fibre connected 😪 so I am stuck on 56mbps download speed for another 2 years.
I know how it feels. If a 4G or 5G mobile is available in your area, you can potentially get faster speeds while you wait.
@@studioidris I am on EE and my mobile signal here is so weak too, so it will be no good, I have complained many times to EE but they say the nearest transmittor is borderline of too far.
Why are speeds not symmetrical in fiber connection usually it is symmetrical.
This, in practice, is due to limitations to the underlying Openreach products on which this service is based. However, ultimately, it is due to a lack of competition and possibly a lack of demand for higher upload speeds.
Hi i have EE broadband my internet fast and i get ping of 50 will upgrading to wifi enhancer lower the ping?
No wired connection will hugely improved it
i wasn't sure if it was just my PC so i pluged a laptop into the hub and i was getting over 1.3 on all ports,
i called EE up and got handed over to the next-gen engineers and i was told they are relating a new hub that can give us the full speeds we pay for on all ports so i problby got lucky and got them the new hub.
That’s great to hear. Are the ethernet ports on your new hub different from the ones in the video?
@@studioidris no it looks the same as the one in the video. Only problem I had was there isn't any voip on the package and my current gaming access point didn't have 2.5gb ports so it was being wasted. I've had to swap to bt for a 1gb pack with voip. I'm hoping when the 1.6 has voip and I can swap back over and they send another hub out. Another problem is u can't separate the WiFi bands, u can only disable them.
That is sooooooooo bad that the router has only 1gbps ethernet ports. Sort it out BT
I agree. The ethernet ports don't appear to allow LAN aggregation either.
Great video, thank you
Thanks for the positive feedback 👍🏼
what about comparing with gig2 on virgin ?
I do not know anyone in my area who has a Gig2 virgin connection, but it is my understanding the virgin product is also good.
usb is for network storage devcies
Tbh the fibre can handle a lot more so we are just getting tricklefed packages
I agree, although sometimes business users do get offered faster products. For example, Openreach FTTP is said to be able to upload at 220Mbps.
Upload is a joke ! Why no symmetric connection? I have Vodafone full fibre for over 2 years 940mbit/s up and down 👏Avoid VirginMedia at all cost!!! Very bad customer service.
Open reach uses G-PON fiber 2.5Gbps DS 1.25Gbps US they can’t do symmetrical at those speeds. CityFiber, Netomnia and most others AltNets use XGS-PON fibre 10Gbps DS 10Gbps DS but almost of them won’t take full advantage of that except Netomnia YouFiber
Two reasons, they using GPON which is quite limited, but also they protecting their ethernet business. They wont want entities migrating from lucrative ethernet products to much cheaper FTTP.
Cityfibre as an example do 1gig/1gig on GPON.
@@pedrofortunasis the latter more expensive to roll out?
@@mahammad for them yes, because they have to replace all existing fibre. Or they slowly roll it out and use old full-fibre contract profits to pay for it. On average ISPs only start making profit after the 16th month of a consumer contract
@@pedrofortunas Interesting, I'm assuming they'll use the new version at some point or already do but to simplify their broadband plans they'll restrict everyone to asymmetrical speeds across the nation. Explains why Hyperopic and Community Fibre can do it as they were founded very recently.
Or I guess in 10 or 15 years in the future when they do their next iteration of fibre, some places will have symmetrical speeds assuming they allow it. I guess that's what happens when you're the nation's network infrastructure company.
How was the wireless performance??
Hi Alex, using an iPhone 15 Pro Max close to the router, I can get download speeds of around 790 Mbps and uploads 114 Mbps.
Rubbish don't swap to ee
I'm curious what wifi 6 speeds you can get. I get 800-900 on my trooli 900 connection with there router and my own router with unifi 6 pro ap. the pings on Trooli are much better around 4ms.
Lots of issues with the smart hub plus I would not recommend it to anyone they basically rushed the hub out and EE even admits there's lots of problems like disconnections, WiFi problems, router after a few days stopping all Internet on devices so need to continue to power off and on and the WiFi controls on the app don't work and I have had a further 2 hub replacements and same issues so going back to BT and back to my faultless smart hub 2
Do you have any problems with BT?
I too on my fourth smart hub plus router - keeps triggering a ‘line fault’. 6 visits from Open Reach later and now being put back on the previous smart hub. OR say it’s the hub, EE deny there is an issue with their SHplus router. And all for 10 mbps supply 🙄
I've watched a few of your videos now and why do you always put a picture of yourself with hair in the thumbnail? 😂As for EE, thats a huge oversight only having 1gb Ethernet ports 🤦♂️
The thumbnail shows a younger member of our team. 😂
If you live in london, get Community fibre, £25 for 1gb symmetrical. The best broadband i’ve used and you’ll thank me later.
Wow that's cheap I pay £32 for 600 symmetrical
It's great if you have the option of more providers, other than virgin media and BT openreach but sadly for most of us, that is not an option.
@@studioidris that's rapidly changing with all these providers popping up. I'm with a small company called county broadband the customer service is virtually non existent as you can get hold of anyone but it's the only option for fibre where I live at the moment. Best I can get via the BT line is 60 which for most is fine anyway I only got it to download ps5 games as they just eat space other than that our 60mbps connection was perfect.
On Litfiber 500Mbits Up & Down.
Thanks everyone for watching the video and your comments below. EE have just released an updated router which has WiFi 7 and 2.5 Gbit ethernet ports. I have reviewed this - please have a look at ua-cam.com/video/BSt0p6T1rlQ/v-deo.html
Who needs 1.6Gb/s?
50Mb/s is enough and is provided over the BT copper.
Unless of course you play online games which I find a bore.
The BT copper line is also more secure and better quality for voice conversations, as well as providing emergency facilities, and does not fail when there is a power cut.
Also Fibre is VOIP which really should be free but some providers still charge for TALK useage and rent.
Where fibre scores of course is the massive speed and there be the thing.....Why not share one fibre between a whole street or a block of flats...But they don't....They just charge as many customers as possible.
1.6Gb/s divided by 50Mb'/s = 32 customers with perfectly good broadband.
50mb/s is NOT enough, and copper lines are less reliable
@@nigeI We’ve been using 50Mb/s and even much less for years using copper lines from a nearby BT road green box and it works wonderfully well.
What’s your problem?
You haven’t a scooby dinosaur…
I agree that a lower broadband speed is reasonable for general day-to-day use. However, a faster broadband speed improves productivity for certain users, such as those who download large numbers of high-resolution video samples for editing or those who have multiple computers at home requiring multiple updates of larger files.
@@maxthemagitionI have kids that play online, a TV in every room with 4K streaming on all streaming platforms, Sky Sports UHD, a security camera and smart appliances. 50mb/s won’t cut it
It's rubbish ee don't allow you to use your own router, I have a full mesh plugged in but as soon as I queried the speeds I was getting they said they won't fault find it unless I plug in the ee router. Spent weeks arguing with them with even openreach finding my package was incorrect to the house. Then suddenly it improved itself after they investigated it. For info I was only getting 350mb from my 900mb package. Yet when I was with Bt on the 900mb package I got 700-800mb
EE does allow you to use your own router but will not support it. Details can be found at ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/using-and-configuring-a-third-party-router
I used these settings to get my TP-Link Deco to work.
@@studioidris ee doesn't provide you any support if you have an issue though unless you swap back to the ee one. I know I fought for about a look with them
Nice one mate...
Virgin do 2gig89 next year double in price 😊
Ping was less impressive then expected
what was the ping
Bit silly providing a smarthub that cannot cope with the line speed.
EE and BT are more or less the same company BT won't customers to upgrade to EE broadband even if your in contract
This may be possible. Have a look at this post on the EE website at community.ee.co.uk/t5/Broadband-Landline/Moving-from-BT-to-EE-Mid-Contract/td-p/1368083
115mbps up is an absolute joke with those download speeds and pointless for home use.
You should build yourself a pfsense box to get full speeds and block EE from seeing your devices.
Virgin is awful, they don’t look after their infrastructure. I’d rather have fibre/openreach at 10% the advertised speed of VM, still works better
Based on my experience, I agree that the EE connection is more reliable, but this could be due to fewer customers subscribing in my area than Virgin.
Virgin throttles popular websites
Not any more they don't. There's no throttling done at all now.
And yet it is not symetrical.. and it is not 1.6 but 1gbps. Waste of money.
The higher download speed does have its uses for some people, but it is frustrating you currently have to buy your own router to take advantage of it.
Can you explain what you mean by "you have to buy your own router" to make the most of the higher download speeds ? Thanks
@@kelbee8974 I have only 1 Gbit ethernet ports on the Smart Hub router that EE supplied when I signed up. If you wanted to use the full 1.6 Gbit on one device, for example, your PC, both your PC and the router would need faster ethernet ports than 1 Gbit to handle this speed. You would likely need to buy a router that has at least a 2.5 Gbit ethernet port.
Got it, thank you.
@@studioidriswhat a scam. EE needs to seriously up their game and add 2.5GB ethernet ports. 😂