BT BROADBAND ROUTERS AND EQUIPMENT REVIEW
BT Broadband routers review: How good are they?
Rather unusually, BT only offers one router across its entire package range – the Smart Hub 3. That does make assessing its equipment simpler, but it also puts an awful lot of pressure on one device to perform well. Let’s take an in-depth look.
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BT Broadband routers and equipment scorecard
Six key areas. One overall score. All calculated using our transparent methodology.
Wi-Fi quality
How good the standard routers’ Wi-Fi is in everyday use, looking at specifications, Wi-Fi bands/type, and how many devices they can support.
Wi-Fi range
How far the router’s Wi-Fi should reach around the home, with consideration given to local factors like large homes or thick walls.
Whole-home Wi-Fi
Whether the provider offers a mesh router system or extra help for larger homes, whether it’s good, and whether it’ll cost you extra.
Wired connectivity
How well the router supports Ethernet and wired devices, looking at number of ports, their speeds, and how accessible they are.
Router controls
How much control you get through the app, admin page and any controls you might have on the router itself.
Using your own router
How easily you can use your own third-party router or mesh hardware – whether you can use anything you like or if it’s limited in any way.
Fibredog Router Comparison Tool
Compare this provider's routers with each other, or with any other national provider.
Fibredog Router Range Estimator
Provides a visual mock-up of how Wi-Fi is likely to behave in your home with this provider's routers.
Fibredog Whole Home Wi-Fi Calculator
Calculates whether you need additional mesh routers, how many, and even where you should put them.
Wi-Fi quality
BT's current router is the Smart Hub 3. It's a Wi-Fi 6, dual-band router with seven internal antennas, five Ethernet ports and support for up to 100 connected devices. That makes it a decent, rather than spectacular, included router for most homes. Good enough, but not cutting edge.
Key differences
The Smart Hub 3 is good enough for most BT homes
The Smart Hub 3 isn't a bargain-bin router by any stretch. It has beamforming, MU-MIMO, OFDMA, WPA3 security, guest Wi-Fi, parental controls, smart channel selection and automatic firmware updates. BT says new customers who don't already have a Smart Hub 2 get it included, which is a bit odd, but that's what they say.
Wi-Fi 6 is fine, but it isn't the latest thing
Almost no one will notice this is not Wi-Fi 7, the latest tech, because you need Wi-Fi 7 devices to take advantage of that. The Smart Hub 3 uses 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi only, with no 6GHz band and no Wi-Fi 7. That won't bother anyone without the latest phones, laptops and TVs and so on, because you won't be able to use 6GHz anyway or Wi-Fi 7 anyway.
The wired ports are better than the Wi-Fi spec
BT gives you five Ethernet ports, which is pretty standard for a bundled router. Four are 1Gbps Ethernet and one is 2.5Gbps, with the catch being the 2.5Gbps is your WAN port – the one you have to plug into the wall rather than one you can plug into a device. The fact is can receive, but not send, up to 2.5Gbps seems to signify that when BT's packages get faster than they currently are, they have no intention of upgrading their router immediately.
Complete WiFi is the coverage upgrade
Smart Hub 3 supports BT's Complete WiFi mesh add-on, which is the route to better coverage if one router won't reach your whole home. BT's own Wi-Fi guarantee depends on adding Complete WiFi, so don't read the router alone as a guaranteed every-room, signal-blasting wonder-box.
Sources: BT Broadband
INTERACTIVE TOOL
Compare routers from any provider
This provider’s routers are pre-selected for comparison with one another. However, you can use this tool to compare any router from any major provider using the dropdown menus below.
| Feature | Choose router | Choose router |
|---|---|---|
| Fibredog rating | — | — |
| Router included as standard | — | — |
| Router manufacturer | — | — |
| Router model | — | — |
| Wi-Fi standard | — | — |
| Wi-Fi bands | — | — |
| 2.4GHz supported | — | — |
| 5GHz supported | — | — |
| 6GHz supported | — | — |
| Beamforming | — | — |
| Antenna count | — | — |
| Maximum connected devices | — | — |
| Stated coverage | — | — |
| Total Ethernet ports | — | — |
| MU-MIMO | — | — |
| OFDMA | — | — |
| WPA3 security | — | — |
| Guest network | — | — |
| Antenna type | — | — |
| Gigabit Ethernet ports | — | — |
| 2.5Gb Ethernet ports | — | — |
| 5Gb Ethernet ports | — | — |
| 10Gb Ethernet ports | — | — |
| WAN port speed | — | — |
| USB ports | — | — |
| Telephone ports | — | — |
| ONT Ethernet input | — | — |
| Coaxial input | — | — |
| Power connection | — | — |
| Mesh support | — | — |
| Provider mesh product | — | — |
| Third-party router use | — | — |
| Modem mode | — | — |
| Compatible broadband technology | — | — |
| App management | — | — |
| Parental controls | — | — |
| QoS | — | — |
| Automated QoS | — | — |
| Device prioritisation | — | — |
| Anti-bufferbloat controls | — | — |
| Manual queue management (SQM/CAKE) | — | — |
| Smart channel selection | — | — |
| Security features | — | — |
| Gamer mode | — | — |
| Game traffic prioritisation | — | — |
| Gaming QoS profiles | — | — |
| Server ping routing tools | — | — |
| Latency dashboards | — | — |
| Per-device gaming presets | — | — |
| Gaming VPN routing features | — | — |
| Work from home mode | — | — |
| Automatic firmware updates | — | — |
| Firmware update notes | — | — |
| Router height | — | — |
| Router width | — | — |
| Router depth | — | — |
| Router weight | — | — |
| Power consumption | — | — |
| Router orientation | — | — |
| Wall mountable | — | — |
| Router colour | — | — |
| Self-installation | — | — |
| Browser admin interface | — | — |
| WPS | — | — |
| Status light control | — | — |
| Reset button | — | — |
| Wi-Fi on/off button | — | — |
| Where would you like to go next? | See all tools | See all tools |
BT gives you one router, not a choice
BT Smart Hub 3
This is the router BT gives you.
It's a Wi-Fi 6, dual-band router with five Ethernet ports, one 2.5Gbps LAN port and support for up to 100 devices.
Other providers give you an upgrade route
BT doesn't give you that step-up.
EE, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone all have at least one better router tied to a package, tier or add-on. BT sticks with Smart Hub 3.
The trade-off
Simple is easy, but it caps the router ceiling.
Most homes will be fine with Smart Hub 3, but there's no BT router step-up if you want Wi-Fi 7 or 6GHz Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi quality on the Smart Hub 3
The Smart Hub 3 is a capable included router that would have been cutting edge a few years ago. Now, though, it's one step behind some other providers. It supports Wi-Fi 6, has dual-band Wi-Fi, seven internal antennas, five Ethernet ports and can handle roughly 100 connected devices.
There isn't a BT upgrade path. EE, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone all give you some way to step up to a better router through a package, tier or add-on. BT doesn't. You get the Smart Hub 3, and if you want Wi-Fi 7, 6GHz Wi-Fi and better gaming features, you're going to be looking at getting your own router or choosing a different provider.
But Wi-Fi 6 is good! Don't let us talk you into thinking this is a bad router. It's just not the very latest thing. For the vast majority of homes, the Smart Hub 3 should do the job perfectly well.
The wired side is better than the wireless headline. You get four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and one 2.5Gbps Ethernet port that you can't use for devices because you have to plug it into the wall. The lack of 2.5Gbps or better ports you can route to devices is understandable for a provider whose top speed is 900Mbps. Let's just hope they do offer a new router, though, when that top speed goes up.
INTERACTIVE TOOL
Router range estimator
See how wall materials and router choice affect the quality of Wi-Fi around a typical home.
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How to use the Router Range Estimator
It’s pretty straightforward. Select the router from this provider, and the main construction materials of your internal walls. It’s important to remember, though, that this is just an estimator.
It can give you a rough idea, but local factors like neighbouring network interference or mixed material wall set-ups can mean the results vary considerably from the estimate. It’s meant to give you a rule of thumb and only that.
How to maximise your BT router's range
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Start with placement
Put your BT Smart Hub 3 near the middle of your home if you can, out in the open and away from thick walls or cupboards.
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Test every room
Run a speed test where you actually use Wi-Fi. Our Whole Home Wi-Fi Calculator further down this page is built for exactly that.
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Use the BT app
Check your router and connected devices in the BT app. It can help you spot weak rooms before you start moving furniture around blindly.
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Move obvious blockers
Keep the router away from TVs, mirrors, metal objects, appliances and anything that boxes it in. Give the signal space to leave the router.
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Add Complete WiFi if needed
If some rooms still struggle, look at BT Complete WiFi. Extra discs can matter more than moving the Smart Hub 3 around again.
Faster Wi-Fi has shorter legs
Wi-Fi behaves exactly like sound. Ever notice how you hear the bass (the low frequencies) a few rooms away, but can't hear the treble (the high frequencies)? It's the same here. The higher the frequency, the more detail there is in the signal, but the lower frequencies make it through far more walls.
That's the exact difference between Wi-Fi bands. 2.4GHz is the slow old workhorse: not glamorous, not especially quick, but better at reaching the awkward room at the back. 5GHz is faster and better for streaming, gaming and newer devices, but it gives up sooner as you move away from the router.
BT's Smart Hub 3 is Wi-Fi 6: that's fine for most homes, but it isn't the latest router tech. It uses 2.4GHz and 5GHz, so the old trade-off still applies: 2.4GHz reaches further, 5GHz is faster nearby. There is no 6GHz band or Wi-Fi 7 here, so BT keeps things simple rather than especially flashy.
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No single best provider or package exists – only the best pick for you personally. Fibredog's YourMatch™ system uses thousands of provider metrics and a lot of maths to find you your perfect match.
Wired connectivity
Most people won't spend much time thinking about the sockets on the back of their router, and fair enough. Wi-Fi is what most of us use day to day. But wired connections still matter if you want the steadiest possible link for a games console, desktop PC, network switch or NAS. With BT, Smart Hub 3 gives your devices four Gigabit Ethernet ports, with the faster 2.5Gbps WAN port reserved for its connection to the wall.
The Smart Hub 3 is fine for BT's current speeds
The Smart Hub 3 has five Ethernet sockets in total, but one of them is the 2.5Gbps internet port for the ONT. For your own wired devices, you get four Gigabit Ethernet ports. That means a TV, games console, desktop PC or network switch can plug in directly.
That's not necessarily a problem while BT's fastest broadband package is Full Fibre 900. A Gigabit Ethernet port can carry that speed, allowing for networking overheads. And 900Mbps is still ridiculous in normal-home terms. At 25Mbps per 4K stream, you could run about 36 separate 4K streams before the it starts complaining.
BT would need a better router for faster packages
The limit only becomes obvious if BT goes beyond gigabit broadband. EE already sells 1.6Gbps, and Virgin Media goes higher still. If BT follows that path, the Smart Hub 3's usable LAN ports become the bottleneck for wired devices, because they top out at 1Gbps each, whatever the package says.
That doesn't make the Smart Hub 3 bad today. It just means BT would need a premium router option if it launched faster packages. Otherwise you could buy a 1.6Gbps or 2Gbps service and still have no single wired device able to take the full speed straight from the router.
How a simple wired BT Broadband network works
Plugging devices directly into your router gives them a steadier connection than Wi-Fi. These router diagrams show the physical Ethernet ports, including any ONT or internet port used by the broadband connection itself.
Check which port is the internet input before counting how many wired device ports you have spare.
Use the fastest spare LAN port for the device or switch that needs the most speed.
A cable still beats Wi-Fi when it matters
Even with good Wi-Fi, a wired connection is still the boring-but-brilliant option for anything that needs a steady connection. Gaming, large downloads, video calls, work computers and network storage can all benefit from being plugged in directly.
That doesn't mean you need Ethernet cables running around the house like a heist-movie laser maze. It means the most important device near the Smart Hub 3 should probably be wired if you care about getting the most stable performance.
The Smart Hub 3 also has a telephone port for BT's Digital Voice service. That's useful if you still want a home phone, but it doesn't mean a landline service is automatically included with every broadband package.
If you need a home phone, treat it as something to check separately when you're choosing the package. The port is there, but Digital Voice still needs to be part of what you're buying.
How to make best use of your BT router's LAN ports
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Count the usable ports
The 2.5Gbps socket is for the ONT connection, so your own devices get four Gigabit Ethernet ports.
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1Gbps ports still cover Full Fibre 900
BT's fastest package is Full Fibre 900, so a Gigabit Ethernet port can still carry the package speed, allowing for networking overheads.
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Beyond gigabit, BT would need a faster router
If BT sells 1.6Gbps or 2Gbps packages later, Smart Hub 3's usable LAN ports would cap a single wired device at 1Gbps.
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Wire the devices that care
Gaming PCs, consoles, work computers and network storage benefit most. TVs and printers can wait their turn for a wired port.
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Add a switch if needed
If four wired sockets aren't enough, add a proper Ethernet switch. It gives you more ports, not more speed per port.
What changes when you use your own router?
With BT Full Fibre, your own router can connect directly to the Openreach ONT on the wall. You're replacing the Smart Hub 3, not adding another router behind it.
Hands the connection to your router
The ONT is the small wall box where the fibre connection arrives. It stays in place and handles the broadband hand-off.
Your own router connects to the ONT via Ethernet, using the same hand-off the Smart Hub 3 would normally use.
Takes over Wi-Fi and settings
Your router then handles Wi-Fi, wired devices, guest access, parental controls and any VPN, DNS, firewall or traffic controls it offers.
BT publishes the connection settings, but once you swap routers, getting it connected and fixing problems sit with you.
Having trouble choosing a broadband provider?
No single best provider or package exists – only the best pick for you personally. Fibredog's YourMatch™ system uses thousands of provider metrics and a lot of maths to find you your perfect match.
Some links on this page may earn us a small commission if you click through and buy. This never affects either what you pay, or our scores and recommendations. If, however, you’d rather bypass affiliate links, use this direct BT Broadband link instead.
