Abysmal 4G Hybrid Connect speed in central Edinburgh

[joeh1999]

I was sent this 4G Hybrid Connect after my fibre broadband setup was delayed by two weeks due to a fault at the Openreach end which cancelled the original order.  The new hub is sitting by the window, connected to the new router via ethernet (as in the instructions), displaying a signal of 2/3 bars.

However, it's incredibly slow and a speed test gives a 1.29 download and 0.08 upload.

Is there anything I can do about this or am I stuck with it for the next two weeks? I live quite close to a high street (the EE coverage map claims I should have really good signal here) so am wondering if there are just loads of people connected to the mobile network nearby and it's consequentially super slow. I tried moving to the 5 GHz band but that made no difference.   

Edit: for comparison, my phone's 4G signal (which uses O2, not EE) gives me 26.4 down, 1.74 up

[Carlusha]

Pardon me if I am not recalling my experience correctly. The mini-hub does not need to be connected to the router. That is the whole point of it. It picks up the 4g signal and you simply connect your devices to the mini-hub via wifi.

My own mini-hub has been disconnected by BT as it was used for a home move. We live in a small town and and the speed was almost the same as our connection now that we are back up and running. 

[joeh1999]

@Carlusha  Many thanks for the reply. As I see it, the Mini Hub connects to the router to provide an internet connection to it, and then you connect to your router as normal -- the setup instructions very clearly tell me to connect the Mini Hub to the new router via ethernet (although it can also connect wirelessly).  The router itself is the only thing appearing in the list of nearby wifi connections. 

Maybe the older models worked differently? 

[Carlusha]

Again, I am not an expert in this field.

The router is designed to receive broadband from the BT Fibre or copper as is the case.

The mini-hub is supposed to pick up 4g from the nearest mast.

My wee blue box says, BT MINI HUB HALO 2020

Our SH2 could not be connected as we had no phone line. The mini hub was connected to a power socket about 10 meters from the SH2 (which wasn't even turned on).

Two TVs, two smart phones, 2 iPads, a desktop computer and a laptop all worked really well.  (EDIT) ... and our printer

Try it without connecting to the router and use the login details enclosed in the box.

We are in a small town so surely Edinburgh should be much better!

[joeh1999]

Ah - perhaps I've been calling it the wrong thing. It was referred to as a 4G Mini Hub when I spoke to BT over the phone but I think it's actually a Hybrid Connect. The whole point of it normally is to connect to the router when the cable connection drops and provide an interim connection until the cable signal is restored. 

I agree Edinburgh should be better, although perhaps it's just due to a busy neighbourhood meaning lots of people are connected to the same EE network. 

[licquorice]

Yes, hybrid connect and 4G mini hub are different devices and connect differently. I think the hybrid connect connects to your hub via wifi rather than Ethernet though.

[joeh1999]

@licquorice Thanks for the reply. According to the instructions, ethernet is preferred for connecting to the router but via wifi is also an option.

[licquorice]

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@joeh1999 wrote:

@licquorice Thanks for the reply. According to the instructions, ethernet is preferred for connecting to the router but via wifi is also an option.

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Fair enough, I wasn't entirely sure if Ethernet was an option as the recommendation is to site the device for best 4G signal, which isn't necessarily convenient for Ethernet connection to the hub.