Upgrading Hub to BT smart hub - BT infinity not available yet

[Heatherwood01]

Could someone tell me please if the BT Smart hub (not the Smart hub 2)  will work without BT  Infinity fibre optic network access, which is frustratingly not yet available in my area? 

I currently have a BT Home Hub 4  and landline, and want to upgrade, but first need to be sure the Smart hub will work via the existing  connection.

Also does the Smart hub provide a more secure connection to the Net than the older hubs?  Thanks in advance for advice! 

[-Richie- · Accepted solution]

The Smart Hub supports fibre (VDSL) and standard (ADSL), so yes you can use one.

You can see the benefits and hub differences at http://bt.com/smarthub

[Keith_Beddoe]

It will work just fine, but is not optimised for ADSL, and you may get more disconnections owing to is wider DSL bandwidth, which makes it more susceptible to out of band noise, especially on long lines.

You would be best sticking with the HH4 until you get a faster connection, as there is no advantage in upgrading at the moment.

[Heatherwood01]

Many thanks Keith, that's very helpful.... When I moved to my current address four years ago, I was told that BT Infinity was expected to be introduced shortly - but  we are still waiting!  It's frustrating having moved from a location where I already had it.

The other question at the back of my mind has been whether the Smart hubs may have any more up to date security built in, to protect against possible hacking... If not, then, as you say, it'll  probably be better to wait for the Infinity service to arrive locally. 

[imjolly]

the smart hub does not any more security but I find the wireless coverage with smart hub better that the hh4