BT 500 vs 900 vs EE

[gg30340]

If you want an EE router just buy one from eBay.  It is plug and play with with BT Broadband. 

[ItsJustMe]

Really???? So I could just plug a WiFi 6 one in and it would work with BT fibre?  Would my complete discs work with it ?

[WSH]

I would suspect that the answer to that is “yes”.

To put it in context for you:  Up until quite recently the intension was to discontinue BT as a domestic ISP and shunt that side of the business over to EE.   That plan has now been abandoned, but obviously if the plan was to shunt the business to EE why develop a new BT home router?  If they are continuing with BT as a home ISP provider, they will obviously have to replace the Smart Hub 2 at some point or at least start offering the EE one.

(In fact, the current firmware on the SH2, v0.45, seems to now have the record for the longest running I’ve known, so perhaps there is something new in development?)

I would also agree with pddco, if you want a real network put wires in.  Although I would say, if you were going to bother, use cat 6.  5e will do gigabit but it is operating with its accelerator pedal on the floor, as it was tweaked to get it up to gigabit.  Hence the “e” for enhanced.  Cat 6 will unofficially handle 10Gb/s at up to 55m so there is more future proofing in that.

Edit: Sorry, typing at the same time as the last two posts.  I meant yes I suspect there may be plans to offer new equipment.

[Kodikid]

Once upon a time BT planned to migrate all it's broadband users to EE

It failed because it was confusing the elderly who had traditionally stayed loyal to BT

Since then BT broadband has more or less stood still

The SH2 is the perfect example of this.

All the R&D has been to benefit EE hence the vastly superior router's EE offer.

BT and plusnet are perfectly happy offering wifi 5 as it apparently doesn't influence their customer base .

PS

Complete wifi (black disc) will only work with the SH2

[WSH]

Why does everybody think the elderly are easily confused?  In my experience it's young people that don't know their butt from their elbow.

Oh, and the idea that any ISP's router is "vastly superior" is laughable.  You ever worked with industrial grade kit?

[Kimberlin]

@ItsJustMe 

You can of course do as has been suggested, buy an EE router from the famous auction site, as long as you’ve no issues about where that router has come from and whether or not it’s sold with any form of warranty. Your choice.

If it’s simple ‘plug and play’ then great, seems a no brainer as a cheaper alternative to buying a third party router. I suspect though as with most ISP routers, you’re stuck with the limitations imposed upon them by the ISP’s themselves, so you probably can’t alter various settings to suit your own requirements. DNS servers for example, a widely complained subject even on this forum. Whilst relatively simple to change on individual devices to far more reliable secure DNS servers, most ISP routers won’t allow those settings to be altered at router level. Many customers don’t care, as long as stuff works.

@Kodikid 

I haven’t ‘hidden’ my router intentionally behind the TV, it’s there because there really is nowhere else in my lounge to place it and there’s nowhere else convenient to put it. I’m  not obsessed with the aesthetics of my enormous tarantula looking router, it doesn’t bother myself how it looks and I couldn’t care less if my Wife likes the look of it either, but then she didn’t bat an eyelid when I bought it. All she cares about is that it provides her with a reliable connection at all times whilst WFH.

Also, at almost 60, I consider myself neither old or confused, indeed I am probably more technically aware than someone 3 times less my age. Oh, and I haven’t used cash or High Street banks for years, so I guess I’m partly to blame for their demise 😂

[wdf73]

Does using a third party router e.g. a EE router make a difference to my contract wit BT for example will it still be supported and treated the same as using  the BT router, or would they see this as a breach of contract in some way?

[TimCurtis]

@Kodikid 

Just to add to the other responses about your elderly comment. Well I'm 80 and my children & grandchildren still seek my advice on technical matters.

[Kodikid]

That's another problem, isp's don't support 3rd party router's. 

Any problems they would blame the non supplied router 

[iniltous]

If you don’t use the BT supplied router , nothing changes contractually, but your equipment won’t be supported if you need that type of assistance (where the router configuration etc is suspected as the issue )  , obviously keep the BT router (you would probably need to return it should you stop being a BT customer anyway ) and connect it back up for  ‘testing’ purposes should that be necessary , if it’s clear the third party equipment is issue , that would be your own problem to solve