BT Hub 3 Wifi Extender Availability

[mysterdee]

Dumb question alert.

I want to get a single Wifi extender for by BT Hub 3, but having looked at the BT page, the EE shop, Amazon, eBay, Argos, and all the other online places I got pointed to, I can find a single new one for sale.

Amazon and eBay have a few secondhand/pre-owned, but I want to make sure that the extender works, so really want to get it 'new', with the option to return it.

Are these things no longer available?  Is there a waiting list?  Is there a secret store I need to go to?

Yeah, dumb question...I feel like I'm missing something...

[Christopher_G]

Hi @mysterdee 

Welcome to the community.

We can't guarantee that second hand extenders would work. The only extenders we sell can be found here on this Broadband Accessories page, but they're not compatible with the Smart Hub 3. 

It may be worth speaking to our support team about Complete Wi-Fi Plus, which is compatible with your router.

Chris  

[chrisjp]

Another option would be to buy a mesh system, the first unit of which plugs into one of the LAN sockets on the router, so is independent of what sort of hub it is and works just as well with the SH3 as with any other router. Then use the other unit(s) supplied with the mesh system as your extender(s).
This is also likely to perform better than a single extender that communicates with the router via DECT, which, as the Mod has stated, is not available to work with the SH3 anyway.

[Crimliar]

What you are looking for is "BT Complete WiFi Plus", if you feed that into your favourite search engine you should be able to find new units from at least one reputable seller that come with a money back guarentee!

[mysterdee]

This is what brought me here - and to be honest, would be my preference. 

I've currently got an older Orbi mesh system that's just gone out of support (i.e. no longer getting security patches, etc.).

I've just moved over from Virgin, where the Orbi worked fine (with the Virgin router set to modem-only), but I've found that the SH3 can't be put into modem-only.  Although this has not caused any issues yet, I don't want to run into Double NAT issues (or similar) with a  mesh system (if/when I replace the Orbi), so I was looking at either:

- Trying BT's own offering, which (you'd hope) would avoid any network issues, and possible not be as expensive as the independent route.

- Getting a mesh system (put it in AP mode)/investing in something Unifi (both require a bit of an cash investment)

The BT option seemed like a sensible thing to investigate further; I didn't think it would be quite so hard to purchase!

[mysterdee]

I was hoping it would be that easy 🙂

I managed to find details on Complete WiFi, searching through the various offers on my account - sounds exactly what I'm after.  However, no prices, and no option to sign up.

I tried messaging BT over the weekend...but gave up after they were unable to tell me if Complete WiFi was even still a thing, and instead tried selling me a new SIM.

I'll try calling later today...perhaps 2nd time lucky!

[Kimberlin]

@mysterdee  I realise this might come across as flippant, but perhaps if you don't already have or need a phone line, ditch the Smart Hub 3 and buy a decent 3rd party mesh system. You'll undoubtedly have a much better experience overall and the plus side is, you'll have decent kit. Plenty of options out there to choose from.

[mysterdee]

@Kimberlin - not taken as flippant at all.  Plugging my mesh directly into the ONT and letting that run things was something else I'd considered, but there seemed to be quite a few people who had done that, and were complaining that their speeds were impacted by not going through the BT router.

Perhaps I should stop reading things on the internet and just try it  🙂

[Kimberlin]

@mysterdee  I've been using my own routers for years and they've always been superior to the guff ISP's push out on people. I've had my present router for 4 years now, it hasn't let me down once, I don't get dropped devices, it just works all the time, every time. Yes, it cost me 300 quid, but it was absolutely one hundred percent worth it. Good luck with whatever you choose to do 👍