BT FTTP Router Options Over Smarthub 2

Smart Hub is decent, I get 550 Mb over WiFi on it :-)

I bought an Asus AX86U but the speeds didn’t improve so I sent it back, and over Ethernet they dropped by 50 Mb from 920 to 870.


I don’t think I’d personally change it.
 
I'm in the same boat at the moment, and came here to ask the exact same thing, figured I'd chat here instead of a new thread since it's relevant. I guess the key question is what features do you need and how hands on do you want to be? How fast is your connection? Do you want extra VLANs, policy based routing, VPN etc or just basic connectivity?

Common replacements include Draytek, I also see a lot of mention of Asus and Netgear, particularly if you want to run one dd-wrt or openwrt. I'm looking at WiFi6 models, as I want to futureproof.

I have a Mikrotik running and I'm building out wifi on that, but Mikrotik devices are not for everyone, and historically I've used one for an always-on VPN/roadwarrior. They certainly work, but top out the complexity scale in many regards.

In terms of replacing the router and getting basic nat/firewall connectivity, it's very easy, you just need PPPoE support as mentioned. I had no problem authenticating to the network using the above with password 'bt'

I'm super impressed with the Smart Hub I have to be honest in terms of speed, it's in a cupboard under the stairs and I still get well in excess of 300mbps in my office upstairs. I tried a Ubiquiti WiFI 6 pro and only managed about half that, which I found really surprising. I wan't additional SSIDs and some other features including my preferred secure DNS etc which unfortunately does not appear to be achievable with the BT provided device.

I have FTTP too and indeed the ONT is not something I am aware you can change.
 
Hulkster said:
Mikrotik devices are not for everyone, they certainly work, but top out the complexity scale in many regards.
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Yeah they work very very well, I think it's well worth dealing with the complexities of setting them up the first time.
Probably one of the best firewalls once you get your head around it imo.
 
0007 said:
Yeah they work very very well, I think it's well worth dealing with the complexities of setting them up the first time.
Probably one of the best firewalls once you get your head around it imo.
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Yeah they are fantastic. I started off with a hAP Lite and recently bumped it up to a Hex S for hardware VPN acceleration support. I was going to get the 5009 but there are some stability issues and I didn't see the point in going 4011 especially given the feedback about the wireless model. The Hex S performs well beyond my connection speed anyway, it's a great bit of kit and the price point is spot on, it does however need a separate AP so that adds to the price.
 
Hulkster said:
Yeah they are fantastic. I started off with a hAP Lite and recently bumped it up to a Hex S for hardware VPN acceleration support. I was going to get the 5009 but there are some stability issues and I didn't see the point in going 4011 especially given the feedback about the wireless model. The Hex S performs well beyond my connection speed anyway, it's a great bit of kit and the price point is spot on, it does however need a separate AP so that adds to the price.
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I'm just using an old x86 machine with Mikrotik CHR, maybe one day I will get an actual Mikrotik router, but for now this is working perfectly - i7 920 & I350-T4 NIC
But the RB5009 does look super nice - was tempted, I'll probably try to get something with 10G ports down the line to make the upgrade from my existing setup worth it.
 
Erm yeah that’s hard to pick one said:
I hate it and the the fact it’s broadcasting a WiFi hotspot along side my WiFi. Plus the access and controls.
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If those are your main issues then something by Asus, Netgear or TP-Link with their standard firmware should do the trick as their onboard wifi gets good reviews. Guess it depends on your budget.

Perhaps this is a good starting point: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/networking/routers

You'd just need to ensure it works with BT/PPPoE, which I'd expect won't be uncommon

I've had great results with TP-Link Deco Mesh in a previous home, and a good friend swears by the Netgear Nighthawk
 
one thing to be aware of if you are on the 900/115 service and you are getting random speed issues then its worth checking if your ont is a nokia one, i had loads of issues and everyone blamed the smart hub but as soon as my ont was changed to a huawei one (my head end is huawei) my speeds went straight up to above 900/115.
seems its quite a common issue at the moment.
 
Hulkster said:
Yeah they are fantastic. I started off with a hAP Lite and recently bumped it up to a Hex S for hardware VPN acceleration support. I was going to get the 5009 but there are some stability issues and I didn't see the point in going 4011 especially given the feedback about the wireless model. The Hex S performs well beyond my connection speed anyway, it's a great bit of kit and the price point is spot on, it does however need a separate AP so that adds to the price.
Click to expand...

RB4011 Wireless LAN version is significantly improved with the Wave2 RouterOS 7 drivers.
 
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