Jordan O'BrienBT is hoping to make Wi-Fi a better option for installers, by revealing a new router that promises to eradicate Wi-Fi black spots. Dubbed the BT Smart Hub 6, the latest router will ship free to anyone acquiring BT’s Infinity fibre broadband and it could be an installer’s dream router.
While physical cables have always been preferred by the installation community, Wi-Fi can often be a more preferably choice for homeowners as it’s often more affordable and doesn’t require extensive cabling work. With BT’s Smart Hub 6, Wi-Fi has been greatly improved with BT promising a stronger signal throughout the house. The company has even given the router a new design, ensuring that it remains unobtrusive.
To ensure the very best reliability, BT has equipped the Smart Hub 6 with seven antennas, which is far better than most routers supplied by UK broadband providers. The antennas have been set-up with a 3×3 array to support the 2.4GHz band, while the 5GHz band has a 4×4 array.
Using these new antennas BT says that black spots should be a problem of the past, unless living in a sprawling mansion. The quoted range of the BT Smart Hub 6’s signal is 500m, although real world tests may show a shorter range due to obstacles such as walls.
For installers who want to stick to faithful gigabit connectors, then BT has equipped the Smart Hub 6 with four. It has also equipped the router with a USB slot and a removable tab which contains the default network and password information – pretty standard stuff many have come to expect from a BT router.
A few of BT’s favourite customers have already begun receiving the new router, although the company didn’t specify who it was favouring. The BT Smart Hub 6 will officially launch later this summer however. Existing customers not wanting to renew their contract will have to pay £50 upgrade fee, while anyone wanting to buy the router outright will have to pay £129.99 for the privilege.