BT Home Hub 5 review: BTs fastest wireless router
Table of Content
The BT Home Hub works with the now defunct BT Fusion service and works with the BT Vision video on demand service. The BT Home Hub 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 devices connect to the Internet using a standard ADSL connection. The BT Home Hub 3 and 4 models support PPPoA for ADSL and PPPoE for VDSL2, in conjunction with an Openreach-provided VDSL2 modem to support BT’s FTTC network .
The 4th generation of the BT Home Hub was released on 10 May 2013. It has been built with a smart dual band technology, making it unique amongst other UK-based ISP provided routers. The Home Hub 4 will be free for new customers, and a £35 upgrade for existing. It has intelligent power management technology which monitors the hub functions and puts them individually into power save mode when not in use.
BT Home Hub 5: Setup
Smart dual-band technology reduces wireless interference and drop outs, giving our customers an unbeatable connection for all their devices. The BT Home Hub can only be used with the BT Total Broadband package without modification; the 1.0, 1.5, 2A, 2B and 3A versions can be unlocked. Consequently, the Home Hub 1.0 can be flashed with some firmware such as that for the 7G; however full functionality cannot be achieved using this method. The Home Hub 1.5 firmware, whilst not hardware locked as previously claimed, does have extra locks in the bootloader which can now be circumvented and full functionality achieved.
This model is electronically identical to the Thomson SpeedTouch TG797n. My router is no BT FIVER and it's SSD is changeable like you say but only at the user interface. It shows up as ADCVGBHJMNMK or whatever you want when you connect in windows ui BUT with inssider it will still show up with the original manufacturers ssd monnicker. While those are the two options that BT still offers, there are a number of older BT hubs.
BT Smart Hub
This is a router manufactured by Sagemcom under contract for BT.
The CPU clock and buses are running at 125MHz for some reason, but the installed system will run at full speed. Download and study the “Serial console instructions using MS Windows” and “LEDE Installation Guide for BT Home Hub 5A” documents listed in the Downloads section of this page. Information on this page also applies to the 'Plusnet Hub One' and 'BT Business Hub 5'.
Differences between each Hub
The security of the BT Home Hub has been questioned by GNUCITIZEN. In October 2007, Adrian Pastor warned the security and BT Broadband community regarding critical vulnerabilities he discovered in the Home Hub. The details of such research were released later in November 2007 and demonstrated how to fully compromise on the BT Home Hub by tricking a BT Home Hub user to visit a webpage crafted by the attacker. There are two versions of the BT Home Hub 2.0, the A and the B model. The hardware contained within the Home Hub 2.0A was manufactured by Thomson SpeedTouch, who had bought out Inventel and all their hardware and software rights.
It uses smart scan tech, has four ethernet ports and has USB slots. However, it is only single band W-Fi so there is no support for 5GHz bands. This isn't the end of the world but it does mean it won't always be as fast for certain devices with 5GHz connectivity. The Home Hub 4 was supplied free of charge to new customers, with a £35 charge to existing customers. It has intelligent power management technology which monitors the hub functions and puts them individually into power-save mode when not in use.
Just be aware that you will need the WAN-enabled version to make the most out of it. Sadly, we couldn't fully test the Smart Hub; as a Virgin Media customer, we had the wrong type of router sent to us – not that this was anyone's fault. We did manage to open up the device but failed to recognise or indeed log any meaningful indicators except for the character string RTV1906VW-D18.
All of the major components were hidden under a metal cap which prevented us from identifying them. You will still need to check the user guide to interpret the hub lights though . It's also worth noting that the lights on the router can be switched off or dimmed, and the lights and icons present on the Home Hub 5 have been removed to avoid confusion.
It delivers superb performance in an attractive package, has a simple setup and a bargain price tag. It can't outpace the fastest 802.11ac routers but it stands toe-to-toe with many while far costing less,... If you’re an existing BT Infinity customer, simply renew your existing contract and you’ll be given a discounted price for the Home Hub 5. If you switch providers and sign up for the BT Infinity fibre optic broadband package, you’ll be entitled to a free Home Hub 5 as part of the deal.
Unlike TalkTalk’s Super Router, which also delivers 802.11ac, BT’s router can hold its head high. Despite these points we have to say getting the Home Hub 5 up and running is very easy and even technophobes shouldn’t worry. The router’s user interface isn’t the most advanced we’ve seen and won’t give Linksys’ industry leading ‘Smart WiFi’ sleepless nights, but it is simple to navigate. BT also deserves credit for shipping the Home Hub 5 with a long 2m power cable, which gives a lot of flexibility when it comes to positioning the router. Linksys and Asus are leading the way here with routers that have no password but make you pick one in the setup wizard. That makes far more sense to us, though BT’s approach is consistent with previous Home Hub’s.
See the download table above for how to get serial access in 10 minutes WITHOUT soldering or you can solder a few wires to SMD solder points . Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view. Furthermore, the instructions are printed on the inside of the box and BT encourages its existing users to recycle their old routers by shipping them back in said packaging.
You could well have one of these still if you signed up with broadband deals from BT a while ago. Four GigE ports so customers can further exploit the superfast speeds of their Infinity Broadband. One complaint we do have is BT by default sets up the Home Hub 5 with a single SSID.
ADSL/VDSL Configuration Examples
The BT Home Hub 5 can’t compete with the very best 802.11ac routers, but despite its shortcomings, customers of BT’s top-level broadband service need no longer feel shortchanged. It’s a solid, reliable router, with some neat tricks up its sleeve. VoIP service over SOGEA lines isn't supported yet, meaning you can't access the ISP's embedded landline service part (a.k.a. Digital Voice) via Asterisk if your connection type is SOGEA. You install these by placing them at /lib/firmware/lantiq-vrx200-a.bin and /lib/firmware/lantiq-vrx200-b.bin.
It also packs some clever technology that reduces interference, improving reliability by reducing the number of dropouts. Another nifty piece of tech, BT Smart Scan, seamlessly swaps channels in the background to dodge any congestion. The hardware contained within the BT Home Hub 2.0B was manufactured by Siemens' Gigaset division in Germany.
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