Provider routers compared: a dated specs table

Each row comes from the provider's own page where one exists, mostly read on 25 or 27 October 2026. Where a provider publishes no port list, we use a named report (usually ISPreview, an independent UK broadband news site) and give its date. Rows marked * rely on pages we read on 8 October 2026 because the provider's page couldn't be re-read later. Treat every row as what the source said on that date.

The terms used:

• Wi-Fi standard: the generation, such as Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E or 7. What each one adds is in our guide to Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7.
• Bands: the radio frequencies used. Dual band means 2.4GHz and 5GHz; we only write 6GHz where the source names it.
• LAN ports: the Ethernet sockets you plug computers, consoles or TV boxes into. WAN port: the socket that connects the hub to the network, for example to the fibre box on the wall on full fibre (BT calls it the Openreach modem).
• Port speeds: 1Gbps (gigabit, or GigE), 2.5Gbps or 10Gbps (10GbE): the most one wired connection through that port can carry.
• Booster or mesh: extra units (discs, extenders, Pods, boosters) that spread Wi-Fi around a larger home.

Labels such as BE19000 are explained in our guide to router labels like AX3000 and BE9300, and what the lights on the front mean is in what your broadband hub lights mean.

Sources: BT's "Different types of BT Hub" table and its hub ports page, and Plusnet's full fibre page, read 25 October 2026; BT's broadband page, read 27 October 2026; ISPreview, October 2021.

BT's table also lists the older Home Hub 4 and 5, and no Wi-Fi 7 hub. BT's broadband page says the Smart Hub 3 is for new customers who don't already have a Smart Hub 2, and that the Smart Hub 2 is offered to Halo 3+ customers who don't already have one. The same page says BT owns the hubs it sends out (Hub 4, Smart Hub, Smart Hub 2 and Smart Hub 3) and its Complete WiFi extenders, unless you bought them outright. When you replace a hub or leave BT you have 60 days to return them, or you may be charged.

Complete Wi-Fi is BT's booster service, open to new and existing customers. BT's hub table says it works with the Smart Hub 3 and Smart Hub 2 but not the original Smart Hub. Its page describes Complete Wi-Fi Plus as one extender alongside your hub, up to three for larger homes, but its FAQs still describe the older Smart Hub 2 with Wi-Fi Discs, which only work with that hub. So: one extender, up to three; ask BT which unit comes with a Smart Hub 3.

Plusnet says the Hub Two is free with its Full Fibre and Fibre plans. ISPreview described it at launch as essentially a rebranded BT Smart Hub 2 with Plusnet's own firmware. We found no current Plusnet spec page, and Plusnet's page mentions no booster. See BT broadband deals and Plusnet broadband deals for each provider's current packages.

EE renamed its kit from December 2025, with no change to contracts or how the devices work. Smart Hub Pro became Smart Hub 7 Pro, Smart Hub Plus became Smart Hub 6 Plus and Smart Hub 2 became plain Smart Hub. The Smart WiFi boosters became WiFi Extenders, and Smart Hybrid Connect became Connectivity Backup.

Sources: EE's "Compare our Smart Hubs" and its December 2025 changes page, read 25 October 2026.

EE says the Smart Hub 7 Pro is for full fibre only, while the Smart Hub 6 Plus works on full fibre, part fibre and ADSL (older all-copper broadband). The 7 Pro also has NFC, so a phone can join the guest network with a tap. All four hubs let you switch the lights off and support Connectivity Backup. Each has a matching extender: the WiFi Extender 7 Pro, 7 Plus or 6 Plus for the hub of the same name, and the WiFi Extender or BT Complete Wi-Fi for the Smart Hub.

On EE's deals page (27 October 2026) the Full Fibre 150, 500 and 900 plans come with the Smart Hub 7 Plus, the 1.6Gbps plan with EE's "most advanced router with WiFi 7" (named as the Smart Hub 7 Pro on the TV bundle), and part fibre plans with the Smart Hub 6 Plus. Check the plan on EE broadband deals before ordering, because the hub decides whether you get 6GHz and 2.5Gbps on every LAN port.

Sources: Sky's broadband page and NOW's terms, read 25 October 2026; Sky Help, read 25 and 27 October 2026; Sky's Gigafast+ page, read 28 October 2026; ISPreview, 2023 to 2026; our Sky research of 8 October 2026 (Max and Broadband Hub standards).

The two sources disagree on the Gigafast+ Hub's ports. ISPreview lists a 10Gbps LAN port, but the hub table on Sky's own Gigafast+ page (read 28 October 2026) gives "Max ethernet speeds: 1Gbps" for all three Sky hubs, the Gigafast+ included. If you want one wired device to get more than 1Gbps, ask Sky to confirm in writing before you order.

Sky launched the Gigafast+ Hub on 9 July 2025 with its Full Fibre 2.5 and 5 Gigafast+ packages (on CityFibre's network), and ISPreview reported in September 2026 that its Openreach 1.6Gbps package uses it too. For other plans Sky only promises "a compatible Sky Hub", so ask which one.

Sky WiFi Max is an optional add-on to Sky's fibre products, included at no extra cost with Full Fibre 2.5 and 5 Gigafast+. Sky Help says it isn't available with Sky Broadband Essential Plus, Ultrafast (G.fast) or Unlimited Pro, and its terms add that it isn't available with a Sky+ TV package. If your Wi-Fi misses Sky's guaranteed speed, Sky provides up to three Max Pods. Sky's terms say a guarantee claim is valid only with a Sky Max or Gigafast+ Hub, Max Pods, and Device Priority switched off, so an older Sky Broadband Hub doesn't qualify. Sky lends its hubs and Pods, so they go back when you leave. Set-up is covered in Sky WiFi Max and boosters.

NOW Broadband is supplied by Sky. NOW lends a "Sky Hub" that you return at the end, but doesn't name the model. NOW's terms put Sky WiFi Max on a separate contract, and Sky says its WiFi Max guarantee also applies to NOW fibre products that have WiFi Max. See Sky broadband deals and NOW broadband deals.

Source: Virgin Media's Hub 3, Hub 4 and Hub 5 page, read 25 October 2026.

DOCSIS is the standard Virgin Media's cable network uses; its full fibre network uses XGS-PON, and our XGS-PON guide explains the technology. Virgin's hub page lists no Wi-Fi 7 hub.

All four have a guest network, a phone line connection and support for WiFi Pods. Under Virgin's WiFi guarantee (in eligible Virgin Fibre areas, on M50 or faster), Virgin provides up to three Pods if needed, and the Pods stay Virgin Media's property. Set-up and lights are in Virgin Media WiFi Pods explained, and packages are on Virgin Media broadband deals.

Sources: Vodafone's broadband and Pro pages, read 25 October 2026; ISPreview, May 2025.

Vodafone's own FAQ says the Ultra Hub 7 combines its two bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, so it has no 6GHz band. Vodafone also notes that you need a Wi-Fi 7 device to benefit from Wi-Fi 7. ISPreview also found two phone ports and a USB port for the 4G Broadband Back-up dongle that Pro 2 and Pro 3 include. Vodafone told ISPreview the Ultra Hub 7 Fibre gets security updates until 1 August 2032.

Vodafone lists boosters with its Pro plans. Each comes with one as standard (a Super WiFi Booster on Pro 2, a Super WiFi 7 Booster on Pro 3), and Vodafone's WiFi Guarantee can add more. For lights and resets see Vodafone router lights, settings and resets; plans are on Vodafone broadband deals.

Sources: each provider's router, Wi-Fi, support or package page, read 25 or 27 October 2026, except rows marked *, read 8 October 2026 (Zzoomm's page blocked our later check; Community Fibre's and Trooli's load by script); ISPreview where named.

Among these providers, only Zen's, Zzoomm's and Trooli's own pages gave Ethernet port speeds. Those details, and a few other notes the table can't hold:

• Zen: its eero page lists the eero 7 as free with Full Fibre Max; ISPreview reported on 15 September 2026 that it had also replaced the FRITZ!Box on Full Fibre 500 and 900. The eero 7 has two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, so several wired devices may need a network switch (a box that adds sockets); the paid eero Max 7 has four, two 10Gbps and two 2.5Gbps.
• toob: many existing customers still have its Wi-Fi 6 router. The Wi-Fi 7 model can pause the home's internet and lock out new devices.
• Zzoomm: its Wi-Fi 7 router has a 2.5Gbps WAN port and four LAN ports, one 2.5Gbps and three 1Gbps (8 October).
• Gigaclear: same eero 7 name as Zen, but Gigaclear's page gives no bands or ports for either eero model.
• Hyperoptic: Choose.co.uk reported in July 2024 that Hyperoptic would supply the Zyxel EX3301, a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with four 1Gbps LAN ports, on all plans. Hyperoptic's setup page now lists seven Hyperhub models, so check the model name on yours.
• Trooli: ISPreview reported in September 2026 that its 5Gbps Ultra customers get a Nokia Beacon Wi-Fi 7 router; Trooli's pages (8 October) didn't say which other packages get which Beacon. The Beacon 19.1 has a 10Gbps WAN port and three LAN ports, one 10Gbps and two 1Gbps; we have no port details for the Beacon 9.

See provider pages such as Zen broadband deals and YouFibre broadband deals, and the full list is on our broadband providers page.

Check the bands, not just the number

Six of the Wi-Fi 7 routers in these tables are described as dual band. Without 6GHz, a router can't use the widest Wi-Fi 7 channels (320MHz, which only exist at 6GHz), and your devices can't use the 6GHz band at all. Zen calls that third band a clear lane for more devices, and YouFibre an extra lane to ease congestion. It only matters if your phones or laptops support 6GHz.

Match the ports to your plan and your devices

A 1Gbps port caps a single wired device at 1Gbps however fast the plan is. If you're looking at a plan above 1Gbps and want one computer to get more, you need a 2.5Gbps or 10Gbps port on the hub, a matching port on the computer and a suitable cable. If wired speeds look wrong, our Ethernet troubleshooting guide walks through the checks.

Boosters: ask before you rely on a promise

BT Complete Wi-Fi, Sky WiFi Max, Virgin Media's WiFi guarantee and Vodafone Pro each tie extra units to a Wi-Fi promise, up to three. The hub can be part of the deal: Sky's guarantee needs a Max or Gigafast+ Hub. The conditions are compared in mesh Wi-Fi vs Wi-Fi extenders, and what you get when a promise fails is in what providers' Wi-Fi guarantees actually promise.

Older hubs are still in many homes

BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media all still list Wi-Fi 5 hubs, and toob says many existing customers have its Wi-Fi 6 router. The routes to an upgrade are in how to get a newer router from your provider.

What a spec table can't tell you

None of these figures show how far the Wi-Fi reaches through your walls, or how the router copes when one person uploads during another's video call (see bufferbloat explained). If you'd rather choose your own kit, see using your own router with UK broadband.

1. Read the plan, not the headline. EE, Sky, Vodafone, Gigaclear, YouFibre, Zzoomm, Community Fibre and Trooli supply different routers on different plans.
2. Find the hub's name and look it up. Use the provider's hub comparison or help page; EE lists model codes such as SH35, and Hyperoptic asks you to check the model name on the router, which helps you match a box to its spec.
3. Ask the questions the plan page doesn't answer: which hub exactly; whether it has a 6GHz band; how fast its Ethernet ports are; whether a booster is included and how many you can get; and whether the kit is lent and must be returned.
4. Keep a record of the plan page or order showing the hub.
5. Compare at your address. Plans depend on the networks reaching your home, so check the deals available at your postcode before you settle on a router.

A note for TalkTalk customers

We didn't research TalkTalk's routers for this guide. BT says it has acquired TalkTalk, that the two stay separate pending a regulatory review, and that TalkTalk customers can keep using their current Wi-Fi router and equipment (checked 28 October 2026).