New router? Keep your smart devices connected

Do this while the old router is still running. Note:

• The exact network name. Apple says network names are case-sensitive, so, for example, "Smith Home" and "smith home" are different networks. Copy spaces and punctuation exactly.
• The exact password. If you've forgotten one you changed years ago, our guide to finding a forgotten Wi-Fi password shows where phones and computers keep it.
• One name or two. Some routers broadcast their bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz, plus 6GHz on some newer routers) under one name; others give each band its own. If you see two of your own networks in your phone's Wi-Fi list, note both and which devices use which.
• The security mode (WPA2, WPA3 or a mix), if your router's settings show it. Tapo plugs, for one, recognise a network by its security type too.
• Your devices and their apps. List everything on Wi-Fi without a screen and keyboard (plugs, bulbs, cameras, doorbells, thermostats, heating hubs, speakers, printers, TV boxes) and the app that controls each.

Keep the note safe rather than relying on the old router's label. TalkTalk strongly recommends this if you match your old details, because the new router's card won't show what you've set.

Providers use an app or a settings page you open by typing an address such as 192.168.1.254 into a browser on a device connected to the router. The pattern is the same:

1. Get the new router online using the provider's instructions (our guide to self-installing your broadband covers go-live day), and let it finish starting up before you change anything.
2. Join its Wi-Fi from a phone or laptop nearby, using the printed name and password.
3. Open the app or settings page, type your old name and password letter for letter, and save.
4. Expect to be cut off: BT's Whole Home Wi-Fi page warns that saving new wireless settings disconnects you from the network. Rejoin with your old details.

A settings page may ask for the router's admin password, which isn't the Wi-Fi password. EE prints both on the card on the back of its Smart Hub, and Virgin Media says its Hub settings password is separate from the Wi-Fi one. Here are the main providers' routes (checked October 2026); if a menu has moved, search their help for "change Wi-Fi name and password".

Home Wi-Fi mainly uses two radio bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and some newer routers add a third, 6GHz (see our guide to Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7). Apple recommends one unique name for every band on every router in your home, and says devices may not connect reliably if the bands use different names. BT doesn't recommend splitting its hub's bands, because most new devices work well with dual-band Wi-Fi; it says its Smart Hub and Home Hub 4 and 5 can split them but the Smart Hub 2 can't.

If your old router used one name, copy that and you're done. If it used two, either recreate both (if the new router can split its bands) or use one combined name matching the network most devices use, then reconnect the rest. Check band-limited gadgets first: Hive's Hub Nano 3 joins Wi-Fi only on 2.4GHz; Google says outdoor Nest products in Europe can only use 2.4GHz; and Ring's Video Doorbell 4 uses 5GHz only on channels 100 and above, with changing the router's channel or combining the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks among Ring's suggested fixes. Our guide to smart devices that won't connect to Wi-Fi covers band problems in depth.

Security mode. Apple recommends WPA3 Personal, or WPA2/WPA3 Transitional for compatibility with older devices, and WPA2 Personal (AES) if neither is offered; it advises against WPA/WPA2 mixed modes and open networks. We found no provider page stating which mode its current hubs use by default, so check the setting on the new router's wireless settings page (Sky lists Wi-Fi security levels among the advanced settings in the My Sky app) rather than assuming it matches the old one. If a device won't rejoin with the right name and password, compare the security types listed on its box or spec page with the router's setting.

Channels. BT says older 2.4GHz gadgets can struggle when its Smart Hub 3 changes channel in the background, and lets you fix the 2.4GHz channel at 1, 6 or 11, though it recommends automatic in most cases.

• A hidden network name. Apple recommends leaving it off, as hiding the name doesn't secure the network, and Google says hidden networks don't appear in the Google Home app's list during camera setup.
• MAC address filtering (a list of approved devices). Apple recommends switching it off, because MAC addresses can be copied, spoofed or changed.
• Weak or open security. If your old router used a WPA/WPA2 mixed mode or no password, move to a stronger mode now and accept some reconnecting.
• The old admin password. It protected the old router's settings page and has nothing to do with devices joining.

A judgement call: if your network still uses the old provider's printed name, copying it keeps devices connected, but Apple advises against default names. Our suggestion is to copy it for the switch and pick a unique name later, when you have time to reconnect everything. If you start fresh instead, check what your router and devices accept: BT's Smart Hub takes 12 to 63 characters mixing upper-case, lower-case and numbers, Sky suggests the same mix at 12 characters or more, and TP-Link says Kasa devices need a password of no more than 64 characters without quote marks. Our guide to securing your router and Wi-Fi covers other settings.

Your own mesh system. For Google Nest Wifi and Google Wifi, Google says to restart the modem, then the router and points, and if the new provider needs a PPPoE log-in or static IP address, update the WAN (internet connection) settings in the Google Home app. Avoid two routers each running a network: Ring says more than one Wi-Fi router can cause problems with its devices and suggests bridge mode, and Apple recommends only one DHCP server (the device that hands out addresses). Ask the new provider whether its router has a bridge or modem mode.

Your old provider's pods. Some add-ons are tied to that provider's kit. Hyperoptic says its Total Wi-Fi works only with Hyperoptic broadband; Quickline says Wi-Fi Everywhere works only with its own router; and Rebel says that if you use your own router you can't use its SuperPods to create your Wi-Fi network. If pods or boosters fill in weak spots today, ask the new provider what it supplies for those rooms before you switch. Our guide to mesh Wi-Fi vs extenders compares the options.

The old router. Switch it off once the new one works rather than running both, for the reasons Ring and Apple give, and check whether your old provider wants it back.

Even with matching details, some kit has its own steps when the router changes (checked October 2026). Work down your device list: open each app and look for anything shown as offline. A device that is back online needs nothing more. One that isn't usually needs its Wi-Fi details entered again through the maker's app, often with you standing near it: Google asks you to be near a Nest thermostat, and Ring needs battery models to be charged. For phones, tablets and computers, Apple's advice when a router's settings change is to forget the network on the device and rejoin it, and the same step is worth trying if one won't rejoin the new router. If a device can't see your network at all, our guide to a Wi-Fi network that isn't showing up works through the causes.

A checklist built from the steps above; providers' and makers' instructions come first where they differ.

1. Arrange the switch. Under One Touch Switch you contact only the new provider; your current provider must send you the switching information, including any early termination charges. Our guide to switching broadband providers covers the process, and you can compare deals at your postcode first. Ofcom's rules, as reported by ISPreview, are that on the agreed date the new service starts and the old one ends.
2. A few days before: write down your name, password, band set-up and security mode; list devices and apps; save camera clips you want.
3. Before the new service goes live: unplug an Ethernet-connected Hive hub from the old router.
4. When the new router arrives: set it up and let it finish starting.
5. Copy your details, save, and rejoin from your phone.
6. Switch the old router off.
7. Walk round the house: open each app on your list and fix stragglers with the steps above.
8. Keep your note. TalkTalk says a full factory reset wipes the router's settings, and Virgin Media says a Hub reset returns the Wi-Fi name to the default, so you'd copy your details across again.

Plan the router swap for a time when you're at home, so you can check devices as they come back. If the switch itself goes wrong, our guide to broadband switching problems covers what to do.

If you use an email address from your old provider, see keeping your email address when switching; if your email app receives but won't send on the new connection, see email won't send on your broadband. If things feel slow, try our broadband speed test on a device plugged in by cable, then read slow broadband after switching. We compare deals through a partner's comparison tool; we don't switch you or set up your equipment, so for router or device problems ask your new provider or the device maker.