Your BT router is due an upgrade that’ll fix all of your broadband woes

BT is poised to introduce a new Wi-Fi router with support for faster Wi-Fi 6 standard, sources speaking to broadband-obsessed blog ISPreview has revealed. According to tipsters with knowledge of the company’s plans, BT will launch the new Wi-Fi router – dubbed Smart Hub 3 – alongside an upgraded BT Complete Wi-Fi mesh system to bring these speedier Wi-Fi networks throughout your home.

However, disruptions caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic purportedly caused disruptions to the research and development phase, coupled with the global shortage of semiconductor chips – part of the reason for the scarcity of the likes of Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles, for example – it seems that BT was forced to delay its launch plans. It now seems that BT Smart Hub 3 will be coming in July 2022, ISPreview claims.

The variant of the Wi-Fi router will support a SIM card, which taps into 5G or 4G mobile internet to keep the home connected if there’s an outage. BT already offers this product, dubbed BT Halo, however, the updated model will support Wi-Fi 6 too. Like the existing hardware, BT-owned EE will be used to provide the mobile broadband back-up if there’s an issue with the full-fibre infrastructure.

So, what is the big deal about Wi-Fi 6 …is it really worth all of this effort? Essentially, Wi-Fi 6 unlocks faster wireless speeds and more bandwidth to avoid congestion in busy households. Of course, to take advantage of this feature, you’ll need to have a router that’s kitted-out with support for Wi-Fi 6 as well as a number of Wi-Fi 6-enabled devices. So those who haven’t upgraded their smartphone in five years are unlikely to see any difference when BT mails out the Smart Hub 3.

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Wi-Fi is not just about speed, so even those who don’t pay for the fastest full-fibre connection from BT are likely to see some benefits. That’s because Wi-Fi 6 is designed to better handle a huge number of devices, so you shouldn’t see buffering …even if there are multiple smartphones, laptops, games consoles, and tablets making video calls, video streaming, downloading updates… and more throughout the house.

Of course, it’s worth taking everything with a pinch of salt at the moment. After all, if ISPreview’s sources are right, BT has already been forced to delay its plan before, so it stands to reason that the same thing could happen again. With BT rumoured to be bringing its upgraded hardware to those on the speediest full-fibre plans first, before rolling out to everyone on its network, it might be some time before you see the benefits.

In the meantime, you could always invest in the likes of the Amazon Eero 6 or Google Nest Wifi to bring the benefits of a mesh system and Wi-Fi 6 to your home now.