Considering buying the EE Smart 5G Hub?
In this article, we’ve reviewed EE 5G Broadband, based on its download and upload speeds, WiFi performance, value for money, and more, to see if it’s any good.
But before we begin, make sure to use the EE network coverage map to see what their 5G signal is like in your area, before buying this router.
Also, it’s a good idea to check and see if you have good Three 5G signal as well, using their coverage checker, as Three tends to offer much cheaper 5G broadband deals than EE at the moment.
Contents
- EE 5G broadband overview
- EE 5G router setup process
- EE 5G router speed tests
- EE 5G router WiFi performance
- EE 5G router gaming performance
- EE 5G broadband value for money
- Is EE 5G broadband any good? Our verdict
- EE 5G broadband alternatives
- Conclusion
EE 5G broadband overview
Brand | EE |
Name | Smart 5G Hub |
Manufacturer brand | Askey |
Manufacturer name | HH20C |
Dimensions | 230 x 135 x 180mm |
Ethernet ports | 2 |
External antenna sockets | 0 |
Phone socket | N/A |
WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (WiFi 6) |
Maximum connected devices | 384+ |
Colour | White |
Rating | 3.7 (out of 5) |
Price | Check on EE |
Currently, EE sells a 5G home broadband bundle, known as the Smart 5G Hub – not to be confused with the Three 5G Hub.
When you buy, EE sends you their 5G router, paired with an EE data SIM.
Once you insert the SIM into the router and turn it on, the router will connect to 5G, and create a WiFi network you can use to get online.
This is similar to setting up a hotspot on your phone, except as a proper router, the Smart 5G Hub offers faster download speeds, and better WiFi performance – especially with multiple devices connected to the internet at once.
Since there is no fixed broadband connection required to get online, these types of 5G broadband solutions are a great choice if you only have ADSL copper internet in your area.
However, you need to ensure that you have good EE 4G or 5G signal at your address before buying, which you can do on their website.
It’s normally also worth checking your coverage on the Three Home Broadband website, as they tend to offer cheaper mobile broadband deals than EE, with similar download and upload speeds from our testing.
Buying the Smart 5G Hub
After checking your EE signal, you can order the Smart 5G Hub on the EE website.
Currently, there are two contracts to choose from – a 500GB and an unlimited data option, both with an 18 month contract.
Note that EE has a 1,000GB monthly fair usage policy on the unlimited data plan. If you go above this, they may throttle your speeds, or move you onto a business broadband plan.
Once you buy, EE will ship you everything you need to get started.
You can set up your 5G internet connection yourself, with no need to book in a technician visit. We’ve explained what’s involved in the next section.
EE 5G router setup process
When your EE Smart 5G Hub arrives in the mail, you’ll find in the box:
- The 5G router (an Askey HH20C, with EE branding)
- An EE data SIM
- The router power cable (USB-C)
- An Ethernet cable
- A router user guide
Here’s what you need to do to get online:
1. Insert the SIM card into the router
First, take the SIM card, and punch it out of its holder.
It comes in a small plastic card, which allows you to punch out different sizes of SIM card, depending on where you want to use it.
In this case, you want the smallest “nano” SIM, so you need to punch out the smallest size SIM card from the holder.
Next, insert the SIM card into the router.
The SIM slot is on its base, under a small rubber flap.
The SIM goes in cut corner first, facing to the left, as shown in the image below. There is also a graphic below the SIM slot showing the correct orientation.
Push it in as far as it goes, until you feel the SIM click into place. At this point, the SIM card is in position, and you can press the SIM slot flap back into place.
2. Plug in the router and turn it on
Grab the power adapter, and plug it into the USB-C port on the back of the router.
Then, plug the other end of the cable into power, and press the power button on the back of the router.
At this point, the router will turn on, and begin to set itself up.
There is a single status light on this router, located on the front, inside the EE logo. There are no separate lights for network connectivity, power, and WiFi, unlike on most other wireless broadband routers.
At first, the light will flash green, indicating that the Smart 5G Hub is starting up.
After a few minutes, the light will begin to flash aqua, indicating that the router is connecting to the internet, before turning fully aqua, which means you’re ready to get online.
If your status light doesn’t turn aqua, here is what the other colours mean:
- Red: general error message – EE recommends restarting the router or resetting it to factory settings.
- Flashing red: no internet connection – no signal, or the SIM isn’t inserted correctly.
- Orange: the Hub is disconnected from EE – you need to log in to the router’s admin settings and reconnect it to the network on the Status > Internet page.
- Flashing blue: WPS is active.
- Flashing white: you have received a text message to the mobile number associated with the SIM.
3. Connect to WiFi
When the router has finished starting up and established a 5G connection, you can connect to WiFi.
The login details are printed on a sticker on the underside of the router.
4. Find the best position for the router
Since this router relies on good 5G signal to establish an internet connection, its location in your house can have a big impact on the download and upload speeds you receive.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to try position the router in a few different spots, to see where you pick up the best signal.
For us, we have an upstairs windowsill where we get good 5G signal on the EE and Three networks, and that’s where we decided to set up the router.
EE 5G router speed tests
We performed a few different wired and wireless speed tests with the EE Smart 5G Hub, to see what download and upload speeds it offers, and also to measure its latency.
1. Close range
- Download speed: 437 Mbps
- Upload speed: 8.83 Mbps
- Latency: 31ms
2. Medium range
Test taken on the same storey as the router, a few rooms away.
- Download speed: 376 Mbps
- Upload speed: 5.90 Mbps
- Latency: 40ms
3. Long range
Test taken downstairs, on the opposite corner of the house from the router.
- Download speed: 353 Mbps
- Upload speed: 5 Mbps
- Latency: 26ms
4. Ethernet
- Download speed: 473.62 Mbps
- Upload speed: 37 Mbps
- Latency: 25ms
The EE mobile network and their 5G broadband router both perform really well when it comes to speeds and latency.
We were able to get download speeds of 400 Mbps or so on a consistent basis with this router, which is really good – plenty for most families, even if you’re online all the time.
Our upload speeds were not amazing, especially over WiFi, and did tend to fluctuate a bit.
However, the 6-8 Mbps it would dip down to is still perfectly usable – it just means uploading large files will take a while. But most people don’t do large file uploads on a daily basis.
And at times, our upload speed would peak significantly higher, especially over Ethernet. 30-40 Mbps is a really good upload speed when using 5G internet.
Remember, use the EE signal checker to see how well their network performs in your area.
EE 5G router WiFi performance
As can be seen from the speed tests, we received very consistent download speeds throughout the house using the Smart 5G Hub’s WiFi network.
We were able to get good WiFi signal throughout our entire two-storey house with this router, with no signal boosters, which is quite impressive.
EE advertises on their website that this router supports WiFi 7. However, we don’t think this is actually the case.
We tested the WiFi network on a Google Pixel 9, which is a WiFi 7 compatible phone, but the network only reported WiFi 6.
The router’s WiFi signal was still good though, so this is unlikely to be an issue for most people.
EE 5G router gaming performance
In general, we received a ping of about 25-35ms when doing speed tests with the EE Smart 5G Hub.
This is higher than the 10-15ms you normally receive when using fibre broadband. However, it should be low enough for online gaming, even on ping-sensitive games with very precise player movement, such as Fortnite, Counter-Strike, and most other FPS games.
Therefore, to test what the gaming experience is actually like, we played some PC games on EE 5G internet, using the supplied Ethernet cable to connect to the router.
Our latency in-game was higher than reported by speedtest.net – normally about 35-40ms – but still low enough for online gaming.
However, we had some issues with lag, which had quite a significant effect on our gaming experience.
There were no major lag spikes, but player movements would jitter every so often, for one to two seconds every few minutes or so.
We have not experienced this issue when using Three 4G or 5G Broadband at this address, and we weren’t able to fix it by restarting the router, changing bands, or using a different console or PC.
We think that because the latency is actually quite low, the EE Smart 5G Hub does work for certain games that aren’t extremely ping-sensitive, like EA FC.
However, in games like Rocket League, as well as certain first-person shooters, our experience wasn’t the best.
EE 5G broadband value for money
The biggest downside to the Smart 5G Hub is probably the prices EE is charging at the moment.
As of the time of writing, its monthly costs are more than twice as high as Three 5G Home Broadband, even though it offers about the same download speeds, in our area at least.
While the specs of EE’s router are impressive, it performs about the same as the ZTE MC888 router that Three uses, from our testing.
EE 5G broadband is also quite a lot more expensive than most fibre broadband plans. For example, EE 900 Mbps full fibre – their second-fastest fibre plan – normally only costs about £40-£45 per month, which is less than the Smart 5G Hub.
Ultimately, if you can get Three 5G indoor or outdoor signal, according to their coverage map, they’re a much better choice in terms of value for money.
Even if you don’t have the strongest 5G signal, they have an outdoor 5G router with an external antenna, allowing you to still get very fast downloads.
Is EE 5G broadband any good? Our verdict
EE 5G Broadband offers fast download and upload speeds, low latency, and great WiFi performance.
The router they’re using is a good bit of kit, as long as you don’t mind the lack of external antenna ports, and is easy to set up and use.
Also, the EE network is arguably the best in the UK, especially in terms of coverage. They tend to offer the best 5G speeds in some areas, alongside Three.
However, the monthly costs EE are charging on their Smart 5G Hub plans are extremely high at the moment, much higher than competitors like Three.
Also, there are no short-term plans on this router and SIM bundle – you have to commit to an 18 month contract. And from our testing, this router isn’t the best for online gaming.
Overall, we rate EE 5G Home Broadband 3.7/5. For people with no fibre broadband or Three 5G signal, this is the best way to get online at home. However, it would be good to see EE lower their monthly costs a bit.
EE 5G broadband alternatives
If you don’t have the best EE 5G signal in your area, or you find the monthly costs of the Smart 5G Hub a bit high, here are some other ways you can get online at home using 4G or 5G internet.
1. Three 5G Hub
In the vast majority of cases, we think the Three 5G Hub is a better choice than the EE Smart 5G Hub.
- It is considerably cheaper – generally about half the price.
- It comes with unlimited data on all plans.
- There is a 30-day return policy, allowing you to test the router before committing to the contract.
- The download speeds and latency are better, from our testing.
Use the Three Home Broadband coverage checker to see if you can get their 5G router at your address.
On their website, Three may also recommend their Outdoor 5G Hub if you can only get 5G signal outdoors at your address.
2. Three 5G MiFi Device
Unlike proper wireless routers like the 5G Hub or Smart 5G Hub, this is a mobile Wi-Fi (MiFi) device, made by ZTE and sold by Three in the UK.
Rather than plugging into a mains socket, this MiFi device has a battery, making it a much more portable option.
It still comes with unlimited data and 5G speeds, but the speeds and WiFi signal aren’t as strong as with a 5G router.
Read our full review of Three 5G MiFi.
3. EE Smart 4G Hub 2
If EE has the best signal in your area, but you can’t get 5G, they also sell a similar range of 4G broadband plans.
There are more data tariffs to choose from with their 4G router compared to their 5G deals, which is good.
However, they’re still very expensive, especially if you want unlimited data, and especially considering you’ll normally only get download speeds of 30-50 Mbps using 4G internet.
Conclusion
This is the end of our EE 5G internet review.
If you have any questions about this 5G router, or choosing a mobile broadband plan, let us know below, and we’ll help out.
About the author
Tyler is the co-founder of Broadband Savvy. He has been helping people improve their broadband connectivity since 2018 by writing about fibre broadband and mobile broadband providers, as well as creating tutorials to help people improve their broadband speeds and Wi-Fi signal.
Tyler is responsible for the majority of buyer’s guides and broadband reviews published on Broadband Savvy. He has a wealth of experience testing and reviewing different broadband tariffs, including fibre internet plans, as well as 4G and 5G broadband deals. He is responsible for testing and evaluating Wi-Fi routers, performing speed and latency tests, and comparing the value for money of different broadband providers on the market in the UK.
Before co-founding Broadband Savvy, Tyler had a long history of tinkering with computers. He built his first PC at the age of 12, and since then, he’s become obsessed with all things networking and internet-related. He’s a massive gamer, loves Rocket League, and also plays Sunday League football.