BTHybrid Connect 4G Backup for BT Smart Hub 2 ONLY up to 30MBPs Backup Link to BT Broadband
2**S
Requires Halo3+
Decided to try this after getting an minihub sent out due to a unreliable landline.This will work with the standard unlimited sims from BT/EE out of box from a MiniHub.Sadly however it is a software locked product and will not provide the connection/setup page without being on a Halo3+ contact witch is a 8GBP/m add on plan figured this out as my plan is just "Halo3" and outhers have had this issue.It's sad to see this is not like there wireless mesh discs that are not contract hardware locked, because this includes really nice duel SMA ports for hooking up Yagggi antennas for actually leveraging your local 4G towers radio links, wonderful product if it was an independent device.
A**R
BT refused me, so I bought this!
Had a catastrophic failure of my new fibre line due to a tree, spoke to BT who put me onto Halo 3 and sent me a Mobile hub. Mobile hub does not cover wired tech, so phoned and asked for Hybrid Connect. I was refused. Being rural, they did not want to overload the 4G mast. Explained I had been using 4G mobile internet before new line installed. Would not budge.I was told that the Hybrid Connect have SIM cards hardwired. Pure propaganda. This unit arrived and underneath was a SIM card holder.Simply took the SIM from the Mobile Hub and put it in.Due to the strength of 4G inside, I added the external antenna, on here for less than £20.I tried it out and within 3 minutes of the line being disconnected it was up and working. All wired kit still working.If BT say no, for as you are on a Black mast, pick this up. Oh and save the extra monthly cost of Halo 3+ too!
F**
Good
All good
M**K
Great peice of kit
Great price very easy to install. Reassurance if fibre Internet goes down my voip phones will still work as my wife has a care alarm.
A**C
Limited reduction to downtime. But it works! I am impressed with it!
* Reducing internet downtimeIf you expand your system for an extra monthly fee, to a EE Hybrid Connect it sounds like a great improvement, but i.m.h.o. it's not as impressive in reality as it looks on paper. It's easier to suggest to you go to YOUTUBE and view videos on how to install it than for me to guide you via text. if your connectivity on your BB Halo 2.0 falls over, this EE device automatically steps in and within 10 minutes the BB signal is not from the web cabling, but via your mobile 4G network. When the web connection recovers it steps aside and goes back to the Hub Halo 2.0 BB streaming. Great? Well in my two experiences with this system, the speed varies from 26 Meg / Sec to 3 Meg / Sec. The second time it ran at 15 Meg / Sec. And it did work and did allow me to watch and complete streamed movies. Demanding works, such as online gaming, and remote team working projects are not supported.* Tips?You are shown when this hybrid is operating by having a constant purple light on your Hub Halo 2. And with 1, or 2, or 3 white bars on the hybrid box connected to this Halo 2 via ethernet.Please change the HUB 2.0 password. Put in your browser URL 192.168.1.254 and press enter. The password that comes with it is printed on a panel on the back of the hub. I put a 20 alphanumeric password replacement in. I have experience with previous router hubs of hackers them turning my device off when connecting. Write this unique password down where you can get it as required. If you lose this updated password you can press the reset button for as long as it takes to change the hub colours or around 30 Seconds and the password is back to the original and what's on the back of the hubAnother tip is you would be surprised by the changes in reception strength by moving this device three feet closer to a window and avoiding a brick wall. Its reception strength jumped from 1 blue bar to 2 bars with this simple move.* CommentaryTo attack this from the outside of my network is very difficult, being there are two firewalls - one software and one physical. It's much easier to go where the hub is physically and press the manual hardware reset button and enter this old password. This is one reason why I suggested changing the password to this router.My belief of complete invulnerability was shattered when ( 23 January 2023) recently, a BT engineer used an ordinary laptop and with some BT software utility used a secret backdoor in my PC security to bypass the firewalls and all of my account's independent passwords and straight into my PC as if no security software was present! He was testing my PC setup and guarded his software carefully. This app for an Android smartphone is called MY BT.Another BT Openreach engineer commented (12/05/2023) that sometimes in his recent experiences with six customers with this same device, this hybrid can be 'pushy' to overtake and take control of the Home Hub 2.0 router. He agrees it's a good backup system that works, but to get around this pushy trait suggested turning this hybrid device off until it's required. I am following this advice from the Openreach engineer.* SummaryIt's a reliable great performing Hub that very rarely falls over. It falls over about once a year. But recall there is no 100% strength security with all devices. Just doing the best you can is the most you can do.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 month ago