Using BT Router with EE

[#1]

I use a BT Smarthub 2 with my PN Unlimited Fibre Extra w/ line rental. I have it set up the way I want and use all four ethernet ports and have loads of gadgets connected by wifi.

If I move to EE, in order to keep a home phone, I assume that even if I could continue using my BT Router, I couldn't make use of the EE digital phone as I don't think there's a port for it on the BT Router.

And if i have to use the EE router, does anyone know how many ethernet ports it has?

I'm weighing up the pros and cons of staying with PN or moving to EE.

[#2]

My father has FTTP from EE with Digital Voice,   the telephone does need to be connected to the EE supplied Hub/Router.

Numbers of ports are not an issue a 8 port gigabit switch is available for little money.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

@geriatrix 

The EE Hub Plus SH31B has four LAN ports.

Regarding the land line, Digital Voice is not a standard VoIP product.

There is not a configuration screen for Digital Voice the landline number is associated with the attached Hub via the management system.

[#4]

" I assume that even if I could continue using my BT Router, I couldn't make use of the EE digital phone as I don't think there's a port for it on the BT Router."

Correct.

For all practical purposes the EE/BT phone line is tied to the router.

I think (I'm not near one for a day or two) the EE router still has 4 LAN ports available as the fibre connection (via the Openreach ONT) comes in on another socket.

I must confess that I had some concerns but the move to full fibre and digital voice (via BT) went remarkably smoothly.

The one thing we found was that outgoing calls worked immediately but it toook an overnight for the incoming calls to move to digital voice. If you can, leave a phone plugged into the old line.  

[#5]

Thankss for the replies. Very helpful. I'm leaning towards staying with PN, keeping my BT Router and doing without the landline, but that might change!

[#6]

A couple of afterthoughts.

1) If the phone not working in a power outage would be a problem to you, ask for a battery backup unit.

2) If you use your landline to any extend and value "minimum change" then probably the EE/BT digital voice is the way to go.

There are other approaches (stay with Plusnet and get some other VoIP solution) but for simplicity I would say the EE approach wins.

[#7]

If keeping your home phone is important, you're right to check router compatibility. EE's Digital Voice service typically requires using an EE Smart Hub because the phone connects through the router's dedicated phone port. The BT Smart Hub 2 doesn't normally support EE's digital phone service, even though it works fine for broadband.

As for Ethernet ports, the EE Smart Hub has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, so you shouldn't lose any wired connectivity. If you ever need more, you can always add an inexpensive Gigabit network switch.

Before switching, it might also be worth comparing the overall package price, contract length, customer support, and whether EE's faster speeds or bundled features offer enough value over Plusnet for your needs.