The BT Smart Hub 3 is BT's latest broadband router, replacing the Smart Hub 2 after almost eight years.
The new router supports WiFi 6, offering faster wireless speeds and better performance when more devices are connected.
It also adds WPA3 security and Hub Threat Protect, while working with BT's Complete Wi-Fi Plus service for whole-home coverage.
Quick answer: What is the BT Smart Hub 3?
The BT Smart Hub 3 is BT's latest WiFi 6 router, launched in May 2026 and supplied to new customers taking BT broadband.
Key facts:
- WiFi 6 router (802.11ax)
- Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless
- 4x4 MU-MIMO on the 5GHz band
- Seven internal WiFi antennas
- Four gigabit Ethernet ports
- 2.5Gbps WAN port for full fibre connections
- WPA3 security and Hub Threat Protect
The router supports BT's fastest full fibre broadband speeds, with a 2.5Gbps WAN connection from the ONT and four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices. Over WiFi, compatible WiFi 6 devices can achieve much faster speeds than with the older Smart Hub 2, although performance will depend on distance, interference and the device being used.
To extend WiFi coverage throughout larger homes, the Smart Hub 3 works with BT's Complete Wi-Fi Plus service, which uses additional WiFi extenders to create broader coverage around the home.
The biggest improvements over the Smart Hub 2 are most noticeable on WiFi 6 compatible devices, with better management of multiple simultaneous connections alongside WPA3 security. BT has also introduced Hub Threat Protect, which monitors network traffic and blocks potentially malicious connections at router level.
The Smart Hub 3 doesn't support WiFi 6E or WiFi 7, however, and its four LAN ports remain limited to gigabit speeds. Customers wanting BT Group's latest WiFi 7 hardware will need to look at EE's newer broadband routers instead.
BT Smart Hub 3 specifications
The BT Smart Hub 3 is a dual-band WiFi 6 router, supporting the 802.11ax standard across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless bands.
It has seven internal WiFi antennas, with 4x4 MU-MIMO support on the 5GHz band to improve capacity when several compatible devices are connected at the same time.
The main specifications are:
| Specification | BT Smart Hub 3 |
|---|---|
| WiFi standard | WiFi 6 (802.11ax) |
| WiFi bands | 2.4GHz and 5GHz |
| Antennas | 7 internal antennas |
| MIMO | 4x4 MU-MIMO (5GHz) |
| Ethernet | 4 x Gigabit Ethernet |
| WAN | 1 x 2.5Gbps WAN |
| Security | WPA2 / WPA3 |
| Mesh WiFi | Complete Wi-Fi Plus |
| Broadband backup | Hybrid Connect |
| Security software | Hub Threat Protect |
| Management | MyBT app |
WiFi 6 is the main upgrade over the previous Smart Hub 2, which uses the older WiFi 5 standard. As well as supporting higher wireless speeds, WiFi 6 is designed to handle more simultaneous connections efficiently, which can help in households with lots of phones, laptops, smart TVs and other connected devices.
The 2.5Gbps WAN port also gives the Smart Hub 3 more capacity between the Openreach ONT and router than its predecessor. However, each of the four Ethernet LAN ports is limited to 1Gbps, so individual wired devices can't make use of multi-gigabit speeds.
Who gets the BT Smart Hub 3?
The BT Smart Hub 3 is now the standard router provided to new BT broadband customers, regardless of the broadband speed they choose.
That means customers taking both part-fibre and full-fibre packages should receive the newer WiFi 6 router:
Existing customers with a Smart Hub 2 won't automatically receive the newer router simply because the Smart Hub 3 has launched.
BT is offering a free Smart Hub 3 upgrade to customers still using the original Smart Hub, while Smart Hub 2 customers can choose to upgrade for £50.
This makes the Smart Hub 3 considerably more accessible than routers that are restricted to premium broadband tiers or paid WiFi upgrades, as new BT customers get WiFi 6 regardless of the package they choose.
