What router do you get with Three Mobile Home Broadband?
Three Home Broadband provides 4G and 5G broadband to customers across the UK using its own network. It’s a plug and play setup with no fixed lines, line rental or engineer visits.
All of Three’s SIM plans come with an unlimited data plan and are competitive broadband deals.
If you’re in a 5G network coverage area, it's by no means a compromise; the new Three 5G hub offers high-speed downloads of up to 1Gb!
If you don’t have a strong 5G signal in your home, the new 5G Outdoor Hub could be the answer. Place the hub outside your property so it picks up a good signal and link it to the router via Wi-Fi. Easy!
Three Home Broadband Hubs: the key points
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Three mainly uses two devices for home broadband, depending on the package you sign up to - the 5G Home Hub and the 4G Home Hub. Both are well-designed and deliver decent broadband speeds.
There’s also the new 5G Outdoor Hub that combines an exterior mounted hub and a new eero Wi-Fi 6 router.
The router you will get depends on whether you have 4G or 5G in your area, and all routers are free with your package.
They use a modern white design and are compact enough that they could fit onto a windowsill. There are no external antennas, even though they provide reliable mobile Wi-Fi throughout the home.
The internal hub includes simple lighting and, other than needing mains power, there are no wires involved.
The Outdoor Hub is plain white and unobtrusive, so won’t impact your home’s aesthetic. It will require mains power, but has no visible antenna, but it does include small status lights.
| Router Name | Included with package: |
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| 5G Home Hub | Three 5G Unlimited Home Broadband |
| 4G Home Hub | Three 4G Unlimited Home Broadband |
| 5G Outdoor Hub |
Additional option for those with weaker signals |
The 4G and 5G hubs are standard on all Three broadband packages and replace the older Huawei HomeFi and HomeFi Plus routers.
The 5G Outdoor Hub is an optional extra, useful if the signal is weak within your home.
Three 5G Hub specifications
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Three 4G Hub specifications
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Three 5G eero router for outside hub specifications
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Three 5G Outside Hub specifications
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Do I get to keep my Three Home Broadband hub after my contract is over?
No, you don’t get to keep your Three Home Broadband hub after your contract is over. The contract states all equipment is loaned as part of the contract and remains the property of Three. You’ll need to return it once your contract is up.
Three will notify you of the exact steps, which is currently a prepaid returns bag.
Be aware that there’s a fee for not returning the 5G Home Broadband hub. At the time of writing, that fee can be as high as £350 while you’re within the money-back guarantee period, or £105 once that period is up.
Is a Three hub easy to set up?
Yes, a Three Home Broadband hub is easy to set up. In fact, it mostly sets itself up, so there’s very little for you to do.
As Three Broadband uses mobile networks, you’ll need to place your hub close to a window to maximise signal strength.
Once in place, plug it in and give it a few minutes to establish a broadband connection.
Then, use the details on the base of the hub to log in. Search for the wireless network name (SSID) on your device and enter the default Wi-Fi password (ADMIN).
The hub has two Ethernet ports if you’d prefer to use a wired connection instead.
The Three Broadband App can be used to monitor your account and perform basic tasks.
Here’s a video showing you how to set up a Three Home Broadband hub:
Setting up the Three 5G Outdoor Hub is straightforward, but you’ll need to install it yourself. You can use a wall mount, sticky pads, pole mount or a window stand.
You’ll need to insert a SIM, connect the hub to power using a flat cable and join it to your Wi-Fi network, but it’s all straightforward enough.
How can I improve the Wi-Fi signal of my Three hub?
You can improve the Wi-Fi signal of your Three Hub in several ways:
- Place the hub close to the window to ensure the strongest mobile signal. If you have a window close to the centre of your home, all the better! Signals radiate in 360 degrees.
- Don’t place the hub close to any large objects, especially appliances. Anything that blocks the wireless signal will impact coverage, so keep the area clear.
- Use the Huawei app provided by Three to check mobile signal around the home. Use the Optimize Location option within the app to test signal, and place the hub where it’s strongest.
- Use a Wi-Fi repeater. Wi-Fi repeaters plug into a wall socket and boost the wireless signal around the home. They are cheap and easy to use and are definitely worth trying.
- Use a mesh kit. Mesh kits use an extra router and repeaters to boost the wireless signal around the home. They are more expensive than repeaters, but can generate a stronger signal.
- Use a powerline adapter. Powerline adapters plug into a wall socket and turn your home’s electrics into a network. Plug one end close to your router and use Ethernet to connect them. Plug the other where you want a connection and use Ethernet to connect that to your device.
For more practical tips, you can read our guides:
- Where’s the best place to put a Wi-Fi router?
- What is mesh Wi-Fi? How it work, and how to use it to boost your broadband
What’s the password for a Three Home hub?
The default password for a Three Home Hub is usually ADMIN. You should find the login details on a sticker on the bottom of the hub.
As everyone knows the password, we recommend changing it as soon as you have connected. We also recommend changing the default Wi-Fi password too.
You can change them within the settings menu of the router once you’re logged in.
Are Three hubs good value for money?
Three Hubs are good value for money. They perform well and are included with the price of your home broadband package.
You’ll receive a 5G hub with the 5G Home Broadband package and a 4G hub with the 4G Home Broadband package.
The 5G Outdoor Hub is an optional paid extra available with either plan.
They are yours to use while you remain a Three customer. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee too if you’re not completely happy.
What are the standout Three hub features?
Standout features of the Three hub include the simple design, and plug and play setup. As a bonus, both devices support eero mesh technology, too.
The simple white design keeps the router low-key, while providing status lights that are easy to see. As the hub needs to be on a windowsill, we’re pleased to say its simple design doesn’t dominate a room.
One key advantage of mobile home broadband is no landline. Similar to using a mobile dongle, these devices are ‘plug and play’. Rather than needing an engineer visit or to set up cabling, you can plug the hub into the wall, give it time to find the network, and it’s ready to go.
Meanwhile, eero is a mesh technology that allows you to use repeaters throughout your home to boost wireless signal.
Three Home Hub pros and cons
| We like | We don't like |
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For more on this, read our expert Three broadband review.
Can I keep my Three hub if I have to move and downgrade my broadband?
Yes, you can keep your Three hub if you have to move and downgrade your broadband. As long as you’re within a coverage area and keep your contract, you can keep using the hub.
Add your postcode to the coverage checker to make sure your new home will still be able to use Three Home Broadband.
If you’re out of coverage, you may have to cancel your Three contract. Unfortunately, this might result in an early termination fee. Get in touch with Three’s customer service team to discuss your options.
Can I use my own router with Three Mobile Home Broadband?
You can’t use your own router with Three Mobile Home Broadband. The nature of mobile broadband means only a router that’s fully compatible with the network will be able to connect.
You can use your own router in addition to the Three hub, though. Just not instead of it.
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How to check Three’s 4G and 5G coverage
You can use Three’s coverage checker to investigate whether you can get 4G or 5G signal on your mobile phone or home broadband hub. Enter your postcode, and you’ll see a clear result of the type of network you have access to, and whether it’s strong enough for indoor use.
Expert Summary
Three 4G and 5G hubs are smart looking devices that deliver the ease of use and wireless connectivity we look for.
The optional 5G Outdoor Hub could be useful for households with poor interior 5G signals that could provide real benefit to connectivity.
As long as you have a strong enough 5G or 4G broadband signal and a windowsill to place the hub, you should get impressive download and upload speeds. You should be able to set up a reliable Wi-Fi network within your home should be equally impressive thanks to strong antennas within the device.
Setup is simple, and each router comes with an app to help you manage your connection and usage. It’s a well-designed offering that makes it as simple as possible to get online.
Combine that with competitively priced broadband packages with unlimited data and there’s every reason to consider Three Home Broadband!
How do these routers offerings square up against other broadband providers? Find out with these other router round-ups: