The BT Home Hub 4, BT Hub 5 and BT Smart Hub are dual‑band. This means they use two wireless frequencies for devices to connect to: 2.4GHz and 5GHz.
On these Hubs, the default setting uses the same network name (also known as the SSID) for both frequency bands. When a typical 5GHz‑capable device connects to this single SSID, it will automatically switch between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.
However, some devices do not handle a single SSID across both frequencies well.
As a result:
- The device may not connect wirelessly to the Hub.
- It may not connect to the 5GHz frequency, even in the same room.
- The wireless connection may be intermittent.
- The wireless connection may be very slow.
Devices that are known to have problems include:
- Some Apple devices, including the iPhone 5 and Apple TV.
- Some Android mobiles.
- Some Xbox consoles.
How to use separate network names
For some devices, you can fix this by using different network names (SSIDs) for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
To set this up:
- Open your web browser on a device connected to the Hub and go to bthomehub.home. This opens the Hub Manager.
- Select Advanced Settings and enter your Hub admin password when prompted. Unless you've changed it, the default password is on the Hub settings card.
- Select Continue to Advanced Settings.
- Select Wireless.
- Select 5GHz.
- Change Sync with 2.4GHz to No.
- Change the Wireless SSID to a new name. We recommend adding 5GHz to the end of the existing SSID so you can easily tell them apart.
- Select Apply to save your changes.
After a few minutes, you should see two BT Hub SSIDs in your device’s list of available networks. Your devices will continue to connect automatically to the original SSID, which is the 2.4GHz network.
If you want an existing dual‑band device to use 5GHz only, connect it manually to the renamed 5GHz SSID.
Things to keep in mind
While 5GHz can offer faster wireless speeds than 2.4GHz, it has a shorter range. To get the best performance, you may need to keep your device closer to the Hub than you would with the 2.4GHz network.