EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus review

At the time of writing, EE sells two different 5G home broadband routers. There’s the top-end EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Pro, and the slightly lower end EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus, and it’s that second router we’ll be looking at here.

Being lower end, it also costs a little less, while still matching its pricier sibling in a lot of ways, so is this the right choice for you, or should you splurge on the top-tier model?

Design

The EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is a rebranded Askey HH72C, and it’s a mostly white rectangle with a black section at the bottom, and a keyhole-like shape on the front with lights in it.

It’s not a particularly eye-catching device but then few routers are, and arguably this isn’t the sort of product that you want to turn heads.

Instead, this should fit in with most home decor, and its buttons and ports are tucked away at the back, which isn’t a problem since you shouldn’t need to access them often. These buttons and ports include a power button, a WPS button, a reset button, a USB port for the power supply, and Ethernet ports.

Setup

Setting up the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is much the same as setting up most 5G home broadband routers.

First, lift the SIM cover on the base and insert the SIM card until it plugs into place. Then, plug the router in, and switch it on (using the button on the back). Wait for the light on the front to turn solid aqua, and at that point it should be broadcasting a network.

To connect, you can either use the network name and Wi-Fi password printed on the base of the device and on the included Keep Me card, or you can scan the QR code on that card, or press the WPS button (if your device supports WPS). You can also plug in an Ethernet cable for a wired connection.

It’s a simple process and doesn’t require an engineer’s assistance, so unlike fibre broadband this is quick and easy to set up yourself.

Performance and speeds

EE doesn’t advertise the peak speeds that its Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is capable of, but it does say that you can expect average speeds of 146Mbps on 5G and 40Mbps on 4G, though this may vary depending on coverage in your area.

That’s roughly in line with the averages we’re seeing on EE’s network in various independent tests, so it makes sense, though peak speeds could be far higher. For example, a RootMetrics report from the second half of 2025 found that EE’s 95th percentile 5G download speed (in other words close to the network’s highest) was 684.0Mbps.

Tests such as the one above suggest that EE’s 5G network is among the fastest, though Three’s potentially has it beat. When comparing this to fibre broadband, 5G still can’t match the highest full fibre speeds, with some plans reaching around 2Gbps, but many part fibre plans are still under 100Mbps, which this can comfortably top.

Features and software

Perhaps the most notable feature of the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is that it can get over 100 devices online, where most rival devices top out at 64. Of course, 64 is still probably more than most homes will need, but if you have a lot of tech that you want to get online all at once, then this has a major advantage.

The EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus also has multiple Ethernet ports for wired connections, and it supports Wi-Fi 7, though it’s just a dual-band device, with support for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Most rival devices are also dual-band, but the pricier EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Pro is tri-band, which should allow for smoother and more consistent performance.

Alternatives

The primary alternative to the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Pro. As noted above, this is a tri-band device, adding the 6GHz band to the mix. EE describes this as “ideal for the busiest homes”, but in most other ways the Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus can match it, and the Pro model costs more, so it’s arguably overkill for most users.

There are also options on other networks, such as Three 5G Home Broadband. The Three 5G Hub you’ll get with this is capable of speeds of up to 3.8Gbps, though Three’s advertised speeds top out at 1Gbps. Still, Three performs well in tests, so if you have good coverage where you are there’s a chance you’ll get higher speeds here than with the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus – though you’ll only be able to get up to 64 devices online.

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There’s also the Vodafone 5G Hub, which again supports 64 simultaneous connections. Its theoretical peak speed is slightly lower at 3Gbps, but no networks are approaching that speed anyway. Still, Vodafone’s network doesn’t tend to perform quite as well in speed tests as either Three’s or EE’s, and its plans currently come with either a 50Mbps or 150Mbps speed cap.

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Or if you’re not sure which network is best for you, then you could sign up with National Broadband. They’ll pair a 5G router with coverage from whichever network they deem best in your area. Average speeds are advertised at over 100Mbps, though as with any of these devices, peak speeds could be far higher.

And of course fibre broadband is a possible alternative too. Generally if you have high-speed full fibre available in your area, this is the best choice – its speeds tend to top 5G’s, and the prices can either be similar or lower. But if you’re limited to part fibre or speeds of under 150Mbps, then 5G home broadband could be a better option.

Plans

The EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is available on a selection of 18-month plans, but note that some of these plans only offer 4G connectivity, so if you specifically want 5G, make sure you pick a plan that includes this.

Since this is a 5G-focused site, we’ll look mostly at those here, with the cheapest 5G plan being one with 500GB of monthly data for £45 per month and £100 upfront. For unlimited 5G data, you’ll have to pay £50 per month and £100 upfront, with 4G plans being slightly cheaper.

For comparison, the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Pro is available just on an 18-month unlimited data plan for £55 per month and £100 upfront, so it costs £5 a month more than an equivalent plan with the Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus.

But while the EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is the cheaper of the two, it’s still at the high end of 5G home broadband pricing. On Three for example, you can get a 12-month unlimited data plan for just £22 per month, or a 24-month one for £18 per month. Pricing on Vodafone is similar to Three’s as well, though slightly higher if you don’t want to be capped at 50Mbps speeds.

So that makes EE’s devices a tough sell unless this is the only network with a good 5G signal in your home.

Conclusion

The EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Plus is a highly capable 5G home broadband device. Its specs arguably have the edge over rivals – other than the even more high-end EE Smart 5G Hub 7 Pro – but it’s also priced higher than most rivals.

Judging this purely on the hardware coupled with the capabilities of EE’s network, it’s easy to recommend, and arguably a better choice than the Pro model, which mostly just adds tri-band technology to the mix.

But when factoring in price, it’s hard to see why most people would choose this over Three’s service – unless they only have EE coverage, or need to get vast numbers of devices online.

• Modem: 5G
• Colours: White
• Ethernet ports: 2
• Download speeds: averages 146Mbps
• Wi-Fi specs: Wi-Fi 7 dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz)
• External antenna: N/A
• Power: Mains powered
• Launch date: Out now