Connecting and setting up your BT Hub

Follow these instructions to get the fastest possible speed with your BT Smart Hub 2.

1. Recycle your existing kit

If you have it, unplug all your old broadband kit, including your old power plug. You can re-use your filter and Ethernet cables so please keep them. 

2. Connect

Plug the broadband cable (grey ends) into your Hub and the other end into your master phone socket. A master socket is the main socket for the phone line in your home. It's not an extension socket. Depending on your socket type, you might need to use a filter.

Full Fibre customers won’t use microfilters. Instead the Smart Hub 2 connects to the Openreach modem (or ONT).  The red-ended Ethernet cable goes from the ‘Port/LAN1’ slot on the ONT to the port marked ‘WAN,’ which is yellow on the Smart Hub 2.

If your Smart Hub 2 doesn’t have a ‘WAN’ port, you may have been sent the wrong Hub. If this happens get in touch with us.

In order to get download speeds of 100Mbps and over, it’s important you use the supplied red Cat5e Ethernet cable, if you use another cable you may get slower speeds. 

3. Plug in

Slide the two parts of the Hub's power plug together until they click into place.

Connect the power cable to your Hub, plug it in at the wall and switch the socket on.

4. Position your Hub

It's vital to put your BT Hub in the right place: the nearer it is to where you use it, the better. Solid surfaces like walls, doors, wardrobes and cupboards slow down your wi-fi speeds.

Depending on the position of the Openreach modem, fibre customers might not be able to change the position of their BT Hub. 

5. Turn Hub on

Press the Power button on the back of the Hub to turn it on. The light on the front will change colours while your Hub sets itself up. This takes a few minutes.

Your Hub is ready when the light turns steady blue. If it isn't blue, see connection troubleshooting below for help with connecting.

6. Connect your devices

You'll need your Hub's wireless network name and password. They're on the back of your Hub. Your Hub will be called something like BT-XXYYXX. If your device supports WPS, just press the WPS button on your Hub - it's a quick way to connect. 

Connect to a BT Hub using wi-fi >

7. Connection troubleshooting

Check the lights on your Hub:  If you can't get online, check the colour of the light in front of your Hub.

What do the lights on my BT Hub mean? >

Fibre customers: Many faults can be fixed by power cycling the Openreach modem – turning it off and on again. 

1. Disconnect the red Ethernet cable that connects the modem to the Smart Hub.
2. If your modem has a Battery Backup Unit (BBU), disconnect the cable connecting the BBU and the modem.
3. Unplug the battery pack from the power supply. If you don’t have a battery unit, unplug the modem.
4. Wait 5 minutes, then start reconnecting the cables.  
5. Wait until the lights on the modem are solid green, then plug in the Smart Hub. 

If you've still got problems, try our Broadband troubleshooter >

8. Connecting your Wi-Fi disc

If you've got Complete Wi-Fi and need help connecting your Wi-Fi disc, see How do I set up Complete Wi-Fi? >

Download the relevant user guide below or follow these instructions to get the fastest possible speed with your BT Smart Hub.

  BT Smart Hub self-install user guide - new customer

  BT Smart Hub self-install user guide - existing customer

1. Recycle your existing kit

If you have it, unplug all your old broadband kit, including your old power plug. You can re-use your filter and Ethernet cables so please keep them. 

Send your old equipment back to us for recycling >

2. Connect

Plug the broadband cable (grey ends) into your Hub and the other end into your master phone socket. A master socket is the main socket for the phone line in your home. It's not an extension socket. Depending on your socket type, you might need to use a filter.

3. Plug in

Slide the two parts of the Hub's power plug together until they click into place.

Connect the power cable to your Hub, plug it in at the wall and switch the socket on.

4. Position your Hub

It's vital to put your BT Hub in the right place: the nearer it is to where you use it, the better. Solid surfaces like walls, doors, wardrobes and cupboards slow down your wi-fi speeds.

Depending on the position of the Openreach modem, fibre customers might not be able to change the position of their BT Hub. 

5. Turn Hub on

Press the Power button on the back of the Hub to turn it on. The light on the front will change colours while your Hub sets itself up. This takes a few minutes.

Your Hub is ready when the light turns steady blue. If it isn't blue, see connection troubleshooting below for help with connecting.

6. Connect your devices

You'll need your Hub's wireless network name and password. They're on the back of your Hub. Your Hub will be called something like BTHub6-ABCD. If your device supports WPS, just press the WPS button on your Hub - it's a quick way to connect.

Connect to a BT Hub using wi-fi >

7. Connection troubleshooting

Check the lights on your Hub:  If you can't get online, check the colour of the light in front of your Hub.

Fibre customers: Many faults can be fixed by power cycling the Openreach modem – turning it off and on again. 

1. Disconnect the red Ethernet cable that connects the modem to the Smart Hub.
2. If your modem has a Battery Backup Unit (BBU), disconnect the cable connecting the BBU and the modem.
3. Unplug the battery pack from the power supply. If you don’t have a battery unit, unplug the modem.
4. Wait 5 minutes, then start reconnecting the cables.  
5. Wait until the lights on the modem are solid green, then plug in the Smart Hub.

If you've still got problems, try our Broadband troubleshooter >

Here's how to set up a Hub 4 or Hub 5. Remember, if you've a Hub 4 and Fibre broadband then you'll need to set it up with the Openreach modem - see the instructions further down.

If you've a Hub 4 or Broadband (copper broadband) download the relevant user guide below or follow these instructions.

  BT Home Hub 4 user guide

  BT Home Hub 5 - Information and troubleshooting guide (for Fibre you install yourself)

1. Recycle your existing kit

If you have it, unplug all your old broadband kit, including your old power plug. You can re-use your filter and Ethernet cables, so please keep them. 

If you're not sure what the Hub 5 looks like, it's the one with the blue line across the front.

Send your old equipment back to us for recycling >

2. Connect

Plug the broadband cable (grey ends) into your Hub and the other end into your master phone socket. A master socket is the main socket for the phone line in your home. It's not an extension socket. Depending on your socket type, you might need to use a filter.

Full Fibre customers won’t use microfilters. Instead the Home Hub 5 connects to the Openreach modem (or ONT).  The red-ended Ethernet cable goes from the Port/LAN1 slot on the ONT to the red port marked ‘WAN’ on the Home Hub 5.

If your Hub doesn’t have a red ‘WAN’ port, you may have been sent the wrong Hub type. If this happens get in touch with us.

In order to get download speeds of 100Mbps and over, it’s important you use the supplied red Cat5e Ethernet cable, if you use another cable you may get slower speeds.  

3. Plug in

Slide the two parts of the Hub's power plug together until they click into place.

Connect the power cable to your Hub, plug it in at the wall and switch the socket on.

4. Position your Hub

It's vital to put your BT Hub in the right place: the nearer it is to where you use it, the better. Solid surfaces like walls, doors, wardrobes and cupboards slow down your wi-fi speeds.

Depending on the position of the Openreach modem, fibre customers might not be able to change the position of their BT Hub. 

5. Turn Hub on

Press the Power button on the Hub to turn it on. The light on the front will change colours while your Hub sets itself up. This takes a few minutes.

Your Hub is ready when the light turns steady blue. If it isn't blue, see connection troubleshooting below for help with connecting.

6. Connect your devices

You'll need your Hub's wireless network name and password. They're on the back of your Hub. Your Hub will be called something like BTHub6-ABCD. If your device supports WPS, just press the WPS button on your Hub - it's a quick way to connect.

Connect to a BT Hub using wi-fi >

7. Connection troubleshooting

Check the lights on your Hub:  If you can't get online, check the colour of the light in front of your Hub. 

Fibre customers:  Many faults can be fixed by power cycling the Openreach modem – turning it off and on again. 

1. Disconnect the red Ethernet cable that connects the modem to the Smart Hub.
2. If your modem has a Battery Backup Unit (BBU), disconnect the cable connecting the BBU and the modem.
3. Unplug the battery pack from the power supply. If you don’t have a battery unit, unplug the modem.
4. Wait 5 minutes, then start reconnecting the cables.  
5. Wait until the lights on the modem are solid green, then plug in the Smart Hub.

If you've still got problems, try our Broadband troubleshooter >

Here's how to set up a Hub 3. Remember, if you've got Fibre broadband you'll need to set up your Hub with the Openreach modem - see the instructions further down.

If you've got Broadband (copper broadband) download the user guide below or follow these instructions.

  BT Home Hub 3 - BT Total Broadband getting started (2012-2013 version)

1. Recycle your existing kit

If you have it, unplug all your old broadband kit, including the old power plug, filters and Ethernet cables and send it back to us for recycling >

2. Connect

Plug the broadband cable (grey ends) into your Hub and the other end into your master phone socket.

A master socket is the main socket for the phone line in your home. It's not an extension socket

3. Turn Hub on

Press the Power button on the Hub to switch it on

4. You're online

Give it a couple of minutes. A steady blue light on the front of the Hub means everything's OK.

Any problems?

If you've been activated, double check everything is connected properly before trying our connection troubleshooter >

If you've got fibre broadband and a Hub 3 or Hub 4, then you'll need to use an Openreach modem. Download the user guide below or follow these instructions on how to set things up:

  BT Home Hub 3 - BT Infinity getting started (2012-2013 version)

1. Recycle your existing kit

If you have it, unplug all your old broadband kit, including the old power plug, filters and Ethernet cables.

Send your old equipment back to us for recycling >

2. Connect

Plug the broadband cable (grey ends) into your master socket and the other end into the Openreach modem.

The master socket is the main socket for the phone line in your home. It's not an extension socket.

Connect your Openreach Ethernet cable (the one with red ends) to the back of the Openreach modem and to the "Wan" port on the back of your Hub (also coloured red).

3. Make sure the Openreach modem is powered up

The Power and DSL lights should be on.

4. Turn the Hub on

Press the Power button on the Hub to switch it on

5. You're online

Give it a couple of minutes. A steady blue light on the front of the Hub means everything's OK.

Any problems?

If you've been activated, double check everything is connected properly before trying our connection troubleshooter >