200M Hub 4

rhooton · 24-03-2021, 22:42

Hi I received an email from Virgin today stating they would love to update by Hub (from Hub 3 to Hub 4) for free. The reason claimed is to improve my WIFI. However, I run my HUB 3 in modem mode so whether the HUB is good at WIFI is of no interest. Also, I'm only on 200Mb broadband (and in the centre of Brighton the max I can get is 350Mb) and from previous threads HUB 4 is only of benefit speed-wise for speeds greater than 600Mb but are there any other reasons why I should accept Virgin's kind offer?

According to the email all I have to do is claim my HUB 4! The email is plastered with buttons to press to start the claim process (ok, two buttons) for self installation.

I'm wondering what's in it for Virgin seeing as it will cost them money and I haven't complained about poor WIFI so why the offer?

I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth however, so advice welcome.

SnoopZ · 24-03-2021, 22:48

If they email me offering a Hub 4 replacement for free on my 200mbit connection I would snap their hand off!

I'm sure there are no disadvantages only improvement, not sure what they are though.

pip08456 · 24-03-2021, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhooton

Hi I received an email from Virgin today stating they would love to update by Hub (from Hub 3 to Hub 4) for free. The reason claimed is to improve my WIFI. However, I run my HUB 3 in modem mode so whether the HUB is good at WIFI is of no interest. Also, I'm only on 200Mb broadband (and in the centre of Brighton the max I can get is 350Mb) and from previous threads HUB 4 is only of benefit speed-wise for speeds greater than 600Mb but are there any other reasons why I should accept Virgin's kind offer?

According to the email all I have to do is claim my HUB 4! The email is plastered with buttons to press to start the claim process (ok, two buttons) for self installation.

I'm wondering what's in it for Virgin seeing as it will cost them money and I haven't complained about poor WIFI so why the offer?

I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth however, so advice welcome.

The hub4 also has modem only mode. It can however handle more channels than the hub3. If it's a free upgrade I'd take it.

rhooton · 24-03-2021, 22:52

Thanks for the quick responses! I'll press that button!

Mr K · 25-03-2021, 10:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

If they email me offering a Hub 4 replacement for free on my 200mbit connection I would snap their hand off!

I'm sure there are no disadvantages only improvement, not sure what they are though.

Why? I'm happy with my hub 2ac. I pay for 200mb, and it gives me 220mb constantly. Don't know what more I expect it to do really. It it ain't broke....

General Maximus · 25-03-2021, 12:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr K

Why? I'm happy with my hub 2ac. I pay for 200mb, and it gives me 220mb constantly. Don't know what more I expect it to do really. It it ain't broke....

something to keep an eye on though. As speeds increase across the board you may find the channels you use becoming more saturated and your speed suffering as a result. Shub2 uses 8 ds channels and shub3 uses 24 channels which is a big difference. I am all for "if it ain't broken don't fix it" but migrating to the shub3 is a very good way to mitigate future problems.

newapollo · 25-03-2021, 13:47

In the past the hub 4's were only sent out to customers on the 1gb connection, or to those in areas of high utilisation.

Info below published 21st October 2020 https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.ph...ter-again.html

At the time the wider, albeit still very limited, distribution seemed designed to benefit areas suffering from weak WiFi or high utilisations (i.e. where local lines are being heavily used). The HUB 4.0 can bond 32 channels together, while the HUB 3.0 can only do 24 (i.e. the new router can be harnessed by those on slower packages to deliver an improvement, provided the operator supports the bonding change in those locations).

rhooton · 26-03-2021, 08:43

Maybe high utilisation is one reason for the offer. During the day (since people started working from home, me included) my upload speed has been awful (sometimes much less than 1Mbs) making conference calls problematic

weesteev · 26-03-2021, 09:36

The Hub 4 allows bonding of more channels allowing for faster speeds in future, it has a better chipset and better Wifi capabilities than the other current units as well. It benefits VM from a maintenance point of view to migrate more customers to newer equipment and allows much faster provisioning of new services in future if modern CPE is already in place.

Nothing sinister here, its a hardware upgrade to make everyones life better.

Mr K · 26-03-2021, 11:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by weesteev

The Hub 4 allows bonding of more channels allowing for faster speeds in future, it has a better chipset and better Wifi capabilities than the other current units as well. It benefits VM from a maintenance point of view to migrate more customers to newer equipment and allows much faster provisioning of new services in future if modern CPE is already in place.

Nothing sinister here, its a hardware upgrade to make everyones life better.

I'm glad it makes people's lives better/more worthwhile, it sounds brilliant.
Can it protect you from Covid though?

BenMcr · 26-03-2021, 11:51

Yes, by allowing you to work from home if you're allowed to

Synthetic · 26-03-2021, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Yes, by allowing you to work from home if you're allowed to

Love it