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BT unveils new BT Home Hub that combats Wi-Fi interference

BT has announced a new wireless router which will be available from the end of this month.

The BT Home Hub 3, according to BT, will provide a better and reliable wireless connection due to less interference from other electronic devices.

Electronic interference can often cause the Wi-Fi signal to drop or not work at all and is caused by electronic devices such as cordless phones, microwaves, bluetooth devices and other wireless networks.

When interference is an issue, it is possible to manually change the wireless channel used by the router manually but  the Home Hub 3 will do this automatically.  Whilst many routers have an auto mode that connects to the best channel, many users find that they still have to choose a wireless channel manually to avoid issues.

The Home Hub 3 gets around this issue using “Smart Wireless” technology, where it will connect to a wireless channel with the least interference and also monitor the channel.   If the channel starts to become busy, it will switch to another channel.

It’s also more energy efficient and BT says it typically uses a third less power and 25 percent less plastic.  It adjusts power consumption based on connectivity and traffic detection.

It will be available from the 28th February 2011, and is free for new customers buying BT Total Broadband or BT Infinity (standalone or as part of a bundle) . Existing customers can also get it for £46 (half retail price) by calling BT.

Find out more at the BT website.

BT Home Hub 3 specifications (from BT)

• Wireless: 802.11N standard wireless technology
• Spectrum: 2.4 GHz public spectrum band
• Data rate: 144 Mbit/s (Max), optional 40 MHz mode to 300 Mbit/s (Max)
• Security: WPA 2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) as standard, built in firewall
• Connections: 1 x Broadband (DSL) socket, 1 x Infinity socket, 4 x Ethernet (includes 1Gb Ethernet), 1 x USB master
• Dimensions: Height 106.8mm x width 185mm x depth 62.2mm
• Weight: 350g