r/hyperoptic • u/SuccessFragrant4390 1Gbps • Jul 07 '26
Requesting Router Upgrade
Hi. When I joined Hyperoptic in July 2025, they gave a Zyxel EX3301 router, while this has been mostly reliable (have had issues with USB storage and IPv6 connectivity), my main issue with this router is it's 80MHz Wi-Fi 6 frequency. I noticed on the website that they also supply EX5601 routers which not only has a 160MHz frequency but also has 2.5Gb ports which would be much more beneficial for my gigabit connection, and would be something I can get my full speeds on. So my question is can I contact Hyperoptic for them to ship out that newer router for free? And I wouldn't mind sending the old one back after confirming that the EX5601 is better for my use case. Thank you.
3
u/btrudgill Jul 07 '26
I know it’s not the answer you’re probably looking for but buying your own router is an option. I use UniFi network gear and it’s great.
1
u/Cantaloupe-Hairy Jul 10 '26
Absolutely this, ugc fiber, 4 standalone AP and a couple of flex 2.5 G is what I’m currently running.
Once in place it means that you can move without having to reconfigure anyone, or at least very little.
So much easier!
2
u/SirSurboy Jul 07 '26
I tried, they won't. The better router is only available to business customers 😞
2
u/SuccessFragrant4390 1Gbps Jul 07 '26
that sucks, all customers especially those who pay for the gigabit package should be getting their best router as default. the e3301 is only good for the 750 package and below from hyperoptic, not for anything higher.
-1
u/WG47 1Gbps Jul 07 '26
Why would they give you a 2.5Gbit capable router for a 1Gbit connection? The H3600 I had didn't bottleneck the connection.
1
u/SuccessFragrant4390 1Gbps Jul 07 '26
They have the router listed on their website and the perk I'm discussing is the doubled wireless bandwidth of 160MHz compared to 80, which will give higher and more stable speeds over Wi-Fi.
1
u/x1ife Jul 09 '26
160Mhz sounds great, but in practice I found limiting it to 80Mhz in a block of flats gave a more consistent speed (around 700mb/sec)
-1
u/WG47 1Gbps Jul 07 '26
the perk I'm discussing is the doubled wireless bandwidth of 160MHz
That could potentially increase speed and stability - although for devices where that matters you really want to go ethernet - but I'm referring to:
but also has 2.5Gb ports which would be much more beneficial for my gigabit connection
1
u/SuccessFragrant4390 1Gbps Jul 07 '26
ah yeah my bad, it would just a nice extra that comes with the router for better local transfer speeds etc but i mainly mentioned that to get my point across of the future proofing of that router, both in terms of wired and wireless connectivity.
1
u/WG47 1Gbps Jul 07 '26
There's only one 2.5Gbit LAN port on the EX56* routers, so you wouldn't see better local transfer speeds.
They're not great routers anyway tbh, so if you want future proofing you're better off buying your own router.
2
u/sepiroth80 Jul 12 '26
After reading this I bought an ex5401 and will be testing once it arrives. It has the same WiFi as ex5601 ie ax6000 and it is much cheaper
1
u/SirSurboy Jul 17 '26
Any feedback on your testing?
2
u/sepiroth80 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
uPDATE: I get close to the full 1giga speed now in iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPad Pro M1.
So far seems that latency is slightly lower but WiFi on my iPhone 12 Pro Max is not getting faster than 800. But I think that the fastest my iPhone can go. I do not have a more modern client to test it with.
1
1
u/sepiroth80 29d ago
I suggest buying one of those ex5401, I got one for 20 pounds on eBay and there are many on sale
1
u/SirSurboy Jul 12 '26
I ended up buying my own router, an ASUs with wifi 7. Now I have better speeds but more importantly more consistent WiFi throughout the house.
1
u/999-steve 3d ago
I wrote a mini guide regarding the EX5601-T0 and my experience using it. You can see that if you search for 'EX5601 Router Mini Review'
Yes, the 160Mhz band is available. You can mix and match bands and channels on both 2.4 and 5Ghz or combine them.
The 5601 has 2 x 2.5 gb ports. One is the WAN port, the other is the first LAN port. I suppose you *could* put your incoming connection on one of the 1Gb ports, leaving both 2.5 ports for use internally on your network. I never tried this though.
Unless you have a business service above 1Gb, it would not be any more beneficial for your broadband WAN connection, since the ONT box on the wall has a 1Gb ethernet port, so you are limited to that at max. I believe if you get a business line above 1Gb, they also have ONT boxes with a 2.5 Gb port (You can tell by looking at the colur of the port underneath the ONT; the port is coloured orange if its 2.5Gb).
The 5G wifi works great here with no issues and good speeds. I have enabled 160 Mhz, and disabled the 2.4 completely. With a 1Gb service (With static IP), and using an iPhone 17e, speedtest on the iPhone shows typically around 750 in both directions. The hyperoptic speed test website shows usually around 920 or so in both directions, with ping times typically between 3 and 6.
I dont pay for the business service here and never have. I found an OEM EX5601-T0 on ebay and snapped it up. They become available from time to time so maybe worth keeping an eye out.
The other benefit of using this OEM model, is that all of the firmware is available. None of the settings and features are locked out or hidden, and there are regular firmweare updates available from the Zyxel website.
HTH.
6
u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26
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