Although available separately, we've reviewed BT's new Internet hardware along with a new 8Mbps ADSL connection, and if you're thinking of upgrading your ADSL in the near future this might be the best route to getting hold of the hardware components, since they come free and ready configured with the more expensive package.

The two products, the wireless router and the phone, are designed to complement one another. It's hard to escape the apparent influence of the iPod (white, curved and shiny), but they do look stylish and modern. The phone has a slightly cheap feel but does at least look good. It sports a small colour screen and the charger base can be standalone or can be attached to the router for the ultimate lifestyle statement.

The Home Hub is a wireless ADSL router with 802.11g, built-in firewall, two RJ45 connections and built-in voice over IP (VoIP) capability. It stands upright and has slots in the top for ventilation. Green lights on the front clearly indicate when there is wireless activity, data being transferred, Internet phone connected, etc. Since our Home Hub arrived with a new ADSL connection, BT pre-configured it and we didn't need to install anything or enter any username or password. Installation simply entailed plugging it in.

USB, Ethernet, VoIP socket converter, two microfilters and DSL cable are all provided, and setting the Home Hub up only took a minute, without needing to consult a manual. For the sake of BT Customer Services, we have to say at this point that we can't condone ignoring the manual. Don't blame us if your installation goes wrong! Once set up, the Hub auto-negotiates a maximum line speed with BT to try to ensure the fastest reliable connection speed possible on the line. On our line, this turned out to be a little over 5Mbps.

One really nice feature is pre-configured wireless security, which addresses a growing issue as more and more households use WiFi without understanding the technology. We first tested the Home Hub with a laptop and were surprised to see that the connection was 'secure' out of the box, although the default setting is only 64bit WEP encryption. We were just about to connect with a network cable when we noticed the encryption key listed on the back of the Hub. This meant that we could connect a laptop securely without installing any software or configuring any confusing settings via an HTML-based control panel.

The default setup is all geared towards ease of use and no doubt fewer calls into the helpdesk. The Web-based control panel, for example, is an 'information only' affair by default: there are no options to change anything unless you log in as an administrator, and even then many of the more dangerous settings are hidden away.

However, rest assured it is possible to set up port forwarding (for example, so you can run a Web server on a machine on your home network and access it from elsewhere), change the WiFi settings, encryption, etc., so long as you're happy searching around. Since the hub has a firmware reset button on the back, if you enter some settings that stop the router working, you can at least return it to a working state.

In use, we experienced intermittent connection issues with a Toshiba laptop and other machines with PCI WiFi cards. This seemed to be related to DHCP. While this didn't go away completely, it did happen less frequently after a few days, perhaps after one of the automatic updates from BT. We also noticed that the WiFi mode seemed to switch between 11Mbps and 54Mbps, for some unknown reason. On the whole, however, these issues didn't prove to be a real problem.

The Hub Phone needs to be paired with the Hub, which is a simple procedure. Additionally, the corresponding account needs to be activated with BT. Since BT supplies a separate telephone number for this phone, in effect you get two telephone numbers with the one landline.

The phone was simple to use. It features polyphonic ringtones, although none of them are very good. It also features time and date display and, more usefully, a phone book. If you're expecting this phone to be ultra modern and sophisticated, think again. It neither feels or works like any decent mobile phone. On the other hand, we've not seen anything much better at this price point, so perhaps it's unfair to compare it to a mobile phone.

Verdict
Despite some initial teething troubles with dropped wireless connections and a phone that feels a little cheaper than the advertised price, this is still a package that deserves recommendation thanks to simple setup, tight integration of services and general style.

Company: BT

Tags: wi-fi ipod voice over ip asymmetric digital subscriber line dynamic host configuration protocol digital subscriber line iphone wireless