Three’s latest 5G Hub router offers superfast download speeds of 100Mbps+. Plans start from £20 per month.
In the UK, Three’s latest 5G Hub router is now available from £20 per month, with unlimited data included on Three’s 5G home broadband service. This allows you to get superfast home broadband without the need for a landline.
The 5G Hub router (also known as the Zyxel NR5103E) supports a maximum download speed of 4.7Gbps (4,700Mbps). However, you won’t normally be able to get these speeds on the 5G networks of today. Instead, Three normally advertises an average download speed of 100-200Mbps (depending on your area), with peak download speeds of up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps).
In this article, we’ll review Three’s 5G Hub router. We’ll start by looking at how it works, and the best offers currently available on Three’s 5G home broadband. We’ll also look at the technical specifications and the network coverage available on the 5G Hub.
Prices From: | £20 per month |
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Contract Length: | 1 month or 24 months |
Download Speeds: | 100Mbps+ (average download speed) Will vary based on the signal strength & coverage in your area |
Model Number: | Zyxel NR5103E |
Availability: | Selected UK postcodes (check your postcode) |
Contents
What is the 5G Hub?
In the UK, the 5G Hub is Three’s latest 5G home broadband router. It allows all of your devices at home to get connected to the internet, including your laptops, tablets, mobile phones, smart TVs and other smart home devices.
Rather than using a phone line or cable like traditional fibre broadband providers, the 5G Hub uses a wireless 5G connection. This 5G connection sits in-between the 5G Hub and Three’s 5G network. All of your other devices will interface with the Hub using regular Wi-Fi (so there’s no need for your individual devices to support 5G connectivity).
The 5G Hub supports maximum download speeds of 4.7Gbps (4,700Mbps). In practice, however, Three says you’ll normally get an average download speed of 100-200Mbps on the service (subject to coverage and capacity in your area). Peak download speeds can reach up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps). For comparison, most fibre broadband services have an average download speed of about 67Mbps. You can, however, get much faster speeds (up to 900Mbps) on full fibre broadband.
A major addition on the new 5G Hub for 2022 is the Three’s new 5G Broadband app. The app allows you to easily set up and manage your home broadband connection. For instance, it will help you to find the best location for your 5G Hub to maximise performance. You can also monitor your connected devices and change the settings on your Hub using the app.
Three 5G Hub Plans
At present, you can get the latest 5G Hub router from just £20 per month on Three. This comes on an unlimited 5G home broadband service with a simple plug-and-play setup and no need for a landline.
The following table shows the latest 5G Hub plans:
Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
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![]() Three 5G Hub | Unlimited Data | 24 month contract | £0 | £20/month with 3 months free |
![]() Three 5G Hub | Unlimited Data | 1 month contract | £0 | £24/month |
The most popular option is the 24-month plan as this allows you to pay the lowest possible price for 5G home broadband. You can also benefit from a 30-day money back guarantee. However, if you want additional flexibility, there’s also a shorter 1-month rolling plan that allows you to cancel at any time.
If you’re living in an area where Three’s 5G broadband isn’t yet available, you might be offered Three’s 4G home broadband instead. This will come with either the 4G Hub or the 4G Plus Hub. Alternatively, you might be offered Three’s mobile broadband service.
Technical Specifications
Three’s newest 5G Hub (the Zyxel NR5103E) is their most advanced 5G home broadband router to date. In the background, it connects to Three’s 5G mobile network, broadcasting a Wi-Fi network from it that your other devices are able to connect to. As it produces a normal Wi-Fi network, there’s no need for your individual devices to support 5G technology.
In terms of mobile connectivity, the 5G Hub is powered by Mediatek’s T750 chip. This means it’s able to support a maximum download speed of 4.7Gbps on 5G. It also supports a maximum upload speed of 2.3Gbps. In actual usage, Three normally advertises an average download speed of 100-200Mbps, with a peak download speed of 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) on their 5G network.
For your home network, you’ll get support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax). This allows you to connect up to 64 devices wirelessly to your 5G Hub. You’ll also get 2 Ethernet sockets for connecting wired devices to your home network, with support for 2.5G Multi-Gig Ethernet technology. There are also 4 TS-9 sockets for attaching an external antenna and a one-touch WPS button for pairing Wi-Fi devices.
There are a number of handy LED indicators on the top of the 5G Hub showing things like the signal strength available, and the status of your internet and Wi-Fi. You can manage and configure your 5G Hub using the ‘Three 5G Broadband’ app.
The following table shows the full technical specifications of Three’s latest 5G Hub:
Three 5G Hub (Zyxel NR5103E) | |
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Home Broadband Plans | |
Price: | From £20/month |
Data: | Unlimited |
Unlimited Data: | £20/month |
Contract Length: | 1-24 months |
Mobile Connectivity | |
5G Connectivity: | Up to 4700 Mbps download |
5G Bands: | 5G NR bands TBC |
4G Download Speed: | Up to 1600 Mbps download |
4G Bands: | LTE bands TBC |
External Antenna: | Yes, 4x TS-9 connectors |
Home Network Connectivity | |
Dual-Band Wi-Fi: | Yes |
Wi-Fi Connectivity: | 802.11a/b/ |
Wi-Fi Devices: | Up to 64 devices |
Ethernet: | 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports |
Other | |
Dimensions: | 13.1 x 22.7 x 13.3 cm |
Weight: | 650g |
Model: | Zyxel NR5103E |
Colour: | White |
More Information: | See three.co.uk |
The latest 5G Hub router (Zyxel NR5103E) launched in September 2022. It replaces the ZTE 5G Hub (ZTE MC801A) which was offered from February 2022 to September 2022. Prior to February 2022, customers received the Huawei 5G CPE Pro on Three’s 5G home broadband.
Coverage & Availability
Three currently offers their 5G home broadband service in selected postcodes across 300+ UK towns and cities.
To see whether the 5G Hub is available where you live, enter your postcode on Three’s broadband availability checker.
Check Three 5G Broadband Availability (three.co.uk) →
Once you’ve entered your postcode and selected your address, you’ll be told about the plans available at your address.
If Three’s 5G home broadband isn’t yet available where you live, you might be offered 4G home broadband on the 4G Hub or 4G Plus Hub. Alternatively, you might be able to get 4G mobile broadband on the 4G Plus MiFi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 5G Hub? | The 5G Hub is Three’s latest 5G home broadband router. You can get unlimited 5G home broadband with average download speeds of more than 100Mbps on the 5G Hub. |
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What 5G home broadband plans are available on the 5G Hub? | At present, the 5G Hub is available on the following plans:
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What speeds can I get on the 5G Hub? | In theory, the 5G Hub can support download speeds of up to 4.7Gbps (4,700Mbps). In practice, however, Three only advertises a maximum download speed of 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) as that’s the fastest speed you’re able to get on their 5G network at present.
The average download speed when using a 5G Hub on Three should normally range from 100-200Mbps. This is subject to coverage and capacity in your area. |
More Information
For more information about the 5G Hub, please see Three’s official website.
Roger said:
Assume you do not own the router at the end of the 24 month contract and would need to return it.
Can someone please confirm?
Ken replied:
Hi Roger,
That is correct – the 5G Hub is leased to you for the duration of your plan and needs to be returned when you cancel.
Ken
Timz said:
Those two ports on the NR5103E, are they independent to each other (but of course connected to the internet), i.e. not communicating with each other in a local network, bit like VLAN?
Lloyd said:
Thanks for the detailed review.
Can anyone who has this device on three confirm if it supports IP Passthrough/ bridge mode?
Stephen replied:
Just subscribed and fully operational. IP Pass Through seems disabled by 3. Cannot find it in the advanced setting web gui as documented in some other unlocked Zyxel 5G router manual.
This forced me to to have my own deco mesh network to be in double NAT mode. May need to set port forwarding twice to access services within my own lan from the outside. Troublesome.
David replied:
Will the Hub connect up with a. my Fritz 3000 repeater, b. an Airport Extreme hard wired to our existing router (also Fritz)
Thanks
Jason replied:
Hi Stephen. Try going to Settings – Broadband – Cellular IP Passthrough. Passthrough mode can be set to Dynamic or Fixed. Mine is on Dynamic.
JRA replied:
There is no such option in the NR5103E from Three.
Jason Emanuel replied:
yes there is I’m using it now.
Korma replied:
It does
Jason Emanuel replied:
yes it supports both Lloyd.