Rochdale-base broadband ISP Zen Internet today claims to have beaten BT (EE) to become the “first major provider” to launch a WiFi 7 (802.11be) capable router for customers on their full fibre (FTTP) packages, which reflects the outcome of their partnership with Amazon. The provider also confirmed that their first “up to” 2Gbps plans will launch this autumn.
Sadly, there’s a bit of a catch in the aforementioned claim. Zen’s new “gigabit-plus” (i.e. speeds of “up to” 2Gbps) broadband package(s) will actually come with Amazon’s eero Pro 6E router as standard, while the eero Max 7 will only be offered as an “upgrade option” on all its Full Fibre Max packages “supporting fast, reliable whole-home connectivity.”
Customers can get “priority first access” to this router by pre-registering (here), which will also unlock eero secure as a free add-on (usually £3 per month) as well as entry to a “prize draw for a free upgrade” to eero Max 7, retailing at circa £600. Zen’s website further clarifies that Full Fibre Max broadband will launch sometime in September 2024.
The announcement also claims that Zen’s new “Full Fibre Max packages … will initially be available at all full fibre-enabled postcodes“, which risks causing some confusion as Zen currently only supports three of the UK’s full fibre broadband networks – Openreach, CityFibre and Trooli.
David Barber, Zen’s Strategy Director, said:
“Anyone familiar with Zen will know we have always stayed at the forefront of technology and so we are massively excited to be the first major provider to launch WiFi 7, the UK’s fastest WiFi technology, over our multi-gigabit full fibre services.
What some may not realise is that the internet speeds advertised are at the point of entry into the home. As the WiFi signals travel around the home, varying factors can interfere, and slow things down. That is why the underlying devices that feed connectivity around the home are crucial. With speeds of up to 2Gbps and the eero Pro 6E device included as standard, our Full Fibre Max packages are set to revolutionise the home internet experience. Does everyone need these speeds? Certainly not, but they will undoubtedly appreciate and notice the difference.”
At the time of writing, Zen hasn’t yet released any other details or pricing for their future gigabit-plus packages, although we strongly suspect that it will only be selling speeds of 2Gbps via the CityFibre and Trooli side of their network agreements. By comparison, those covered by Openreach’s slower FTTP network may be offered a fallback to c.1.6Gbps.
Otherwise, the eero Max 7 features 2 x 10Gbps LAN and 2 x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN Ethernet ports, theoretical tri-band wireless (WiFi) speeds of up to 4.3Gbps, WPA3 encryption, support for ‘Alexa’ smart speakers/AI, 4GB flash storage and the eero TrueMesh technology (add more units to improve the wireless coverage). But be aware that Amazon’s kit doesn’t have any ports for analogue phone or USB storage devices.