Using the 802.11n standard, which is yet to be officially ratified, the router offers faster speeds and a longer range than those based on other 802.11 standards.

John Petter, managing director for BT Retail Consumer, said: "The new Hub will give you up to twice the wireless range of our competitors, giving our customers much more coverage in the home, even in those difficult-to-reach areas."

New customers signing up to BT Total Broadband Option 3 will get the new Home Hub, which is worth £90, for free. Existing customers have to pay £45 to get their hands on one.

BT claims that the new Home Hub has an easier setup process than its predecessor and will also offer a more reliable connection.

It will use WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption as standard, which is more secure than WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), used by many older routers.

The 802.11n standard is not expected to be officially recognised until next year, though products using a 'pre-N' specification have been available for some years now.

802.11n offers potential connection speeds of up to 248Mbps, compared to 802.11g's 54Mbps. It also offers greater range – around 300 feet, compared to 100 feet for older standards.

www.bt.com/broadband

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