Is Hub 5 better as router than Apple AirPort Extreme?

[mikebhm]

My current set up is:

Superhub 3 (modem mode) --> AirPort Extreme (wifi off) --> BT Whole Home Mesh (3 discs)

I am upgrading to GIG1 and Hub 5 next week, so I could change to:-

Hub 5 (modem mode) --> BT Whole Home Mesh 

This depends whether Hub 5 is a better router than the AirPort Extreme. Hence subject of thread. (In my current set up I kept the AirPort Extreme because of advice here  that it was better as a router than the SH3, in spite of its age)

Supplementary question:-

If the Wi-Fi performance of Hub 5 is amazing I could even abandon the BT Mesh which works very well. It is not a big or unusual construction house and I would value the simplicity of going down to a single device, but the BT Mesh Wi-Fi was a big improvement on the Wi-Fi of either SH3 or AirPort.  Any Comment? 

Thanks very much for any advice.

[mikebhm]

CORRECTION

The option I am asking about would be 

Hub 5 (router mode, wifi off) --> BT Whole home mesh

...not what I wrote above, as the BT Mesh is wireless access point only ...no router.

[Tudor]

I cannot speak for the Hub5 as I have not got one as yet, but all previous VM hubs work far better as just modems which means the DHCP is off as is the network switch and WiFi, so much less load on the CPU. I have used various AirPort Extremes in the past and found them very good. I would add that I have never run any of the VM hubs in router mode.

[mikebhm]

Thanks again Tudor.

That is good to know about AirPort Extreme. I have been getting concerned about how good it is in 2022 with no updates for some years. OTOH I have a Fing subscription which analyses the network and reports issues, and it is giving my network a clean bill of health. 

[jpeg1]

I've had BT whole home for years, and in that time I've played with quite a few single wifi routers. None of them has given the same coverage as the mesh. It's probably asking too much from a single point.

But I have the VM Hub in modem mode with a Draytec router to give me a failover 4g connection. 

[mikebhm]

Thanks very much @jpeg1.

I thought that would be the situation so I am spring loaded to keep the BT Mesh.

What does a "failover 4g connection" mean?

My other option is to use neither the Hub 5 or the AirPort Extreme as my router but get a separate new wired router.

Thanks

[jpeg1]

Failover means you have a second broadband connection (in my case EE). 

The router monitors both connections and switches over seamlessly if the VM connection fails.

[mikebhm]

Thanks, interesting, So if Virgin connection fails your Draytec router switches to EE 4g mobile network automatically? 

[jpeg1]

Yes. Providing you can get a good 4g or 5g signal it's totally reliable.