1.6Gbps broadband reviewed: is multi-gig web rate upgrading for?

At the beginning of the final year, the first widely accessible multi-gig broadband was introduced to the UK market, offering download speeds of up to 1.6Gbps via the Openreach FTTP network. As a lifelong enthusiast who gets thrilled about the idea of a download progress bar hitting unprecedented speeds, I realized I had to give it a try to see if it truly provided a noticeable improvement over the previously available 900Mbps BT service I had. Would there be a substantial advantage for gaming, software development, and downloading Linux ISOs?

To find out, I reached out to Zen Broadband, which, alongside EE and Vodafone, is among the few UK providers offering this package. They provided a pathway among their early access customers for “Full Fibre Max“. The broadband was installed in early October, so I’ve been using it for four months now – and I have to say, I’m impressed. This is despite the relatively high monthly cost (£65) and the equipment I needed to effectively utilize a connection of this caliber (router, switch, motherboard).

Before I delve into the reasons, hows, and whatnot, it’s probably best to address the obvious: yes, nearly everyone can easily live with much cheaper broadband, even for 4K streaming or gaming, and of course, much faster options are available as well – both abroad and right here in the UK, where residents of some fortunate areas can access symmetric fiber connections of up to 8Gbps (it’s mind-blowing). However, given that this service is believed to be more broadly accessible, I think there’s still value in examining how this decidedly uneven 1.6Gbps/0.11Gbps connection performs.

Getting started: multi-gig setup process

So, multi-gig broadband. To have this installed in a home that previously had an FTTP connection of up to 900Mbps, you will need an Openreach engineer to enhance the system that converts the fiber-optic cable entering your house into a standard ethernet cable that you can connect to your router. It’s known as an optical network terminal or ONT in technical terms, and the current ONTs max out at gigabit speeds – which is quite adequate. For faster connections, this is replaced with a 2.5-gig variant, which in my experience is a relatively quick process requiring an engineer visit, but otherwise is hassle-free.

Critically, the fiber line itself isn’t changed, so there’s no need to drill any new holes in the side of your building – just waiting for the engineer to disconnect the existing ONT, bring in the new one, and wait for it to be activated. For me, this took the better part of an hour from start to finish, with most of the time spent simply waiting for the ONT to be remotely activated.

Choose your Zen router: Eero Pro 6E vs Max 7

Since I chose Zen as my ISP, I had a choice of two new routers: the Eero Pro 6E, which is included in the broadband price, or the Eero Max 7, which costs an additional £10 a month. I went for the 6E, and that turned out to be a mistake – and it’s the only thing I could truly criticize Zen for in what was otherwise a smooth, highly personalized, and effortless transition from my previous provider BT.

Here’s the issue: the Eero Pro 6E is a very impressive piece of hardware, offering fast and extensive WiFi 6E – including that all-important 6GHz spectrum alongside the usual 2.4GHz and 5GHz – but it does not allow you to access the full 1.6Gbps connection via ethernet. This is because the router only has two ethernet ports: a 2.5-gig port that must connect to the ONT, and a one-gig port that can connect to your PC, console, router, or switch.

This feels like a significant oversight for a router designed to utilize a multi-gig connection, as those investing this much in internet likely understand the importance of a wired connection to maximize speeds and reliability. Sure, WiFi 6E can exceed gigabit speeds, but it still felt frustrating to realize I wasn’t able to access the full connection on my gaming PC!

Fortunately, Zen kindly sent over the Max 7 so I could compare the two devices, and the WiFi 7 option is undoubtedly worth the extra £240 (£10 x 24 months) considering it retails for £600 on its own. In addition to supporting higher maximum wireless speeds, this router features what I would consider to be a good number of ethernet ports for multi-gig broadband: four, two of which are 10-gig, while the other two are 2.5-gig. This means you can use one of the two 2.5-gig ports for your incoming internet while keeping two 10-gig ports for extremely fast local transfers – for example, connecting a gaming/work PC and a NAS.

Both Eero routers were somewhat new to me in that they do not allow you to set them up using a web browser; instead, you use an Android or iOS app. This simplifies certain aspects considerably – the setup is particularly straightforward and quick,and it can be phenomenal to receive notifications when new devices connect to your network – however, you have fewer choices than many older routers I’ve used throughout the years. Ultimately, I’ve never felt the need to utilize those more advanced options, nor did I feel compelled to install custom firmware, but it’s certainly notable that the default setup is significantly more restricted than your typical TP-Link, Asus, or Netduma router. Naturally, there are numerous Wi-Fi 7 routers available that I haven’t tested, so it’s worth conducting your own research on that aspect.

Maximizing a multi-gig connection

With my router issues resolved and a remarkable 1.6Gbps download speed, 110Mbps upload speed, and a 7ms ping recorded on speed tests, it was time to determine how I would actually put this impressive bandwidth to use. Sure, you could download a hefty 845MB Nvidia graphics driver in a mere four seconds, but you could probably achieve that in about seven seconds on a 900Mbps connection, so what’s the rush?

The true benefits come with significantly larger downloads. The latest Digital Foundry CPU benchmark suite is approximately 1.3TB, altering the download time for that from around 3 hours and 15 minutes to just an hour and 48 minutes. That’s a considerable improvement when, for instance, it’s embargo day and you may need to redo all your tests on a particular CPU in your lineup, but the SSD you were using suddenly fails, and you have to quickly reinstall everything on a different drive… ask me how I know!

Moreover, you truly need multiple devices to fully utilize a multi-gig connection – ideally, you also have housemates or family members who prefer to download rather than stream, as even 25Mbps connections can handle 4K video streaming. Just like the RTX 4090 effectively resolves the issue of rasterized rendering, having high-speed internet tackles the problem of multi-user streaming. You really should have a large household to genuinely notice any slowdowns, and more often than not, you might be hitting the limits imposed by the servers you are downloading from rather than your connection itself.

Distributing the load: multi-gig switches

While some routers like the Eero Max 7 come equipped with numerous Ethernet ports, others like the Eero Original 6E do not – which means you may need a secondary router or an unmanaged network switch to allow multiple devices to access the full potential of a multi-gig connection. It won’t surprise you to discover that I have about a dozen devices in various states of repair in my office, so using a switch was the most logical solution to keep several devices connected without resorting to Wi-Fi – a feature that’s not included on all of our testing devices.

D-Link generously provided their DMS-106XT, an unmanaged switch designed specifically for gaming (everyone can tell because it features an RGB light bar and a stylish wedge-shaped steel design). It is indeed the most aesthetically pleasing switch I have ever used, and like all unmanaged switches, it functions seamlessly without the need for configuration – simply plug in your router or NAS through the 10-gig link and five additional devices via its 2.5-gig ports, and you’re ready to go.

However, there are additional features that should not be overlooked. There’s a turbo mode switch on the back that allows for port-based prioritization (ports one and six can claim as much bandwidth as they need at the cost of other devices; port two receives second dibs, and the remaining ports get whatever scraps are left). There’s also a button to turn off the RGB lighting if you prefer a more subdued appearance.

The switch has operated quietly and reliably for months, and at just £105 on sale, it’s quite affordable for the 22.5 gigabits of throughput you are receiving.

Multi-gig and gaming routers: Netgear XR1000 and Netduma R3

I also tested a few secondary routers to see if they were worth using as alternatives to the Eero, although ultimately I opted against it. The Netgear XR1000 is a router I’ve been using since 2022, offering some unusually beneficial gaming features, including a ping heatmap that blocks access to poorly performing or geographically distant game servers, ensuring your Counter-Strike matches are affected by you and your team rather than network conditions. There’s also a rather impressive implementation of QoS, a feature that prioritizes gaming and other real-time traffic over downloads, preventing bufferbloat – which occurs when your connection to a game server lags when someone starts downloading something.

The Netduma R3 is an even more sophisticated iteration of the same concept, a device designed from the ground up to serve as a gaming router with some clever features such as “H