Using Your Own Router or Mesh With Openreach Full Fibre (BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone)
12 November 2026 · By Ethan Fernandes
Can you plug your own router or mesh straight into the Openreach fibre box? The connection settings for BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone, the home phone catch, and how to set it up.
Quick fix
On Openreach full fibre you can usually connect your own router or mesh straight to the fibre box. BT, EE, Plusnet and Vodafone use PPPoE with login details; TalkTalk needs no login. Sky's login is hard to use with third-party routers, so keep the Sky Hub. If your home phone plugs into the hub, keep the hub and use access point mode.
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Get help todayIf you have full fibre from BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk or Vodafone, there's an Openreach fibre box on your wall (often called the ONT), with a cable running to your provider's hub. Many people want to plug their own router or mesh system straight into that box instead, for better Wi-Fi and no double NAT. Whether you can, and how, depends on your provider.
The short version: on Openreach full fibre you can usually connect your own router or mesh straight to the fibre box, using the provider's connection settings. BT, EE, Plusnet and Vodafone use PPPoE with login details, and TalkTalk needs no login at all. Sky is the exception, as its login is very hard to use with third-party routers. Check two things first: whether your home phone plugs into the provider's hub, and whether you're actually on full fibre.
First: Are You on Full Fibre?
Full fibre has a small Openreach box on the wall where the fibre comes in, with a network port on it. If your hub plugs into a phone socket instead, you're on part fibre (FTTC or SOGEA), and the hub is also your modem. Your own mesh can't connect to a phone socket, so the hub has to stay, and the mesh goes in access point or bridge mode behind it.
Settings by Provider
| Provider | Connection | Login | VLAN | Home phone | Mesh guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | PPPoE | Username bthomehub@btbroadband.com, password BT | None | BT Digital Voice plugs into the BT Hub | BT guides |
| EE | PPPoE | Same as BT: bthomehub@btbroadband.com, password BT or blank | None | EE Digital Voice plugs into the EE Smart Hub | EE guides |
| Plusnet | PPPoE | Your Plusnet username (username@plusdsl.net) and account password | Blank or 0, not 101 | Home phone may plug into the Hub Two | Plusnet guides |
| TalkTalk | DHCP (automatic) | None needed | Usually none; some lines need 101 | Home phone may plug into the TalkTalk Hub | TalkTalk guides |
| Vodafone | PPPoE | Username dsl…@broadband.vodafone.co.uk and password, from Vodafone | Usually none on Openreach | Home phone may plug into the Vodafone Hub | Vodafone guides |
| Sky | DHCP with special login (option 61) | Sky-specific; most mesh systems can't enter it | N/A | Sky Talk plugs into the Sky Hub | Sky guides |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The Home Phone Catch
Most providers now deliver the home phone through their hub. If your phone plugs into the back of the hub and you remove the hub, the phone stops working. Your options are to keep the hub (with your mesh in access point mode), move your number to a mobile or another phone service, or accept losing the landline.
How to Connect Directly
- Note your provider's settings from the table, and get any login details you need.
- Set up the mesh system first, then connect its main unit's internet port to the network port on the Openreach box.
- In the mesh app or router settings, choose the connection type (PPPoE or automatic) and enter any login details.
- Restart the Openreach box and the mesh, then check you're online.
- Keep the provider's hub safe. You may need it if you report a fault.
Access Point Mode on Each Mesh System
- TP-Link Deco: Deco app, More > Advanced > Operation Mode > Access Point.
- Amazon Eero: eero app, Settings > Network settings > DHCP & NAT > Bridge.
- Netgear Orbi: orbilogin.com, Advanced > Router / AP Mode > AP Mode.
- Google Nest Wifi: bridge mode only supports a single unit, so extra points stop working. Keep Nest Wifi in router mode with the provider's Wi-Fi turned off instead, or connect it directly where the provider allows.
Not on Openreach?
Virgin Media, Community Fibre, Hyperoptic, G.Network and CityFibre-based providers run their own networks, with different settings. See Virgin Media, Community Fibre, Hyperoptic and G.Network.
How We Handle It
We check what line and phone service you have, then either connect your mesh or router straight to the Openreach box with the right settings, or set it up properly behind the provider's hub, so you get strong Wi-Fi everywhere without losing your home phone. See our Wi-Fi and home networking service.
Related Reading
Common questions
Usually, yes. Connect it to the network port on the Openreach fibre box and use your provider's settings: PPPoE with login details for BT, EE, Plusnet and Vodafone, or automatic DHCP for TalkTalk. Sky is the exception.
It's the small box on the wall where the fibre enters your home on Openreach full fibre. Your provider's hub, or your own router, plugs into its network port.
Not if the phone plugs into the hub, as most digital home phones now do. Keep the hub, or move the number to another phone service, before removing it.
No. On part fibre (FTTC or SOGEA) there's no Openreach fibre box, and the provider's hub is also the modem, so it has to stay. Put the mesh in access point or bridge mode behind it.
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