I bought this Billion 8800AXL R2 router to replace a BT Smart Hub, which only offered a basic range of channels on the 5Ghz band (which my neighbour's Sky wi-fi set-up was interfering with). I'm happy to say that this Billion modem/router offers all the DFS channels (those above channel 48), so my interference problems were solved after upgrading to this device.
It's also proven much more stable than the BT Smart Hub, which seemed to reboot every day or two. Wireless is also very good - I live in a flat and get over 300Mbps on my iPad in the bedroom, over AC wireless. It's not quite as fast, over wireless, as the Smart Hub but I'll take stability over speed, and it's fast enough for me.
The only negative is that its interface is less intuitive than routers from the big manufacturers like ASUS, Linksys & Netgear. I recommend downloading the PDF manual, and reading it to get acquainted with the user interface. Luckily, after setting it up and getting multicast to work (so I could use Plusnet TV) I've not had to use the web-interface again.
All-in-all, I wish I'd heard of Billion a long time ago, but I found precious few reviews about them on the internet when I was researching my next router. Also, Billion support has been very good when I've needed them - getting back to me within a day via email. I wholeheartedly recommend this modem/router combination to anyone on BT, Plusnet or those using a FTTC connection.
(Update: The app I was using to measure my wi-fi, Wi-Fi SweetSpots, was recently upgraded with improvements to speed measurements. Using the updated app, I now get ~170Mbps on the iPad in my bedroom. I'm more than happy with this, considering my FTTC connection is 70Mbps, and the Billion router has still been rock solid in use for me).
| Brand | BILLION |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 15 x 15.4 x 3.2 cm; 816.46 Grams |
| Item model number | 8800NL R2 |
| Manufacturer | Billion |
| Wireless Type | 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11g, 2.4 GHz Radio Frequency |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 816 g |









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