Virgin Media broadband routers: Hub 3, Hub 4, Hub 5 and Hub 5x explained

Dan Howdle • April 28th, 2025

If you’re a customer of Virgin Media and thinking of upgrading, or you’re thinking of joining Virgin Media, it’s a good idea to have some notion of the equipment you’ll be getting. Recently, Virgin Media appears to have largely ditched its Hub 3 router, offering its superior Hub 5 router across most packages.

Virgin Media offers the UK’s fastest widely available broadband. If you sign up for a Virgin Media broadband package you will receive a free router as part of your package. However, Virgin Media currently has four different routers, all with differing capabilities, and which one you get will depend on which speed you choose, where you live, and how willing you are to push Virgin Media to tell you which one you're getting.

How to get a Virgin Media router

If you want to get your hands on a Virgin Media broadband router, you will need to sign up to one of its broadband packages. Virgin Media offers some of the fastest widely available broadband in the UK so it is certainly worth considering if you are thinking of switching or setting up a new broadband supply. However, it's not available everywhere, so bear that in mind when checking your postcode to see if you can get it.

At the time of writing all Virgin Media broadband packages come with the Hub 5 router except its entry-level speed, M125, which still comes with the Hub 3. So far so simple. Hub 3 has everything required to serve up to 516Mbps (M500) to your household until recently, and that hasn't changed, but the Hub 3 doesn't offer the latest, fastest WiFi 6 standard, so if that's important to you you only need choose something faster. Here's a quick glance at the routers offered by Virgin Media, and which you get with which package.

Virgin's Gig1 router choice is more complicated

As Virgin Media first rolled out its fastest 'Gig1' broadband service (quite a few years back now), it supplied the hastily summoned Hub 4 router to early adopters. It probably should have done more testing, since the Hub 4 could not deliver broadband at 1130Mbps thanks to neither conforming to the latest WiFi 6 standard, nor having any ethernet ports faster than 1Gbps (which actually max out at about 950Mbps). It was a bridging product to the first router that can really cope with Virgin's top speed – the Hub 5.

However, Virgin Media didn't replace all the Hub 4s out there with Hub 5s once they became available, so some early adopters still have them and may not be aware they can straight-up ask Virgin Media for a Hub 5 to replace it free of charge. But you will need to ask.

The Hub 5 does support Wi-Fi 6, and it offers a 2.5Gbps ethernet port, so with the Hub 5 you can make full use of the average 1130Mbps offered by Gig1. And all new connections with a higher tier package than the entry-level M125 now come with the Hub 5.

And it matters even more so when you consider Virgin Media's final Hub, the Hub 5x – a version of the Hub 5 that connects to the internet with fibre cables (not Virgin's typical coaxial DOCSIS 3.1 cables), and is only available with Virgin Media's elusive Gig2 package (2Gbps). There is no modem mode with the Hub 5x yet. You can still add your own router, but it's not set up for that out of the box.

How Virgin Media's routers compare

Virgin Media Hub routers

Here is a breakdown of the specs and features of Virgin Media's current crop of routers:

Virgin Media Hub 3

Supplied with Virgin Media M125:

• Number of Antennae: 5
• 2.4 GHz WiFi Band: 2x2 11/b/g/n
• 5 GHz WiFi Band: 3x3 11ac
• WiFi Spec: 5
• Dual Band: Concurrent
• Network Connection: DOCSIS 3.0
• Ethernet: 4x 1Gbps
• WPS Push Button: Yes
• Removable Password/QR Card: Yes
• Default SSID: Single
• Guest Network Available: Yes
• Intelligent WiFi Technology: Yes
• Phoneline: Yes
• WiFi Pod Compatibility: Yes

Virgin Media Hub 4

Discontinued, but some existing customers still have one:

• Number of Antennae: 5
• 2.4 GHz WiFi Band: 3x3 11b/g/n
• 5 GHz WiFi Band: 4x4 11ac
• WiFi Spec: 5
• Dual Band: Concurrent
• Network Connection: DOCSIS 3.1
• Ethernet: 4x 1Gbps
• WPS Push Button: Yes
• Removable Password/QR Card: Yes
• Default SSID: Single
• Guest Network Available: Yes
• Intelligent WiFi Technology: Yes
• Phoneline: Yes
• WiFi Pod Compatibility: Yes

Virgin Media Hub 5

Supplied with all other Virgin Media Broadband packages (this is the one you want):

• Number of Antennae: 7
• 2.4 GHz WiFi Band: 3x3 11b/g/n/ax
• 5 GHz WiFi Band: 4x4 11ax
• WiFi Spec: 6
• Dual Band: Concurrent
• Network Connection: DOCSIS 3.1
• Ethernet: 1x 2.5Gbps, 3x 1Gbps
• WPS Push Button: Yes
• Removable Password/QR Card: Yes
• Default SSID: Single
• Guest Network Available: Yes
• Intelligent WiFi Technology: Yes
• Phoneline: Yes
• WiFi Pod Compatibility: Yes

Virgin Media Hub 5x

Only available with Gig2 packages:

• Number of Antennae: 7
• 2.4 GHz WiFi Band: 3x3 11b/g/n/ax
• 5 GHz WiFi Band: 4x4 11ax
• WiFi Spec: 6
• Dual Band: Concurrent
• Network Connection: XGS-PON
• Ethernet: 1x 10 Gbps, 3x 1Gbps
• WPS Push Button: Yes
• Removable Password/QR Card: Yes
• Default SSID: Single
• Guest Network Available: Yes
• Intelligent WiFi Technology: Yes
• Phoneline: Yes
• WiFi Pod Compatibility: Yes

If there are any unfamiliar terms you'd like a more in-depth explanation of, check out our jargon-busting guide.

Check broadband in your area

Setting up your Virgin Media broadband router

If you are not already connected to the Virgin Media cable network, an engineer will visit your home to get you connected. The engineer will also set up your broadband router.

If you are an existing customer upgrading your service, you will receive your new Virgin Media Hub. Set up is quite simple. You need to disconnect your old router. The coaxial cable will need to be unscrewed using a spanner which is supplied with your new router. The next step is to connect the coaxial cable to your new router and secure it using the supplied plastic spanner.

Next, connect the mains power supply to the router and plug it into the wall. Now you should be up and running. WiFi details are printed on the underside of the router. Or you can connect using a gigabit ethernet cable to one of the ethernet ports on the back.

Once your router is up and running, we'd suggest you start making it as secure as possible. Our guide to securing your Wi-Fi router can help.

Legacy Virgin Media routers

As well as the Virgin Media Hub 3 and Hub 4, there are still plenty of older Virgin Media broadband routers still in use. The older Virgin Media Super Hub 2 and 2ac can still be found in homes around the country. Let’s take a look at their features.

• Virgin Media Super Hub 2ac – Features dual band 2.4ghz and 5Ghz WiFi, latest 802.11ac WiFi technology, smart channel selection (automatically connects to the fastest channel) and four gigabit ethernet ports.
• Super Hub 2 – Features dual band 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi, uses the older 802.11n WiFi technology, smart channel selection (automatically connects to the fastest channel), four gigabit ethernet ports.

Compare Virgin broadband deals