Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro Comparison

Technical Specifications of Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro Comparison

Detailed Comparison – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

Design, Connections, Features and Power Consumption – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

With the Speedport Pro, Telekom offers a hybrid router designed for DSL and LTE. Both comparison devices differ through a completely different design. The Speedport Smart 3 has the usual flat form of Telekom's previous models. In contrast, the Speedport Pro is now taller and deeper and looks like a small tower (smart speaker design). Both devices provide a DSL connection, a power adapter socket, four Gigabit LAN connections and a link socket, whereby on the Speedport Pro router LAN 1 can be used as a link for an external modem.

The Speedport Smart 3 router also has a USB 2.0 connection and two analog phone sockets built in.
The Speedport Pro device has a TAE phone socket, 2 USB 3.0 connections, an ISDN socket and an SFP slot for a fiber optic module. To use LTE, there is a slot for a SIM card on the device. An SD card for memory expansion is also built into the device. ISDN can only be operated on the Speedport Smart 3 via an ISDN adapter.

Appearance and Connections Speedport Smart 3

Design and Connections Speedport Pro

Transfer Rates and WLAN Range – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

The Speedport Smart 3 is designed for connection speeds in the WLAN range with up to 1000 Mbit/s. In comparison, the Speedport Pro offers fast WLAN with up to 9700 Mbit/s. The increase in data throughput is achieved through Wi-Fi 6.

Dimensions and Weight – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

There are significant differences in dimensions and weights. At 700 g, the Speedport Smart 3 is a lightweight compared to the 1700 g heavy Speedport Pro. The higher weight can be explained by the installation of an 8×8 antenna arrangement. The Speedport Smart 3 is comparatively standard size at 280x170x78 mm. In contrast, the Speedport Pro stands like a small tower at 137x137x242 mm.

Price-Performance Ratio – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

There is a significant price difference between both routers. At 330,- EUR, the Speedport Pro is twice as expensive as the Speedport Smart 3 at 160,- EUR. In return, the Speedport Pro offers LTE, high WLAN performance, ISDN, USB 3.0 and SFP fiber optic in direct comparison to the Smart 3.

Customer Satisfaction – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

The Speedport Smart 3 is rated as very good by nearly 2000 customers. 6% of customers are dissatisfied with the router.

50% of customers are absolutely satisfied with the Speedport Pro. The 23% of dissatisfied customers is high. Given the steep price, high expectations from buyers regarding the device can naturally be assumed. In particular, the LTE reception and the related lack of an external antenna connection is criticized multiple times.

Conclusion of the Comparison – Speedport Smart 3 vs. Speedport Pro

Especially at locations where no DSL or cable is available, a hybrid router is a very good alternative. Not only does the Speedport Pro support LTE, it is also a very fast and stable WLAN router with Wi-Fi 6.

Families who are simultaneously online with smartphones, tablets and PCs will enjoy this router. If the requirements are not so high, the much cheaper Smart 3 is the right choice.