Vodafone Broadband Routers

GhostWKD

GhostWKD

GhostWKD

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Banbury, Oxfordshire
Hi guys,

Are the Vodafone routers so bad that it is worth avoiding them? Looking to move from BT where I'm paying £61+ for 900mb/s (and they won't budge on this, despite agreeing to in the past - my offers are apparently stuck) and had been looking at Vodafone (£30 for 500mb/s) but every thread I find on here suggests changing the router if you go with Vodafone. At that point am I better off going for someone like TalkTalk at £39 p/m (500mb/s) as their router is apparently better?

Cheers
 
I had my Vodafone city fibre connection enabled yesterday. That's 900mb full fibre and the router seems fine. Although the WiFi range is poor, so I'm using my deco mesh setup which is limiting my speed currently.
 
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No. They aren't great but neither are any of the big consumer ISPs.

If you're concerned then maybe it's worth investing in your own router as you can use it through multiple ISPs.
 
I didn't find mine very good. I have a large amount of devices and it would lock and reboot every few days. Swapped out to my trusty Asus RT-N66U which connected straight away and the whole thing has been faultless since.
Its probably fine for a small amount of devices though.
 
I disabled my router wi-fi and use Eero MESH around my house, and also hard wiring some things (TV, PC etc.)

So far I have been with VF for about 3-4 months and the service has been 100%.

I pay £19 for (the max I can get in my area) of around 65-70 mbps. So, all in all, happy! :)
 
Vodafone 500Mb here, up to 7 devices connected at once when everyone in the house using things and have rebooted maybe twice in a little under a year. Wifi is decent enough with the extender they supply, connection strong at bottom of garden and out in the garage.
 
SixTwoSix said:
Vodafone 500Mb here, up to 7 devices connected at once when everyone in the house using things and have rebooted maybe twice in a little under a year. Wifi is decent enough with the extender they supply, connection strong at bottom of garden and out in the garage.
Click to expand...
You got an extender? Did you have to pay extra for that? No sign of any booster / extender in my setup :(
 
GhostWKD said:
Hi guys,

Are the Vodafone routers so bad that it is worth avoiding them? Looking to move from BT where I'm paying £61+ for 900mb/s (and they won't budge on this, despite agreeing to in the past - my offers are apparently stuck) and had been looking at Vodafone (£30 for 500mb/s) but every thread I find on here suggests changing the router if you go with Vodafone. At that point am I better off going for someone like TalkTalk at £39 p/m (500mb/s) as their router is apparently better?

Cheers
Click to expand...
Apart from the fact that the hardware is locked to only work on the talktalk network, so if there is no way to remove it then if you leave then all you'll have is a large paperweight that you can just buy outright without any restrictions for around £200.
 
Sorry probably could have worded this whole thread a little clearer.

Currently with BT paying £61 odd p/m for 900mb/s. WiFi over to my office other side of the house and I'm on about 300mb/s there. On that basis considering going down to 500mb/s to save money as I assume I won't actually see too much of a drop - presumably throttled by wifi speeds anyway. BUT if I need to buy a router to perform as well as the kit I have now (stock BT router) then its a somewhat false economy. Hence pondering if the VF router was much worse than the TalkTalk it would make sense to go with TalkTalk (about £33 p/m once you consider cashback) instead of Vodafone (£26.70 p/m after cashback)

Ideal world would be stay with BT and last 2 times my contract renewal has been up they've matched new customer deals for me, but this time they won't budge and to downgrade my speed is more than I'm paying now, and best deal is supposedly to renew at same price levels as I have now (£61 for 900mb/s)

Likewise I think Sky is an option too but figured TalkTalk at same price is the better option there?
 
Don’t pick your ISP based on what router they offer. They’re all a bit junk. No matter what anyone tells you, WiFi is controlled by the laws of physics and one ISP router is much the same as another when it comes right down to it.

Everyone complains about their ISP router. I do a freebie local community thing where I do A “WiFi Doctor” type service for pensioners and they’ve all got them in a drawer or behind the TV or behind the biscuit tins in the kitchen. And they all think it’s voodoo when you move up and into clear air and suddenly it’s working all over their house.

Pick your ISP based on the speed you want at the price you want to pay. Then put your ISP router as close as possible to the middle of your home and it’ll probably work just fine.
 
WJA96 said:
Don’t pick your ISP based on what router they offer. They’re all a bit junk. No matter what anyone tells you, WiFi is controlled by the laws of physics and one ISP router is much the same as another when it comes right down to it.
Click to expand...
Except talktalk supplies the Amazon Eero if you don't go for their fibre 65 package which is what I would have gone for if I hadn't read the small print that mentions (as I've already mentioned) that the supplied hardware is locked to talktalk leaving the hardware as a paperweight if there's no way to flash a stock firmware to it when you leave.
 
So what are you saying?

That eero isn’t constrained by the laws of physics or you want TalkTalk to give you a router you can take to another ISP?

Most ISP routers are locked down. BT Homehub, Vodafone, EE, O2.

Pants broadband isn’t made better by an unlocked router. Pick the broadband then get a router that works for you. You’ll be a great deal happier.
 
Thanks guys appreciate the reassurance :) I guess its the age old thing of the 99.9% of people things well for etc don't shout about it, so when you look into it all you see is the unhappy people :)

Think I'll switch to VF and if the WiFi is noticably worse will look into a router. As SixTwoSix mentioned, the savings would probably cover that if needed anyway
 
I've just cancelled my Virginmedia account and currently considering Vodafone as an alternative.
I can get "Full Fibre 900" for £45 which would only be a 100mb upload in this area, but still better than Virgin.

Does anyone think it's worth going for the "Pro II" broadband package for an extra £6 per month which comes with a Wifi 6E router and booster and 4G BB backup?

I have been thinking about upgrading my network at home, but no immediate plans until prices drop a little.

How many ports do the vodafone routers and boosters have?
I'm trying to work out if i'd need to buy an ethernet switch as well.
 
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