Vodafone Sure Signal - Does Sure Signal Data Count Against My Allowance?

[mmillmor]

When my phone is connected via suresignal, and I use the data connection, e.g. to watch YouTube, does that count against my data limit on my phone? Obviously it's me actually already paying for the data over my home broadband connection, so I'd hope that vodafone aren't double dipping and charging me again for the same data.

Martin

[AA747]

I cannot believe specious and misleading ###### that is written here.  I'll give you my example, it may help clarify the rights and wrongs of this case.

(1) I use my mobile a lot at home, and easily forget to switch to Wifi, hence a charge on usage, and delay on the data traffic.  Or I forget to switch it off, hence a flat battery in the afternoon.  This is a major issue - effectively my service to myself fails in this case.

(2) So I bought a suresignal so I can just seamlessly use the same infrastructure wherever I am.  (My Vodafone signal is fine at home).

(3) I now have seamless and reliable operation , but find Vodafone charge me for data over that connection.  BUT, my home phone line and ADSL is with Vodafone, so they are charging me twice, for the same data, thank you very much.

(4) All this talk about 'securing the connection' and authorised VPN is such a load of ######.  The Suresignal unit USES the basic internet connection to initialise itself, which takes 5 or 10 minutes.  At the beginning there is no VPN, by definition.  All I ask is that it does for me as it does for itself at the beginning, just hand me on to that internet connection in my router.  I don't need to go back to the Vodafone servers. Either my home router is safe and the Suresignal can give me it,  or it isn't, in which case nothing's safe anyway!

(5) And another ridiculous point, about 'accidentally' connecting to another users Femtocell: WHAT?  Have you not done the setup where you have to authorise every single number that can access your Suresignal?  Well, if you're stupid enough to put your neighbour's phone number in (without realising the implication), then you're stupid enough to carry his data traffic.

I have kept telling people Vodafone is the best of all the mobile suppliers. What's gone wrong?

[AA747]

There's an excellent technical explanation here:

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/sme-routers/2010/07/01/vodafone-sure-signal-inside-a-femtocell-400893...

Which states this gem:

"There are things that the femtocell needs to do in conjunction with the network operator's systems. It needs to authenticate the handset, to make sure the account is valid, and it needs to tell the system where the handset is so that it can receive calls. This takes place over a secure VPN pipe established between the femtocell and Vodafone. However, while it's technically feasible that all data thereafter is routed directly from the Sure Signal to your local ISP, it in fact travels through the VPN and Vodafone's infrastructure first — and, indeed, counts towards any tariff charges or limitations that you may have.

This is a curious state of affairs. In the US, AT&T — which operates a similar system of counting femtocell data as if it went via the main system — claims that regulatory requirements to monitor all data force it to impose the same charges. However, it's not clear whether this is a valid interpretation of the regulations. We understand that it costs around £5 per gigabyte for a network to handle data over its own network of base stations: the cost via femtocells is two-thirds less — and yet it's charged identically. This highlights one of the most controversial aspects of these devices: that while they can be considered to fill in gaps in an operator's network and leave the cost of the backhaul to the customer, the operator normally charges both for the femtocell and for the traffic it passes. And with data caps becoming de rigueur, watching a YouTube video at home over your own network could result in significant extra cost if it pushes you over your monthly allowance."

Well, I've had enough.  I'm sending mine back.

[pwinter]

I had been looking at getting a Vodafone SS to improve coverage in my home, But I'm shocked that Vodafone feel it's justified to not only charge me for the device , but also the data I use from my own data plan, which I'm already paying for via my ISP !!!

I can totally understand charging for calls,mms  etc... but data?  This should be routed directly though the host gateway!!

So in short I'm paying for the lack of Vodafone Cellular coverage, paying for the data used by the device and paying for the data I've already paid for!   Urrm   No Thanks.

They could have this working like the BT Open zone where it's available to any vodafone customer and data traffic via a specific route is contracted from the main ISPs. It could create a very fast 3G network in built up areas using this model.

[noodles2k]

Vodafone needs to change the code on the SS. It's pretty simple to do with iptables and route.

[PeterMowforth]

Hi. I use Internet Radio all the time at home and just found out I used 6 GB last month!. It appears that the SureSignal box that simply re-routes my wifi data has been logging this as if I had been using the Vodafone 3G data network (which it does not do). Come on Vodafone, you are simply having your customers pay twice for data - once from the cable company and once from you. This re-routing of data does not route through 'Vodafone servers' as in an earlier reply - it's simply double charging. If you value your customers you should stop doing this before this leaks into the social media.