Broadband. Can't use my own router.

[Andrew1000]

I've seen plenty of posts about this but just wanted to add my experiences as of 22nd Jan 2017 to the mix.

Firstly I am very keen to move to Vodafone 76Mb asap.  I'm currently a BT Infinity 2 customer and would sign today.  I'm already a phone customer of Vodafone.

Having being bitten previously, I like to check everything before such a move (as I rely on broadband for business and home use).  I used the Live Chat a few days ago and confirmed all my questions, including that I could use my own router on the network.  They even asked for information regarding my router (to sign me up right there), which I didn't have as I was at work.

Today I searched the forums and it became apparent that whilst Vodafone "can" allow use of your own router, they do not by default.

So I called the salesline telephone number this morning.  I was told "You can use your own router once you are signed up and the Vodafone one is working. I don't pay attention to the forums. I've never had a complaint about this".  However I asked to be put through to Tech Support anyway because in my experience you don't have so many people complaining on forums for nothing.

Tech Support then confirmed that they WOULD NOT allow use of my own modem and (after checking) have no plans to do so in the future.

So there you go.  Vodafone - you have customer wanting to take up your top service right now, but I can't because I want to use my own router.

For other new customers, be warned.  You will not be advised about this by the sales team.

[Andrew1000]

I'm also amazed that "Broadband" doesn't have it's own sub-forum.  Is Vodafone's Broadband business really just an "other stuff" to them ?

[jeffkinn]

It's an absolute disgrace that you've been given the wrong information and well done for not believing it and checking futher.

The team here should take not of this and follow up with customer services to try and eradicate such behaviour.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @Andrew1000

I suppose because Vodafone Broadband is still in its infancy imo Vodafone want to provide a simple plug and play affair and can't support users who try to try and use their own router and the possible ramifications of doing so. 

If this is a dealbreaker in regards to the router situation then I'd suggest to remain with the current isp provider who allows this. 

The level of advice given to you is astonishing and as all posts left on the Community Forum are read by Vodafone Teams it will be fed back as this is not I'm sure the Customer Service journey experience they want or need to give. 

Maybe in the future this may change. 

I'm sure once the forum traffic increases in regards to Vodafone Broadband questions / posts then their maybe a dedicated board. 

[Andrew1000]

What additional support would Vodafone need to do ?  Just hand over the very basic details I need to login (my details - which I'd be paying for) and that's it.

If anything ever went wrong I appreciate I'd be forced to plug the Vodafone router back in before logging a fault.

[BandOfBrothers]

Not sure to be honest.

Understandably I'm not privy to their systems and any information they've collated I assume when looking at setting up a home broadband service, and the issues that can come along. 

[Andrew1000]

What are the general thoughts about Vodafone's "freebie" router ?  Currently I use a Netgear R7000 Nighthawk and it's rock solid.  Amoungst many other features there are separate 2.4 & 5Ghz WLAN's and it works very well across 2 floors in a building made of reinforced concrete.  Nothing so far has phased it & it has only needed to be booted once (in over a year).  Netgear provide regular security updates too.

My experience of "free" BT routers is extremely negative.  They are always advertised as "the best" and have been (without fail) pretty much unusable.  Constant reboots, slow @ poor coverage.

Thoughts on the Vodafone version ?

[BandOfBrothers]

I use the Home Hub 5 with split frequencies. 

Its solid and hasn't let me down. I choose to hook up wirelessly and has smart settings to change channel itself. Wifi range takes me a number metres outside my home. 

The frequencies can also be split on the Vodafone router too. 

There has been a mixed bag of opinions about the Vodafone option. I think for those that want a simple affair it's fine. 

For those wanting more technical usage from honking up an array of other devices it can be a different opinion. 

[Andrew1000]

I also posted a question asking about expected broadband speed and someone deleted it.  If there's ever a warning sign to avoid something.....

[BandOfBrothers]

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@Andrew1000 wrote:

I also posted a question asking about expected broadband speed and someone deleted it.  If there's ever a warning sign to avoid something.....

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A post is only deleted if it infringes the Vodafone Community Guidelines.

When did you create the post you mention is deleted ?