Superfast Pro Dongle

[gazza77]

I live somewhere comparatively remote and having had patchy broadband access for a number of years I upgraded to Superfast Pro a month ago to take advantage of the 4g backup. I'm finding that it's not quick to switch however and that the speed is only around 1mbps. If I use my mobile when directly next to the router, the speed is around 20mbps.

I queried this with a broadband xpert (another issue here, it can take over an hour to speak to someone) and was told that it's because the dongles are an old design and if it doesn't work now, it never will.

Any suggestions on how to resolve this, other than request to cancel the service? I've already tried the router in every room in the house to compare, and as I work from home, this is causing me significant problems. 

[Amanda]

Hey @gazza77 the 4G Broadband Back-up service relies on the signal in your area and subsequently the strength of mobile data you're able to get in your home. If you generally only get these speeds on mobile data, you'll see the same on the back up dongle too. 
You can check your local coverage on our network status checker - this includes any known faults, maintenance work or planed network upgrades in your area. 

It may be worth noting that if your Wi-Fi signal struggles to reach all areas of your home, then mobile data may be the same. This could be down to the position of your router or the structure of your house. Please take a look at our Home Broadband Support page for help improving your Wi-Fi signal 😊

[gazza77]

I get a significant difference in speed between the dongle and my mobile, both on the Vodafone network, when they are next to each other.

The broadband xpert I spoke to earlier today told me this was because my Huawei P30 phone is a newer design than the huawei dongle. Are you saying that is not correct? If so, why would I see such a speed differential when the two devices are on the same network and a matter of inches apart? 

[Amanda]

That isn't something I've come across before @gazza77 - please come and chat to my team on Facebook or Twitter, so we can look into this further for you and check your home broadband service. 

[gazza77]

Hi, I've done that, but after being asked for security info and responding straight away, I've heard nothing in 45 mins. Is it possible to have someone call me to talk through, as I've already spent a number of hours in the last month using chat to sort out various issues. Thanks. 

[Jayach]

@gazza77

As you have found Vodafone's support falls somewhat short of what you expect from their glossy adverts.

I can't think of why the dongle connects so much slower than your phone, unless the phone is using 5G. (but then I would expect it to be much faster)

I did wonder though, if you have a USB extension cable, whether the dongle would perform better if moved away from the router.

[gazza77]

The customer service at present is as slow as the network connection at present! It's now well over an hour, and still no reply. 

The phone speed shouldn't be due to 5g, as there is no 5g coverage anywhere near here and the phone isn't 5g compatible anyway.

I don't have a USB extension but potentially worth looking at I guess, I'll see if I can borrow one from work tomorrow. 

[gazza77]

@amanda I contacted the team via twitter dm and at 15.33 was asked for security details. Those were provided within 60 seconds, yet it's now 19. 13 and I've yet to receive a reply. This is very poor service, please can someone contact me as a priority this evening. Thanks. 

[gazza77]

Any chance one of the mods reading this can ask their team to read my twitter or Facebook DMs please? I've done exactly as requested but it's not much help when no one reads or responds to messages sent. 

[gazza77]

After 23 hours waiting for a reply, the twitter response is that they can't help, and I need to call the broadband experts.

Does anyone have a good contact address or number at Vodafone that will bypass the clueless customer service and so called experts and allow me to get out of the contract for none existant service?