Continuing issues with Gigacube

[pcroxford]

I am having ongoing issues with my 5G Gigacube.  Main symptoms are:

• Long delay in connecting to websites - ‘resolving host’ message for a minute or so before it finally connects
• Likewise for Zoom calls - I typically need to switch to my (super slow) fixed line broadband to kick-off a call and switch to the Gigaclear once connected to benefit from the better speed
• Unable to connect to websites, Slack and other tools whilst connected to a Zoom call - really annoying 
• Can’t use my mesh network with Gigacube - if I try, speed drops to below 1mbps

None of these issues occur when I hub off my iPhone, plus speed is better when hubbing - so this is not an issue with network coverage, nor is it WiFi related as Gigacube is <1m away from my Mac.

Any help appreciated - before I give up and send it back to Vodafone!

[rmcc]

I may have found a solution and it too is related to APN. I've documented it here:

https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Mobile-Broadband/Gigacube-and-slow-to-load-pages/m-p/2671997/highlig...

[Anonymous]

Another disappointed Gigacube customer here.

I have just tried @rmcc 's solution here which points the DNS config to Cloudflare's DNS servers directly in the APN settings and it's looking very promising. I'll post after using it a while longer.

To summarise my experience of the service:

• I get up to 150Mbps 5G connection in my area, which works flawlessly on my iPhone 12
• On the Gigacube I've had sporadic connection issues for months, with websites and apps taking forever to load or hanging entirely
• This happens on a range of devices, at any time of day, even with only one or two devices connected, even when no maintenance is occurring nearby
• I've tried a number of different fixes and wasted hours with customer service resetting and rebooting and removing SIM cards, etc
• The only fix that sticks is using a VPN which points to an issue with the router's networking. This is of course untenable in the long run

I'll be filing an official complaint with the team via their social media channels as this whole endeavour has been utterly unacceptable.

[hollow88]

How has the performance of the Gigacube been since you started using a VPN as per the message above?

I'm contemplating doing the same as I've read reviews on reddit where people are doing the same thing.

Is it a complicated process/is it working fully or are you still receiving website load issues?

[Anonymous]

Working flawlessly since using the fix above (note that the fix is not to use a VPN but rather change the DNS in the APN settings. See the linked post in my original message for details).

Using a VPN does circumvent the Vodafone DNS and gets rid of the issue, however it’s not really a long-term solution as it will likely have lower connection speeds and may mess with stuff like AirPlay, CAPTCHAs and so on (as well as being an added cost).

[hollow88]

Thanks for the feedback. I tried the fix before but it didn't seem to work so I'll try again (maybe I input some details incorrectly).

A VPN was my next choice - we receive 300mbs+ at peak times (c.150-180mbs during the day) so internet speed isn't necessarily an issue and I don't imagine too much of a drop off with VPN? 

Weirdly I'm a strict Nat type on PS5 but I can play online games (FIFA, COD) pretty seamlessly albeit for occasional drop outs...so strange. 

[hollow88]

Also do you use Zoom and/or Slack?

They seem to REALLY kill website page loads and I can't use Zoom and Slack at the same time...for some reason

[Anonymous]

Worth trying again, let us know if it works second time around.

Good to know about the PS5, I should try again now that I have a stable connection.

I've not used Zoom and Slack at the same time, certainly Zoom will take up a lot of bandwidth so you could expect to see some slowdowns but if you're experiencing the same DNS issue as I was I wouldn't expect the two to be related. Perhaps someone with a better understanding could shine some light on this.

[Sasbod]

Having read the thread I can also confirm the same issues of websites not working, only seams to impact web browsing, apps work fine... anyway I have found that using NordVpn allows me to surf again for a while, I often have to select new vpn servers when it glitches.. but this to me indicates a IP assignment issue on the Vodafone end.

I agree with others here that it is extremely disappointing as for £50 a month you want a service that work’s reliably, I read on the thread it might be down to Vodafone assigning Indian IP ranges.

vodafone, please fix this as the gigacube is excellent kit... just fiddly with having to use a vpn to make it work.

[vvelascom]

I'm having the same issues that everybody else seems to be having, very bad connection on Apple devices (iphone, ipad and macbook pro) meaning:

- Speedtests take 10 mins to load and then they show I have anything between 10mpbs to 300mpbs. Same test takes 2 secs to load using normal mobile phone data and it may show the same speeds.

- Normal web surfing is insufferably slow, with pages just taking too long (up to 5 mins to load) or just not load at all (this happens all through the day, not necessarily when you would consider data peak times)

- At the same time, certain video stream seems to work ok (sometimes)

- I'm on my second gigacube and having the same issues

- If I use my iphone 12 as a hotspot (I have Vodafone Unlimited as a separate contract there) there is absolutely no issues with the connection

I know I'm not adding anything new, just doing a +1 to ask Vodafone to fix this, as it is clearly something to do with the Gigacube or the service.

Thanks

[Ash194]

also have exactly the same issue with website resolving. Started around the same time this thread opened. Put it down to work on the M50 2UG area but the issue continues despite the work having been completed. 

Tested on wired and Wireless with different devices 

removed all other LAN devices and ran a network test via the my Vodafone app which times out

Factory reset of gigacube carried out. 

No other unlocked device to test in.

full 5G signal 

5G RSRQ

-11.0dB

5G RSRP

-98dBm

5G SINR

5dB

SINR has got worse since the engineering work however RSRP and RSRQ suggest mid cell range.

given all the same complaints has anybody in Vodafone fed this back to the packet core team? I see a lot of recycled front line questions but no serious movement.