Gigacube - 5G coverage, NW London

[Yoofman]

I've bought a Gigacube 5G this week as we were notified that 5G has just gone live in our area. The unit arrived this morning, and whilst it worked straight out of the box it will only connect to 4G.

I've spoken to VF Support (eventually) who told me that it was because 'the 5G signal is weak in my area and the unit is automatically picking up 4G'. I don't believe this for two reasons - one, according to the VF Network Status and Coverage checker I should have 5G coverage, rated 'Good, Inside and Outside' and two, if there was a 5G signal, even if its weak, the unit would show it with an amber 5G light.

I have downloaded the Gigacube management app and the option to change between 4G and 5G appears to have been locked down by VF, so I can't force the unit to 5G.

Are there any other Gigacube users having problems connecting to 5G despite cover being in place? 

[Mark]

Hi @Yoofman, that's not good to see. So we can check your local coverage, pop us your full postcode either here, or if you prefer to do this privately, by adding it to your personal information in your profile and we'll take a look into this. Alternatively, pop us a message through one of our social channels and we'll be able to take a closer look into this for you 🕵

[Yoofman]

Hi Mark

My profile is fully updated including postcode and a contact number for me.

with thanks

Steve

[Tash]

Thanks for including your postcode in your profile @Yoofman! We currently support two different frequencies of 5G - 2100 and 3400. Depending on the manufacturer and which frequency they support, this can affect the signal you receive. I can see our GigaCube currently supports our 5G frequency 3400. 

I've taken a closer look into the 5G that's available in the area and can confirm our 3400 frequency isn't yet active in your postcode. The 5G in the area for this frequency band does look to be further south to your location, in and around Wembley and spanning over to Ilford.

Our Network Status Checker does currently show you have 5G in the area - this will be for our 2100 frequency, meaning other devices may be able to connect to our 5G network. 

We're always working to improve our coverage across the UK, including adding more frequencies to our 5G network to support even more devices. Any planned improvements will show on our status checker. 

[Yoofman]

Thank you Tash. 
Given this response I do think it should be possible for your Sales teams to be able to differentiate between the two 5G signals. I also think I should have been told that the 3400 frequency was not available in my post code - not something I would have known.

can I ask whether I can return my Gigacube then, as I can’t receive a 5G service which I thought I should be able to receive? I’ve only had it a few days.

steve

[Yoofman]

Also, can you tell me which frequency is supported by the Apple iPhone 12 series? As using my phone as a hotspot might be an alternative if Gigacube is not supported in my area.

steve

[Stubbo]

Hey @Yoofman 

iPhone 12 models support 2100 MHz so you should get a 5G connection in your area. You can take a look at all of Apples specs here

Have a great week!