Vodafone 4G is disappointing

Despite having a very nearby base, and downstream speeds over 100Mb/sec, I have found Vodafone 4G unusable. I can live with the packet size being smaller. I can live with multilinkTCP being blocked, but there is something very odd about what ports are open, and what websites will work.

I can access my email on my phone or using webmail on my laptop, but to connect using Thunderbird, I have to use a VPN, or no mail gets transferred, up or down. Similarly, random websites fail to load. No logic to which, as far as I can see. All fine through a VPN, though.

I have tried al the APNs I can find. All (of the ones that work at all) are the same.

It's definitely Vodafone, because putting an EE or Three sim into the modem fixes the problem immediately with no other changes made..

Anyone know why Vodafone is like this?

Go to the website account settings and turn off all the filters such as family etc. This worked for me but its been 18 months since I used Voda.

Change your DNS settings on the router to Google, Cloud flair or Quad 9, works on Three when they lose access to certain sites so may work with Voda..

There is something odd about Vodafone data. I've got a dual SIM phone, with my own EE SIM and a VF SIM from my employer. I've set the phone to default to using EE for data use, but now and again I have switched to VF for data use. None of the push functions work for email. The moment I switch back to EE, or connect to wifi, the phone explodes with all the missed notices. I can't see anything on the phone's SIM management menus that would cause the problem.

I've asked the office admin people, to ask the company's IT supplier, to ask VF, but, well you can guess, Chinese whispers etc....

In reply to a post by kommando:

Go to the website account settings and turn off all the filters such as family etc. This worked for me but its been 18 months since I used Voda.

Unfortunately, I don't have that option. This SIM is a pre-paid package: a single upfront payment of £120 for three years unlimited data, but gives me no access to any settings.

In reply to a post by kommando:

Change your DNS settings on the router to Google, Cloud flair or Quad 9, works on Three when they lose access to certain sites so may work with Voda..

I don't use their DNS in any event. This network uses pihole, which bypasses the Vodafone DNS. There was something else going on. A VPN bypasses the problem but DNS changes don't.

I've avoided the issue by swapping the sim for an EE one. The Voda sim is in the house that used the EE one in the past. That's fine, but that is part of a MPTCP setup. Voda 4G blocks MPTCP which means that leg has to use a VPN.

At least Vodafone VDSL doesn't block MPTCP

In reply to a post by broadbandjockey:

I've asked the office admin people, to ask the company's IT supplier, to ask VF, but, well you can guess, Chinese whispers etc....

I think my Voda sim is a Vodafone Business sim (though I have no way to be sure) but it is definitely the sim that causes the issues. Put a different sim in and all is well. Which is how I solved the problem!

In reply to a post by hoopla:

Unfortunately, I don't have that option. This SIM is a pre-paid package: a single upfront payment of £120 for three years unlimited data, but gives me no access to any settings.

Where did you get this bargain from? I do not see it listed on vodafone.co.uk.