Vodafone router

I have just bitten the bullet and decided to give vodafone a try.

I have read in lots of places that you have to use their router, however CS assured me this was not the case.

I have found this picture and instructions for their router and presume that as I have a normal FTTC connection I should connect the phone line to the DSL socket.

I do want to continue using my hacked Huwaie modem originally supplied by openreach. Would this work if I connected it to the WAN port on the vodafone device and connected the phone line to the Huawie.

Apologies if this is a stupid question.

Would this work if I connected it to the WAN port on the vodafone device

Yes

Thank You

I did not even know it had Wan, that is good then and it got 1Gb Ethernet which is more than what sky router have got.

I am looking at vodafone as one of my options, the problem is I may not be using their phone service for much longer, so the price will be higher then. While Vodafone tells you that you do not need to use their router, they do not tell not tell you any info that will allow you to use another one.
I have a TPlink, which is a good little router and that is connected to my BTOR modem, if I went for Vodafone I would like to keep to this.

Anyway, let people know what Vodafone is like as a ISP when you are up and running and if there is any difference with what you are using now.

Not going live just yet, however the router turned up today.

No wan port on the back as in that picture, until I pealed of a label, which said this port is not in use, and there it was. However no mention of it in the very meager instructions, so will just have to experiment once I am connected.

Will let you know how I get on in a couple of weeks.

I did 2 x live chats with vodafone yesterday asking the specific question: "can I use my own VDSL modem and router instead of the Vodafone unit, and will Vodafone supply me with the necessary authentication details to enable me to use my own equipment".

The first one said I would be supplied the username and password, but then went to imply that was for the wifi.

The second said yes, but when pressed would't send me an email saying that. They took my details and promised me a callback from their BB Team within 24 hours. I suspect it is unlikely they will phone me back, as Vodafone customer service is only slight better than what runs through the sewers!

Their chat and 1st line team do have a lot of people who do not really know what they are talking about.

When I rang them I was pit through to the broadband team who assured me I could use my own router, but I would need to speak to the broadband team once it was up and running. The same was said about a fixed IP address. These remarks should both be on their recording of the conversation.

As long as I can use my Huwae modem which is hacked to give the stats, then I do not mind about the router.

I shall await to see if you can connect with your own equipment. One of my mates managed to get a username and password from them, but has failed to get his 2860 to connect (was previously using on Sky, so maybe some old settings linger).

I'd certainly save a few quid switching to Vodafone, but Sky customer service has been outstanding, which is the total reverse of when ever I have the misfortune to have to speak to Vodafone. I have to weigh up savings vs rubbish customer service.

I did try ringing them, but I couldn't find the right options to actually speak to anyone about BB, it seemed to be much more mobile based (billing, or my phone doesn't work)... They might say the calls are recorded, but may be unlikely to dig them out unless the call is likely to find in their favour....

Sadly I have cancelled my order. The reason was basically increasing nervousness after reading countless messages on the forums. I rang vodofone and discovered that,

1. The will not allow you to use your own router. This was not critical except.
2. You can not turn off DHCP in the router, but you can allocate fixed IP addressed to particular devices.
3. 2 above was what they were interpreting as a fixed IP address. I wanted a web-facing fixed IP.
4. They do not offer mail services..

I know all these can be worked round, but life is too short.

Edit: I should add that I did manage to get through to the broadband team, by feeding in my account number rather than mobile number, although this was the first time this worked. Sadly the lady I spoke to understood none of the questions and had to refer to the technical team. The real downer was that she would not let me speak to the technical team. That was the final straw.

Edited by philippercival (Thu 07-Jul-16 21:08:34)

A quick Google search shows that many many other Vodafone users have had no luck what so ever using another router over a number of months.

There are also many threads you can find which seem to think that the Vodafone router is a pile of **** with crashing regularly, which then requires a power cycle, being one of the main faults (along with the lack of DHCP options and an inability to handle more than a low number of wireless devices without dropping connections).