Vodafone Mobile Broadband

By Loki | 20 Jun 2009 05:10

Initially I started out with a Huawei Mobile Connect ExpressCard (I asked for an ExpressCard specifically when signing up). For some reason, Vodafone have signed me up as a business customer because of this - according to them I own my own company and I can sign up as many contracts as I like on the account. I'm a student, so clearly this is rubbish - but I do enjoy the priority support.

The Huawei modem was merely acceptable in terms of speed - when I could find a signal, of course - and that was pretty difficult. Vodafone's Mobile Connect software was pretty poor, with a useless 'usage meter' (as it will only start counting from the start of the calendar month, not the start of the billing month! what's the point?). It packed up completely after six months or so, during which time I got very little use.

Phoned Vodafone, and within 10 minutes a replacement modem had been ordered. Turns out they sent me an even better modem as a replacement - an Option ExpressCard (aka. GlobeTrotter). This has been very, very good - the dual antenna means I get a good signal and a decent speed with few dropouts (none when stationary), and there is a socket on the modem into which I can attach an external antenna for additional signal. The other advantage is that I can use Option's software - all I have to do is plug the modem in, and as soon as Windows sees it's there, it loads the software and connects me automatically - no 'connect' button in sight! Far better experience, but a more expensive modem.

Vodafone's overage policy for contracts is better than most - for example, at the time of writing o2 will charge you 19.6p for each MB over, meaning for a GB you will pay in the region of £195 for a GB - and Three will charge just over £100. Vodafone have a flat rate of £15 for a GB, which is fairer.

In a more general sense:
The basic Huawei modem on sale by the networks is rubbish - it's cheaply made and has a poor antenna. That's why they're £39 on pay as you go! The 'USB Modem Stick Pro' that Vodafone have on offer for contract customers is a much better proposition, as it has a dual antenna system in addition to better software (as it too is made by Option). T-Mobile are the other network to offer this modem - Orange, Three, o2 and Virgin only offer the cheaper Huawei (and in Three's case, ZTE) modems to all customers, and they are the main cause of issues.

Vodafone should not be stating that the service is 7.2mbps. While they have rolled out 7.2mbps in a number of major airports, this is hardly nationwide coverage - and the fact of the matter is that when you zoom out the coverage map (http://maps.vodafone.co.uk) to show the whole of the UK, only a few major cities are actually covered by 'proper' 3G (red) at all. I'm not surprised that the majority of comments are negative - most customers not in a big city will be in an area that is only covered by the 1.8mbps service, and 1.8mbps is the fastest possible speed in perfect conditions - this is a far cry from the 7.2mbps that Vodafone claim.

Mobile 'broadband' is a complete misnomer right now, and something should be done about it.