Review: Vodafone Broadband

Vodafone Broadband Review

In a nutshell: Vodafone are the most expensive of the mobile broadband networks, but they are also the fastest - up to double the download speeds of 3-Mobile or T-Mobile. A key advantage of the Vodafone service is the ability to roam in over 100 countries. This is our recommended option for business users. Vodafone were found to be the fastest and most reliable mobile broadband network according to independent trials carried out by LCC international, the largest independent wireless engineering company in the world (June 2008).
Best buy: Vodafone Mobile Broadband (from £15 per month).

Vodafone offer mobile broadband services via a USB modem that plugs into your PC or laptop and enables you to access the internet via Vodafone's 3G network. You will need a PC running Windows XP or Vista, or an Apple Mac running OS X Panther 10.3.9 or higher. The Vodafone service is the fastest in the UK at present, offering download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

Like the other mobile broadband providers, the Vodafone service is very easy to use. You simply plug the USB modem into your computer and connect to the internet.

The monthly cost is £15 for 3 GB per month or £25 for 5 GB of data per month. If you choose a 24 month £25 contract you can get a free Dell Netbook!

One of the benefits of using the Vodafone service is that you can use it in over 100 countries, using the international Vodafone network of operators.

Vodafone Broadband Consumer Reviews

Love your mobile network? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the mobile broadband network that's best for them. Please do not review this network if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 106 reviews:

Reviewed by gabby from England on 2nd Jul 2009
I hate vodafone!! It soooo slow even though i live in the middle of manchester city centre and ive just got ripped off for apparently going 2mb over my 3mb limit, which i know for a fact i havent because i have a limit on it and as soon as im told ive reached it i unplug!! I hate them and their customer service sucks!! x x
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Reviewed by simeon from england on 30th Jun 2009
Fact: All these broadband companies are crooks...nothing less. The problem lies is that they are allowed to be crooks and not regulated properly (maybe ofcom got a nice payoff?) ! But another joke amongst many....as pointed out in one review below....the usage indicator! vodofone seem to use a blue bar to indicate how much you have used and hey guys.....suprise suprise ..they have designed it so it goes up in increments of 0mb, 1500mb and 3000mb. So we dont a true numeric value given to us of our usage....so they only allow you to roughly guess your usage...more money for them , more bills for us...dont tell me they cant design it to tell us the exact usage with todays technology but they know exactly how much to charge based on our exact usage!...it probably wouldnt be feasible for theyr'e profit curve to tell us the truth of our usage! Like you all ive had enough of these criminal con man industries these big companies are! Its funny how customer sales are always quick to answer your call and bend over backwards but as soon as they get your money tied up in a contract then you're are banished to the dark realms of pre-sales where no body gives a #@&* about you or your problems and quite frankly doesnt care- 'you're now a pre-sales so shut up, sit in the corner in the dark and be quiet'! Seems like these big companies are above the law with theyre payoffs and multi million pound lawyers and spin doctors!
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Reviewed by Pete from UK on 30th Jun 2009
Awful Awful coverage. Bought mine 6 months ago but did not use to much as I had a wireless network at the time. Worked great in the centre of London. I now find that although my home postcode is listed as good coverage on vodaphone website I now find that after speaking to vodaphone there is no 3G coverage in my area. Could not get 3G in Scotland, just outside stafford or anywhere I've tried for that matter. And vodaphone, just not interested. Now taking it further as a being miss sale
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Reviewed by Sw-880 from England on 28th Jun 2009
Does it work?. Yes it does. I've never had a problem connecting to the net and always have a signal of 3 more bars. Download speeds are fantastic 90% of the time with just a little lag during peak times. My one gripe is the difficulty in knowing exactly how much of my 3GB limit I've actually used. Twice now I've been charged an extra £15 because I've used 100mb more than allowed. This stems from the fact that I'm shown how much I've used per calendar month yet because I signed up on the 10th the usage indicator is way off. Add to this the fact that the indicator is a blue bar with 0mb, 1500mb and 3000mb incriments and you can only make a rough guess as to what you've really used.
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Reviewed by defroster from malta on 25th Jun 2009
Vodafone MT is the fastest network out of 3 (GO , Melita and Vodafone MT) in Malta. I love it
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 24th Jun 2009
OK, so I'm not too sure what to make of this. I'm 2 months into my 12mth mobile internet contract. It seems to work ok (ish) as sometimes it can be dead slow even slap bang in the middle of a 3g area. So slow in fact I sometimes give up when it's opening a page for 3 mins, close my laptop and go for a walk. So it's good in that sense as it gets you out and active in the real world! But seriously, I got this because I did not want to pay BT 125 pounds to connect my landline so this is my only means of internet connection. If I did it again, considering only 1 person can use it at a time and its fairly slow during peak periods, locked in to what I consider now to be a very expensive contract (I have been charged an extra £15 for going over 3GB by a few Meg!) - I would've paid BT the connection charge and gone ADSL broadband at a no extra cost and double the speed. No questions about it.
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Reviewed by nicky lock from uk on 7th Apr 2009
i hate it,its soooooo slow,and to think i payed alot of money for this and still pay for it monthly!!! it disconnects when it wants and keep telling me to kepp refreshing the poxy page. ill be ditching it and NEVER EVER using VODAFONE AGAIN
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Reviewed by Theo from UK, London on 7th Apr 2009
In my opinion, vodafone has the worst customer service, very patronising, uninformed, even staff who lies. Should you have a problem with your service, you're in for a deep swim. For the last 12 days they claim that there is a problem with the mast(network) in the area, almost central london, and as a consequence I cannot use my USB broadband internet. I have spent serveral hours on the phone with them, and all they can say is that "they're aware of the situation, and will keep me updated as to when the issue is going to be fixed". No dates, not times, no nothing. I had requested to cancel this contract, but they're treatning to hold me liable for cancellation charges. They claim that only after 28 days of no service, I'll be able to terminate the contract earlier. Can someone reading this provide some information regardng this "28 days no service" or this is just another lie? I dont seem to find this anywhere in the terms and condiditions. This seem grosly unfair, and totaly onesided. Is anyone out there experiencing the same issues? I'll never go to vodafone again. Major dissapointment and frustration.
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Reviewed by Jared from UK - London on 7th Apr 2009
Judging by everyone's reviews it's seems the vodafone mobile broadband is below average, which is really sad considering it's supposed to be the fastest between 3-mobile and T-mobile. Are they worse?! Today my download speed was 0.54kbps and upload speed was 0.30kbps. The Average in the UK was 2.5kbps Luckily I have another 12 days to test this service and will cancel considering all these other bad comments. I get amazing speeds with the land line and it's only £15 or so. Usually we have two people surfing and downloading at a time and it's still quick. I'm going to check out some other service's.
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Reviewed by Susan Kenny from Australia on 6th Apr 2009
we have been using vodafone wireless net for about a year here, and i absolutely hate it. for a while it was fine, maybe three months, then the last nine it has been atrocious. more often than not it fails to recieve any data. if you open up the VMC software, there is an 'average upload speed' and an 'average download speed' which is a good indication of how much data you are using. however, the ADS often refuses to move from zero. i open a program such as windows live messenger and try to sign in, then switch to the VMC software - the AUS is constantly changing, getting higher as messenger tries harder to connect, and the ADS is still unresponsive. however, it is the only connection we can get where we are, which is a shame considering we are in a major housing development in one of the biggest subburbs in my area. the connection type is also constantly changing - switching from 3G to HSDPA to GPRS. this seems to have an effect on the speed and responsiveness as well - it tends to respond the best, but at an average speed, on the GPRS; whereas the speed is fantastic on HSDPA, but very rarely is the connection responsive at all. i'm fed up with it, and cannot wait to move so we can get another connection. quite frankly, i'm appalled. in these times, we should have much better internet than this.
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Reviewed by Susan Kenny from Australia on 6th Apr 2009
we have been using vodafone wireless net for about a year here, and i absolutely hate it. for a while it was fine, maybe three months, then the last nine it has been atrocious. more often than not it fails to recieve any data. if you open up the VMC software, there is an 'average upload speed' and an 'average download speed' which is a good indication of how much data you are using. however, the ADS often refuses to move from zero. i open a program such as windows live messenger and try to sign in, then switch to the VMC software - the AUS is constantly changing, getting higher as messenger tries harder to connect, and the ADS is still unresponsive. however, it is the only connection we can get where we are, which is a shame considering we are in a major housing development in one of the biggest subburbs in my area. the connection type is also constantly changing - switching from 3G to HSDPA to GPRS. this seems to have an effect on the speed and responsiveness as well - it te nds to respond the best, but at an average speed, on the GPRS; whereas the speed is fantastic on HSDPA, but very rarely is the connection responsive at all. i'm fed up with it, and cannot wait to move so we can get another connection. quite frankly, i'm appalled. in these times, we should have much better internet than this.
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 4th Apr 2009
I signed up 6 months ago for a 12 month contract. Initially there were no problems but since Jan 09 it has become very unreliable. Repeatedly I am unable send e-mails with atttachments. Recently, I have been unable to send e-mails at all. When I phone the support desk they know of he issue but say it is under investigation. The pprobelm appears without notice and goes without notice (the e-mails appear in my Sent Box). As a small business user the service is unusable. To Vodafone's credit, they readily agreed to my request to terminate the contract.
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Reviewed by Alison Graham from UK on 3rd Apr 2009
Fantastic! & much better than T-Mobile's PAYG! I have Vodafone's PAYG & the Signal Strength anything from 3 bars to 5 (most times 4 on average) & connects on the 3G+ just about all the time. So impressed I have ceased the landline. OK so I don't use my internet for watching films et all & if I did it would be expensive, but for what I want, which is to have a bit surf, get my e-mails it's fine!
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Reviewed by Angry Al from UK on 2nd Apr 2009
For the first 6 weeks this thing was like a ferrari, regularly giving 3-4mbps speeds. Since Christmas however it has slowed by increments to the point where it can take 2-3 minutes to load a page. Last night I couldn't get speedtest to register more than 24kbps! When I switch to using my N95 8Gb as a modem over bluetooth in frustration it's much, much faster, despite both being vodafone, used within seconds of each other while sat in a hotel room. VERY shonky software and dubious hardware (should it get that hot?). I'm going to ditch the dongle and use my old N95-1 as a modem with the BB sim
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Reviewed by Stuart Rowland from England on 30th Mar 2009
I've been using Vodafones "broadband" for over a month now, I wish I hadn't bothered! Its quite possibly slower than the slowest dial up I've ever had. Simple downloads from itunes for example can take up to 2 hours or more! The page tick over ranges from 30 seconds to a few minutes, not to mention the amount of times it "loses the connection". To be perfectly honest I wish I hadnt bothered with it! I will be trying to get out of the contract and would not recommend this to anyone!
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Reviewed by ColinM from England on 25th Mar 2009
Give you an example of how bad vodafone are. Go on to there forum. It is littered with similar complaints. they have known about it for months but do nothing about it. yet if you complain they simply delete your post and then suspend you from posting. thats the extent of their customer service....complete waste of time..they are a joke. Would never recommend to anyone. things should be zero stars
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Reviewed by kirsty from uk on 25th Mar 2009
absolute rubbish. have had this for two months, worked ok for the first month and now i cant go on many major websites,even have trouble loading up my emails. i have tried it on my laptop and main computer and is rubbish on both. have just had to send it back for repair as the push button is broken so does not close properly and does not lock open. would def warn people off this, this is my only means of going online at home, am having to come to my mums to check my emails, not what i would expect. am going to see if i can get out of my contract and just sign up for normal broadband.
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Reviewed by sean from england on 24th Mar 2009
what a waste of money,slow and expensive avoid this thing like the plague im stuck with mine for another 18 months
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Reviewed by michelle from uk on 19th Mar 2009
Iy use to be good but lately my internet keeps cutting out and i have to keep connecting its got soooooooooooooooooooooooo rubbish
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Reviewed by jj from 3ngland on 18th Mar 2009
its kinda good i suppose
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Reviewed by Ted from UK on 18th Mar 2009
The service is utter garbage. Dog-slow, 7.2 Mb no way, I'd be amazed if it's 1Mb.
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Reviewed by GG from United Kingdom on 18th Mar 2009
I bought the PAYG vodafone dongle and have found it reasonably useful, although definately not a replacement for broadband. Speeds vary wildy within even a limited location (10 or 15 miles). I would not reccomend the monthly contract unless you are absolutely sure you get good coverage. As a means of checking emails, limited browsing, on the move the PAYG dongle is o.k but I would not expect too much from it.
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Reviewed by Jamstar from uk on 16th Mar 2009
Im coming to the end of my 12 months and i will not be continuing with my contract. Up nutill the star of this new year it was fine and I was very pleased with it and recomended it to several friends, but since the start of 09 it is getting dead slow and ahve to try several times to find google. How good is it when I cant even log on to their own web site to check my bill. I've been with Vodafone for near on 10 years and have 3 phones and broadband, I will not be reviewing any of my contracts. You call them these days and can be on hold from 20mins - over an hour. Customer services must be where they are loosing the 500 jobs.
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Reviewed by howie from uk on 14th Mar 2009
I got the contract at a very good price,£7.50 per month for the full contract. The speeds it works at seem to be very slow, mybe its were i live! if this is the fastest then i dont hold a lot of hope for the rest.
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Reviewed by Brandon from Australia on 13th Mar 2009
The vodafone network is completely and utterly hopeless. The signals bad if your not standing on top of your roof holding a laptop to the sky. Judging by the other hundreds of other reviews telling everyone that vodafone is bull im going with the crowd and with the people that actually thought it was good? then shame on you. Alright so no signal and bad money. DONT GET IT. save yourself. The people who wrote Outstanding are vodafone bought people of psycopathics.
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Reviewed by george from UK on 11th Mar 2009
well it seemed to work in the shop but over the last few days travelling I have experienced very slow speeds hardly registering on a speed tester. Several different areas in the UK, normally showing an OK or very good 3G+ signal. By the way PC World advertise a bundled deal with a laptop and 200 free sms per month. Vodafone say there is no such thing as free sms on a monthly contract. My dongle is PAYG, if i had taken out a contract i would be most displeased
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Reviewed by Carol from UK on 9th Mar 2009
I am very disappointed with this Vodafone service. Having just spent a lot of money on a lap top for the first time and signing up to an 18 month contract with Vodafone, I hardly get more than one hour per month surfing and the signal constantly cuts out even though the mobile phone signal seems ok. It's useless ! Might as well throw the whole lot on the rubbish tip now !!! The only plus is that the Vodafone staff sound friendly. This is a ZERO star rating.
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 6th Mar 2009
Worst mistake ever - paid for a business account but hasn't worked at all since last Christmas. Customer support was always polite but appalling - I must have phoned 20 times and was sent around and around various tech people with no success at all. Finally pleaded for them to let me leave my contract as it was complete con. After a series of phone calls and emails (made on my home broadband!) they agreed to let me leave. Don't sign up unless you test it before hand - take your laptop in and test run it for an hour or so!
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Reviewed by cornisle from uk on 24th Feb 2009
It's ok where I live as I live on top of a hill in an urban area. Yet, it still just stops working completly at times and sssssllllooowwwssss down to unworkable speeds. It never runs at the widely advertised speeds. In fact, it is distinctly average.
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Reviewed by Helen from UK on 13th Feb 2009
Its rubbish!!! and very bad customer service
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Reviewed by paul browne from uk on 5th Feb 2009
Rubbish. My partner won't let me have broadband so I'm stuck with this. If your a heavy internet user you'll get through the 3gb in no time. If you like online video you'll find yourself limited to maybe a few minutes a day. 1 hr of BBC's iplayer will use up over a fifth of your montly allowance. The upload speeds are dreadful so online gaming, a previous hobby of mine, is an absolute no-no. At peak times you can't even get online. If your simply interested in checking your emails it's fine but as an alternative to broadband it sucks.
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Reviewed by ANOUSKA MILLARD from OLDHAM, ENGLAND on 3rd Feb 2009
IM WARNING YOU NOW DO NOT BUY A VODAFONE DONGLE THESE ARE SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW . . DOWNLOADING ON MOBILE IS QUICKER. AFTER BEING PASSED ROUND 9 DIFFERENT PEOLPE WHEN RINGING CUSTOMER SERVICES THEY ALL TOLD ME DIFFERENT TALES NO1 KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GOING ON ABOUT. ALL I CAN SAY IS STAY WELL CLEAR 3G NETWORK IS CRAP . . YOU GET 14 DAYS TO RETURN IF YOUR NOT HAPPY UPTO NOW IVE SPENT 8 ON THE PHONE TO THEM AND STILL HAVNT GOT MY CONTRACT CANCELLED
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Reviewed by Kathryn from UK on 3rd Feb 2009
I have the retractable USB K3760 and have found it excellent, event when the signal is poor it works well. It is great not having a lid to keep worrying about where you have left it. I have used it for downloading and browsing and found it very smooth. Using the mobile connect icon on the desktop you can check your usage and bill with ease. The SMS icon is also great for sending texts. All in all a great choice for mobile broadband........was using 02 which was rubbish.
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Reviewed by PaulE from UK on 2nd Feb 2009
Horrendous quality of service and disgusting attitude towards customers. Would not recommend to anyone.
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Reviewed by dan from uk on 1st Feb 2009
this is a rip off. they charge you 15GBP for each extra 1GB but there is no way to check what is your current usage so you never know when you start paying extra money and they never tell you!!!!
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Reviewed by bill from england on 30th Jan 2009
very frustrating, reminds me of the dail up days. when u could make a cuppa while waiting, for items to load, i dont understand why it uses gprs, when the 3g network it uses seems a lot faster. i dont think i will be renewing with vodaphone. possibly look to cancel the contract as it is nothing like it should be for £15.00 a month very substandard service !
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Reviewed by Colin from UK on 30th Jan 2009
Beware Vodaphone mobile broadband. There is currently major problems with it. Zero data transfer is widespeard and coomonplace - just check vodafone's own forum Vodafone are currently stonewalling customers - denying the problem. Current advice - try another company if you want a reliable service
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Reviewed by helen from england on 26th Jan 2009
i think vodafone gets the best singnal out of o2 n t-mobile :D its got good ofers n there internet is just brill ... really good :D
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Reviewed by siobhan thompson from belfast n ireland on 13th Jan 2009
Terrible coverage from vodafone network most of the time i dont even get 0.5 mb I called vodafone but they are not prepared to do anything about it. Customer service was bad .Although i dont blame staff they can only do what they are told .I will never sign another contract with them again .
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Reviewed by Tez from Uk on 7th Jan 2009
Ok have to eat my words on the vodafone dongle. Sent the monthly one back, and partner bought me a top up and go one for xmas. What can I say, I live on the outskirts of Manchester and with 1 bar of 3G signal I am get download speeds of just under 1meg, and upload speeds around 300k. Picture quality is ok, you just hist Shit+ R to improve the quality. Have found it faster than home broadband had been. Only down side is the cost £15 for 1gig allowance. Why does Top up and Go have to be more expensive than monthly contracts.
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Reviewed by Umar Choudry from UK on 31st Dec 2008
I am using vodaphone, i am completly setisify with this broadband. Speed is very fast. I think it depends wha area u living in.
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Reviewed by Terry from Uk on 19th Dec 2008
Just a quick update, After a week of calling vodafone customer services, talking to 9 different departments and wasting 4 hours on the phone have decided to send back vodafone dongle. customer services have no idea at all what they are doing. they told me to visit a store and get things sorted out, when i asked what would the store do, they didnt know,I said so you want me to trapes into town, 12 miles on the bus, go to a vodafone store to be told there is nothing they can do for me. how poor the service is beggars belief. Have now put my vodafone mobile up for sale. desserting this bunch asap.
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Reviewed by william from england on 17th Dec 2008
I don't have a land line so I thought this mobile broadband would be an excellent idea. Unfortunately even though I have four bars on the signal indicator most of the time and it really connects quickly to the internet it still seems very slow to open pages or to download anything at all, certainly no faster than the old dial up, bit disappointing really. Hmm, I wonder if this is why I had to sign up for 18 months?
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Reviewed by Terry from UK on 15th Dec 2008
Bought the vodafone dongle from cataloge as it was a £20 a month for 3gb data download deal, paid £55 for the dongle, was told no credit check required. Dongle arrived today, phoned vodafone to get it switched on and was told i had failed a credit check, told them the offer said no need for a credit check as it was a 30 day rolling plan. Was on the phone with them for 90 mins, put through to 6 different departments, even asked if they could make it a top up and go dongle. Awaiting a call back. Went to trading standards, may as well banged head against the wall.
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Reviewed by Mora from UK on 13th Dec 2008
After six WEEKS of call centre customer service hell I finally received the USB stick I wanted. I truly wished I had passed on owning the USB Stick Pro. It goes offine continuously and shuts down unexpectedly despite 3 bar reception. Poor imaging, abysmal customer service and sub standard product. The techie at Vodafone admitted there were " known problems" with this stick but no solutions as yet. Very helpful!!! Don't sign up
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Reviewed by Googler from England on 12th Dec 2008
Despite the fact that Vodafone's signal map said I should be getting about 4mbps I rarely got above 1kbps. Took it back to the shop and tried another modem and SIM but same result. Not fit for purpose. I only gave it 1 star because there's no option to give none!
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Reviewed by Steve Pearce from UK on 11th Dec 2008
As a tech support person it is sometimes necessary to be able to connect remotely and on occasions be able to test remote connections from the same locations, using a mobile broadband service should allow this.....not Vodafone's service It seldom provides greater than 25kbps speeds and even then is so slowwwwwwwwwww, a modem is 10-20 times faster. mines going back for a refund and cancellation of contract, not fit for purpose or providing anything like the service promoted and advertised. In short.....useless
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Reviewed by Fawkesey from UK on 3rd Dec 2008
I got this hoping to replace the hopeless Virgin cable broadband connection, but Vodafone firstly sent me the wrong, lower specced dongle, & then when I got the right dongle I was only able to connect at 2 bars & was then dropped off after 5 minutes of admittedly quite speedy browsing. The trouble is I live in London, zone 2, on quite a hill for the area & if I can't get a full signal here then what's the point in using it elsewhere? One other nasty surprise was the compression of all images on all pages viewed, so every image is pixelated, obviously to save time downloading but irritating as it's not mentioned anywhere in the promotional material (surprise, surprise).
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Reviewed by geoff from portugal on 1st Dec 2008
Vodafone £95 boradband abroad is pants! For £9.95 a day you get 50mb a day limit, yet if you pay contract £95 you get much less - 200mb??? So why pay £95, when you could pay £100 and get 10 x 50bm = 500mb. It does not make any sense!!!!
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Reviewed by tango from england on 23rd Nov 2008
vodafone is a rubbish newtwork
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Reviewed by James Lewis from uk on 13th Nov 2008
Just an afterthought. Becareful when ordering broadband with the mini make sure you don't get charged for the mini. After writing my first review I discovered that they had charged me £250 for the mini as they put me on the wrong tariff. I suggest you go to a store rather than ordering online or phone as then you will have paper contract saying what you are paying for. I was on hold for over an hour, but I have been promised that the £250 charge will be waived. I still think that the speed is superpub but I think charing me for something that I never agreed to pay for waa bad, still it was sorted quickly for that reason I am changing my rating from 5 stars (previous review) to 4 stars.
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Reviewed by Dorkingman from UK on 13th Nov 2008
Useless a few miles south of the M25 in Surrey. Rarely get connections even with what's supposed to be a reasonable connection, and then only ultra slow GPRS. A waste of money.
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Reviewed by John from UK on 13th Nov 2008
Apart from the centre of Luton very poor wherever I have used the service, in the centre of Birmingham absolutely useless (2 bar GPRS!) and when it works at all it is actually slower than an old narrowband dialup, I have now moved to 3 which so far has been pretty good. There is one good point about the Vodafone setup and that is the customer service, when I explained how bad the service was there were no problems in cancelling the service just had to return the card and contract was cancelled they even refunded the previous months payment.
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Reviewed by James Lewis from UK on 12th Nov 2008
I must say I have no idea what people are complaing about. Vodafone broadband is wonderful. I got it with the dell mini. I did first get T mobile broadband but it was so poor I then decided to get vodafone with the mini. (I am returning the t mobile one) Absoloutely outstanding service from vodafone.
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Reviewed by amang ahmand from England on 4th Nov 2008
happy with vodafone service
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Reviewed by Stace from UK on 2nd Nov 2008
Just utter pants. Tested Vodafone and 3UK. Both are really bad against a really good signal. Can they justify the meaning of broadband. Why not use the term "Mobile Dial-UP"! Simply steer clear of the services they offer as it still uses old technology of packet sending. Plus if they take our money and fail to provide the service they state, surely they are breaking the contract we are under. And if they are taking our money, why don't they invest in updating the system to cope with demand. Is it about time some governing body like oftel stepped in to sort this mess out. The providers are just taking us for a ride and laughing all the way.
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Reviewed by Recent recruit from UK on 28th Oct 2008
It may be the best in the UK but unless you are in a very good 3G area the speed is as slow as a dial-up modem
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Reviewed by aled from uk on 26th Oct 2008
I have the 3GB monthly allowance contract at £15 per month. I get an average connection speed of around 400 - 500 kBs when I check at speedtest.net. The worst I've measured is 200k, and the best is 1.5M. This is despite the fact I have a poor signal (at best 2 bars). this is more than adequate for basic internet use. In terms of installation, its real easy on XP - just put the usb stick in and follow instructions when the automatic program starts. It can take a while to install - 15 minutes, so be patient, even when it looks as though its hung up. Initially, content control prevents you fom visiting certain websites, but a quick phone call to vodafone and they can switch it off (as long as you are over 18). I think all providers do the same. For my purposes - email, facebook, bit of browsing and some streaming (youtube) the vodafone usb stick is perfect. You get a 14day peace of mind, so if you get one and it doen't give you a good connection, then send it back and pay nothing.If you're into file sharing,downloading, or MMP online games then this is clearly not for you - for everyone else though I truly reccomend it.
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Reviewed by Savas from Germany on 22nd Oct 2008
I've got one of these 3G VMClite USB sticks, but after the first month of having worked very fast and satisfying, the d3@n thing won't work normal again. It is slow even at starting a normal site. And terrible when it comes to streaming video's like youtube.
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Reviewed by Lloyd Crouch from England on 22nd Oct 2008
Do NOT touch this so called service from Vodafone. When you do get a signal it is usable, but most of the time the speed is slower then the 56K modem plus there is a time lag before you actually get anything start showing on the screen. Don't get me started on the pixalated photos that you have to reload to get a proper clear one.This is due to the compresion they do to make the sites load quicker. Very frustrating. I have had mine for 5 months and have been hoping the service would get better, it has not. I have tried cancelling the service only to be told that could only do this within the first 14 days. I can get out of it now, but they want over £300. This is what it will cost me if I keep the service running at £15 per month. So I may as well keep it in the drawer until then and then cancel it. WHAT A CON! Customer service Sucks!
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Reviewed by Anthony from UK on 20th Oct 2008
I bought one of these a few months ago. I use it in surrey - around a mile outside the M25. It is painfully slow, to the point of being unusable. I really do feel like Vodaphone are just taking the money and laughing at customers.
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Reviewed by John Dow from UK on 17th Oct 2008
I have the 7.2 dongle and it works great depending upon location location location. I got it really as a roaming backup to pick up on email, ebay business, etc and it does grind slow sometimes but does the job. Occasional use abroad proved really useful when I was unexpectedly hospitalized in France - a lifesvaing communication link. Really really pleased.
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Reviewed by gabriele from italy on 17th Oct 2008
hi i'm from italy your vodafone uk is very easy and isn't very expensive. in italy the rate is very yuck for example : 100 hours mounthly and cost 30 euro speed 3.6 mbps is very expensive and it isn't unlimited ....you are very lucky .....
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Reviewed by FAYE MEADOWS from United Kingdom on 16th Oct 2008
I have the 7.2 dongle...it is faster than my dial up but that wasnt hard! I cannot play certain computer games like YoVille or Second Life as it shows as me being on a shared network. Often my MSN will not log in due to the IP address as it's always different. It's just generally a let down as I wanted fast access - not waiting 10-30 seconds for the page to load!!!
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Reviewed by rob harris from england on 6th Oct 2008
Vodafone broadband... what a joke so slooooow it's not worth the money
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Reviewed by Bob Evans from UK on 3rd Oct 2008
I needed broadband on my canal boat for use while travelling the inland waterways. I paid for the Vodafone 7.2 dongle and £15/month service. Its been very poor with limited coverage. If you are in the middle of a major town you may be OK, but elsewhere...forget it. Most of the time I only manage 56k dial-up speed. I have used it ourside the boat so it is not the effect of the steel. I now have a '3' modem and PAYG card which is great. Hi-speed almost everywhere. This modem is unlocked so I tried the Vodafone SIM in it in case it was a modem problem, but its not. The Vodafone coverage is just poor. Other boaters have found the same thing. Vodafone is impressive but only when sitting on a phone mast !
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Reviewed by Umar Choudry from Uk, Bristol on 25th Sep 2008
I got this broadband before few weeks and it works very good. Forget 3 and t mobile. This iz the best.
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Reviewed by Grant from England on 20th Sep 2008
Two more things to be aware of in addition to the very poor download speeds. One: It doesn't allow any peer to peer networking, so you can forget Kazaa, Emule or any P2P file sharing. Two: It doesn't realise that we are in the UK, so any BBC streaming video that is "UK only", will not play. You will be told that the video is "available in the UK only"! No warning about these two very major restrictions is given by vodafone in any of the documentation (or reviews).
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Reviewed by Shane from Scotland on 17th Sep 2008
I have just purchased the £15 a month 7.2mbps 3GB usb stick. It is absolutely great it is soooo quick and downloads are super fast !! I just stopped using the tmobile one with same price and stuff except is slower because it is absolutely useless . The Vodafone is a great buy and if everybodys was the same it should replace the need for home broadband
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Reviewed by Rob from England on 17th Sep 2008
Vodafone mobile broadband is over subscribed and so slOOOw it's unusable
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Reviewed by Jason Evans from UK on 17th Sep 2008
A company director uses the Vodafone Mobile Connect with USB modem E172 whilst connected to his Apple MacBook Air. It was very easy to set up and get going. 3G Signal strength very rarely goes beyond half way although whilst writing this review I held the laptop out of the window and the bar strength increased to optimal. Ive tested it in Bath (UK) browsing is painfully slooooow and the USB device gets so hot you can't even hold it! Vodafone replaced the USB modem but its still very slow and still gets very hot?
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Reviewed by Liam from UK on 14th Sep 2008
**********TORRENT USERS************* Well, I understand peoples views on the customer service, (over the phone) I got the Impression of a company that had just set up the night before, and not the slick company you see in the shops. However!!!, I managed to get a relativly cheap deal £45 a month, I know its cheaper!! lol But I have unlimted use...dont get me wrong it was hard to get(I only knew of it because of a mate) they kept saying about the 3gig limit. Anyway, I can download approx 11 films (avi) over a weekend, and as many songs as I want. Not for everone. but still for a few excellent.
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Reviewed by Russell from UK on 6th Sep 2008
Update for you. Another problem with the service is the regular crash of their server that checks if you have lifted "content control". This means it defaults to blocking all pages they don't know about (not just 'adult' ones). Can you give zero stars?
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Reviewed by Russell from UK on 4th Sep 2008
Just got one in Milton Keynes. Awful. As others have said - dial-up speeds are the norm. Useless for streaming media. Low res websites, and occasional email is the only true use of this technology. It's clearly designed as a low-use, convenience. It is NOT a broadband replacement and never will be. Looks like I will need to go and get a landline after all. Darn!
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Reviewed by nigel brown from UK on 4th Sep 2008
Had one on a 14 day trial and it was hopelessly slow!! avoid unless you have to use broadband and there is no landline or wireless network and even then you will be pulling your hair out..
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Reviewed by John Antill from UK on 30th Aug 2008
I live within the M25 and my dial up speed is 0.03Mbps. Vodafone claimed a speed of 7.2 Mbps so I have stopped my direct debit and if they want to take me to court I will fight them all the way. They can not claim "warp speed Internet connection” and give me this poor service. The financial ombudsman would have a field day with them. Its simple, if you think that you have been duped don't pay.
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Reviewed by Terry from Smith on 28th Aug 2008
This has to be the worst thing that we have ever agreed to take on - A simple web page can take up to 60 seconds to load. If something would normaly take 10 mins to do on a normal BB connection, plan for at least 100 mins to do it on Vodafone BB. We bought these for our business - it has probably cost us £5k in lost productivity so far.I am going to scrap all of them - it will be cheaper in the long run so that my staff can actualy get on and do something productive. I had to click 1 star - to me they do not even deserve that.
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Reviewed by Michael from England on 27th Aug 2008
As a much poorer vodafone shareholder I wonder how the authorities allow this firm to keep on telling lies and using false advertising all the time? I am severely disbled and it took me hours to get myself and wheelchair to the Blackpool branch of PC world. The deal with the laptop did not seem bad..........ha ha ha ha ha...... Yes, another sucker has been had, but not for long, I have learnt long ago that they either conform with the sale of goods act and other legislation or it is a quick trip to the County Court. The device is so slow as to be almost useless, start up internet explorer and then ebay , sign in ...............twenty minutes!!!!! Oh and it keeps on running like a taxi even when no programmes or internet connection is running. All this from one of the largest firms in the world. SHAME ON YOU.
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Reviewed by marcs from UK on 13th Aug 2008
Poor coverage in the village, according to the Vodaphone coverage map the surrounding fields get excellent 3G reception!!!,but the village only gets 2G, even that is very poor with constant problems of signal cutting out, phone line is much faster.
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Reviewed by Erik from London on 11th Aug 2008
Living in sunny London and supposedly getting the best connection speeds am bitterly dissappointed with "the fastest mobile broadband in the universe". A very slow connection, often falls over, inconsistant software which starts seemingly at random. All in all if you can avoid it do so. Like pulling teeth just less fun.
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 10th Aug 2008
Got my USB stick a few weeks ago and I checked my area for coverage and according to Vodafone's site I am in an area covered by 3G. Having set it all up and used it for a few days at different times of day I was disgusted with the pathetic speed that is consistently slower than dial-up. Once in a blue moon I will get a 3G connection but with a very poor signal that eventually drops back to 2G. Even with a supposed 3G connection the speeds are woeful and with 2G they are even worse. Utterly disgusted with the experience and it should be made much clearer what the likely speeds are going to be for most people. It would appear that everyone using mobile broadband no matter who the provider is are suffering with the same problems. I wonder what Ofcom will do about this as I have been ripped off. At least I managed to return it in the 14 day cooling off period but still had to pay for the time I had it...when it was completely unuseable!!
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Reviewed by Adam from UK on 6th Aug 2008
If Vodafone are the fastest, then Lord help us! The 7.2Mpbs is 1.7 at the very best (3am) and the speed that I normally connect to is well unde 1Mpb (0.7). As if the speed issue was not sufficient, their 3G network keeps failing. In addition to create issues for all their new phones, it also means that your broadband connection will keep either breaking-up or hang. But the real piece de resistence is the phenomenally poor customer service. Waiting for 45' for someone to answer the tech line? Yes, if you are lucky, so that someone can tell you that all is ok and that the speed coverage is fine in your area. This is then topped-up with the wrong-kind-of-building sort of excuses. The forum Vodafone provides has scores of p.... off customers and this is increasing. Extremely poor speed, unreliable and auful customer service. Definitely a mistake subscribing to Vodafone, deeply regret it.
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Reviewed by johnpf from UK on 26th Jul 2008
When it is good it is very good but when low GPRS signals all that is available then it is worse than a slow dialup connection, absolutely awful signal levels in the centre of Birmingham so service almost unusable. I cannot recomend Vodafone but what I will say in their faovour is that the customer service was good but it was such a shame that I needed to use them.
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Reviewed by alto from uk on 16th Jul 2008
8Kbps - dreadful and dreadful customer service!
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Reviewed by Jon from UK on 13th Jul 2008
We signed up in April (business) for 2 mobiles and two Mobile Broadband dongles. Initial problem was that the deal on charges and other aspects promised in the shop, which I took the precaution of writing down and getting signed by the Manager, meant nothing. The first bill was on standard rates. The Manage said that "Customer Services" had simply decreed that the standard rates would apply, and the signed document meant nothing. Take it or leave it; as a "gesture of goodwill" they would allow me to return the hardware and cancel!! The SIM card and/or software in one dongle was blown apart by trying to use it in a Vista machine. Vodafone replaced the SIM and service was restored on my two WXP laptops, but not one a new XP Pro desktop in the office. This time a driver appears to be missing. Coverage has been goodish round the UK, 3.6 in Bristol according to the VMC Lite box, 0.8 according to BBC speed checker, in Bristol and the M4 - M5 axis. GPRS in Holy Island was a welcome surprise; I though we would get nothing and it was not too slow for emails etc. But Vodafone's attitude to customer service and simple contract law is appalling. Basically the sale was fraudulent and our buy was based on deliberately misleading information about charges. As Vodafone probably assume, I do not have the time or will to start again with another supplier, but if I ever do, as in if the dongle keeps on playing up, they can whistle for any penalty payment and will have to come to me to collect their hardware. I have a documented record of the whole sorry saga including phone recordings. The rating is for Mobile Broadband service only, NOT Vodafone as a supplier!
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Reviewed by j from england on 10th Jul 2008
Hate it. I got the modem when living in old flat and was good. Since moving I cant get gd reception and is soooooo slow. Called vodafone and after alot of arguing the end result is that Iv been told there's nothing that can be done coz in contract. Iv been given the option of paying off the account (over £300) Thanks for nothing Vodafone. Customer service is awful. Am still waiting for a manager to call me back after requesting over a wk ago 4 times. BAD BAD BAD Wish there were 0 star option.
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Reviewed by Paul from UK (London, Camberwell) on 9th Jul 2008
Very slow and of limited use. Think VERY carefully before committing to this, and ignore Vodafone's (and their competitors) garbage about 7.2mbps. In the evenings I'm on dial-up speeds (30 to 50kpbs or so). This morning I was getting 2mbps. So, if you want to check emails and surf light it may be OK. I don't want to get a BT landline in. BUT if you want to surf a lot, download anything, or have any sort of broadband experience, then STAY AWAY. Ignore the coverage map. I get 3 or 4 bars out of 5 in my flat and confirmation that I can connect to 3G. Still I get dial-up speeds. Good points are the software is easy to use and it all starts up quite quick. Also if you buy from a Vodafone shop there's a 14 day return option. I may take mine back and try 3 or Orange, though I suspect they're the same.
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Reviewed by Dissapointed from Scotland on 23rd Jun 2008
I can't even begin to describe how bad this is. I eagerly set up the little dongle (which does only take seconds) and I was up and running. A quick look at my connection speed showed I was connected at 22kbps!! This is slower than the connection you would get if you dialled up with a modem over a phone line!!! I looked at the device and I could see that the light was green which means it was unable to connect to 3G and has instead connected to GPRS which has a max speed of 48kbps (slower than your 56k modem :-( Before I bought the thing I checked their web site (which said I was in a good coverage area) but a 20 minute call to Vodafone (at my expense...watch out for their 0870 money making numbers) revealed that I wasn't really in a good area. £15 a month for the speed of an old dial up account? I dont think so. Luckily they do have a 14 day cancellation period so if you're not getting speeds of at least 300kbps SEND THIS BACK and get a normal broadband connection that works. Interestingly, if you use this abroad the fee is £95 per month for 200 MB. Additional megs are charged at £4.25 each which means £4250.00 per GIG!!! So if you download a movie abroad it will cost you £9000!!!!!! Better make sure its a good movie then ;-) AVOID!
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Reviewed by josh from uk on 22nd Jun 2008
i have had this modem and cancel i was getting 4 bars and ive had dial up faster than that its rubbish i would recommend u go with o2 a lot faster
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Reviewed by Mike from UK on 21st Jun 2008
I have just got Vodaphone mobile broadband for my notebook PC and find it next to useless. The software (drivers) are unstable when used with Vista but the real showstopper is that I am averaging bteween 160kps and 200kps despite being in a 'good reception' area (Slough). I have made a number of tests at different times of day and this performance is consistent. Perversely, the upload speed is more than twice the download speed. What really annoys me is that the Vodaphone shop assured me I would get at least 2meg -I am getting one tenth of that. My advive is do not touch this service with a bargepole. I am returning the modem tomorrow and cancelling my contract (you have 14 days to cancel). Those who have rated this service as good have obviously not speedchecked it.
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Reviewed by anone from UK on 19th Jun 2008
Best is 3,very good!Vodafone WARNING they are charging me without notifing me ,that im exseeding a bill of 900 pounds abroad!!!Go for pay as you go!!
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Reviewed by Chris from England on 19th Jun 2008
Be warned - speeds may not be as you expect - when you log in with the VMC lite software that comes with your modem it will indicate that you are on the 3G netowrk, yet speeds in some areas can be as low as 14kbps! Ignore the coverage maps on their website - they are wrong. to be safe, borrow one off of a friends, or do a speed test straight away after signing up. My area is due for an upgrade in 6 months :( just be warned. Dead easy to use though - just disappointing performance and customer service
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Reviewed by Lee from England on 17th Jun 2008
Great internet speed!!! What I would like to point out is that I really don't rate the Customer service at Vodaphone, I have had 2 call up a number of times to get issues sorted and u find yourself calling back because its not been sorted. I live in the city centre of manchester so can only really say that the speed is great here!!! There is cheaper out there, but works great!!
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Reviewed by Rob. from UK on 17th Jun 2008
Short and sweet Value for money and fast!
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Reviewed by Jessica Dyson from UK on 29th May 2008
Vodfone Is soo fast and good, not bad money either! Love it.
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Reviewed by Barry from Uk on 16th May 2008
Absolute Rubbish. I bought the 3.6mb speed hoping to get at least 1.5-2MB out of it when i did a broad band test this was the result. Your throughput is typical of a connection speed of 156Kbps. The task was for it to download a Gif file and a test result was shown once the file was downloaded. My connection just drops and i have to reboot the Dongle to start again. Sometims i have to turn my PC off and reinstall the stupid thing because it crashes.. If the others are bad and Vodafone are supposed to be good. I would sooner pay that little bit extra for a service which can give me what I need Even the 56k modem doesnt cost as much as this a month. Vodafone quit ripping us off with gimmicks and tell people the Truth
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Reviewed by peter from uk and europe on 2nd May 2008
great i cant fault it but i think vodafone should as a international company not rip us off with roaming charges that not justified,charging i think £10 for 24hrs abroad and not 24 hrs use as i was told when i purchased it. barr lifting is a phone call with proof of age i went into a shop they done it there and then
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Reviewed by barry evans from u.k. on 1st May 2008
Really pleased with it. I use it both in my p.c and when travelling with my laptop. However in the first month there have been vodafone technical problems on 4 days when 3g was not available. Also it comes with content control - restricting access to some sights [eg virgin wines] Have been trying for weeks now to get the control lifted - but to no avail - otherwise worth £15 month
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Reviewed by lee from leeds/uk on 27th Apr 2008
very very good
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Reviewed by garry layton from united kingdom on 19th Apr 2008
got phone and broadband together,and fell out big time with vodafone over phone issues and cancelled contract.would of cancelled broadband too,but it really is quite fast and reliable (have had no issues with losing connection)and i dont have the strongest coverage in my area.very happy with broadband and have to recommend the product.all vodafone have to do now is train their staff!!
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Reviewed by Simon from Uk on 12th Apr 2008
I remember getting my first phone on Vodafone back in the day... Then went to o2 because of the deals... Now back at the Original and the biggest network in the world, and it's a british company it's Vodafone. I was with 3 and there dongle to be frank was a piece of rubbish,kept cutting out and the speed was poor. I wasnt keen on Vodafone again because I heard there network had got worse as they use to have the best coverage, but I went into a store to look at there offer a fiver dearer than 3 for there USB modems and my god Vodafones bloddy briliant it's so much quicker a million times and It never drops connection at all. I.e watching you tube click on it to play and no buffering just loads whilsts watching. I have also recently come to Vodafone for my mobile phone after being a loyal o2 customer, the networks fine I have good coverage and no problems as with o2 mine went down sometimes. Why aren't o2 offering these usb modems and making a mint like vodafone, which I have found out that Vodafone have 60% of the market, becuase o2's network can't take it it's struggling and there 3g is apparently pants GO VODAFONE the original network is back!!!
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Reviewed by Ajay from UK on 12th Apr 2008
GET ONTO VODAFONE 7.2MPS WHICH THEY ARE ROLLING OUT TO MOST OF THE UK SOON, I HAVE A DONGLE IT A TREAT. AND YOU SEE 3 AND T-MOBILE ARE GOING INTO A 3G AGREEMENT THE TWO WORST ONES. VODAFONE RECENTLY SIGNED A DEAL WITH BT WHICH MAKE THE CAPACITY PLUS 400% AND AIMS OF EVEN QUICKER BROADBAND Make the most of now
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Reviewed by James from London on 30th Mar 2008
My dad got this modem and it works like a dream! An absolute DREAM!!! We got this around the beginning of March because of the CHEAP price with the outstanding 3GB usage (We haven't came close to 3GB usage yet). It works fine and you can do anything with it and go on every website. The speed is VERY fast when surfing the net and the connection is quite good. Also, you... can... text from your computer! This is brilliant for me as I don't have to waste 10p creadit on my phone (Vodafone network also).
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Reviewed by chris from uk on 28th Mar 2008
What Joy to get rid of BT ! Hooray , this Broadband is very very good, i live in Desbury west yorks and it works a treat.
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Reviewed by cass from england on 15th Mar 2008
its rubbish way to expesive
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Reviewed by Paul King from England on 8th Mar 2008
I bought the Voadfone USB modem for my 13 yesr old son as he used his laptop away from home quite a lot. I liked the idea that he could access the internet anywhere there was decent Vodafone coverage, which is most parts of the UK. I was that impressed with it that I went back to the Vodafone store a few days later and bought a USB modem stick for myself. Whilst there are only a few parts of the UK that offer download speeds of up to 7mbps, I have found that download speeds in places I have used it are excellent..even in places like Bowness in Windermere. It is easy to use...just plug it in an away you go. I have 'hammered' the internet since I bought it and I still haven't reached a third of my monthly allowance. The good thing with a Vodafone modem is that if you are not in a 3G broadband area, the modem searches for reception on the 2G system. If it can't find that (and you must be out 'in the wilds' for it not to have 2G reception) it searches on GPRS. So far, I have absolutely no complaints about my modem. I would recommend it to anyone looking for internet access on the move. I looked at other providers prior to settling for this modem but I have a Vodafone mobile, which I am extremely happy with. As far as I'm concerned, Vodafone have the best product using the best mobile signals meaning an excellent service. If you are thinking about buying one of these, Vodafone offer a 14 day return policy if you aren't happy with it. I returned to the shop after 3 days of buying my son's modem to buy my one. That's how much i liked it.
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