Vodafone Pocket Wi-Fi 3G

Doesn't work well, and nearly impossible to cancel – Please note that none of this should be seen as a criticism of the Vodafone support staff, either on the phone, chatline, or in-store -- they were all extremely helpful on the (unfortunately frequent) occasions that I had to contact them. I moved house right before the first lockdown started in Melbourne (March 2020), and as I hadn't had wifi… Read more

set up before and knew I'd need to work from home, I purchased this router and plan as a stopgap measure.

It generally worked OK for my needs, living alone with one device connected at once, but struggled even with phone + laptop connected. There were frequent outages and needs to turn on/off or reset the router, and multiple times daily I had to re-connect ("Connect automatically" never worked on my laptop for this wifi).

The real problems started in February 2021 when I decided to get a "real" wifi setup and wind up this Vodafone one.

I knew I'd have to pay a cancellation fee -- fair enough as I had signed up for a 36-month plan -- but the issue was that it was almost impossible to cancel. No way to do it through the website. When I called on the phone, the cancellation team apparently had different hours to the regular customer service team, so line would go dead when connected or transferred to them. Finally I went in-store, and was told that they couldn't process cancellations in-store, only sales.

I eventually messaged Vodafone Australia via their Facebook page and was directed to the chat support line on the website (which was apparently supposed to appear on every page, but on my computer appeared only sporadically on the site). Via this, I managed to get the cancellation completed.

I have had to cancel various services in the past, due to moving overseas, etc, and I have never had this level of difficulty doing it -- again, I was not in any way disputing the cancellation fee; in fact, I was practically begging them to take whatever payment was required to actually cancel this plan.

Very glad that my new wifi plan is with a different provider. Again, all customer service staff were very helpful; the procedures for cancellation seemed to be deliberately arcane and difficult.

One final thing is that I consistently found the service quite confusing, with different logins and passwords for the site and the router, and the interface sometimes made it unclear what detail(s) were required.

Vodafone pocket wifi 4g R216h - useless – You guys never buy this product, this can't be used with other service providers. The product says it is not locked but locked. very very useless product. so disappointed. wasting money.

Used up 98Gb of data in one week but was barely used!! – Vodafone should be absolutely ashamed of this terrible service. I’ve been a customer for over 10 years so stupidly thinking it would be good service I purchased the pocket wifi with 90Gb data per month. Within 7 days i received a message, it told me I had used 80% of 120Gb of data!!!! we had only watched Netflix for about an hour streamed… Read more

music for an hour, and surfed the net for up to 2 hours. How on earth can this use this much data?????? I logged in and it said that I had used 25Gb on Christmas Day! It wasn’t even on!!!!!! I called Vodafone and was told that he would have to check my usage and if it was used then I must have used it!!!! Unfortunately he couldn’t check as the Vodafone system was down! He was extremely rude and not at all helpful. He was also more than happy for me to cancel my service! what a disgusting company Vodafone! I’m furious!

Check other Brands – Having ongoing issues with modem, will cost me to buy a replacement even thou using on a 2 year plan, dont even have a loan moden while company check , again will cost you Pay a little more and get a reliable , service where you will be looked after as most commit themselves to a plan Not happy , lack of help regarding modem, WILL BE MOVING ....

Pay for 4 GB, Get 3.5 GB Free (But that's all you get!) – This applies to a newer model than this, but I guess equally to all Vodaphone Pocket Wifi. No need for me to say anything! Here's what Brody from Vodaphone support says in reply to my query: "Thanks (Magic Pudding), you've nailed it on the head, you do get charged to set up a device as you're connecting to the internet to do just that. It… Read more

is definitely possible to use 500MB or more of data to do this. From what you've just said it took you some time to connect which says you were dropping in and out of usage during this time.

We won't be able to credit the data that has been used, and we get that this can be a bit of a surprise. As mentioned, it's not possible for us to record data that has been used as the info comes directly via your SIM card.

We'd be sad to see you take this to the TIO, but we understand if you feel the need. To make things easier I've hopped in and got a complaint reference number here

Trap – For first couple of months you get bonus data and then back to actual data which is $125 for 25 GB. I wouldn't buy if adsl or nbn was available at my address.

Rubbish – I’m in the middle of changing ADSL providers so I thought maybe it’s a good idea getting this for a few days, only it is not. I’ve had bad experiences with Vodafone mobile coverage and service but since this was ~20 bucks cheaper than Optus/Telstra dongles and only for a few days I thought I’ll give it a go, but yet again they proved to be… Read more

useless. I live 7km from CBD and the dongle keeps dropping out 5 time per minute. Reception is unbelievably poor and shows only 1 or 2 bars out of 5 and if you are more than 2 meters away it won’t work…Speed wise at best it has 20% the speed of my 4G mobile. I’m gonna stay away from Vodafone for ever and warn everyone else to do the same.

Below one star – Waste of $39. So slow and keeps crashing pages, worst thing I ever bought. It's not mobile - it doesn't even work sat in a house with supposedly full signal.

Never Use This If You're Planning To!! – This is so bad! We used it for like 30 minutes and it sad we used 2gb! Don't buy it, it will be a waste of money.

product OK Vodafone 4G – The device finally worked. 4G came online after a chat with the technical support. Thank you. However, consider when making your devices they are "Linux Operating systems Plug n Play friendly" as I am no longer interested upgrading with other operating systems as of recently. I want my VodaFone 4G internet to work on my up and coming Linux… Read more

based computers, or clear instructions online easily found on how to achieve this.

The user interface is one of the best I have to experience with, all the right info etc.

Thanks

This is the worse service I've ever signed up for – We've been Vodafone customers for many years. As we are relocating overseas, we terminated our broadband and decided to get Vodafone's pocket wifi. This is honestly the worst decision ever made. Ever since purchasing this, we barely used it only when we needed wifi on our laptops for things that cannot be done via the mobile phone. Otherwise, we… Read more

would use our mobile data. The connection was terrible to begin with, so many drop outs, connection issues, and instability. Then all of sudden in 2 days, nearly 2gb of data went missing from our account when the device was actually switched off! We tried following up with Vodafone for 1 wk, spoke to so many consultants, it was a huge joke. My final phone call with Vodafone lasted 1 & half hours. The 1st consultant I spoke to was horribly rude. I then got transferred to a supervisor who kept interrupting, and then to technical support, to billing dept, back to the supervisor, and thn I gave up. I asked to cancel the service. Bottom line is, Vodafone claims they ran this "investigation" and according to their tests, we used the data. Even when our device was SWITCHED OFF. They even had the cheek to tell me that perhaps I didn't know how to switch it off. The resolution was for me to bring this device to a shop & check if it was faulty. If it was, they'll credit me. I would have been an obliging customer to do that. Except, I've already spent 1 week of my time chasing this up, and then spent ONE & HALF HOURS being bounced back & forth in a phone call with NO RESOLUTION with their Vodafone team indicating it was our fault. And to top it off, we're leaving Melb for our overseas relocation in less than 2 wks & have work on top of that. Additionally, Vodafone informed us that in order for the shop to further investigate the device, they might take it away for another 4-5 days. so.. For all the money I've paid, In general, I don't really get to use this service do I? So I don't understand how this 2gb credit will benefit me if I bring it to the shop for them to take the device away from me?? They're not further compensating me for all the time I've wasted!! I don't trust Vodafone because this is not the 1st time, such an error occurred on their part. During the Easter wkend this year, my husband's mobile data with Vodafone mysteriously disappeared overnight & he was sent a large bill. (We're talking 3gb here) Vodafone could not explain where the data went but on their system & again via their "investigation", it showed the data was used. But they could not explain how that happened. thankfully on a smart phone, U're able to track ur own data usage. And ours clearly showed that no such 3gb of data was used overnight. Vodafone wiped that bill eventually. And whn I spoke to a consultant again, he actually admitted that such ERRORS WERE VERY COMMON ON THEIR VODAFONE SYSTEM AND HE APOLOGISED. Therefore, for 2gb of data to get swiped from my Vodafone pocket wifi is not surprising. But for the Vodafone team to be so unprofessional, unhelpful, unresourceful, and plain rude about it (Like how can u blame the customer & talk down to customers??) is completely unacceptable. In an era like ours, we all know how internet usage works but to point fingers at us that we made those errors are blatantly disgusting. I warn everyone about Vodafone, always check your bills, check your data usage, check everything. Because we are so disappointed that after being loyal customers with Vodafone for many years, they have resorted to such disgusting & dishonest measures to cheat their customers. Needless to say, I will be terminating every service I have with Vodafone.

Don't Bother! – If you want to be a happy customer who receives good service and can actually use the product you've purchased - then don't bother joining Vodafone. Its shocking! They make false promises to get you tied into contracts and don't deliver on half the things they said. I don't use the website except for self service as the telephone service cant… Read more

help you unless you are willing to spend at least 40 minutes on the phone - but you ultimately have to as the website is down for maintenance when you need it most!

Vodafone needs to lift its game – The Vodafone Pocket Wi-Fi is inexpensive, but it is not good value for money. At the time of writing this review, I am using this device about 16 hours a day (with 8 hours sleep), and the number of drop-outs are raising my blood pressure and pushing my patience to the boundary (and I'm a calm person). To be fair, it is very handy as it's… Read more

portable, but it is far from reliable. I hope the Wi-Fi Extreme is an improvement and certainly hope that 4G will be a great success to improve Vodafone's reputation. Inexpensive Constant drop-outs, slow

Pocket Wi-Fi for me a Great Product – I have owned my PocketWiFi for about 3 years & have had trouble free operation since the purchase, the only thing that has let me down is Vodafone themselves with their network issues & their prepaid plans aren't the greatest. 95% of the time I have been able to do what I needed the unit for. I have recently stopped using this unit because I can… Read more

now use my Samsung Galaxy 2 to do exactly the same thing without carrying an extra unit around. Take anywhere Vodafone Network

Absolute Joke – Can't tell you to stay away from this any more strongly. It never worked unless using facebook, even then you had to reload about 50 times. So slow - So Slow. Called to complain many times to be told "the service in that area is great" - here's a tipe Vodafone - I'm in the area, it aint perfect. Do yourself a favour and do not buy. I liked throwing it out the window in frustrution. That was fun. Network horrible.

Quitting today - more hidden costs than a burger with gold flakes in it – Having bought this product from a Vodafone store and having been with Vodafone for more than 9 years, I expected a lot better than this. Was originally explained the affordable monthly cost of $29 caps and $35 caps with respect to mobile and wireless internet usage on a plan. Sad to see that despite the exact same usage at peak/non peak hour… Read more

rates, VF are charging increasingly more per month - without any explanation as to why the cost is skyrocketing.

Today I've had enough and am going to follow through with it to find out why they're so keen to increase prices, especially with this bad little device.

Exorbitant costs of usage . And terrible connection clapouts.

Huawei Pocket WiFi 2 is not a bad device, it's the Vodafone network that sucks – This device is ok it doe's what it is supposed to the problem is with the grossley oversold vodafone network. Network errors and drop outs are usual, speeds are often less than 1kbs somtimes only in bytes! It's far worse during the day and can improve in the very early morning ( 3am) when the demand on the network is lower. Sadly Vodafone are… Read more

overselling on a network whose infrastructure is already not up to the demands being placed on it. Don't go near Vodafone or you will suffer major inconvenience and frustration, they are just milking the public for all they can get.

( All info re speeds excetera from networx during a 6 month period located on the Gold Coast) The Device is ok. Terrible network extremely overloaded.

Unworkable (network) – Upload speeds from 600 B/s (yes, bytes) to average 2.10 KB/s (current session, mid arvo, inner Melb suburb, typical experience). Email timing out. Web timing out. 3 network was faster & more reliable (recent transfer to Vodafone – BIG mistake). Feels like dial up. Blame it on network. Prepaid device. Solution: Unlock ASAP & switch providers! Wireless Vodafone (network)

Rubbish – This is the most terrible piece of junk I've used in my entire life. I can barely open Google with it despite of living only 10 kms from Melbourne CBD. Yes Google! I have given a ring their CS like a thousand times and their network repairman just did not find anything wrong with it! In addition, it took them almost 1 week to get back to me. … Read more

Luckily I signed the month-to-month contract so I am not bound by a 1 year rip-off contract.

Best of advice? don't ever look or considering using this junk let alone sign a 1 year contract.

Poor CS; Mediocre performance

unbelievable – Vodaphone most terrible service,after wasting about 12 hours,talking to their so called techicians I've been told they have technical problems and expect to resolve issue by 20.12.12.Yes that's right 5 days before xmas,this year and my review date is 24.6.12.I can't believe this and asked "what are you going to do about " and was told " there's… Read more

nothing we can do about it " Imagine that,locking you into a contract and taking your money every month.I Think this telephonist and vodaphone are from a different planet,not a different continent.I'll have get onto the telecommunications ombudsman,fortunately they do work for the consumer.

Well some good news. One day later vodafone actually contacted me and offered a 50% discount till December,or till service are fixed.looks like this blog is working.

keeps dropping out

Buy it, Regret it !! – I stay in Adelaide CBD. I bought the device a year ago on a 12 month Contract for 6GB as I need to access my work emails and office network when I move around in Adelaide CBD and at home as well. It is the most terrible network I ever used in my 30years life. Please don't trust the guys in Vodafone store for the Demo. I don't how they trick.… Read more

Please mail me [link removed] for a free demo if you would like to experience the pathetic network and service of Vodafone especally when you stay indoors. The Device is pretty Decent but Vodafone network (even the so-called new 8XX joke) is terrible. Buy it, Regret it. Cheap Everything else !!

Best Product Out There – Connects to the 850 network like a dream. Its Fast, its reliable and so easy to use. Best product on an awesome network. Anyone who complains clearly has no idea what they are missing. You will not get a better device around for the price and the coverage on Vodafone is so much better now than it ever was. Way better than Optus thats for sure. Quick, 850 Compliant, easy to use  Show 3 replies

Forget it – Went away for a week to Merimbula NSW, the 1st 3days I got excited with the reception of my pocket wifi 2 & my mobile phone. Full signals on both for 3days then all of a sudden zero signal on both. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me while away. I had to purchase an Optus sim for my iPad. So I have decided to change to Optus or Virgin. Cheap [cencored word removed] coverage in regional areas even though Vodafone say they have coverage.

Very handy, Fast – I connect this device to my non 3G ipad, connects seemlessly everytime. The 3G is very fast compared to the 3G on my mobile phone. Price is very copetitive compared to similar plans out there. Reliable, fast, great price point. easy to use battery life is a little low.