Vodafone broadband routers: What will I get?

Aaron Howdle | June 20th, 2023

Vodafone is now almost as well known for its broadband service as it is for its mobile service. It sits at the more affordable end of the broadband market, and offers a wide range of fibre and full fibre broadband packages.

However, fast fibre broadband is no good if you don’t have a router to match. A poor router can slow your broadband down or drastically limit the reach of your wifi if it isn’t powerful enough. Given this, how does Vodafone’s router fare? We’ve taken a look at what’s on offer.

How to get a Vodafone router

To get a Vodafone router you will need to sign up to a Vodafone broadband package. Vodafone offers two different routers; the Intelligent WiFi Hub and the Ultra Hub. The Intelligent WiFi Hub is offered to regular fibre customers, but they can choose to upgrade and pay more for the Ultra Hub if they wish. In contrast, the Ultra Hub is provided to full fibre customers as standard, since, as a WiFi 6E router, it is better equipped to support the extremely high speeds on offer.

In most cases, you can expect your Vodafone router to arrive within approximately ten days of signing up to a new package, and, depending on the router you receive, you may be able to set it up yourself. If you require a new phone line, or you have chosen a full fibre package, you will need a visit from an engineer, who will set your router up for you.

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Vodafone router features

Vodafone offers two superfast fibre speeds of 35Mbps or 48Mbps, and six full fibre speeds of 36Mbps, 73Mbps, 100Mbps, 200Mbps, 500Mbps and 910Mbps. Customers taking superfast fibre will be provided with the Intelligent WiFi Hub, and full fibre customers will be provided with the superior Ultra Hub.

The Ultra Hub is supplied in conjunction with the Super Wifi 6E Booster and a 4G back-up mini hub, under the collective name Pro II Broadband, providing the ultimate home broadband set-up.

Vodafone Intelligent WiFi Hub

• Next generation WiFi – Devices can connect using older WiFi standards or with the latest 802.11ac WiFi standard
• Smart channel selection – The Vodafone WiFi Hub automatically connects your devices to the fastest WiFi channel and frequency available
• Dual band – Like most modern routers, this Vodafone router uses both the 2.4Ghz and faster 5Ghz bands to optimise your wifi
• Four gigabit ethernet ports – Four gigabit ethernet ports for fast, wired network connections to your computers
• Two USB ports – USB ports are a surprisingly useful addition. For example, you can plug in a hard drive, which can then be accessed by all computers connected to your network, or share a printer with your household over wifi
• Seven antennae with beamforming – The seven antennae in the Vodafone Intelligent WiFi Hub help ensure good wifi reception around your home. In addition you can set specific devices up to receive beamforming. This is where the router targets your specified device with a stronger signal, beamed directly at the device in question

Vodafone Ultra Hub

• Latest WiFi 6E standard – The Ultra Hub is the only router provided free with home broadband with the latest WiFi 6E technology to support the ultrafast speeds of full fibre broadband
• Tri-band – The Ultra Hub broadcasts three frequency bands, compared to the dual band routers more widely available: one 2.4GHz and two 5GHz frequencies, allowing you to connect even more devices without a problem
• Three gigabit ethernet ports – The Ultra Hub boasts two 1Gbps ethernet ports and one 2.5 Gbps port for ultrafast, wired network connections to your computers
• Two USB ports – Ideal for plugging in a shared hard drive or printer, which can then be accessed by all devices connected to your network
• 12 antennae – The Ultra Hub has three 4 x 4 MIMO antennae that broadcast a very powerful signal in all directions, guaranteeing you superb wifi connectivity around your home

If there are any unfamiliar terms you'd like a more in-depth explanation of, check out our jargon-busting guide.

Vodafone broadband app

This app lets you change the wifi settings on your router in ways which would normally require desktop access to the router’s control panel screen. You can set things like screen time for kids and see who is connected to your wifi, directly from your mobile phone. Another cool feature is the ability to prioritise a particular device for fast speeds. This can be useful when you want to download a large game or movie.

For added security, you can choose to set up a guest network with either of the Vodafone routers, so that you never have to give out your main wifi password to visitors to your home.

Setting up a Vodafone router

Setting up your new Vodafone router is an easy process and should only take a few minutes.

First of all, if you have an existing router, unplug it and remove any microfilters from your phone socket and from extension sockets if you have them. Then take the microfilter which came with your new router and plug it into the phone socket. Next, take the grey cable and plug it into the microfilter, then plug the other end into the Vodafone router.

Now you can connect the power. Switch off the mains plug socket, then plug the power supply into your new router. Now insert the power plug into the mains power socket. You can now switch on the power socket followed by pressing the power button on the router to start it up.

You are ready to connect your devices to your new wifi network. Your log-in details are on the back of the router.

Once your router is up and running, we'd suggest you start making it as secure as possible. Our guide to securing your wifi router can help.