VODAFONE BROADBAND ROUTERS AND EQUIPMENT REVIEW
Vodafone Broadband routers review: How good are they?
Vodafone offers two routers across its package range: the Power Hub and the Ultra Hub 7. Which one you get will depend on both the package you choose and how much you’re prepared to pay. What are their capabilities? How different are they? Let’s find out.
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Vodafone Broadband routers and equipment scorecard
Six key areas. One overall score. All calculated using our transparent methodology.
Wi-Fi quality
How good the standard routers’ Wi-Fi is in everyday use, looking at specifications, Wi-Fi bands/type, and how many devices they can support.
Wi-Fi range
How far the router’s Wi-Fi should reach around the home, with consideration given to local factors like large homes or thick walls.
Whole-home Wi-Fi
Whether the provider offers a mesh router system or extra help for larger homes, whether it’s good, and whether it’ll cost you extra.
Wired connectivity
How well the router supports Ethernet and wired devices, looking at number of ports, their speeds, and how accessible they are.
Router controls
How much control you get through the app, admin page and any controls you might have on the router itself.
Using your own router
How easily you can use your own third-party router or mesh hardware – whether you can use anything you like or if it’s limited in any way.
Fibredog Router Comparison Tool
Compare this provider's routers with each other, or with any other national provider.
Fibredog Router Range Estimator
Provides a visual mock-up of how Wi-Fi is likely to behave in your home with this provider's routers.
Fibredog Whole Home Wi-Fi Calculator
Calculates whether you need additional mesh routers, how many, and even where you should put them.
Wi-Fi quality
Vodafone’s two-router range looks straightforward, but the interesting part is what happens at the top. The standard Power Hub is genuinely capable, while the newer Ultra Hub 7 brings Wi-Fi 7 yet drops a major wireless feature found on the premium router it replaced.
Key differences
The Power Hub gets the basics right
Vodafone includes its dual-band Power Hub with ordinary Full Fibre packages. It supports Wi-Fi 6, WPA3 security, intelligent wireless optimisation and more than 100 connected devices. This is a perfectly respectable place to start, particularly when some providers still use much older technology for their standard router.
Pro 3 unlocks the Ultra Hub 7
Choose Pro 3 and Vodafone replaces the Power Hub with its Ultra Hub 7. You’ll also receive a Super WiFi 7 Booster, automatic 4G backup and a 10Mbps whole-home Wi-Fi guarantee. The router is automatically supplied with Vodafone’s multi-gigabit packages, where its faster wired and wireless hardware is genuinely useful.
The newer router loses the 6GHz band
Here’s the oddity. Vodafone’s previous Ultra Hub was a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router using 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. The Ultra Hub 7 moves to the newer Wi-Fi 7 standard but drops 6GHz entirely. It’s genuine Wi-Fi 7, but in one important respect the replacement is less capable than the router it replaced.
Better coverage sits behind a paywall
Neither router is supplied with Vodafone’s complete mesh service on an ordinary package. Super WiFi costs additional money each month, while Pro 3 includes one booster and up to two more when needed. Vodafone’s 10Mbps-per-room guarantee is worthwhile, but you’ll have to pay extra to get it.
INTERACTIVE TOOL
Compare routers from any provider
This provider’s routers are pre-selected for comparison with one another. However, you can use this tool to compare any router from any major provider using the dropdown menus below.
| Feature | Choose router | Choose router |
|---|---|---|
| Fibredog rating | — | — |
| Router included as standard | — | — |
| Router manufacturer | — | — |
| Router model | — | — |
| Wi-Fi standard | — | — |
| Wi-Fi bands | — | — |
| 2.4GHz supported | — | — |
| 5GHz supported | — | — |
| 6GHz supported | — | — |
| Beamforming | — | — |
| Antenna count | — | — |
| Maximum connected devices | — | — |
| Stated coverage | — | — |
| Total Ethernet ports | — | — |
| MU-MIMO | — | — |
| OFDMA | — | — |
| WPA3 security | — | — |
| Guest network | — | — |
| Antenna type | — | — |
| Gigabit Ethernet ports | — | — |
| 2.5Gb Ethernet ports | — | — |
| 5Gb Ethernet ports | — | — |
| 10Gb Ethernet ports | — | — |
| WAN port speed | — | — |
| USB ports | — | — |
| Telephone ports | — | — |
| ONT Ethernet input | — | — |
| Coaxial input | — | — |
| Power connection | — | — |
| Mesh support | — | — |
| Provider mesh product | — | — |
| Third-party router use | — | — |
| Modem mode | — | — |
| Compatible broadband technology | — | — |
| App management | — | — |
| Parental controls | — | — |
| QoS | — | — |
| Automated QoS | — | — |
| Device prioritisation | — | — |
| Anti-bufferbloat controls | — | — |
| Manual queue management (SQM/CAKE) | — | — |
| Smart channel selection | — | — |
| Security features | — | — |
| Gamer mode | — | — |
| Game traffic prioritisation | — | — |
| Gaming QoS profiles | — | — |
| Server ping routing tools | — | — |
| Latency dashboards | — | — |
| Per-device gaming presets | — | — |
| Gaming VPN routing features | — | — |
| Work from home mode | — | — |
| Automatic firmware updates | — | — |
| Firmware update notes | — | — |
| Router height | — | — |
| Router width | — | — |
| Router depth | — | — |
| Router weight | — | — |
| Power consumption | — | — |
| Router orientation | — | — |
| Wall mountable | — | — |
| Router colour | — | — |
| Self-installation | — | — |
| Browser admin interface | — | — |
| WPS | — | — |
| Status light control | — | — |
| Reset button | — | — |
| Wi-Fi on/off button | — | — |
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Which Vodafone Broadband router do you get?
Vodafone Power Hub
Included with Vodafone's ordinary Full Fibre packages.
It is a capable dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with WPA3, intelligent optimisation, mesh expansion and support for more than 100 devices.
Vodafone Ultra Hub 7
Supplied when you choose the premium Pro 3 service.
The Wi-Fi 7 upgrade is faster and supports premium features, although its dual-band design does not include 6GHz Wi-Fi.
Multi-gigabit packages
The Ultra Hub 7 is automatically used on Vodafone's fastest tiers.
On eligible lower-speed Full Fibre packages, the same router is available by opting into Pro 3 rather than choosing a particular speed.
Two capable routers with one very strange upgrade
The Power Hub is the router most people will receive, and there’s little to complain about. Its dual-band Wi-Fi 6 hardware supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz, alongside WPA3 security and automatic wireless optimisation. It can handle more than 100 connected devices, making it comfortably capable enough for an ordinary busy household.
The Ultra Hub 7 brings genuine Wi-Fi 7 features, including Multi-Link Operation and more efficient use of the available spectrum. These can improve speed, latency and reliability when you’re using compatible devices. It also provides the faster connectivity required by Vodafone’s multi-gigabit packages, so this isn’t simply a new badge stuck onto the Power Hub.
However, Vodafone has made the baffling decision to limit it to the same 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Its older Ultra Hub supported Wi-Fi 6E across three bands, including the faster and less congested 6GHz spectrum. The Ultra Hub 7 uses a newer Wi-Fi standard but removes that entire band. Calling it an upgrade without mentioning that loss would be rather generous.
This leaves Vodafone with a good standard router and a premium one that’s better, but not as comprehensively better as its name suggests. The Power Hub should be more than adequate for most homes. Pro 3 adds useful mesh coverage and a proper room-by-room guarantee, but the Ultra Hub 7 itself is a cut-down implementation of Wi-Fi 7 rather than the technological leap you might expect.
INTERACTIVE TOOL
Router range estimator
See how wall materials and router choice affect the quality of Wi-Fi around a typical home.
Where would you like to go next?
How to use the Router Range Estimator
It’s pretty straightforward. Select the router from this provider, and the main construction materials of your internal walls. It’s important to remember, though, that this is just an estimator.
It can give you a rough idea, but local factors like neighbouring network interference or mixed material wall set-ups can mean the results vary considerably from the estimate. It’s meant to give you a rule of thumb and only that.
How to maximise your Vodafone router's range
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Start with placement
Put the Vodafone Power Hub or Ultra Hub 7 near the middle of your home if you can, out in the open and away from thick walls or cupboards.
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Test every room
Run a speed test where you actually use Wi-Fi. Our Whole Home Wi-Fi Calculator further down this page is built for exactly that.
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Use the Broadband app
Use Vodafone's Broadband app and diagnostics to check the connection, connected devices and Wi-Fi performance around the home.
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Move obvious blockers
Keep the hub away from TVs, mirrors, metal objects, appliances and anything that boxes it in. Give the signal space to leave the router.
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Add Super WiFi if needed
If rooms still struggle, add Vodafone's Super WiFi service or choose Pro 3 for its premium router, booster and whole-home support.
Faster Wi-Fi has shorter legs
Wi-Fi behaves exactly like sound. Ever notice how you hear the bass, meaning the low frequencies, a few rooms away, but can't hear the treble? It's the same here. The higher the frequency, the more detail there is in the signal, but lower frequencies make it through far more walls.
That's the difference between Wi-Fi bands. 2.4GHz is the slow old workhorse. It isn't glamorous or especially quick, but it's better at reaching the awkward room at the back. 5GHz is faster and better for streaming, gaming and newer devices, but it gives up sooner as you move away from the router.
Vodafone's range runs from the Wi-Fi 6 Power Hub to the Wi-Fi 7 Ultra Hub 7. Both use 2.4GHz and 5GHz but omit 6GHz, so even the premium model lacks that very fast short-range band. Super WiFi boosters provide the practical coverage extension.
Having trouble choosing a broadband provider?
No single best provider or package exists – only the best pick for you personally. Fibredog's YourMatch™ system uses thousands of provider metrics and a lot of maths to find you your perfect match.
Wired connectivity
Wired connections aren’t glamorous, but they remain the best option when you want steady performance from a games console, desktop computer or network drive. Vodafone’s Power Hub covers ordinary Full Fibre speeds comfortably, while the Ultra Hub 7 adds the faster connections needed to make proper use of its multi-gigabit packages.
The Power Hub covers everyday wired needs
Vodafone’s standard Power Hub provides four Gigabit Ethernet sockets for connecting devices directly. Its separate internet input means your Full Fibre connection doesn’t take one of those away, leaving all four available for equipment around your home.
Each socket can handle the full speed of Vodafone’s ordinary Full Fibre range. A television, games console, desktop computer and network drive could therefore remain connected together without adding any extra equipment. Most homes simply won’t need anything more elaborate.
The Ultra Hub 7 is ready for faster packages
Vodafone’s multi-gigabit packages can exceed the limit of an ordinary Gigabit Ethernet socket, so the Ultra Hub 7 includes faster 2.5Gbps connections alongside its standard Gigabit sockets. That lets compatible equipment use considerably more of the speed reaching your home.
Most laptops, televisions and games consoles still use ordinary Gigabit Ethernet, so you’ll need suitably fast equipment to benefit. However, Vodafone has at least supplied a router capable of handling the packages it sells rather than creating an immediate bottleneck.
How a simple wired Vodafone Broadband network works
Plugging devices directly into your router gives them a steadier connection than Wi-Fi. These router diagrams show the physical Ethernet ports, including any ONT or internet port used by the broadband connection itself.
Check which port is the internet input before counting how many wired device ports you have spare.
Use the fastest spare LAN port for the device or switch that needs the most speed.
Use cables where reliability matters most
Even with a good router, Wi-Fi speeds rise and fall as you move around your home. A cable gives important devices a direct and much steadier connection. Gaming, large downloads, video calls and moving files to network storage can all benefit.
You don’t need to wire every room. Start with equipment near the router that rarely moves, such as your television, console or desktop computer. This also removes those devices from Wi-Fi, leaving more room for phones, tablets and everything else that genuinely needs to be wireless.
If you run out of sockets, an inexpensive network switch can add more. It won’t make the connection faster, but it allows several nearby devices to share one router socket without constantly swapping cables.
How to make best use of your Vodafone router's LAN ports
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Identify your Vodafone hub
Check whether you have the standard Power Hub or the Ultra Hub 7, because their wired capabilities differ and one socket may be used by the ONT.
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Gigabit covers ordinary tiers
A Gigabit Ethernet connection can carry Vodafone's ordinary Full Fibre speeds once normal networking overheads are allowed for.
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Match fast ports to fast devices
If you have an Ultra Hub 7 and a multi-gigabit package, use its faster Ethernet connection for the one device that can actually exploit the extra speed.
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Wire the devices that care
Gaming PCs, consoles, work computers and network storage benefit most. TVs and printers can wait their turn for a wired port.
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Add a switch if needed
If your wired sockets aren't enough, add an Ethernet switch rated for the speed you need. It adds ports but cannot make the router connection faster.
What changes when you use your own router?
Your compatible router connects to the ONT and replaces the supplied Vodafone Power Hub or Ultra Hub 7. It then becomes responsible for the home network and the features Vodafone's equipment previously provided.
Hands the connection to your router
The ONT is the wall box where the Full Fibre connection arrives. It remains in place and provides the Ethernet hand-off.
Your own router connects to it through a compatible WAN port instead of the supplied Vodafone hub.
Takes over Wi-Fi and settings
Your router handles Wi-Fi, wired devices, guest access and whichever VPN, DNS, firewall or traffic controls it provides.
You also become responsible for compatibility, setup and router faults. Vodafone app management, mesh integration, automatic 4G backup and potentially Digital Voice may no longer work.
Having trouble choosing a broadband provider?
No single best provider or package exists – only the best pick for you personally. Fibredog's YourMatch™ system uses thousands of provider metrics and a lot of maths to find you your perfect match.
Some links on this page may earn us a small commission if you click through and buy. This never affects either what you pay, or our scores and recommendations. If, however, you’d rather bypass affiliate links, use this direct Vodafone Broadband link instead.
