Vodafone gives broadband customers a surprise free | Tech News

Vodafone has introduced it’s treating its broadband customers to a free Wi-Fi improve simply in time for Christmas, introducing new technology to its broadband routers that may inform who’s at home in addition to when relations go away or arrive.

Who’s Home is a new security function that Vodafone has constructed into its Ultra 7 broadband router that may alert the account holder of the household’s comings and goings by linking their smartphones to the technology.

“Alerting account holders when their loved ones arrive or leave home, the router technology is designed to give greater peace of mind and reassurance to customers,” Vodafone mentioned in a press release.

“Available to new and existing Vodafone customers with the latest routers* at no extra cost, the introduction of Who’s Home makes Vodafone the only UK broadband provider to offer smart router technology that proactively alerts customers when their loved one’s smartphone connects or disconnects from their hub.”

Though presently solely appropriate with the Ultra Hub 7 router, Vodafone mentioned more routers will quickly be made appropriate.

Rather than technology corresponding to Apple’s Find My that may observe the place a smartphone is in any respect time, Who’s Home is a easier and arguably much less invasive method of realizing whose telephone (and subsequently who) is at home at any given time, presuming these telephones are set to attach routinely to the household Wi-Fi router.

Vodafone says account holders can activate Who’s Home utilizing the Vodafone Broadband app, creating profiles for every member of the household and linking their smartphones to these profiles. It ought to work on any gadget and it doesn’t matter which community supplier they’re utilizing.

People will obtain an SMS invite to choose in, and a reminder textual content each three months. They can choose out at any time, which places privateness controls within the arms of the person fairly than the account holder, who can solely see who has opted in or out.

Account holders can obtain push notifications of their household’s comings and goings, or examine within the Vodafone Broadband app the place a dashboard will show who’s at home or who’s out.

“Whether it’s knowing a child has got home from school or checking in on loved ones, Who’s

Home brings smart, simple security to Vodafone broadband households,” Vodafone mentioned.

Though Vodafone nonetheless presently operates as a singular model, it’s now owned by VodafoneThree since Vodafone efficiently merged with fellow UK operator Three in May 2025. Vodafone owns 51 % of the entity and CK Hutchison, Three’s proprietor, 49 %.

Though cell customers are already seeing signal sharing advantages, it stays to be seen if Vodafone and Three shall be completely run as separate companies or if VodafoneThree will attempt to merge buyer bases sooner or later.