Damn you, Comcast!

[MineralMan]

I've been using my old cable modem from Comcast since 2004. Works great. It was connected to a wireless router that had two Ethernet connections to desktop PCs and supported a half dozen wireless devices. No problems. Always on and feeding the intertubes to all of the devices.

So, about a month ago, Comcast started bugging us to get a new Wireless Gateway modem. No charge to us, and we didn't even have to send back the old one. Do I need this, I asked myself? In truth, no, but I went ahead and had them send it to me, thinking I'd get it installed and activated someday when I had time. This week, I got some hate mail from Comcast, telling me that I'd better install this new Gateway thing pretty soon, "to avoid service interruptions."

So, today, I did it. Simple instructions on a huge cardboard thing. I followed them. No dice. The activation failed. So, now what the heck do I do? I called Comcast. They activated it remotely. Cool. So I hung up the phone. Still no intertubes and no instructions about what to do. I thought for a minute, unplugged all but one ethernet cable and rebooted the machine it was connected to. Success. So, I plugged in the Ethernet cable to the other desktop. No dice. So I rebooted that desktop. Fired up Chrome and there was the Activation page on the screen. Chrome starts automatically when Windows runs on my machine. So, I closed Chrome and restarted it. Success.

We have at least a half dozen wireless devices, and I didn't feel like changing them all over to the new connection right now. So, I plugged the old wireless router into this Gateway. Got my Kindle fire and started it up. Loaded the browser and, once again, no intertubes. I got offered the new wireless connection, of course, but I was determined to leave the old connection up. What do do? Well, I rebooted the wireless router and got my wireless back. Eventually, I'll change all of the wireless devices to use the new box from Comcast, but damn! What a PITA. An hour and a half of my time wasted with balky, uncooperative crap.

What would have helped would have been some more instructions. Troubleshooting stuff. I figured out that I had to reboot and restart everything, including individual browser apps, but it would have been nice if Comcast had let me know about that requirement. Way too long a process to swap out a new cable modem for one that was working just fine, frankly. I'm a computer guy, and it frustrated the heck out of me. What do other people do when they get these things? Uff da!

Thanks for listening to my rant. I want global wireless accessibility. Simple broadband for everyone, please!

[hobbit709]

1. You should try dealing with AT&T

Makes comcast look efficient.

[MineralMan]

2. No, thanks. I'm just grateful I didn't have to talk

to the CS guy in India. That never works out well. The telephone activation was automated.

"Hello, I am being "Frank," and I will be helping you now with your high-speed internet How is the weather being where you are? Let us begin. First, you will be needing to be formatting your hard drive."

[hobbit709]

3. When my DSL modem died, I replaced it with a modem/router combo unit.

Way back when it was Southwestern Bell, the ID and password for the internet was the same as the primary email ID and password on the account.
so after calling the 800 number, wading through the options and finally getting someone in India we went around for half an hour before I was transferred to someone in technical support.
After telling him that I kept getting the Invalid User ID and/or password message he told me "Oh, we changed that, you can't have the same password on the connection as on the email even though the ID is the same"
"Would you be so kind as to give me the new password?"
He did and I got connected. Needless to say, I was never notified that they had changed the password.
As son as I got on line I accessed my account and changed the password-the new password starts with FuckATT.

[MANative]

4. Nailed it! I despise Comcast, but they're the only viable choice in our area.

There's a DSL provider, but we're at the very end of the line. My neighbor had them for a while and said it was barely better than a dial-up modem.

[Paper Roses]

6. In my area, Comcast is a dirty word!

[doc03]

12. Remember the DTV box that the government gave us a $40 voucher to buy

ourselves, Comcast charges $1.99 a month to use our own box now.

[MineralMan]

7. Yup, we're stuck with Comcast.

I wish the City of St. Paul would go ahead and install a city wide wireless broadband system. They keep talking about it, but no dice, yet. The cable is fast, when it's working, but expensive as can be. I don't even like to think about how much I've sent to Comcast in the 11 years we've been in St. Paul. It's shocking.

And our fine city just signed another 10-year contract with Comcast to provide cable service. Feh! We need reliable, cheap broadband everywhere, as a publicly-owned public utility.

I do have a local CS number for Comcast, nicely provided to me by a technician once. It's my last resort, and when I've used it, it has been very good, with a tech who actually understood my questions.

[MANative]

8. My biggest complaints are the cost and reliability.

For cable, our system is down remarkably often. I've had technicians in my home more than four DOZEN times, no exaggeration. And the cost is ridiculous. We've got barebones cable and mid-level internet for over $150/month. I've argued more times than I can count to find a better package, but they aren't at all helpful or accommodating because they know they're the only game in town. Once in a while, I managed to wheedle a free month or two of HBO as a salve for my complaints.

[MineralMan]

16. I finally made them replace everything, from the pole to the wall.

It wasn't easy. We pay an extra couple of bucks a month so we don't have to pay for service calls. After four calls for intermittent service, I told them that it would be a lot cheaper to run new cable from the poll, clear to the box. They finally agreed. When they did the job, they found that squirrels had been chewing on the cable, which was the reason for the intermittent faults. Why it took four visits I will never understand.

The cost, though, is horrible for what we get. I don't even watch much TV, but they're not interested in internet-only service, really. I get over-the-air TV OK on my flat screens, and could live with that.

[CTyankee]

11. Yeah, we got the guy being Frank back when we had AT&T. Now we have Frontier.

But I have to find a signal every morning when I turn on the downstairs TV. And push the power button on (why does it go off in the night anyway?).

Husband does the dealing with them. I'm taking on lots of his former stuff before he got disabled so my dance card is FULL. Thank goddess I don't have to deal with Frontier. Husband does say there is no more guy being Frank. That helps enormously.

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Here in Texas (which I see you have as your avatar) I have had way more success

with AT&T over Comcast, although both suck eggs. We used to lose service weekly with Comcast, and they always attempted to blame it on something we were doing. Comcast also "lost" all of my emails from my husband when we moved here.

Ugh, cable companies...

[KatyMan]

46. Also in Texas and have Comcast, and frankly,

love it. Super reliable, extremely fast, and lots of options TV-wise. VERY expensive though. I know they are one of the most hated and likely evil companies around but I can't say we've had any real issues with them.
I'm also an IT professional that can do a lot of the troubleshooting/installing/fixing myself, and know the questions to ask when calling tech support (meaning, when I have to call tech support I know it's something on their end), so that probably helps a lot.

[ScreamingMeemie]

50. That's how I feel about AT&T.

Comcast lost me when they lost my last contacts with my husband. Up in MIchigan, I'd agree with you. Comcast was the best, but they suck eggs here in NW Harris.

[Auggie]

20. +1,000,000! AT&T U-verse was my worst customer service experience ever

Dropped them two years ago and will NEVER, EVER go back.

[Spirochete]

9. Better do as they say

or you'll start receiving bills addressed to MineralAsshole or something.

[MineralMan]

14. Yah, I know.

As I said, though, I didn't have to speak to any real person during this, so I didn't have a chance to piss anyone off. I wonder if this new box lets them monitor my internet use any better than the old one. I hate black box devices.

[FargoGuy]

10. It's likely that your ISP is going to or has already deployed DOCSIS 3.0 in your region

It would be to your benefit to use a cable modem that conforms to the DOCSIS 3.0 specification, especially since they're giving them away anyhow.

I recently upgraded to a new modem/router and my DL speed went from 50m to 100m, and I paid for my own modem.

[MineralMan]

13. Could be. That's what they promised.

I'm still using the old wireless router, though, until I have time to test wireless connectivity and speed on my several devices. I can see both the new and old wireless addresses on all of them, so I'll swap them back and forth until I can evaluate performance. The new box might be faster, I guess, but we were happy with the performance with the old router. I do have my two desktops Ethernet cables plugged directly in to the new box. Refresh times seem a little faster, but they were fast before, too.

[pnwmom]

15. This is why I got my elderly mother a computer that could be used without wireless.

It's a desktop, so she can't cart it all over the place, but it works fine.

I knew how frequently our own Comcast goes on the blink and I knew she couldn't deal with that. I can barely deal with it. Thanks for the rant!

[MineralMan]

17. We have two very recent desktops for our work, and those

are hardwired into the router. I wouldn't have anything else. Trouble is that most of our work involves internet stuff, so if the cable's down, we're SOL. It's been very reliable for the past few years, though, once I forced them to run new cable from the pole to the box.

[AtheistCrusader]

18. You know why they did that? So they could use your bandwidth to open up

Wifi services to other users.

You'll find there's a open xfinity wifi AP in range of your house now.
http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/comcast-unveils-plans-for-millions-of-xfinity-wifi-hotspots-through-its-home-based-neighborhood-hotspot-initiative-2

They're using your connection to expand xfinity wifi coverage.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

22. yep... this is it

the only way to shut it off is to take that thing out of your house. i have several friends and acquaintances who have called and demanded it be shut off, to which Comcast would agree, only to find it back again a few days later. oh, and mineralman, watch your bill and make sure they're not charging you a new 'equipment fee'... they wanted to charge me $7.00 a damned month for the demon in my home.

go to your local electronics store, buy a compatible modem (or from NewEgg or Fry's online or something), set it up (or get a friend if that ain't your thing) and get that POS Comcast anchor out of your house. you will be happier for it.

sP

[W_HAMILTON]

23. Whoa.

I recently upgraded my Time Warner Cable service and noticed that on my connections list, there are two new wireless connections that I've never seen before: TWCWifi and TWCWifi-Passpoint. I figured they were some sort sort of private guest connections that I had never activated, but I did some searching after your post and it turns out they are basically wireless hotspots -- hell, my home is now listed on TWC's website as a wireless hotspot location! WTF?!

[AtheistCrusader]

25. Yep. And on your dime.

[MineralMan]

26. OK with me. I've had the guest connection

On my router open for years. My security keeps everyone from seeing my network. There's frequently a realtor or someone parked in font of my house, and neighbors use it, too. It's still online. I plugged my old wireless router into the new box.

Wireless should be available everywhere.

[AtheistCrusader]

30. That's entirely your choice.

Problem is, Comcast isn't asking people permission. They're just turning it on. And they turn it back on randomly, when people opt out.

[MineralMan]

31. So? I fail to see anything wrong with that.

In fact, I think I'll see if anyone is working on a plan to get Chromebooks or tablets into the hands of kids who can't afford them. With fee WiFi available in neighborhood, that would be a wonderful thing. It's a great idea. He'll, if nobody has set something up, maybe I will.

Thanks for the idea. I love it. Chromebooks4Kids. Has a nice ring to it. Thanks for the idea!

[AtheistCrusader]

32. Oh, haha no. It's not technically OPEN wifi.

It's just open to other Comcast customers. It requires Comcast authentication.

So, when I'm out and about, I can eat some of your bandwidth, which might degrade your service, depending on conditions.

[MineralMan]

36. Ah...well, my guest account is still open.

I'll see if I can promote something to pressure Comcast to open this up.

[AtheistCrusader]

37. It also means fewer open frequencies for wifi in your neighborhood.

Separate radio stack. Yet another channel/freq occupied by a network.

In the city, this can get... noisy quick. Which then means people's wifi devices have trouble talking to people's own networks.

[MineralMan]

33. Cool. Lots of kids in my neighborhood with

No broadband access. That's why I opened my guest access to the public. Gave one neighbor kid a Chromebook we weren't using, too. This is great!

[AtheistCrusader]

34. Are they comcast customers?

Because if they aren't, they can't logon.

[MineralMan]

38. Then theyll have to keep using my guest account, i guess.

But, maybe there's a way to put pressure on them to open it up. I'll look into that.

[AtheistCrusader]

39. Get comcast to do something altruistic?

Hahaha you'd have to threaten them with a monopoly judgment to make that happen. This is Comcast.

[bikebloke]

19. My replacement modem is still in the box.

I've been leary of making the swap, fearing losing the connection that I have. Thanks to your post, I'll keep procrastinating.

[TBF]

21. Simple broadband for everyone -

you sound like one of those socialists!

(which is not a bad thing contrary to some opinions ... and I agree with you 100%)

[kickysnana]

24. Amen

Mine is still sitting beside the desk but I had to call Comcast because some security fix changed the port numbers that allowed me to send mail on IE. Twice before I had gone and followed several sets of instructions and nothing made any difference.

A situation happened at work that I needed to be able to send mail on Comcast so I started chatting and about an hour later I was getting mail. Turned off the computer. Next morning I brought IE up, now I can only read my incoming mail on the web. Again changing the port numbers did nothing so I am going to have to call again call this week. Something I don't have time for.

I took a class. The very young teacher does not understand that you cannot send text messages to Comcast dinosaur phones unless there is some accommodation either with tech support or on line. and I did not have that change. I went and followed some instruction online and it said I was set up but it looked like I could only send text messages to myself so I chatted again. This time for over an hour and tech could not grasp I was not talking about a smart phone. So finally I remembered the weird name Comcast has for their telephone modem and he put that in and told me that it was set up and he was going to forward all text messages sent to my phone to my email. Nothing yet. Nothing floating around cyberspace since Dec has showed up either when she first sent text message. Haven't tested that but it would be convenient.

I actually do have a tracfone semi-smart phone limited internet, but I had no luck figuring it out so I am sticking to my 2005 dumb cell phone until it dies ($8.95 a month). That receives tiny text messages (if the header isn't outrageously long as hers is) but sending text messages on it is as inconvenient as sending smoke signals.

[GoneOffShore]

27. Are you paying rent on the modem?

Because you don't have to, and you don't have to deal with the monthly fee.

I ditched my Comcast modem last year and bought a Netgear C3700-100NAS for $90 at Staples - it has now paid for itself.
One Ethernet port, a USB port that you can plug a flash or hard drive into, and it supports 5G.

Plus Comcast is piggy backing on your modem/router to expand their wireless footprint.

[MineralMan]

29. Same as before. And I've had an unprotected guest access on my

WiFi router for years. See, I support free WiFi access. My struggling neighbor kids are online because of it and the Chromebook we gave them. I'm sure other neighbors use it too. That wireless router is now plugged into the new box. So if Comcast is providing an additional hotspot, I'm all for it.

I can't understand anyone objecting to free wireless access. Can you explain your objection?

By the way, I just checked the WiFi in my neighborhood. I see four of the new Comcast boxes, along with an Xfinity WiFi public access. Looks like it's sharing all of those home units. Cool! Oh, yeah, my wireless router free guest account is also there. Same signal strength, too. Cool beans. Those who can't afford broadband where I live get it for free, from me and Comcast. It's all good.

[AtheistCrusader]

35. It's not free. It's pay to play.

They're expanding XFinity Wifi coverage, not opening free wifi for everyone.

It's a service. It's paid.

[GoneOffShore]

43. My objection is that it slows down access.

If I had a super fast commercial line, I'd be all for it. But when I had the router open, my download and upload speeds would slow to a snails pace every evening.

And there are too many folks out there with hacking skills who are interested in open connections. Why give them the opportunity?
I do have an arrangement with my neighbor, who is on Verizon, that if his connection goes out, he can jump on mine and vice versa.
When Philadelphia provides open WiFi - great. Until then and even afterwards, my connection remains password protected.

[MineralMan]

44. It's a choice, I guess.

I don't use my computer in the evening much. I do get on DU on my Kindle Fire for a short time and haven't noticed any slowdowns. I suppose security is the most important issue. My network is closed, and even I can't see any other device. I live in a quiet little residential neighborhood and, aside from the kid next door's Chromebook, which we gave him, not too many people are using the guest access. I guess I'm just not that worried about that. There's enough risk just being online most of the time, really.

I want there to be public free wireless. It's a big goal for me. Now that Comcast is setting up these neighborhood access points, I'm going to shift into the goal of getting them to make them available for low-income families and students. If there isn't already an organization dedicated to lobbying them for that, I might just start one. I'll push the PR benefits.

However, the new contract between the City of St. Paul and Comcast goes away if they merge with another company, so everything may change before long.

[liberal N proud]

28. You could have Time Warner

Where you pay more for less. They cut service and jack your rate.

[Enthusiast]

47. I'm with you.

[android fan]

40. MM - you do realize that Comcast is playing you for a fool

and the Wireless Gateway has something hidden - called XFINITYWIFI - which means ANYONE with Comcast account can access YOUR modem. One of the biggest mistakes that Comcast made....

There are WAYS to turn it off...

Just off Google:

Log into your Comcast account page at customer.comcast.com.
Click on Users & Preferences.
Look for a heading on the page for “Service Address.” Below your address, click the link that reads “Manage Xfinity WiFi.”
Click the button for “Disable Xfinity Wifi Home Hotspot.”
Click Save.

[BumRushDaShow]

45. Interesting info

I still have an older Comcast Triple Play modem that is not wireless (meaning I had to get a separate wireless router for my tablets as I refused to do internal wifi for my main computers/printers and hardwired stuff (RJ45) that could be hardwired, to a switch), so the option to enable or disable isn't there from the settings. But good to know in advance where that setting is as I had seen an article about this "feature" a couple weeks ago.

I am in an apartment building where Comcast was originally the default, and later, DirectTV was made available (but only for south-facing dwellers where they could put a dish on their balcony). But then last year, Verizon ran FiOS lines on every floor and has been almost strong-arming people to convert (frequently going door-to-door or showing up randomly claiming that a "service call" had been received from the unit and/or a call to "install FiOS" had been received). They were doing similar in my sister's township, claiming they had received a "service call to install FiOS" and delaying repairs of their copper lines (even when the resident is paying for the "wiring service" - they basically want to rip out the copper and put the fiber in and be done with rats-nest punchdown blocks on poles). I actually have DSL as a backup and once I retire, I will be dropping that. But add the fraudulent selling practices and the incessant robocalls from Verizon (that I block), and more and more, I see why some people want to "get off the grid".

[Jenoch]

41. I got the same modem sent to our house from Comcast.

I installed the modem but connected our existing wireless router to the new modem and it is working just fine. If the router goes bad (as they seem to do) then I'll set up a wireless network using the Comcast modem/router.

Interestingly, after installing the new modem, the CATV did not work with our VIZIO HDTV. After consulting with Comcast tech support, I brought the receiver in to the Comcast office and got a new receiver and remote and it is working fine as well.

[daredtowork]

42. And suddenly the flight from TV

isn't just about TV - at least not the creative media.

It isn't even primarily about TV.

It's about the 800 Pound Gorilla Army of middlemen inserting themselves between the customer and what they want.

[PowerToThePeople]

48. why use their device as your AP?

Just use our own devices as routers and access points. It woukd not matter what feeds into your router, internally (your home intranet) it would always work the same.

[MineralMan]

49. Why not use it?

I have a router already. It was connected to another cable modem supplied by the cable company. Why not use a different cable modem? Because I can get tech support for the one supplied by the cable company. My old wireless router is now plugged into this new box. That's because I don't feel like changing all of my wireless devices over to the new connection. I'm lazy.

When it comes to my broadband connection, I don't want to have to be my own tech support, despite Comcast's lousy tech support. When I call them with a problem, they can look at the parameters from the cable modem remotely and check signal strength and other issues. While I can also access that information, I don't have to.

I'm no longer interested in the technical aspects of computers at all. I can deal with them, but I don't care to bother any longer. I have many other things to do that are more interesting. It's just a public utility to me now. That wasn't always so, of course, but in 2015, I don't have to trouble myself with it.

[MADem]

51. You're gonna have to pay them rent on that thing--they may give you free rent for a while, but

they will charge you for it soon enough. "No charge" might have been no charge to install, since you were doing it.

Also, that thing broadcasts a "hotspot" that any xfinity customer can use. You can disable it, but every time you reboot it comes back on.

I am not a big fan. I think they charge too much for what they provide, but I have family members who resist change, so I am stuck with them in the near term.