Comcast wifi free for the masses on your dime

[tnguy]

You are NOT legally liable for any traffic other than traffic you knowingly allow to originate from your home.  Just like you're not liable for fake 911 calls because the neighbor kid tapped into your phone line.

 

If anything it's a good thing to mix your traffic in with random strangers :)

 

Of course, if the cops decide your router might have useful logs on it... I wouldn't expect them to be picky about what they take with them either.

[satalac]

[quote name="btq96r" post="1156037" timestamp="1402070440"]I haven't had a Comcast modem since I started service with them back in November. This is what I have set up in my home. [url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XC6GJ0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XC6GJ0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] and [url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3YN0Z0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3YN0Z0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] They make routers that can run in the 5GHz range now, but the one listed has been fine for my wi-fi needs. The modem specs claim it can handle 172Mbps download/131Mbps upload; the router claims up to 300Mbps. That's well beyond any internet package a normal house will need for a good while. I fully expect to have these two things running wherever I live for about 5 more years. All you need to give Comcast is the MAC address for the router- they don't need anything else to send the signal to it and from there. After that, you're in charge of your own network. It's not difficult at all and if you have any questions, PM me and I can walk you through it. A bonus I've noticed is that I never have to reset modem or router. They function flawlessly and at a combined price coming in under $100, they pay for themselves after the 14th month.[/quote] This is what I've done. Pays for itself AND you're in control. Win/Win. Just make sure they don't keep charging a rental fee. It was a nightmare to get them to refund me the rental fees and take my personally bought modem off Comcast's equipment list. Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[Dustbuster]

I bought my modem. You make the money back in a few months from what you save for rentals and keep your options open.

My modem doesn't have wifi either. That's a separate device.

I have the same modem as btq96r. Currently running a Belkin flashed with Tomato for the wifi but upgrading to the Asus AC66U as too many of the neighbors now have wifi and it's difficult to maintain a connection to my own wifi (I'll be flashing it with Tomato also).

If you have a hot setup for comcast that'll save money I'm all ears if ya can share?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 of course it ate my spelling.

[tnguy]

If you have a hot setup for comcast that'll save money I'm all ears if ya can share?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 of course it ate my spelling.

 

Motorola SB6141 for the modem. Available from Amazon for $80 or wait for a deal.

Any wifi router will do. Though check reviews, obviously. If you are technically inclined, an upgrade to Tomato or DD-WRT is probably a good idea. I was using a $20 Belkin for the longest time but since I am upgrading, decided to go with AC which is the latest & greatest wireless. The Asus AC66U seems to get good reviews, particularly when flashed with one of the above. Also the external antennas will hopefully help with a few of the dead spots in the house.

 

[Oh Shoot]

If you have a hot setup for comcast that'll save money I'm all ears if ya can share?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 of course it ate my spelling.

 

Depending on modem and router you buy, takes like 10-20 months before your equipment becomes "free" every month.

 

Like many, I did that for 15 years, updated modem once in all that time. Only reason I have the Comcast Arris thang now is because of a better deal they made me with combined service, including VOIP phone. My other stuff won't do the phone AFAIK, but don't much care about it anyway, might just turn this puppy in.

 

 

- OS

Edited June 9, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[btq96r]

Just make sure they don't keep charging a rental fee.

 

I check my bills from Comcast and other service provides like I go line by line over my tax returns.  The second I see something that doesn't jive with what I think I'm on the phone and waiting for my call to be taken.  These companies can be crooks if you aren't careful.

[btq96r]

Depending on modem and router you buy, takes like 10-20 months before your equipment becomes "free" every month.

 

Like many, I did that for 15 years, updated modem once in all that time. Only reason I have the Comcast Arris thang now is because of a better deal they made me with combined service, including VOIP phone. My other stuff won't do the phone AFAIK, but don't much care about it anyway, might just turn this puppy in.

 

 

- OS

 

Nothing in the agreement should say you have to have the VOIP phone on or even hooked up, just included in the package for billing purposes.   

[Oh Shoot]

Nothing in the agreement should say you have to have the VOIP phone on or even hooked up, just included in the package for billing purposes.   

 

Yeah, I know. Was just sucked in a bit. I use it to find my cell phone once in a while, that's about it. :)

 

- OS

[tnguy]

Depending on modem and router you buy, takes like 10-20 months before your equipment becomes "free" every month.

 

Like many, I did that for 15 years, updated modem once in all that time. Only reason I have the Comcast Arris thang now is because of a better deal they made me with combined service, including VOIP phone. My other stuff won't do the phone AFAIK, but don't much care about it anyway, might just turn this puppy in.

 

 

- OS

 

I've been trying to ditch the landline for about a decade now since the wife and I are on mobile but she wasn't having it. Finally got switched over too Ooma a few months ago. Seems like a good option for having a landline if you don't want a landline and can be had for regulatory fees only (after the initial purchase).
 

Edited June 9, 2014 by tnguy

[Oh Shoot]

Well curiouser and curiouser.

 

Been out for a couple of hours (shooting actually), and rechecking upon my return,  no sign of the multiple "xfinitywifi" hotspots on my laptop, only one, at 99% strength, and yep, it is indeed mine, confirmed the high tech way by unscrewing cable while connected and checking for surability.

 

Which is really the only way I can think of to know for sure,  since just as Luke says, there's no sign of it looking around inside Comcast router, completely transparent in there, only shows my own private one. So I guess whatever firmware push or connection they needed to accomplish got accomplished.

 

Still dead in the water on the "manage xfinity wifi" at comcast.net though, so I guess if I decide to nuke it will have to talk to Robert in Calcutta. I shore do luv that thar highfalutin technogee and all. :)

 

- OS

[Oh Shoot]

Ooma.... Seems like a good option for having a landline if you don't want a landline and can be had for regulatory fees only (after the initial purchase).

 

:) Great way to put it.

 

I've lived without land line for 6 or 8 years now, never really missed it, except once in a while when I could have used dialup internet on my laptop when Comcast (or electricity) was down.

 

And yeah, I actually keep an old $6.95/month Netscape dialup account all these years, just for when I go down to Mom's for a week every other month and it's only way I can connect from her house. It's either that pay hundreds per year for broadband just to use for six weeks.

 

Anyway, that Ooma (I do like the commercials till they wear them out) is basically VOIP also, doesn't work with dialup either,  right?

 

- OS

Edited June 9, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[ironsniper1]

Oh, okay then, didn't understand. Thanks.

 

Looks like for whatever reason, I'm not broadcasting one. What I think is up is that I've got a glitch somewhere, modem has lost sync several times in last few days or been rebooted from remote, and I'm wondering if it's a firmware update that allows the public wifi that keeps getting pushed and failing for some reason, as I have a couple of odd glitches with TV service also, like it only sees one of my cable boxes if I want to push a program to it from online and a couple of other things odd too.

 

Might also be why I get an error message on line with the link to configure wifi service.

 

Or something. Mainly all a matter of curiosity at this point, as everything does work okay most of the time.

 

- OS

my bad i didnt mean to confuse you, sorry about that, i will try better next time :)

[Oh Shoot]

my bad i didnt mean to confuse you, sorry about that, i will try better next time :)

 

Oh, it doesn't take much effort to confuse moi. ;)

 

Anyway, see my updates, I've gone from having multiple "infinitywifi" hot spots, none of them mine, to only having one, which is mine. But still see all the other "HOME" networks that were also obviously putting out the "infinitywifi" nodes I was previously able to connect to (various strengths, so obviously not duplicate hotspots).

 

Anyway, now looks like I've got same thing as anybody else who has it.

 

But, anybody else live in apt complex that is seeing multiple public Comcast hotspots? I don't understand why I could see them previously but now only my own. Whole thing is quite weird.

 

- OS

[tnguy]

:) Great way to put it.

 

I've lived without land line for 6 or 8 years now, never really missed it, except once in a while when I could have used dialup internet on my laptop when Comcast (or electricity) was down.

 

And yeah, I actually keep an old $6.95/month Netscape dialup account all these years, just for when I go down to Mom's for a week every other month and it's only way I can connect from her house. It's either that pay hundreds per year for broadband just to use for six weeks.

 

Anyway, that Ooma (I do like the commercials till they wear them out) is basically VOIP also, doesn't work with dialup either,  right?

 

- OS

 

Yeah, it's VOIP. I didn't want to be tied into the Comcast bundling. It seems like it's the best, cheapest option for our use case (which is apparently filling up the answer machine with unlistened-to messages).

 

When the power goes out, I'd recommend a UPS. A decent 650VA or more will keep you going for a good long time. Whether Comcast will be up if the power goes out will be another question. Though if you have a Smartphone, tethering is a good way to go there.

[ironsniper1]

Yeah, it's VOIP. I didn't want to be tied into the Comcast bundling. It seems like it's the best, cheapest option for our use case (which is apparently filling up the answer machine with unlistened-to messages).

 

When the power goes out, I'd recommend a UPS. A decent 650VA or more will keep you going for a good long time. Whether Comcast will be up if the power goes out will be another question. Though if you have a Smartphone, tethering is a good way to go there.

we have comcast tv/internet/phone bundle and when the power goes out we loose all of it

[tnguy]

we have comcast tv/internet/phone bundle and when the power goes out we loose all of it

 

You mean you're continuing to power the modem though, right?

 

I understand the Comcast equipment is basically straight on the local power grid so when you lose power, their equipment likely loses power too. That's a little different with the phone co which has huge UPSs and diesel generators (usually the first sign that power is out at our place is the one down the road fires up).

 

Edit: A little reading around indicates that Comcast supposedly has emergency power at the head-ends. So in theory, you should be covered but I couldn't say for sure.

Edited June 9, 2014 by tnguy

[ironsniper1]

You mean you're continuing to power the modem though, right?

 

I understand the Comcast equipment is basically straight on the local power grid so when you lose power, their equipment likely loses power too. That's a little different with the phone co which has huge UPSs and diesel generators (usually the first sign that power is out at our place is the one down the road fires up).

 

Edit: A little reading around indicates that Comcast supposedly has emergency power at the head-ends. So in theory, you should be covered but I couldn't say for sure.

we have it on a battery for when the power does go out but it does not matter cause none of it works anyway, the phone signal comes through the cable line and gets converter from analog to digital or might be digital to analog i cant remember, anyway because of this when the power goes out we loose internet and tv and when we loose those we loose phone too

Edited June 9, 2014 by luke9511

[Sam1]

YOU are not the one operating the guest network so you are not the one responsible for it, Comcast is. They are net network operator, not you. It you setup the network they you could be responsible but in this case you are not.

I'm not going to argue semantics on this, it's a waste of time.

Common sense and reasonable expectation does not exist in every situation... And it's not like I want it to be this way, but it is what it is. Edited June 9, 2014 by Sam1

[tnguy]

we have it on a battery for when the power does go out but it does not matter cause none of it works anyway, the phone signal comes through the cable line and gets converter from analog to digital or might be digital to analog i cant remember, anyway because of this when the power goes out we loose internet and tv and when we loose those we loose phone too

 

Good info to have.

[Oh Shoot]

we have it on a battery for when the power does go out but it does not matter cause none of it works anyway...

 

My Comcast VOIP phone still works off the modem battery when the power goes down, but modem needs AC to work.

 

Can pull power plug, lose the net, but the VOIP still functions. Not sure how long the battery lasts though. And yeah, of course that's dependent on Comcast still being live on their end, however that feed works.

 

Obviously a UPS is way to go if you're some sort of mission critical type person, but a system to really power stuff for hours ain't real cheap compared to the ones that just allow everything to safely shut down.

 

I think Mr. Weevils has one that can apparently lend extra juice to Chickamauga Dam or something, though. :)

 

- OS

Edited June 9, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[Guest Lester Weevils]

That's a little different with the phone co which has huge UPSs and diesel generators (usually the first sign that power is out at our place is the one down the road fires up).

 

Am not arguing, merely adding $0.02-- The working innards of telephone exchanges may be different nowadays, but from the very beginning until at least not very long ago, the primary power supply for telephone exchanges was HUGE DC battery banks, and the AC power was used to keep the battery banks up. That is because the system was designed to run on that DC on the lines. So if the AC failed but there wasn't anything wrong with the phone net, then the phones would stay up until the battery banks would discharge. And as you mentioned, they usually had backup power to charge the batteries.

 

Maybe nowadays they have figgered a way to finally get rid of the humongous battery bank, but that was the situation for what, 100 years or more? When did they start installing phone nets?

 

I'm a big believer in UPS boxes. Have several, on all the equipment I consider "essential". For a couple of years APC has been selling a smallish UPS designed specifically to keep home modems and routers alive, "quasi long term".

 

Many consumer UPS are designed to keep up a desktop computer, supplying a fairly good current for a relatively short time. Such UPS's will run much longer if lightly loaded, but I suspect the fairly big inverters drain the batteries quicker than necessary when running at very small loads. In the storms a couple years ago, my APC back-ups 1500's would run trivially small loads 2 or 3 hours apiece before running down the batt and shutting off, though the runtime is MUCH shorter for running a desktop and monitors.

 

But MAYBE if designed correctly, a UPS specifically designed for the low power draw of a router and modem, could run longer. Dunno if that APC model fits the bill, or if it is just a re-branded low-power UPS, trying to get more sales with a specific advertised use. I usually have run my router on a small shoebox sized ups, because it is all by its lonely in another part of the house from the puters. Was tempted to get one of those home-router-specific UPS at best buy, but have so far resisted the temptation. Well, my initial temptation was when I wanted to exploit the NAS feature of my linksys router by attaching a big hard drive to it, and you would definitely want a UPS on the NAS. But then I discovered that the NAS features in my model of linksys router don't work worth a crap, though the router itself works fine for my uses.

Edited June 9, 2014 by Lester Weevils

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I think Mr. Weevils has one that can apparently lend extra juice to Chickamauga Dam or something, though. :)

 

If only that were so! :)

 

edit: Since I started using UPS on all the puter gear, the incidence of mysterious computer crashes "out of the blue" have reduced to zilch. Modern OS don't crash so much anyway, but I started using UPS back in Win98 era. It even cleared up most of the Win98 crashes I was getting. Giving indirect evidence that a certain percentage of "out of the blue" crashes are due to nasty power.

Edited June 9, 2014 by Lester Weevils

[ironsniper1]

My Comcast VOIP phone still works off the modem battery when the power goes down, but modem needs AC to work.

 

Can pull power plug, lose the net, but the VOIP still functions. Not sure how long the battery lasts though. And yeah, of course that's dependent on Comcast still being live on their end, however that feed works.

 

Obviously a UPS is way to go if you're some sort of mission critical type person, but a system to really power stuff for hours ain't real cheap compared to the ones that just allow everything to safely shut down.

 

I think Mr. Weevils has one that can apparently lend extra juice to Chickamauga Dam or something, though. :)

 

- OS

strange our old modem had a battery but when the power goes out we loose everything

[Spiffy]

So what happens when someone downloads kiddie porn or pirated movies through your modem/router?

[ironsniper1]

So what happens when someone downloads kiddie porn or pirated movies through your modem/router?

police will go after you cause it happend on your network and there is no way to prove it was not you, untill they dont find anything