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Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

jeffreymartens.com

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Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#41

Post by derrickrose »

nodesocket wrote: post #22
johnbellone wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just decided to jump on the cord cutting bandwagon. My bill was ~$180 and I was able to get it down to $97 for the "best Internet". My cost for PlayStation Vue is $29.99 plus $15 for HBO. It streams to the PS4 and Amazon Fire TV. I am very happy with the change simply because I am not giving Comcast more money than I have to.

I need sports though, that's the problem.

You can opt for the league-provided services, or if you look on the internet you'll quickly find services that are better than the officially-provided ones themselves.

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#43

Post by gnopgnip »

recursive wrote: post #32
manyxcxi wrote: post #15

The best thing anyone can do is swap out the junky cable modem + WiFi router combos they rent to you. They're horrible under standard usage, bad when lots of clients are connected, bad wifi range, low memory, require frequent reboots, etc. For about $70 (about 5mos of rental charges) you can get a Surfboard barebones Docsis 3 modem that will vastly outperform whatever junk they rent out. After that you could get a TP…

This is a thing I would kind of want to do, but I've never bothered to figure out how. Like how will I know if it's a compatible modem, or better than what's there? How do you configure it? So those are my reasons.

http://mynewmodem.comcast.net/ Lists most of the modems you can purchase from amazon. They have a slightly larger list of supported modems but many of them are noy sold to the public like some Cisco models.

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#44

Post by rhino369 »

r1ch wrote: post #9

"Pretty poor coverage" sounds like the author was relying on Wi-Fi for connectivity. I wouldn't trust an ISP-provided combo modem/router to do anything more than the bare minimum when it comes to wireless, most likely a single chain 2.4 GHz network (and 5 GHz if you're lucky). Replacing it with Google Wifi which is a Wave2 802.11ac 5 GHz device with Beamforming will make a world of difference. Intentionally supplying…

In many apartment buildings the 2.4 Ghz spectrum is just too crowded. Just using a cheap 5Ghz 11n without breamforming would likely solve the problem. I've got at least 40 bss's on 2.4 and I'm the only one on 5Ghz. It's crazy.

I'd say Comcast should use 5Ghz but then that spectrum will get crowded too.

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#45

Post by erichurkman »

recursive wrote: post #32
manyxcxi wrote: post #15

The best thing anyone can do is swap out the junky cable modem + WiFi router combos they rent to you. They're horrible under standard usage, bad when lots of clients are connected, bad wifi range, low memory, require frequent reboots, etc. For about $70 (about 5mos of rental charges) you can get a Surfboard barebones Docsis 3 modem that will vastly outperform whatever junk they rent out. After that you could get a TP…

This is a thing I would kind of want to do, but I've never bothered to figure out how. Like how will I know if it's a compatible modem, or better than what's there? How do you configure it? So those are my reasons.

https://mydeviceinfo.xfinity.com/ will walk you through finding which devices your local service + speed work with. Spoiler: most DOCSIS 3.0 modems are compatible.

Buy it, unplug your existing modem, plug the new one in, and call Comcast. I had mine out of the box and up and running in all of 15 minutes (most of that was spent on hold and waiting for the modem to reboot).

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#46

Post by Mtinie »

chrissnell wrote: post #34

Don't use Speedtest.net. The major providers all prioritize their traffic and it gives unrealistic results. I built a graphical console-based speed tester (client+server) that you can run yourself to get a more accurate picture and test between your home and servers you actually use: https://github.com/chrissnell/sparkyfish

I appreciate the tool you've built. Having options is awesome.

That being said, when you know that Comcast and others prioritize their traffic through Speedtest AND you encounter subpar speeds even with this allocation in place, you know there is a problem.

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#48

Post by harryh »

recursive wrote: post #32
manyxcxi wrote: post #15

The best thing anyone can do is swap out the junky cable modem + WiFi router combos they rent to you. They're horrible under standard usage, bad when lots of clients are connected, bad wifi range, low memory, require frequent reboots, etc. For about $70 (about 5mos of rental charges) you can get a Surfboard barebones Docsis 3 modem that will vastly outperform whatever junk they rent out. After that you could get a TP…

This is a thing I would kind of want to do, but I've never bothered to figure out how. Like how will I know if it's a compatible modem, or better than what's there? How do you configure it? So those are my reasons.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-cable-modem/

You can figure this sort of thing out with less than 1 hour of effort.

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#49

Post by thedevil »

Comcast ripped me off much more than that. My HOA signed a (incredible bad) deal with Comcast to provide basic channels (the ones nobody wants) for $35/unit* * for 3 years. Then, Comcast's rep allegedly* forged the contract to last 8 years instead of 3.

The stupid manager lost the emails, Comcast insisted on the (allegedly* forged) 8-year contract and so the HOA paid it until the manager found the original signed contract (years later) and compared it to the forged version. Then Comcast still pressured the board on the 8-year until we hired a lawyer.

I estimate that this alleged* fraud was worth $378,000.

* It was never proven in court but the evidence is pretty strong. The forged pages have inconsistent numbering, scanner marks, wording, and date format.

* * It was actually a rate that increases over years. $35 was last year's rate.

I'm not under any NDA so I'm exposing it but making sure all my details and wording are correct so I don't get sued. Please forgive the edits.

Re: Comcast internet speed improved with non-Comcast hardware

#50

Post by jftuga »

chrissnell wrote: post #34

Don't use Speedtest.net. The major providers all prioritize their traffic and it gives unrealistic results. I built a graphical console-based speed tester (client+server) that you can run yourself to get a more accurate picture and test between your home and servers you actually use: https://github.com/chrissnell/sparkyfish

For firewall rule purposes, I wish your program would have used 5201 by default, the standard iperf port.
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