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I also have Comcast Business, but I'd give them a 40/100. (But most of that score is because the service usually works.) > I've never had a tech try to run me
by deathanatos 9y ago
I also have Comcast Business, but I'd give them a 40/100. (But most of that score is because the service usually works.)
> I've never had a tech try to run me through a "script", or argue that I didn't know what I was talking about when I tell them I've already done all the debugging and the problem was on their end.
I've had two major outages:
* One outage where IPv6 connectivity was completely lost, and IPv4 connectivity was completely unaffected. I noticed this immediately, because I don't use Comcast's DNS servers; instead I use Google's, over IPv6 exclusively, so it was immediately apparent.
* One outage where IPv4 SYN packets would go unanswered, however, once answered, the connection was quite stable. IPv6 was completely unaffected.
In both instances, the tech on the phone insisted that "my signal strength" was "very weak", and that they'd send a tech out to fix that right away. The representatives both time were unable to comprehend — let alone answer — my question of "how would signal strength only affect one of IPv4/v6? Do you think the copper can somehow discriminate which protocol is in use?" In the end, the representative adjusted by strength until it was supposedly awesome, and in neither case did the problem get resolved at that point, of course.
It took much insisting to get them to look at their own network in the first case, and to replace my modem in the latter case. (I have no idea what went wrong in the latter case, but my guess is "something with NAT" and/or the IPv4 hardware. Regardless, replacing the modem did fix the issue.)
I've also tried — and have yet to convince them of this: every single one of their black Comcast-branded modems will forget the 2 GHz WiFi WPA-PSK key on any sort of power cycle or reset, and revert back to the default, but only for the key. (All other settings, such as port forwardings or the SSID for the AP remain intact.) This, I believe, only happens if you use an actual key; if you use a password from which a key is derived, you won't be affected.
They've also tried to upsell me during outages … which, really? Why do companies do that?
I did at least finally get a representative that was human enough to laugh when I told them that the modem was doing the "blinken light dance". (The LEDs on the front panel go through a sequence as the device boots and acquires a connection.)
> When I called to get PTR records added for my five static IPs,
I would love to have this … I just didn't think I could request such a thing without the hell of trying to explain what a PTR record is.
- mrbill 9y agoI've got their "Business Wireless Gateway", a Cisco bit that really shouldn't have the Cisco name on it.. I turned off its built-in WiFi and use a Ubiquiti UAP-AC-PRO. The BWG just functions as a modem and somewhere to plug the WAN interface of my USG "router" into.
- IntelMiner 9y agoEx-Comcast employee here. Just to try and help crystallize some things >replacing the modem did fix the issue. Comcast's IPv6 deployment has been historically...interesting. A lot of DOCSIS 2.0 devices still exist on Comcast's network. And most of them (claim) they support IPv6. Suffice it to say they cause a metric ton of problems in of themselves It's entirely possible that your signal strength may have been "too weak" when reading it in Comcast's "Einstein" troubleshooting tool. That wouldn't manifest itself in the way you describe, but the phone operator may be assuming the technician will call in to the NOC (or "XOC", the "Xfinity Operations Center" in Comcast terminology) to correct the problem you were calling about. The one they didn't understand To add to this, Comcast equipment is awful. Truly awful. All OEM's (D-Link, Linksys, Netgear etc) do similar to this. But Comcast seems to outsource development for its equipment to the lowest possible bidders. When I left, Comcast had just started deploying the "XB3" generation of modems The first one they released. The Cisco DPC3939 would hang on World of Warcraft's patches. The only thing I could deduce as to why was it spawned a few hundred connections (WoW uses a Bitorrent style downloader) The DPC3939 and DP3941 Comcast modems would typically take 5-10 minutes to reboot. Unfortunately tamper seals prevented me from wiring the thing up to see WHY it would take that god damn long >They've also tried to upsell me during outages … which, really? Why do companies do that? Comcast sees technical support as a cost center. They outright tell all agents that they ARE a cost on their first day. I snapped this lovely picture early on in my time at Comcast, which details part of the "S4 Call Flow" in use at Comcast https://i.imgur.com/GXm6Bx0.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GXm6Bx0.jpg (dated 2014)