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Comcast/Xfinity broadcasts their own Wi-Fi from the routers they rent to you. That is the backbone of their mobile phone service, with Sprint towers as the fall

Comcast/Xfinity broadcasts their own Wi-Fi from the routers they rent to you. That is the backbone of their mobile phone service, with Sprint towers as the fallback for out of service areas. You are essentially paying (electricity/modem) for the privilege of hosting their mobile network.

gizmo686 6y ago
As a Comcast/Xfinity customer, I don't actually have a problem with that. I need the modem/router anyway and doubt that the extra load would introduce any congestion for me. I would want them to make sure that their usage does not count as part of the rate limiting they apply to me; but since they control the router/modem, and upstream network, I assume this is something they do. The marginal cost to me is a minimal amount in electricity. However, their policy of doing this allows them to provide me "free" (included in the cost of my internet) WiFi basically everywhere I go. The cost savings of not needing to use my more expensive cellular data easily outweighs what I am spending on the margins to support this scheme. The only reason I don't do this is because I use my own router (and modem); so now I just freeload off of everyone who does.
- the_jeremy 6y ago
  The rate limiting is done via file loaded into the router. AFAIK, it can't be adjusted dynamically as phone users come in and out of your hotspot. Maybe they give you a higher rate if you have the xfinitywifi hotspot enabled, I couldn't find any info. I will say that the public hotspot usage doesn't count toward your data cap, at least.
  - ars 6y ago
    The xfinity hotspot is a completely separate network from yours. It has its own IP range, and it's own cable-speed configuration. It's as if your neighbor also had WiFi running.
    - the_jeremy 6y ago
      I spent 15 minutes looking (which was 15 more minutes than I should have spent on something that did not affect me at all) and I was unable to find out that it had its own cable-speed config. Good to know that it's not quite as parasitic as I thought.
glofish 6y ago
you can easily turn that feature off there may be reasons to do so but is the cost one of them? It is probably infinitesimally low.
will4274 6y ago
It's a nice feature. I enjoy that I, as a customer, can use Wifi most anywhere. I also have the option of turning off the functionality on the device in my house using the web portal.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  It's a nice feature for other people to have. For me at home personally there is zero benefit, it's a zero net side-effect at best. Definitely not something I could/ should pay for. Basically, it's a feature Comcast offers which is paid for by the ignorance of a percentage of their customers.

gizmo686 6y ago

As a Comcast/Xfinity customer, I don't actually have a problem with that. I need the modem/router anyway and doubt that the extra load would introduce any congestion for me. I would want them to make sure that their usage does not count as part of the rate limiting they apply to me; but since they control the router/modem, and upstream network, I assume this is something they do. The marginal cost to me is a minimal amount in electricity. However, their policy of doing this allows them to provide me "free" (included in the cost of my internet) WiFi basically everywhere I go. The cost savings of not needing to use my more expensive cellular data easily outweighs what I am spending on the margins to support this scheme. The only reason I don't do this is because I use my own router (and modem); so now I just freeload off of everyone who does.

the_jeremy 6y ago
The rate limiting is done via file loaded into the router. AFAIK, it can't be adjusted dynamically as phone users come in and out of your hotspot. Maybe they give you a higher rate if you have the xfinitywifi hotspot enabled, I couldn't find any info. I will say that the public hotspot usage doesn't count toward your data cap, at least.
- ars 6y ago
  The xfinity hotspot is a completely separate network from yours. It has its own IP range, and it's own cable-speed configuration. It's as if your neighbor also had WiFi running.
  - the_jeremy 6y ago
    I spent 15 minutes looking (which was 15 more minutes than I should have spent on something that did not affect me at all) and I was unable to find out that it had its own cable-speed config. Good to know that it's not quite as parasitic as I thought.

glofish 6y ago

you can easily turn that feature off there may be reasons to do so but is the cost one of them? It is probably infinitesimally low.

will4274 6y ago

It's a nice feature. I enjoy that I, as a customer, can use Wifi most anywhere. I also have the option of turning off the functionality on the device in my house using the web portal.

ogre_codes 6y ago
It's a nice feature for other people to have. For me at home personally there is zero benefit, it's a zero net side-effect at best. Definitely not something I could/ should pay for. Basically, it's a feature Comcast offers which is paid for by the ignorance of a percentage of their customers.