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One takeaway from this is that there's a strong privacy case for disabling the built-in wireless network from your ISP-provided modem/router and using your own,

One takeaway from this is that there's a strong privacy case for disabling the built-in wireless network from your ISP-provided modem/router and using your own, to reduce the number of ways that your ISP can surveil you.

chatmasta 1y ago
That’s always a good idea, but they’ll still be able to tell when someone is home because the outbound internet traffic will increase. And don’t forget to set your DNS to a non-ISP resolver.
- calvinmorrison 1y ago
  So you need fake upstream downstream traffic, put your router in a lead box, use DNS over https, and then all that for nothing because the Amazon router was backdoored by the NSA too
- chimeracoder 1y ago
  > That’s always a good idea, but they’ll still be able to tell when someone is home because the outbound internet traffic will increase. Sure, but not necessarily who is home, since they won't have the MAC address of your device(s) connecting. Also, traffic volumes are a lot noisier of signals than you might think, given how much automated and background stuff we have these days.
- sneak 1y ago
  SNI is not encrypted. You need a box downstream of your ISP devices that encrypts all traffic out over a VPN. This is what I do.
jeffbee 1y ago
This is piled on top of the existing strong case for all Comcast wifi equipment being hot garbage. If some confluence of poor regulations has led you to being stuck with Comcast, the least you can do for yourself is get your own DOCSIS modem and routers and access points that you control.
ghurtado 1y ago
Even better, don't use the Comcast router at all. It's a rip off anyway
- jayd16 1y ago
  Don't they hand out combination modem/routers? What's a cheaper alternative?
  - reanimus 1y ago
    Buy your own DOCSIS modem, opt out of renting theirs. It'll pay for itself after a few billing cycles (the modem rental fee is $15 per month)
    - gia_ferrari 1y ago
      If you're on a cheaper lower speed subscription, you can often find compatible modems at thrift stores for a couple dollars. People upgrade to faster tiers and unload their old perfectly serviceable equipment good for a couple hundred megabits - fine for most needs.
    - jayd16 1y ago
      Wow, what a deal. Last I looked it was $5/mo. Spectrum doesn't give you any discount at all. Still I thought a good DOCSIS 3.1 modem would be a few hundred.
    - ac29 1y ago
      I did this recently and found out Comcast considers some security feature that runs only on their hardware to be part of the bundle they sold us. So, bringing your own modem gets rid of the rental fee, but requires moving to a different plan without the security feature bundled. This is of course more expensive, almost entirely negating the savings of bringing your own network equipment (I think our net savings is $5/month, which means its going to be a couple years to pay back the modem cost).
  - slt2021 1y ago
    I bought a DOCSIS modem+wifi AP on amazon a decade ago for $50. Its been working like a champ and I have control over it. although for the best control it is recommended to buy modem separately and wifi AP separately, because Comcast can send C&C commands to your modem over the copper cable
tripdout 1y ago
If it lets you. I think Bell modem+router+AP devices always broadcast a TV network with no way of disabling it whether you have TV service or not.
- anonymousab 1y ago
  That's what a good-ol' Faraday cage is for.
  - gia_ferrari 1y ago
    Or unplugging the internal antennas. Only on equipment you own, of course.
o11c 1y ago
My home ISP's cell router (because no other internet reaches our area anymore) has almost no configurable settings (just wifi name/password/hidden), and actively forbids you from disabling wifi even though I only use it through the wired connection. (And what limited configurability it provides is only through the app, which requires you to agree to their "molest your privacy policy". I had been content with just not installing the app , but my threat model hadn't considered this new development ...)

chatmasta 1y ago

That’s always a good idea, but they’ll still be able to tell when someone is home because the outbound internet traffic will increase. And don’t forget to set your DNS to a non-ISP resolver.

calvinmorrison 1y ago
So you need fake upstream downstream traffic, put your router in a lead box, use DNS over https, and then all that for nothing because the Amazon router was backdoored by the NSA too
chimeracoder 1y ago
> That’s always a good idea, but they’ll still be able to tell when someone is home because the outbound internet traffic will increase. Sure, but not necessarily who is home, since they won't have the MAC address of your device(s) connecting. Also, traffic volumes are a lot noisier of signals than you might think, given how much automated and background stuff we have these days.
sneak 1y ago
SNI is not encrypted. You need a box downstream of your ISP devices that encrypts all traffic out over a VPN. This is what I do.

jeffbee 1y ago

This is piled on top of the existing strong case for all Comcast wifi equipment being hot garbage. If some confluence of poor regulations has led you to being stuck with Comcast, the least you can do for yourself is get your own DOCSIS modem and routers and access points that you control.

ghurtado 1y ago

Even better, don't use the Comcast router at all. It's a rip off anyway

jayd16 1y ago
Don't they hand out combination modem/routers? What's a cheaper alternative?
- reanimus 1y ago
  Buy your own DOCSIS modem, opt out of renting theirs. It'll pay for itself after a few billing cycles (the modem rental fee is $15 per month)
  - gia_ferrari 1y ago
    If you're on a cheaper lower speed subscription, you can often find compatible modems at thrift stores for a couple dollars. People upgrade to faster tiers and unload their old perfectly serviceable equipment good for a couple hundred megabits - fine for most needs.
  - jayd16 1y ago
    Wow, what a deal. Last I looked it was $5/mo. Spectrum doesn't give you any discount at all. Still I thought a good DOCSIS 3.1 modem would be a few hundred.
  - ac29 1y ago
    I did this recently and found out Comcast considers some security feature that runs only on their hardware to be part of the bundle they sold us. So, bringing your own modem gets rid of the rental fee, but requires moving to a different plan without the security feature bundled. This is of course more expensive, almost entirely negating the savings of bringing your own network equipment (I think our net savings is $5/month, which means its going to be a couple years to pay back the modem cost).
- slt2021 1y ago
  I bought a DOCSIS modem+wifi AP on amazon a decade ago for $50. Its been working like a champ and I have control over it. although for the best control it is recommended to buy modem separately and wifi AP separately, because Comcast can send C&C commands to your modem over the copper cable

tripdout 1y ago

If it lets you. I think Bell modem+router+AP devices always broadcast a TV network with no way of disabling it whether you have TV service or not.

anonymousab 1y ago
That's what a good-ol' Faraday cage is for.
- gia_ferrari 1y ago
  Or unplugging the internal antennas. Only on equipment you own, of course.

o11c 1y ago

My home ISP's cell router (because no other internet reaches our area anymore) has almost no configurable settings (just wifi name/password/hidden), and actively forbids you from disabling wifi even though I only use it through the wired connection. (And what limited configurability it provides is only through the app, which requires you to agree to their "molest your privacy policy". I had been content with just not installing the app , but my threat model hadn't considered this new development ...)