5 ms·
they only have some level of control over DOCSIS modem. if you install the cheapest/simplest DOCSIS modem, and connect it to your own wireless access point that
by slt2021 1y ago
they only have some level of control over DOCSIS modem.
if you install the cheapest/simplest DOCSIS modem, and connect it to your own wireless access point that is NOT controlled by Comcast - they wont know anything.
They will only see traffic coming from 1 local IP - of your wireless AP
- boston_clone 1y agoHmm. Not much of this is true. They provide a modem / router combination device at even their cheapest tier. That device can leverage this technology, and the technology isn’t reliant on traffic. They can gather plenty, and can provide it to third parties without our knowledge or consent.
- margalabargala 1y agoHmm. That misses the broader reality. What you're missing, is that you are allowed to use your own modem. You can purchase an Arris Surfboard, and use that. They still have control of that modem, but can gather no downstream data. That the devices are not distributed by Comcast personally is not relevant to you being able to do this.
- lynndotpy 1y agoThe people who do this will be a vanishingly small minority. It's not as easy to set up one's own modem as it is their own router, IME. And even then, going with your own router is rare.
- devilbunny 1y ago> It's not as easy to set up one's own modem as it is their own router, IME. I mean, I suppose it's got the additional step of calling Comcast and giving them the MAC of your modem, but IIRC that's all I had to do after buying one on their approved list. Been at least 7-8 years since I had them, though. You can plug-and-play with a consumer "router", but even then you need to know the difference between WAN and LAN sides. So the extra effort seems minimal. Most people don't know how to set up either one. I know when the fiber techs came to my house to set me up they were greatly impressed at my (fairly basic; I don't do this for a living) networking knowledge.
- jcrawfordor 1y agoYou don't usually have to call any more, there's a captive portal provisioning process. It's not totally reliable and sometimes you might give up after a few tries and call instead.
- SoftTalker 1y agoYou also get better rates if you use their equipment.
- 0cf8612b2e1e 1y agoSurely that is not true? I thought rental fees were common with using the vendor equipment (something like $10/month). It is a frequently listed as a cost cutting measure to buy your own modem rather than rent from The ISP. A modem is $100-200, so you should be net positive after a year on the investment.
- slt2021 1y agodocsis modem costs $30, wireless AP costs another $50, add repeaters if you want. I have been using my setup for 9 years and never paid a dime in rent of equipment. the setup is plug-n-play / one youtube video away
- wil421 1y agoI guess you don’t want the fastest speed or no data cap. We easily surpass the 1TB cap with 4K streaming and WFH video calls.
- barnas2 1y agoI use Cox and get their fastest speed (2.5Gbps) with the option for unlimited data if I wanted it, and I'm using my own equipment.
- 0cf8612b2e1e 1y agoSimilarly, never seen limitations on speed or allotment if using owned equipment. The ISP will give a big scary message about how support will be unable to help you if things go wrong, but that’s the extent of it.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
- margalabargala 1y agoWhat are you talking about? Modems are incredibly simple to set up. You buy it, log into your account on another network or call the ISP, enter your modem's mac address...and that's it. You have to type in the mac or read it off over the phone. There's nothing on device to set up, it's much easier than a router.
- lynndotpy 1y agoI'd definitely appreciate if you know any resources on this. I don't recall the details, since it's been seven years since I last tried, but I remember hitting friction I couldn't get past.
- bix6 1y agoWhy an Arris Surfboard specifically? Just checked their website and the ratings are not good? Edit: thanks for the downvote! The few I clicked on their website have weak ratings but they are rated much better on Amazon.
- McAtNite 1y agoHistorically the surfboard has been the go to option for Comcast. I can’t say what the current best option is, but if you purchased your own modem in the previous decade chances are you bought a surfboard. IIRC Comcast has a page of third party modems that are compatible.
- margalabargala 1y agoBack when I used Comcast ten years ago, that was the one that I had that I used with them. I mentioned it because I'm 100% certain it can be used. There are a million others too.
- boston_clone 1y agoYour described option is not the broader reality. Most people use the hardware that is provided with the service by default. Last time I checked, there's not even an additional rental fee.
- Mogzol 1y agoSure, but you still can use your own hardware if you choose to. And that's all that the original comment you replied to was saying. If you choose to use your own hardware, then Comcast won't have control over it and cannot do this wifi motion detection. Of course, most people won't do this, but that's besides the point.
- boston_clone 1y ago> they only have some level of control over DOCSIS modem they typically issue a modem / router combination unit, and they can control the router and its radios.
- Mogzol 1y agoYes, but you can replace that with your own unit they don't have control over.
- boston_clone 1y ago…and most people don’t. it’s an additional expense, additional work, and frankly not worth the headache for like 80%+ of users. I used to work in this space, and have first-hand knowledge about the prevalence of third party modems with a sample set of over 100k people. What’s your experience?
- Mogzol 1y agoNobody is arguing against that. I fully agree that most people don't. The point was only that you can.
- 1y ago
- cortesoft 1y agoI did that, and then a few years later they no longer supported that version. I gave up and used the provided modem.... guess I could put it in a faraday cage to prevent the WiFi from being enabled...
- lrvick 1y agoOr just cut the power trace to the wifi chipset.
- sleepybrett 1y agoor ground the antenna, or put the thing in a cage. The cables (which must escape the cage) will make the cage less effective but I imagine it would be enough.
- slt2021 1y agoDOCSIS protocol hasn't changed, 3.0 modems are still being supported, just like a decade ago
- cortesoft 1y agoWell, I had a DOCSIS 3.0 modem I used with Spectrum (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016PE1X5K https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016PE1X5K), and now it no longer works. You can see it isn’t on their compatible list anymore: https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/compliant-modems-charter-network https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/compliant-modems-c...
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- wil421 1y agoYou can’t get top speed or unlimited data with your own modem.
- barnas2 1y agoNot sure about Comcast, but I have no issues with Cox. I'm getting 2.5Gbps with my own equipment (Ubiquiti UCI, which is $$$, but other cheaper modems also work).
- slt2021 1y ago>They provide a modem / router combination device at even their cheapest tier. you can bring your own modem & AP