4 ms·

What do they mean WiFi won't work? How is that anything other than a blatant lie? They probably mean the WiFi built into the cable modem.

jessaustin 12y ago
How would that be anything other than a blatant lie? Are they going to mail the customer a different model of modem? Do any current cableco-provided modems not have built-in wifi?
- danudey 12y ago
  > Do any current cableco-provided modems not have built-in wifi? No, but all of their features can be enabled/disabled by the ISP remotely.
  - scrabble 12y ago
    I know for my ISP the user names and passwords used by support are all freely available online. I needed a tech to come in because they couldn't troubleshoot my issue (magically fixed the next day) and he was flummoxed when he couldn't log in because his passwords didn't work.
  - NoPiece 12y ago
    I have a Ubee cable modem from Comcast that doesn't have wifi, and I think had an Arris before that that also didn't have wifi.
- ossreality 12y ago
  I can't tell if people are naive or clueless. They fucking just turn it off dude.
- shurcooL 12y ago
  Can't it be remotely disabled because it's not a part of the cheaper plan? Similarly to how you only get the ability to tether your data with more expensive plans. It's a completely artificial client-side restriction that can be circumvented by rooting, etc. Not unlike DRM.
- MaysonL 12y ago
  Yeah: a few months ago Charter upgraded our cable modem, and neither the new one nor the old one has wifi (they want to sell a router for $12/month).
jwdunne 12y ago
Yes, whenever I miss the payment on my TalkTalk bill, the whole local network goes down, not just Internet access. I've been meaning to get a cheapo router to remedy. People just don't know that you can have wifi for free, especially when you've got adverts from O2 and such that 2gb 3G and " unlimited wifi". I dunno if it's the same in the US but apparently it's some typically restricted resource that many providers in the UK are lifting the limits off.
- hueving 12y ago
  >I dunno if it's the same in the US but apparently it's some typically restricted resource that many providers in the UK are lifting the limits off. No, this isn't too typical. Most people have their own router offering WiFi in front of the cable modem. It wasn't until recently that cable companies started bundling wi-fi and NAT into the modem.
  - wtallis 12y ago
    Really? I had Time Warner Cable providing a Netgear modem+router+802.11g AP combo box back in 2004, maybe 2003. (It was shit.) I think the only thing that's changed is that nowadays even non-technical users have more than one device that needs a connection, so attaching the modem directly to the PC by USB doesn't cut it.
  - jwdunne 12y ago
    I know it's not typically restricted, I've enjoyed "unlimited wifi" for over a decade! The thing that bothers me is some providers in the UK say they give away unlimited wifi as part of the package.
- lucb1e 12y ago
  > " unlimited wifi". I just felt a disturbance in the force. Damn, that sentence triggers a whole range of evil ideas I hadn't yet thought of. Hmm, hold on while I check with my ISP whether I can downgrade my WiFi data limit for cheaper service... or would that just be giving them ideas? :p
devrelm 12y ago
Or their comcast/xfinity hotspots, which is true.[1] Their lowest "Performance Starter" package does not have access to those hotspots, while the next higher "Performance" package does. [1] http://www.comcast.com/internet-service.html http://www.comcast.com/internet-service.html
mox1 12y ago
I'm honestly not sure what the Representative meant. This is just what my mother told me (non tech person, she could have misunderstood). I left out the part where the rep told my mother she was already on the cheapest plan. Fortunately they had just mailed their yearly "price sheet" that listed Economy Plus Internet, with prices. Magically when my mother mentioned this by name, it became available. My general sense is that these types of conversations happen daily at Comcast and such...I've heard too many similar stories over the years.

jessaustin 12y ago

How would that be anything other than a blatant lie? Are they going to mail the customer a different model of modem? Do any current cableco-provided modems not have built-in wifi?

danudey 12y ago
> Do any current cableco-provided modems not have built-in wifi? No, but all of their features can be enabled/disabled by the ISP remotely.
- scrabble 12y ago
  I know for my ISP the user names and passwords used by support are all freely available online. I needed a tech to come in because they couldn't troubleshoot my issue (magically fixed the next day) and he was flummoxed when he couldn't log in because his passwords didn't work.
- NoPiece 12y ago
  I have a Ubee cable modem from Comcast that doesn't have wifi, and I think had an Arris before that that also didn't have wifi.
ossreality 12y ago
I can't tell if people are naive or clueless. They fucking just turn it off dude.
shurcooL 12y ago
Can't it be remotely disabled because it's not a part of the cheaper plan? Similarly to how you only get the ability to tether your data with more expensive plans. It's a completely artificial client-side restriction that can be circumvented by rooting, etc. Not unlike DRM.
MaysonL 12y ago
Yeah: a few months ago Charter upgraded our cable modem, and neither the new one nor the old one has wifi (they want to sell a router for $12/month).

jwdunne 12y ago

Yes, whenever I miss the payment on my TalkTalk bill, the whole local network goes down, not just Internet access. I've been meaning to get a cheapo router to remedy. People just don't know that you can have wifi for free, especially when you've got adverts from O2 and such that 2gb 3G and " unlimited wifi". I dunno if it's the same in the US but apparently it's some typically restricted resource that many providers in the UK are lifting the limits off.

hueving 12y ago
>I dunno if it's the same in the US but apparently it's some typically restricted resource that many providers in the UK are lifting the limits off. No, this isn't too typical. Most people have their own router offering WiFi in front of the cable modem. It wasn't until recently that cable companies started bundling wi-fi and NAT into the modem.
- wtallis 12y ago
  Really? I had Time Warner Cable providing a Netgear modem+router+802.11g AP combo box back in 2004, maybe 2003. (It was shit.) I think the only thing that's changed is that nowadays even non-technical users have more than one device that needs a connection, so attaching the modem directly to the PC by USB doesn't cut it.
- jwdunne 12y ago
  I know it's not typically restricted, I've enjoyed "unlimited wifi" for over a decade! The thing that bothers me is some providers in the UK say they give away unlimited wifi as part of the package.
lucb1e 12y ago
> " unlimited wifi". I just felt a disturbance in the force. Damn, that sentence triggers a whole range of evil ideas I hadn't yet thought of. Hmm, hold on while I check with my ISP whether I can downgrade my WiFi data limit for cheaper service... or would that just be giving them ideas? :p

devrelm 12y ago

Or their comcast/xfinity hotspots, which is true.[1] Their lowest "Performance Starter" package does not have access to those hotspots, while the next higher "Performance" package does. [1] http://www.comcast.com/internet-service.html http://www.comcast.com/internet-service.html

mox1 12y ago

I'm honestly not sure what the Representative meant. This is just what my mother told me (non tech person, she could have misunderstood). I left out the part where the rep told my mother she was already on the cheapest plan. Fortunately they had just mailed their yearly "price sheet" that listed Economy Plus Internet, with prices. Magically when my mother mentioned this by name, it became available. My general sense is that these types of conversations happen daily at Comcast and such...I've heard too many similar stories over the years.