Comcast secretly turning your router into free public wifi?

[SheHateMe]

Semi-related - I'm signing up for Comcast interwebs this week, as it's my only option in the area that we're moving to. Any suggestions for a cheap modem that is compatible with them?

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SurfB.../dp/B007IMPMW4

It was $66 before, but you asked about a month too late.

 

[Markbnj]

It sort of strikes me as a silly idea. Most Comcast end user equipment is in private residences. If nearby users are Comcast subscribers then presumably they have their own equipment. I doubt we get many drive-by Comcast-subscribing wireless connection seekers in our neighborhood.

Maybe it's really targeted more at their business customers. That would at least make some sense.

Anyway, I own all the equipment between the cable drop and the set-top box, and they ain't using us as a wifi hotspot any time soon.

 

[pcslookout]

I hate Comcast they suck.

 

[It's Not Lupus]

congested wifi channels?

 

[BoomerD]

Here Comcast requires you have a modem with their router, if you have their voice service.

Yep. Here as well. Unfortunately, we're moving (again) in a month or so and Comcrap won't be availiable...and...the only viable internet/cable provider in that area sucks.

 

[techs]

congested wifi channels?

Very good point. Higher speed wireless routers need two channels to achieve their high speeds. Where I live I had to use innsider to find the two best choices and manually put them in my router since the router saw too much congestion to automatically take two channels.

 

[zinfamous]

Semi-related - I'm signing up for Comcast interwebs this week, as it's my only option in the area that we're moving to. Any suggestions for a cheap modem that is compatible with them?

I've had the same D-Link modem and Linksys routers for about 8? years now? Has always worked with Comcast in various parts of the country.

fwiw--any hardware should be compatible with them.

 

[zinfamous]

Yep. Here as well. Unfortunately, we're moving (again) in a month or so and Comcrap won't be availiable...and...the only viable internet/cable provider in that area sucks.

Too many hipsters?

 

[jagec]

Will the FBI or RIAA still come after you if someone uses your free Comcast wifi to do something they don't agree with?

Actually, this way you get immunity from prosecution ("Yes, that's my IP, but it's those no-good neighbors using the open WiFi that Comcast FORCED on me!"), while still being able to keep your own personal wireless encrypted. Win-win for pirates.

 

[Mark R]

If the signal that is being broadcast is completely segregated from your connection in both content and bandwidth, I really don't have much of a problem with it. I think it's a low tech and high risk method of delivering wifi.

I had a similar thing through my ISP for a while.

There are 2 separate SSIDs on the router. One for your private network, which acts like you'd expect.

The public SSID would be routed via a VPN tunnel to a concentrator/RADIUS server at the ISP, so that any traffic on the public hotspot would be accounted for and logged separately to yours. There was also a 500 kbps bandwidth cap on the public SSID, and QoS was used to set it to minimum priority.

 

[xanis]

Semi-related - I'm signing up for Comcast interwebs this week, as it's my only option in the area that we're moving to. Any suggestions for a cheap modem that is compatible with them?

I bought this modem (used): http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SB612...rfboard+sb6141.

 

[sourn]

I've had the same D-Link modem and Linksys routers for about 8? years now? Has always worked with Comcast in various parts of the country.

fwiw--any hardware should be compatible with them.

Same as in I never had a problem with comcast accepting other hardware. I just had to call them and give them my modem number. This has never been an issue no matter were I've lived at.

 

[Kreon]

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SurfB.../dp/B007IMPMW4

It was $66 before, but you asked about a month too late.

Can anyone attest to how well these work? Comcast's site says their compatible, but are they going to create issues for me for using it over their modem?

I have had the modem free for the past year, and I didn't worry about it since I figured I would be canceling my service after this year when I moved. But now that's looking less likely, since the apartments I'm looking at are all serviced only by Comcast.

EDIT: Saw others have had no issues. In for one! Got this one: http://www.amazon.com/Arris-Motorola...cr_dp_asin_lnk. Is it a good choice?

 

[Uppsala9496]

I've had that for about a year at one of my houses. No problems whatsoever.

 

[ultimatebob]

Yeah, it doesn't sound like this is much of a secret.

It's kinda smart when you think about it... they are basically using their customers to create a giant mesh WiFi network.

I'm assuming that I'm going to get some sort of discount from Comcast for using my electricity to run a second WiFi hotspot... right?

 

[JimKiler]

This is a good idea, i am surprised cell phone companies do not do the same thing for cell service.