Comcast's new Upgrade for Current High-Speed Internet & Cable Customers-Game Invasion package

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Devistater

Diamond Member
Sep 9, 2001
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Sounds like they are feeding you guys a load of BS. Especially because some people here already have it (some even from AT). As well, if it was a glitch, why has it been showing up for like a month now? A glitch would have been fixed in days. Read some of the other posts and call them back. Maybe check on http://www.broadbandreports.com forums for info too. They keep up on ISP's and deals.
 

TheCoop

Senior member
Jun 29, 2002
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I am in Baltimore (east side) and I have had 8MB download for over a month, the upload speed is still around 40-50Kbs
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,729
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Originally posted by: Wag
Well, here we go. Once more I'm on the phone with them saying that I don't actually have the speed upgrade even though they say I do. I'm downloading the 100meg test file in 2mins 22secs, which is the old slower speed.

The performance of an 8Mb cable line is seldom the bottleneck in regular use, you may be hitting typical congestion. In everyday use, upgrading from 4 or 6 to 8Mb is something a user will not notice much if any unless constantly downloading huge files from good servers on fat pipes. Upload speeds maybe so, if you're capped at 384 or even worse, 256Kb, every little bit there helps if you need it.

If your ISP has not disabled access to your cable modem stats page, you can see the parameters they (TFTP?) into it, what it has set as the cap. That cap is what gets changed, necessarily so for you to get the higher up & down rates. Many modems are accessed @ 192.168.100.1

On the cable modem page you might see downstream set to 8000000 bps for example, if it's capped at 8Mb, 4000000 bps for 4Mb, etc. Similarly upstream of 384000 bps or whatever.

Those of you having trouble with intermittent connection that can access you modem stats might also check on the signal strength. If you're down around -15.00 dBmV it's marginal and might respond well to efforts to increase signal. For example if you have an ancient leaky box outside it might need sealed and connectors replaced. If you have splitter(s) in use, take them out of the loop temporarily, or at least unplug the other lines coming out to see if it helps. Termination into any device on cable pulls down the signal, necessarily so. It's not just splitters but devices hooked up. Amps are best left out of the cable modem line if if you can split the signal once, then run one line direct to modem and put the other through an amp before further distribution through the home it can help. YMMV. A bit of general network savvy can help to determine if internet outtage is really signal loss or DNS server or something else- pinpointing exactly what is failing is pretty important and typically the level 1 tech you'd call at your provider will not be able to do that, rather just advising you power cycle everything.
 

DefDC

Golden Member
Aug 28, 2003
1,858
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Has ANYBODY noticed the upgrade in UPLOAD speed? I called in for the upgrade about 2 weeks ago and I have hit the 8m speed, but still hoover around 360k for my upload...
 

Tmansport

Member
Feb 28, 2005
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My upload is at a solid 95 k/s now, but my download still hovers at arounnd 6mbit, which I really don't mind. Now I can atleast maintain a reasonable ratio on Bittorent :)
 

amd4life

Golden Member
May 31, 2002
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dont know if its due to christmas or what, but I got mine for 24.95 for three months just now WHOA
 

LumbergTech

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2005
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same thing here..my upload doubled or even tripled..but dl stayed at 3 to 3.5 mb..gonna have to complain a bit...im not even getting half of the 8mb part
 

SimMike2

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2000
2,577
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Originally posted by: Devistater
Do you comcast subscribers always get 6mbit? Or are there times of day/week when it drops from neighborhood hitting it heavy on overloaded lines?

I would say the only time I have problems with Comcast is during times when there is a bad virus going around or a big Denial of Service (DNS) attack. Besides these few times, which are going to affect DSL also, I think the DSL selling point about your own private connection to the internet is mostly bogus. Sure you might have some problems with neighborhood sharing of internet, but when you start seeing these fast download times, it makes average DSL download times look very, very pokey. DSL is using this selling point as a public relations gimick that doesn't actually matter much in the real world.


 

Microman

Member
Jan 19, 2000
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I want to test my Comcast connection. Thru my router... Have about 4 computer hooked up to the router, not to mention the ReplayTV networking.

I know there are a lot of sites to test my Speed. But site would you recommend using. I want to check it a couple ways, and times, and see what my current speed is, and then if I need it call Comcast and get out of this 42.95 a month or not.

Have the bare minimum TV pkg...12.95/mo for locals just to get a combo price., but I dont think I need to worry about that now adays, I think
 

Devistater

Diamond Member
Sep 9, 2001
3,180
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One place you can get maximum speed garunteed is newsgroups. I understand comcast gives 2 gigs a month of giganews? I garuntee giganews (or most any other premium newsgroup service like newshosting, etc etc) will max your bandwidth. Try that, if it is 8mbit then you are fine. If it maxes out at 6 or 3, then you have issues.
 

Ferzerp

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
6,438
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Oh, just an fyi, the speed they rate me isn't what i get.

my modem speed cap is 8.8Mbit, so I nearly get 9. When I had 6, it was set to 6.6Mbit
 

Hikari

Senior member
Jan 8, 2002
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I love how Comcast can't tell me if they even offer cable to my address, even though they do. ;) My zip code shows that $42.95 offer anyway.

So do they charge any other fees for this offer? Not sure if they'd have some fee for the speed change, etc. I'm only at this address for 3 more months anyway, so this sounds like a good upgrade deal. LOL!
 

uurda

Member
Dec 28, 2004
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Originally posted by: LumbergTech
same thing here..my upload doubled or even tripled..but dl stayed at 3 to 3.5 mb..gonna have to complain a bit...im not even getting half of the 8mb part

I complained for the same reason - they sent out a tech with a new modem and Viola! 8mbs/700k steady...
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,729
1,745
126
Originally posted by: uurda
Originally posted by: LumbergTech
same thing here..my upload doubled or even tripled..but dl stayed at 3 to 3.5 mb..gonna have to complain a bit...im not even getting half of the 8mb part

I complained for the same reason - they sent out a tech with a new modem and Viola! 8mbs/700k steady...


Interesting but insufficient info.

What brand/model did you have then and now?
Was the old DOCSIS1.1 and new DOCSIS2?

 

caferace

Golden Member
May 31, 2005
1,472
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Does Comcast allow you to run a web server (on port 80)? If not, that's a dealbreaker to me. RCN doesn't.

-jim
 

keeleysam

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2005
8,131
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Originally posted by: caferace
Does Comcast allow you to run a web server (on port 80)? If not, that's a dealbreaker to me. RCN doesn't.

-jim

It's against the TOS, but they don't stop you.
 

Reckoner

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
10,851
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Is anyone else having problems accessing IGN insider? It keeps wanting me to pay to subscribe. IGN Insider is part of the package isn't it?
 

Devistater

Diamond Member
Sep 9, 2001
3,180
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There's info and links to setup IGN insider in a previous post.

As for downgrading, I would imagine you could. You'd just have to change your service. Tell them you decided you dont want to pay for the gaming service anymore and you want to go with the normal cable internet.
 

PirreLi

Member
Oct 5, 2005
80
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I wish we would get a better ISp here in Newfoundland, right now i'm using a 5mbps DSL connection from Aliant. Thats the best there is here because cable is absolutley terrible, and DSL still sucks, I can rarely get under 60 ping in game servers, unless there local.
 

Reckoner

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
10,851
1
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Originally posted by: Devistater
There's info and links to setup IGN insider in a previous post.

As for downgrading, I would imagine you could. You'd just have to change your service. Tell them you decided you dont want to pay for the gaming service anymore and you want to go with the normal cable internet.

The link doesn't work. If I go to any of the premium message boards, I still get prompted to sign up for a subscription service. All the other things work.
 

wldfire

Junior Member
Dec 12, 2005
21
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You might want to be a bit careful when requesting this service... After getting the hour-long run-around from both Comcast local and national, the best deal they were able to come up with was $24.95 per month --in addition to-- my regular cable bill in order to add on the Game Invasion package PLUS an additional $10/month to upgrade to 8Mbps service. In response I kept pointing them to their own website which very clearly makes it look like the $42.95 covers the 8Mbps service plus Game Invasion, but after talking to supervisors and supervisors of supervisors I got absolutely no-where. For me, for today, I'll just keep what I currently have (can a DOCSIS 1.1 modem even go up to 8Mbps??) and maybe try again some other day with a new set of people (maybe the high seniority ones who are likely out on vacation today).

In short, if they charged you only $24.95 for the package, I'd make --very-- sure that this is not IN ADDITION TO your existing cable bill!!