PSA - Comcast users - Data Cap

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NWRMidnight

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2001
2,922
2,554
136
I'm running Emby for "family friendly" and Plex for porn.

That way kids don't see anything they're not supposed to. (Plex is password protected.)
Why run both? You can set plex up to do it all, as it has user accounts with there own personal pins. that you decide per user, what they have access to or not, and make each user as family friendly as you deem necessary. You also get to authorize only the devices you want to allow access to plex as well.
 

Viper1j

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2018
4,168
3,645
136
Why run both? You can set plex up to do it all, as it has user accounts with there own personal pins. that you decide per user, what they have access to or not, and make each user as family friendly as you deem necessary. You also get to authorize only the devices you want to allow access to plex as well.

Plex doesn't like certain MPGs and MKVs.
 

NWRMidnight

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2001
2,922
2,554
136
Plex doesn't like certain MPGs and MKVs.
I doubt it's plex that is the issue. I have over 2500 movies (HD and 4K) as well as 220 tv series (37 TB of media), with all formats (avi, MPG, MKV) and have never had an issue that was related to plex. Having running the server under both windows and Linux over the course of the last 6+ years. Most of my problems are caused by my own stupidity. LOL. But each to there own.

Edit:. There are some plex clients that are not kept up to date that do cause issues, but that isn't on plex, that is on the device vender for being lazy and not keeping them up to date.
 
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shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
I doubt it's plex that is the issue. I have over 2500 movies (HD and 4K) as well as 220 tv series (37 TB of media), with all formats (avi, MPG, MKV) and have never had an issue that was related to plex. Having running the server under both windows and Linux over the course of the last 6+ years. Most of my problems are caused by my own stupidity. LOL. But each to there own.
their.
 
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Feb 4, 2009
34,494
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Apparently that only applies to the "people using their equipment a.k.a. rentals". If you own your own modem, and your own router, you're exempt.
What was this about?

My guess is it’s an incentive to use their gateway which also acts as a hotspot for their wireless customers. Your own equipment cannot do that.
Sucks but isn’t that unfair Comcast gets something and customer get something.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,733
18,003
146
My guess is it’s an incentive to use their gateway which also acts as a hotspot for their wireless customers. Your own equipment cannot do that.
Sucks but isn’t that unfair Comcast gets something and customer get something.

I wasn't sure what he was referencing, but if that is what it is, their gateway doesn't guarantee that, the right plan is needed as well

 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,733
18,003
146
I started getting emails telling me that I was "close to my limit on data", so I called them, and asked what they were talking about, because I've been paying for unlimited.

That was their response.

I know I go well over 1 TB every month, because I have CNN, or some other news channel on from the time I hit my office, until going out the door.

Ok, here's the link, again, that I just posted above

 

Viper1j

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2018
4,168
3,645
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I doubt it's plex that is the issue. I have over 2500 movies (HD and 4K) as well as 220 tv series (37 TB of media), with all formats (avi, MPG, MKV) and have never had an issue that was related to plex. Having running the server under both windows and Linux over the course of the last 6+ years. Most of my problems are caused by my own stupidity. LOL. But each to there own.

Edit:. There are some plex clients that are not kept up to date that do cause issues, but that isn't on plex, that is on the device vender for being lazy and not keeping them up to date.

I'm using 3 ROKU Ultras.
 

NWRMidnight

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2001
2,922
2,554
136
My guess is it’s an incentive to use their gateway which also acts as a hotspot for their wireless customers. Your own equipment cannot do that.
Sucks but isn’t that unfair Comcast gets something and customer get something.

I would never rent their garbage equipment. Not only is it garbage, but they lock you out of the majority of the router settings, as well as wifi settings now, with the wifi settngs not allowing higher connection speeds. You are also on the hook for the added cost of electricity that is required for the hot spot. There has also been flaws where people who connect to those hot spots have access to personal information of the customer.

I am happy to pay the extra $30 for unlimited, and use my own equipment.

I'm using 3 ROKU Ultras.
I have 3 roku premiers, 1 roku tv, 1 xbox, 1 nvidia shield, windows 10 plex app, 2 android phones that have zero playback issues with plex and HD content. (most run direct play), I only use the shield for my 4K plex content as the roku's choke on the bandwidth requirements (non compressed, full 4K rips that can hit as high as 450Mbps to 650Mbps [avengers infinity war is the worst] during streaming with HDR and TrueHD 7.1 audio) Samsung tv app sucks balls (i think they quit supporting it), chrome and edge also suck balls because they are plagued with buffering issues with plex.

what is your plex server being ran on?
 
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Viper1j

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2018
4,168
3,645
136
I would never rent their garbage equipment. Not only is it garbage, but they lock you out of the majority of the router settings, as well as wifi settings now, with the wifi settngs not allowing higher connection speeds. You are also on the hook for the added cost of electricity that is required for the hot spot. There has also been flaws where people who connect to those hot spots have access to personal information of the customer.

I am happy to pay the extra $30 for unlimited, and use my own equipment.


I have 3 roku premiers, 1 roku tv, 1 xbox, 1 nvidia shield, windows 10 plex app, 2 android phones that have zero playback issues with plex and HD content. (most run direct play), I only use the shield for my 4K plex content as the roku's choke on the bandwidth requirements (non compressed, full 4K rips that can hit as high as 450Mbps to 650Mbps [avengers infinity war is the worst] during streaming with HDR and TrueHD 7.1 audio) Samsung tv app sucks balls (i think they quit supporting it), chrome and edge also suck balls because they are plagued with buffering issues with plex.

what is your plex server being ran on?

Dell Optiplex 960, 16gb ram Windows7 Ultimate 64bit C: drive is a 2tb drive D: (Movie server) is a 6TB drive
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
10,748
136
Not sure if this is allowed in this forum if not my apologies.

Since its Consumer-Reports I figured it was okay since they're (mostly) on the side of good!

Sign the petition AND email Comcast's CEO stat! ;)

Link to CU email form
 
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MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
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Just upgraded to 4K on a 65" model. 4K is nice enough but it's the good HDR stuff that is the bigger upgrade. Due to Covid and winter a lot of time is spent on the tv so it seemed like a worthwhile investment. Depending on how much content you watch and what style of content, it could be worth it.
I made that move back in the summer, from 55" 1080P to 65" 4K, and for the same reasons
 

Hans Gruber

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 2006
2,092
1,065
136
I have had my own equipment now for over a month. My internet has not crashed once since ditching the xfi router/modem.
 
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Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
10,748
136
I have had my own equipment now for over a month. My internet has not crashed once since ditching the xfi router/modem.


I didn't have any stability issues with the Comcrap box, in fact it's wifi's range was slightly better (on 2.4ghz) then it's replacement.

SPEED however was another issue entirely!

The Comcast/Netgear combo unit was (supposedly) AC1900 while the stand-alone Linksys router I bought to replace it is only rated for AC1300 however my wireless DL speeds increased dramatically. Even wired connections got a bit faster!
 
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Hans Gruber

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 2006
2,092
1,065
136
I didn't have any stability issues with the Comcrap box, in fact it's wifi's range was slightly better (on 2.4ghz) then it's replacement.

SPEED however was another issue entirely!

The Comcast/Netgear combo unit was (supposedly) AC1900 while the stand-alone Linksys router I bought to replace it is only rated for AC1200 however my wireless DL speeds increased dramatically. Even wired connections got a bit faster!
Comcast merged the 2.4ghz and 5ghz into one SSID which was good. The biggest problem was they locked out the ability to select channels. Mine was locked into auto channel select because they changed the access to the router section. The XFI modem used to drop all the time but it dropped less over the last 6-8 months. Middle of the night without internet was the most common problem.

The $14 per month rental fee is a complete robbery of customers. Adding network security for free is also a joke. My TP-Link Mesh router has lifetime network security built in.

For what it's worth I have the Motorola DOCSIS 3.1 modem. I have the double play now with HBO and Showtime and the Gigabit 1000/45up plan. I had Comcast voice which was excellent but switched to Ooma for voice. I am saving $130 a month now with Comcast. Something that many believe was impossible. Obviously the capital expense of the modem and the Ooma box add some upfront costs.

One thing that ticked me off about Comcast. They used to have battery backup in their modems. They removed the battery because of the cost of replacing it. The Xfi modem lacks battery backup. I picked up two new UPS battery backups 1350VA beasts that keep my phone and internet up for at least 8 hours during a power outage.

I use 600-750GB per month with 3 4k TV's.
 
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Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
10,748
136
For what it's worth I have the Motorola DOCSIS 3.1 modem


I ended up just going for the DOCSIS 3.0 24x8 model to save a few bucks ... I only have a 300g down connection anyway so it's plenty-fast for my purposes.

Hopefully by the time bandwidth becomes an issue I'll have kicked Comcrap to the curb!
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,004
19,441
136
I ended up just going for the DOCSIS 3.0 24x8 model to save a few bucks ... I only have a 300g down connection anyway so it's plenty-fast for my purposes.

Hopefully by the time bandwidth becomes an issue I'll have kicked Comcrap to the curb!

I too have a 300/300 connect - what's a good modem/router combo to pick up? Or do I need to get a modem and router separately for the best deal
 

Viper1j

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2018
4,168
3,645
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I ended up just going for the DOCSIS 3.0 24x8 model to save a few bucks ... I only have a 300g down connection anyway so it's plenty-fast for my purposes.

Hopefully by the time bandwidth becomes an issue I'll have kicked Comcrap to the curb!

Only a government can kill a monopoly.
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
10,748
136
I too have a 300/300 connect - what's a good modem/router combo to pick up? Or do I need to get a modem and router separately for the best deal


First I strongly suggest buying the router & modem as stand-alone units rather than a combination.

For the cable modem if you have an unlimited budget (this IS ATOT!) then get this:

Motorola MB8611 DOCSIS 3.1

If budget is limited go for the same one I got over the summer.
(from B&H btw)

Motorola MB7621 DOCSIS 3.0


If neither of the above Motorola's are available Netgear makes the next best choices but they're not as solid as they used to be when they were my "go-to" for networking years ago.



For the router, I usually go with Asus for stand-alone high power AC/AX routers and Linksys for their "mesh" system's terrific setup/security. However in order to make a specific suggestion I need to know more about the network environment (wall/door materiel, distances, radio interference etc) and about how it will be used.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,004
19,441
136
First I strongly suggest buying the router & modem as stand-alone units rather than a combination.

For the cable modem if you have an unlimited budget (this IS ATOT!) then get this:

Motorola MB8611 DOCSIS 3.1

If budget is limited go for the same one I got over the summer.
(from B&H btw)

Motorola MB7621 DOCSIS 3.0


If neither of the above Motorola's are available Netgear makes the next best choices but they're not as solid as they used to be when they were my "go-to" for wifi.



For the router I like Asus for their stand-alone high power AC/AX routers and Linksys for their "mesh" system's terrific setup. However in order to make a specific suggestion I need to know more about the network environment (wall/door materiel, distance, radio interference etc) and about how it will be used.

Definitely on a budget and since I don't have gigabit internet anymore, a modem that can handle up to 650 is just fine, thanks.

What router do you recommend? I have a cozy 700 sq foot 2BR, but I do need the wifi to reach my RING doorbell, which is 3 floors down.
 
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Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
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Definitely on a budget and since I don't have gigabit internet anymore, a modem that can handle up to 650 is just fine, thanks.

What router do you recommend? I have a cozy 700 sq foot 2BR, but I do need the wifi to reach my RING doorbell, which is 3 floors down.


The above-linked 24x8 DOCSIS 3.0 Motorola for $77 is a slam-dunk.

This is the router I went with:

Linksys AC1300 mesh-wifi router (wifi5) - I paid $89 back in July but its on sale at Best Buy for $69 right now. Only potential issue I see is the doorbell since it doesn't have the most "punch"... of course with BB's return policy you could try it out & return if its not strong enough @ that price!

However if your confident you'll need more power go with this Asus:

Asus RT-AC66u AC 1750 router (wifi5)
 
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Hans Gruber

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 2006
2,092
1,065
136
I think if you are stuck with Comcast you should only buy a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. It doesn't matter what speed a DOCSIS 3.0 is capable of. Comcast will always limit those to 400mbps or less with a max upload speed of 7-8mbps. I know DOCSIS 3.1 is a big jump price wise. I think it's worth it. If Comcast offers gigabit service for a fair price. They will require you to have a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. There are DOCSIS 3.0 modems that can push 1gbps, but it's too taxing on the Comcast network. So they won't allow a DOCSIS 3.0 modem for speeds above 400mbps. I am speaking from personal experience. The DOCSIS 3.1 modem has better compression and less overhead.
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
10,748
136
I think if you are stuck with Comcast you should only buy a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. It doesn't matter what speed a DOCSIS 3.0 is capable of. Comcast will always limit those to 400mbps or less with a max upload speed of 7-8mbps. I know DOCSIS 3.1 is a big jump price wise. I think it's worth it. If Comcast offers gigabit service for a fair price. They will require you to have a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. There are DOCSIS 3.0 modems that can push 1gbps, but it's too taxing on the Comcast network. So they won't allow a DOCSIS 3.0 modem for speeds above 400mbps. I am speaking from personal experience. The DOCSIS 3.1 modem has better compression and less overhead.


My "300gb" connection is LUCKY to see sustained speeds of 100 lol.

While there ARE some valid arguments to make in favor of springing for 3.1, for 99% of people in the US speed is NOT one of them any time in the near future. *(also 3.0 is good for just below GB btw)

Plus I paid less for my modem AND router together then the price of the 3.1 modem alone for speed I "might" get eventually. (don't hold your breath)

Finally be advised that MOST Comcast supplied modems are DOCSIS 3.0 so it's anything but critical tech to have.

;)
 
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snoopy7548

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2005
8,048
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I'm still using my SB6121 (DOCSIS 3.0) from 2012! The fastest internet plan I had from Comcast was around 200Mbps I think, but I've been on the 100Mbps plan for a couple of years now. I don't see myself changing that anytime soon, especially now that we have data caps and internet prices aren't getting any cheaper.
 
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