Tag / Comcast

by admin

The Need For Speed

A recent conversation at work reminded me that I hadn’t checked in on my internet speeds since February’s fun with out good friends at Comcast.  At the time, my download speed had more than doubled, landing at 36.07 Mbps, while my upload speeds stayed about the same at 6.77 Mbps.  So how are things looking now, 5 months later?

I ran the test twice, first using Google Chrome and then again using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
chromespeediespeedThe download speeds for both are much improved since February, with a gain of nearly 20 Mbps.  The Chrome example boosted the upload speed much more than IE, but both were an improvement over February.

 

by jim

Xfinity Madness Part 2

Last May, we had some fun with the folks at Comcast that resulted in doubling my internet download speed from 6.41 Mbps to 14.87 Mbps.
newspeedtestAs part of the fix to this weekend’s troubles, which involved swapping out some splitters and an amplifier, the cable guy mentioned that it would have a positive effect on the internet speed as well.  So how much of an effect did it have?

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by jim

Comcast Woes

comcastI spent most of yesterday afternoon building a new entertainment center and hooking up the new TV we bought last weekend.  Everything was going smoothly until it came time to call Comcast to activate the new hi-def cable box and DVR.  Instead of activating that box, it somehow deactivated all of the other boxes in the house, so that all we could get was a message saying that “This channel will be available shortly” and giving the dreaded error message of S0a00.

You’d think a quick call to Comcast would clear this up.  This was not to be, as I ended up speaking with “Becky”, a young Indian woman who did not seem to comprehend my problem or how to attempt to fix it.  Without trying anything to fix it, she scheduled a service appointment (which should be taking place later this afternoon) and bid me farewell.

Not satisfied, I tried to chat online with the robot known as “Michael”, who at least claimed to attempt to send a signal to the boxes to remedy the problem.  Still no change, however, as the S0a00 message stared me in the face from all of the TVs in the house.

The technician is scheduled to show up sometime between 1 and 3.  With the return of Walking Dead tonight, let’s hope it gets fixed and quickly.

by admin

Xfinity Madness

So the good folks at Xfinity (you may remember them as Comcast) called last weekend with an offer too good to be true: bundle a voice service along with the existing cable and internet and not only would I save $30 a month, they’d send out a new modem that would double my internet speeds.  Sounds too good to be true, no?

Before installing the new modem, I ran a speed test on my existing setup.  I had just gotten this modem within the past year, so I was pretty happy with the speeds I was getting.

I pulled out the old modem and then replaced the old coax cable and splitter, replacing them with the newer versions sent with the new modem.  Who knows if they will make a difference, but I figured what the heck.  After I set everything up, I fired up the new modem and went to the Xfinity self activation website.  After a few steps, I get a confirmation message that says I am good to go.  So I boot up the old browser and get… nothing.

All of the lights on the modem were working, so I started fidgeting with the router, which I also just replaced last year.  I tried to access the router controls, which wanted to download an updated version, which it couldn’t because I had no connection to the internet.  Eventually, I removed the router from the equation all together by plugging the modem directly into my laptop.  Still nothing!  Time to call 1-800-COMCAST.

The first call gave me an automated option to send an automatic reboot signal to the modem, so I gave that a try.  They said it would take 15-20 minutes to take effect, so I gave it a half hour before coming back and trying again.  Can you guess what the result was?  Time to call again.  This time I talked to an operator, who informed me that, despite any message I had received from the self activation website, the activation was not complete, so she was going to transfer me to someone who could help finish the activation.  Of course, the transfer did not go through and she effectively hung up on my.  Call #3, this time direct to the activation line, connected me to a very jolly Russian gentleman who quickly helped me finish the activation that should have been completed 2 hours ago.  Finally, I was back on line.  So, was it worth it?

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