Comcast Sued Over Router Update That Makes Your Wi-Fi Hotspot Public

[modembricker]

Comcast Sued Over Router Update That Makes Your Wi-Fi Hotspot Public, Ignores Your Opt-Out Preferences
from the pay-us-to-pay-us dept
In June of last year, Comcast quietly announced that it was deploying a new "Xfinity Home Hotspot" initiative that would turn user home routers into publicly-accessible hotspots. Updated routers broadcast two signals: one being yours, and the other being an "Xfinitywifi" SSID offering free Wi-Fi to Comcast users in the area (prepaid Wi-Fi for non-Comcast customers). Comcast's FAQ attempts to minimize customer worries about the initiative by noting the public Wi-Fi doesn't count against the customer's usage caps, and the router delivers extra bandwidth (above your provisioned speeds) to counter any extra usage load.

There are a number of problems with the initiative. One, you're paying Comcast a monthly fee (up to $10 in many areas) to rent hardware that's using your bandwidth (and around $30 in electricity annually) to effectively advertise and sell Comcast services. Two, the service is being deployed market-by-market without prior consumer consent. It's also opt out not opt-in, and users complain the routers continuously and mysteriously reset this preference each time the hardware receives a firmware update. Three, Comcast's sending out misleading e-mails that may place an order for the new hardware without your consent.


Full Story Here

[neo_]

I'll play the devil's advocate here, they add additional DOCSIS channels to your modem for this and use them as dedicated channels. While not shared, some customers see speeds up to 125/20 on their 30/5 package.

Additionally, not sure where you got your facts but their opt-out option works. They are being sued that this is an opt-out and not a opt-in rollout.

[drewmerc]

these types of router are the norm in the uk, no way around it as we cant use our own modems as all are isp supplied
honestly it's a good thing all you need is somebodys login details and you get free wifi (search pastebin)
much easier than cracking wpa passwords

i dont get how it'd work in a place like america in anywhere other than big cities as you really do need them to be over saturated (as they are here)

[southernyankey1970]

While not shared, some customers see speeds up to 125/20 on their 30/5 package.


HEY!!........SHHHHHHHHHH!!

lol