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Comcast deploys additional public SSID to consumer Wi-Fi routers
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MacNN Staff
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Comcast is beginning to give its Xfinity Internet customers an additional "xfinitywifi" SSID network in-home that is completely separate and distinct from the family's private and secure home Wi-Fi signal. The move, in effect, creates millions of hotspots for Comcast customers, available all over the country for no additional cost.
The connectivity is offered to Xfinity Internet residential customers. Comcast's newest Wireless Gateway broadcasts two discrete WiFi signals. By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber. The other creates an extension of the Xfinity WiFi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords.
Comcast started a neighborhood hotspot trial last year in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, DC metro area. Currently, more than 100,000 Xfinity Internet subscribers already regularly use these WiFi access points being offered by other subscribers.
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Last edited by NewsPoster; Jun 11, 2013 at 02:10 AM.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Mar 2009
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So, I can't get guests onto my network unless they're also Comcast customers; but any Comcast customer in the park across the street can leach my WiFi. Thanks, Comcast!
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Moderator  Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
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I'm glad I don't use a Comcast wifi router. My Airport Extreme is locked down and all mine.
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Senior User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Sydney, Australia
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So basically Comcast gets free infrastructure off of its customers to support these hotspots?
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Moderator Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
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Technically it's their infrastructure, the customer just rents some of it -- including the wifi router, which customers are free to return.
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Great.
Thank you to our "customers" for maintaining the security and paying for the power to keep our infrastructure working. Oh yeah, rates are going up soon.
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Senior User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Sydney, Australia
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@Cold Warrior: by infrastructure, I mean free electricity and overhead (i.e. property space) supporting the hotspot.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: May 2013
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Any bets on whether Comcast will exclude the free WiFi data usage from the Comcast customer's 250GB / month data cap?
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Pittsburgh
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last I checked, Comcast had stopped monitoring the 250GB/month bandwidth
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