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MrJoeHandyman
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13 Messages

Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 5:30 PM

How can I get control of my modem back?

Basically, [Edited: Language] has made it so that in order to manage my modem, I have to both use the admin portal on the device, and this stupid Xfi app on my phone.

Because of this, I am unable to perform advanced network features like port forwarding properly.

I currently have the XB8. Basically I need a way to unlock the features on the modem itself, so that it will operate like it is supposed to operate normally. I contacted support via the phone, and put a request in. I may hear back in a day about whether it was "approved" or not.  There has to be a better way to do this though.

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9 days ago

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MrJoeHandyman

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13 Messages

9 days ago

Ok, so until someone at Xfinity starts taking classes on network managment to figure out the way things are supposed to work...  Here is a solution.

On the device itself, assign it a static IP. Make it the IP address that the stupid mobile app thinks the device is supposed to have. Just do it under the adapter settings for that network port, or use powershell commands.

Now the device will keep that local IP address, and it won't change. The port forwarding will keep going to that address, so your forwarding continues to work.
Just remember that you set that static IP on the device if you change networks or configurations, and update it accordingly.

It's been over a decade since I had to take measures like that since the preferred method is to maintain it on the host network. However Xfinity apparently refuses to follow preferred methods or industry standards.

(edited)

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XfinityJamesC

Official Employee

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1.9K Messages

1 month ago

Greetings, @MrJoeHandyman! I hope your week has been treating you well. Thanks so much for taking a moment out of your busy day to leave a post on our community forum. I'm sorry to hear you're having issues with your modem, but you have definitely come to the right place for assistance.

 

Can you tell me a little more about which features are not working correctly? If you have an XB8, I know a great deal of the advanced networking functionality is either handled automatically (Wi-Fi Mode, Security Mode, Channel Selection, Channel Mode, etc.), or accessed through the Xfinity app (network name and password, port forwarding, Xfinity Wi-Fi Hotspot, etc.). The admin portal is not configured for user access with these newer modems.

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MrJoeHandyman

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@XfinityJamesC​ 

Currently the issue is with Port Forwarding.

In a normal situation where you have a server hosting a service, you would first give that server a static IP address. Then you forward the ports to that static IP address.

I'll leave out the three days it took me to get the stupid interface on the modem to actually assign a static IP address on to the device instead of DHCP, and getting it to assign the IP address I wanted.

In the Xfinity app, you are not able to forward to a static IP address. I figured maybe it was being smart and using the MAC address for routing. But no, that is not the case.

So I have to let the server have a random address assigned by DHCP. Then after a few days when the X-fail app has finally figured out what the actual IP address for the server is, then I can forward the ports.

And that works fine for a few days.

Then, because the server is getting its IP address via DHCP, the IP address on the device changes. And this is where it gets really stupid.  Device has a new IP address. If I look up the device details in the X-fail app it shows the new address for the device. However, in the Port Forwarding section it is still showing the old address.  Shut everything down for a few, turned it back on. No change. App is still an idiot and doesn't know what the changed IP address is.

Called support, and after like half an hour, they said "oh we will set it so that the DHCP is updated, and we will configure it to happen weekly so this doesn't happen anymore." Basically said it would take an hour to fully refresh, and I should see the changes after rebooting the modem.

Well none of that actually happened. X-fail app still shows the old IP address in port forwarding.

Now before yall started forcing us to use two different systems to manage our network, this was never an issue.
And for a long while, I did what was recommended by just bridging the idiot modem to a real modem that I can configure how I need. Unfortunately, someone also decided that the bridge port will not be the high-speed port on my device, so I only get 900Mbps instead of 1400Mbps. I'm a power user, so that is a pretty big drop.

So basically, I need control of my device again, because whoever designed the apps for idiots didn't do it right.

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1 month ago

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XfinityBrianH

Official Employee

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1.1K Messages

Thank you so much for letting us know the steps you have taken so far @MrJoeHandyman, I apologize the process has not been as easy as intended. [Edited: Information Corrected]:

At this time, our xFi Gateways, including the XB8, require using the Xfinity app to set up port forwarding. We will want to make sure a Static IP for the device is not set up. The Xfinity app will use the IP address from DHCP to set a static MAC bind and establish the port forward rule.

Additionally, we will want to make sure the device is using an IPv4 address to connect to the network and not an IPv6 address. The Xfinity app can only support port forwards for devices using IPv4 addresses.

(edited)

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

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1 month ago

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MrJoeHandyman

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@XfinityBrianH​ Bridge mode is for using a device to manage the network other than the modem. It is not required for port forwarding. I did have the XB8 bridged to an EdgeRouter4 previously, but wanted to take advantage of the faster speeds available on Wifi and via the one high-speed port. Can't do that if you are bridged.

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1 month ago

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XfinityAldrik

Official Employee

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1.8K Messages

Thank you for your patience @MrJoeHandyman! We apologize for the Information previously provided regarding bridge mode. We made sure to update the message above with the correct information.

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

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1 month ago

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MrJoeHandyman

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@XfinityAldrik​ Unfortunately, that still isn't useful at all.

The App fails at performing the function.   If it worked the way it was "supposed" to, I wouldn't be here trying to fix the modem to work the way it should.

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1 month ago

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