indinfer's profile

New Poster

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5 Messages

Tuesday, May 10th, 2022 7:11 PM

Closed

Maybe rain slows my internet connection

Last week, I realized that it seems to be every time it rains, my internet connection slows drastically.

This last rain is an example. The Ookla speed test showed: 2.28 Mbps down and 21.40 up. So in the rain, I was getting 2.28 instead of the 600 Mbps that my plan is supposed to give me.

The days before the rain, I was getting 703.35 Mbps and similar. So, that exceeds the plan.

After the rain stopped, the speed went up to 93.67 a 5:30 AM. Then later that morning, at 10:00 AM, I got 329.34 Mbps. Maybe something is drying out?

The following day at 5:30 AM, I got 525.38 Mbps which is short of what the plan is supposed to give me, but I suppose it is close enough.

Finally, at 6:00 AM, the next day, I got 661.75, delivering a little more than the plan. 

Now, the speed is between 250 Mbps and 385 Mbps. It did not notice rain so much. So, I am not sure what it is. But I am sure that the speed tests have shown speeds far lower than what my plan is supposed to give several times recently.

The computer I run the speed test connects directly to my Netgear Nighthawk router. There is no Wi-Fi issue because it is hard-wire connected. In addition, the router is indoors on a shelf, so there is no water issue with the router.

I have restarted my modem hundreds of times per the "support" and the automated chat. I don't see that restarting my modem affects the speed. After restarting, sometimes the speed is faster and sometimes even slower.

Is there any way in the Xfinity that I can get a live person to look at the speed issue when it arises?

Problem Solver

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536 Messages

3 years ago

You should schedule a visit from a technician.  Be aware that any problems encountered outside your home, from the drop to your house, will not be charged to your account.  If there is a problem with the wiring in your home (splitters, bad connections, etc), you will be charged the standard fee for your area for a technician visit.  If the tech finds a problem outside your home that he cannot fix, he is responsible for filing a report so that the problem can be escalated to a higher tier technical visit.  It is possible for water to cause problems with coax cable.  If the tech does find that water is getting into the lines, he should replace the entire run from the drop on the pole to your house.  Some techs take shortcuts by only putting new connectors on the end, or cutting out the bad section and splicing in a new section of coax.  *BOTH* of these are unacceptable if water ingress is found.  Any water that makes it inside the coax cable will cause corrosion, and can be wicked for long distances within the cable.  Any water found calls for a replacement of ALL of the line outside your house. 

New Poster

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5 Messages

3 years ago

In the past, interacting with the automated Chat would lead to Chat transferring me to a live person who might then schedule a technician. But the last few times I went to Chat, I got repeated automated requests to restart my modem router. In addition, in my Xfinity account, once I click support, I don't see any phone numbers. 

In any case, @NoNoBadPuppy, I appreciate your answer. You explained well how rain and water affect the connection. It could be that the shortage of workers could make it hard to get an Xfinity human and an Xfinity technician. 

Maybe I will call the Xfinity sales phone number which does show on the Xfinity website on pages promoting Xfinity plans. I guess I get into some kind of internet mode forgetting that there are other pre-internet ways to communicate.

Official Employee

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695 Messages

Hello @indinfer, did you still need Internet assistance or were you able to get assistance over the phone?

I no longer work for Comcast.

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

New Poster

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5 Messages

Before I managed to call, an Xfinity representative called me to follow up on my feedback. The representative significantly improved my opinion of Xfinity. The representative scheduled a Tech to look at my connection. The Tech wound up doing what @NoNoBadPuppy said: The Tech replaced the entire run from the drop on the pole to my house.

When the Tech finished, my connection speed instantly improved. This speed improvement was faster than the gradual line drying out, indicating that the Tech fixed the problem. Seemingly, moisture getting into the line was the problem. Because this was an intermittent problem, it takes time to build confidence that the problem is solved. I am sure that the Tech took appropriate action to ensure the line was good. I saw the Tech isolating the problem seeing that the router is good, then the line from my router to the outside is good, then from the external connection to the pole.

The Ookla Desktop speed test gave 716 Mbps down and 24 Mbps up. The Ookla Destgop speed test seems the most accurate and demonstrates the highest speed.

The Ookla Mobile App Speedtest from my phone gave 664 Mbps down and 24 Mbps up. The phone necessarily is a WiFi connection. The Desktop is a direct wire connection.

The browser speed tests all come out slower even though the computer hosting the browser is direct wire to the router.

The Ookla Browser Speedtest gives 373 down and 20 up

Xfinity speed test gives 373 down and 20 up (identical to the Ookla Browser speed test, I suppose because both are browser speed tests.

Administrator

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671 Messages

@indinfer

 

Sounds like you had a great experience! I'd like to make sure the representatives and technician you worked with know how much you appreciate them. If you'd like to send us a private message, we can get that feedback over to their respective leadership. :)

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

Problem Solver

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536 Messages

3 years ago

When I call, at the prompt I say the word 'representative', and I am forwarded to a representative.  Sometimes pressing 0 (zero) will do the same thing, unless 0 has been assigned a different function on the particular menu you are on.  Good luck and I hope you get a speedy visit and they fix your problem.  Please post back and let us know how it goes. 

New Poster

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5 Messages

3 years ago

I appreciate your help, @NoNoBadPuppy. So, now a representative spoke with me. And a technician is scheduled for Monday. Monday's weather report shows some rain in Baltimore. So, if rain affects the speed, hopefully, the technician will be able to see there is a problem.

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