Contributor
•
129 Messages
Poor wifi coverage with the Xfinity rented gateway
The setup in my house is fine because I have my own modem and router but recently I noticed how bad the WIFI is in my parent's house who have a rented Xfinity gateway. It is installed in the basement at one corner of the house and when I am over there, I am usually in the living room directly above it so it is not too bad. However, if I go to the other end of the house on the main floor or even in the basement, it does not work at all. Does Xfinity provide free extenders or better equipment or something to increase the coverage? What is the best way for me to handle this for them, since they won't really know what to ask for? Thanks.
flatlander3
Problem Solver
•
1.5K Messages
2 years ago
Free? No, unless you are getting a new bundled package, then maybe.
Their solution is extender "Pods". Be aware, once plugged in, you are locked to WiFi 6 only in that configuration, so if they've got older devices or printers, IOT gear, cameras, thermostats....etc, that can only communicate with 2.4G radios (802.11 b), they won't see the WiFi network.
Cheap mesh network system can work well and is easy (base unit and a couple of remote Access Points). If you can string some Ethernet, a $30 access point -- or an old dusty router with an AP mode -- can work well too. Extenders/Repeaters are slow and can be hit and miss, but may work OK if you get the placement right and bandwidth isn't a concern.
**or move the gateway somewhere else if the rest of the house is wired with coax everywhere already. You might have to hook up an inactive line if they are not all tied together currently.
(edited)
0
0
CCJosh
New Problem Solver
•
452 Messages
2 years ago
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to our community here on the forums, @D-man. We do have an option that you can look into with our xFi Complete feature, it will run a Home Wi-Fi Assessment and if it finds any faults, it may qualify your parents for our xFi Pods for free which you can learn about here https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/whole-home-wifi-evaluation. We usually recommend installing the Modem/Gateways in the center of the home, what was the reason for it being installed in the basement as that has a pretty hard time for signals to fully pass through. The main step would be to verify that you're set up on the account as a Manager so that you have more access to appointments, account settings and other features. They can add you as a Manager with the help of this link https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/adding-new-user-names-or-email-addresses. Let us know if this helps!
0
0