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Visitor

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5 Messages

Saturday, November 27th, 2021 6:26 PM

Closed

Sudden huge increase in internet data usage

I have been a Comcast/Xfinity customer for over 20 years. I got an alert this month that I’m exceeding my 1225GB plan. I’ve historically used 125-200GB. I haven’t been home much this month. What is happening?

Visitor

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1 Message

3 years ago

DON'T BOTHER COMPLAINING TO COMCAST, IT WILL DO NO GOOD! Instead you need to search "<your state> utilities complaints" and find the website for your state's Utilities commission. All utilities like cable are regulated by the state. They tend to take complaints seriously when they see a number of them coming in for the same issue with the same utility. I filled out a complaint against a cell phone provider and then forwarded it to the provider's complaint department. They contacted me within 24 hours and gave me exactly what I wanted because even those huge companies are afraid of the UTC. 

Visitor

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15 Messages

3 years ago

I have used about 200-300 gb per month in the past. Suddenly in March it jumped way up, and with 10 days to go in April I am already at 1.6 TB. I contacted Xfinity (why can't they use people you can understand?) and talked to 3 different people for over an hour and it solved nothing. That was 2 days ago when I was at 1.3 TB. Now I see I am being charged $80 for the overage. I am bout ready to leave Xfinity and go with another carrier. We have been a customer for 13 years. This is so MADDENING!!!

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Excess Data Usage - Not my Fault

Official Employee

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1.9K Messages

Hello, @user_a9aa0b. I appreciate you bringing this data usage concern to our attention via Forums. We would hate to lose you as a customer, especially after 13 years of being your service provider. I'd love the opportunity to review your account to see what's going on.

 

In order to get started, can you please send me a private message to Xfinity Support with your full name and full address by clicking the chat icon in the top right?

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

Visitor

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3 Messages

3 years ago

Something is definitely going on!! We went over by 400 GB last month, and we are on track to do the same this month. This is unusual for us. Not to mention, the connection is constantly laggy. Now I'm probably going to be charged late fees for mediocre service. There should be no lag considering I'm paying for gigabit. I can't wait until HBC is available in my area! I may have to look into an alternate provider for the time being.

Contributor

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36 Messages

@5cabbedwingedangel​ You definitely need a tech visit to fix your lagging issue. The more lag you have the more data usage your modem will waste. I have 800 mbps now with free upgrade from 600 mbps a few months ago. When I had lag issues between last December and this February, my data usage went up significantly more than what I used. I use less than 2.5 TB usually but it counted me used 3.5 to 5.4 TB in the period per month. I have unlimited data plan but I still care about data usage. I changed modem and they stopped my data count for 3 weeks due to transition that made my February data usage from over 3 TB if I did not change to 900 GB or less. 

If you rent modem from Xfinity, the tech visit should be free if the tech could identify issues on their end. Your gigabyte speed still applies on lagging content but you would not be able to get fast speed. I called that frequent signal drops that could be caused by multiple reasons. You need a tech visit to find out why. 

(edited)

Visitor

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3 Messages

3 years ago

Dealing with a very similar case at this very moment ... Saw a massive, massive increase in data usage over 20 days this month. Received all the warnings and watched the data usage increase exponentially over a matter of hours within a 24 hour period until I exceeded my data allotment of 1.2 TB (1229 GB). Not possible, simply not possible. 

According to the specialist I was forwarded to, "As I check the data usage details, your average data usage of last six months is below 600GB per month, which means you have not used half of your limited data. In limited data option, you are getting 1229 GB data per month and have used below 600GB in last 6 months" ... "However in current month you have used 1273GB data already." 

There are 10 days left in this month. 

There is absolutely zero question this is a scam designed to push people to purchase the unlimited plan.

While I was on the phone with an agent, I was offered a surprise special deal to add the unlimited plan to my account for $11 more per month. I already pay a small fortune for my internet access and I can't afford to get scammed again next month now that I've used my "grace" month. I accepted the plan, and I'm not happy about it.

According to the specialist, they can't access the data details per device due to privacy issues. It's all so very very very convenient. 

Contributor

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36 Messages

@user_26af20​ I had a 12 months contract with Xfinity ended in last November but the price guarantee I signed up before was for 2 years. I still have the same price as before and unlimited data is only $10 if you use Xfinity modem. My service will end in less than 3 weeks because my new place will not allow Xfinity to provide service due to monopolized provider there. But I will get fiber 1 gigabyte speed plan for both upload and download with no data limit.

I asked them why they do not have data limit and they said they never plan to set data limit on their dear customers. 

Without the promotion I am currently in, Xfinity for 800 mbps speed plan will cost over $100 per month include unlimited data. My new fiber 1000 mbps or 1 GBps plan will cost near $90 only that is for both upload and download again. 

Problem Solver

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409 Messages

Oh, no! Thank you for bringing this to our attention through our Forums! We have a dedicated team that investigates these claims, and they are always super thorough, and I am confident they will be able to find an answer as for why this happened. I recommend giving them a call, as I have attached their contact information below. Please let me know if there's anything else we can do, as we're always available through our Forums, 24/7. 

 

Customer Security Assurance (CSA) Team

PHONE NUMBER: 1-888-565-4329

Hours of Operation: 6:00 AM - 2:00 AM ET/Seven days a week

I no longer work for Comcast.

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

On April 16th I was sent a notification of using 90% of my 1.2TB Data Plan. I found this odd because the house averages around 600GB of internet usage for the whole month. From OCT 2021 and Each month after the data usage has gradually went up. The internet usage of the Family has not changed. I've looked at my past notifications an have never received a Data Usage alert. I have since removed myself off the Family network for internet, except for now. Only two or three Devices are are connected to the internet, but today only 6 days after receiving the notification, we have used 450GB over the 1.2TB. Come on something is going on.  Is the Data Packets becoming larger? I do believe this 1.2TB plan we've had for 10+ years. The data plan should match the average users monthly usage. After searching the community, I looks as if several Xfinitity members after been experiencing the Same Issue. Anyways, is there a tool available to assist in monitoring the traffic and data used from the modem? I know there has NOT been 1.2TB of data going across the router this month. I'll be extremely monitoring and capturing the internet traffic at the start of May. The Wife is not going to happy. ;)

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Data usage dramatically increased

Expert

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110.1K Messages

The concern is not "Community Center" help related. Thread moved here to the proper help section.

I am not a Comcast Employee.
I am a Customer Expert volunteering my time to help other customers here in the Forums.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.

Was your question answered? Please mark an Accepted Answer!tick

Official Employee

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1.6K Messages

Thank you for reaching out to us about your data usage concerns. You can follow your data usage through the MyAccount app and Xfinity app with a Comcast leased modem. You can also try pausing each device and check the usage to see where this may be coming from. I would recommend though reaching out to our Customer Security Assurance (CSA) Team who can better assist with any fraudulent activity/use of your connection. You can reach them:

https://comca.st/3kfnWiC

Business Hours: 6:00am - 2:00am EST, 7 days a week

Contact: 1-888-565-4329

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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3 Messages

3 years ago

For the past few months I have exceeded my data usage. I am wanting to understand specifically what devices on my network are consuming data each month. The standard online reports through the website are not useful because it only shows the total. I have reset my network password so I know I am not being hacked.

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Data Usage

Official Employee

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455 Messages

Hello @Azwildcatdad I do understand the frustration in going over on your data. That has happened to me a few times. In order to find out what has happened with your data, I suggest that you reach out to the Customer Security Assurance Team (CSA) at 1-888-565-4329 or

https://comca.st/3xV1x1N  

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

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

I recently signed up with a new plan on the 4K flex Box and a 600MB they're megabytes I just received my 1st notification that I am close to going over my data limit.  I was previously a customer with Comcast for over 20 years and had to take a break so I could find a new place to live and I never received any notifications regarding data usage please advise how I can get rid of this issue issue I have gotten a new gotten a new gateway modem them but that doesn't seem to be helping

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Data Usage issues

New Poster

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3 Messages

3 years ago

hi, I see a sudden spike in the last 2 months on the overall monthly usage. There is no major change in the usage behavior or a new device. How can I check if any device is consuming the highest and plan the consumption accordingly. 

Any inputs to check this using xFi gateway ?

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Bandwidth usage by Individual device

Visitor

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3 Messages

@ashug77​ You can't. The XFINITY app dropped the ability for consumers to view device-specific usage earlier this year. Very convenient. 

And, I spent time with two different customer service reps (including the "tech" rep who supposedly had access to device-specific data usage) tying to get more info on my device usage. I was told, "we can't legally access that information". [Edited: "Language"]. Then both immediately launched into the hard sell for their unlimited plan. 

(edited)

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

We are using data now in a week, like we used to use in a month. We’ve lost visibility to daily device usage and nothing has changed. No one is working from home. We have only 2 people in our home and usage is daily 25 min on a Apple MacBook Pro. I pint 4-5 mailing labels a day. Watch tv about 2 -3 hours a day on a Smart TV.

We don’t have streaming channels because we have cable through comcast. No way could we be using a TeraByte a month. Help us. We changed out the router. Logged every device off, got a new passport and signed back on. 

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Increased Data Usage Since 11/21

Official Employee

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1.7K Messages

Hi there @user_25fc81, thank you so much for reaching out to us about your data increase. I am sorry to hear this is happening to you. Now you we do not have a way to look at the data on my end. However, we do have our Customer Security Assurance (CSA) Team. You can contact them at PHONE NUMBER: 1-888-565-4329 Hours of Operation: 6:00 AM - 2:00 AM ET/Seven days a week.

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

Visitor

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4 Messages

3 years ago

Your kidding.. perfect example I can't go thru the story i just typed AGAIN horrible I tried they dropped [Edited: "Language"] again Shame Shsme Shame

(edited)

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

Solved the problem by going for T-Mobile's unlimited home internet and cancelling Xfinity. I hope the rest of you find a way to solve this on your end!

Visitor

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3 Messages

3 years ago

Hi everyone, I have also been having this problem and found the culprit, so wanted to comment in case it can help anyone else. Our data usage has consistently been between 300-500GB per month until two months ago when we suddenly jumped to 1200GB. This month, same thing. Comcast, unfortunately, was not a whole lot of help. Here's what you do if you're on Windows...

Open Settings > Network and Internet > Data Usage

This will show you a breakdown of what applications on the computer are using data over the past 30 days.

If this does not reveal anything, you can also try pinpointing which device is the culprit using your router's network monitoring (https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-monitor-network-traffic-4686032). Turn wifi off for every single device except the one connected to the router and wait for it to settle to a very low amount. Once it does, turn wifi back on for each device one by one, giving about 5-10 mins in between to watch to see if there's any spikes.

In our case, the issue turned out to be Outlook on my wife's work computer. Over the last 30 days it had used 474GB of data! She's on the phone with her company's IT department right now, lol. For comparison though, my work computer used 1.95GB of data for Outlook in the same time frame.

Good luck!

Visitor

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3 Messages

3 years ago

Hi everyone, I have also been having this problem and found the culprit, so wanted to comment in case it can help anyone else. Our data usage has consistently been between 300-500GB per month until two months ago when we suddenly jumped to 1200GB. This month, same thing. Comcast, unfortunately, was not a whole lot of help. Here's what you do if you're on Windows...

Open Settings > Network and Internet > Data Usage

This will show you a breakdown of what applications on the computer are using data over the past 30 days.

If this does not reveal anything, you can also try pinpointing which device is the culprit using your router's network monitoring (https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-monitor-network-traffic-4686032). Turn wifi off for every single device except the one connected to the router and wait for it to settle to a very low amount. Once it does, turn wifi back on for each device one by one, giving about 5-10 mins in between to watch to see if there's any spikes.

In our case, the issue turned out to be Outlook on my wife's work computer. Over the last 30 days it had used 474GB of data! She's on the phone with her company's IT department right now, lol. For comparison though, my work computer used 1.95GB of data for Outlook in the same time frame.

Good luck!

Visitor

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1 Message

3 years ago

Hi Team,

   I am having same problem, I got an alert this month that I’m exceeding my 1229GB plan. I’ve historically used 500-700GB.

Month is not yet finished and data usage is showing as 1600GB. Called Customer Security Assurance and they suggested to change password and change modem. I did both, but still seeing the data usage is high.

Problem Solver

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908 Messages

Hello @user_3755c9. I am sorry to read that this issue is still occurring after following the suggested steps by our wonderful CSA Team. I would be alarmed too if I experienced a sudden increase in data and the suggested steps did not resolve it. CSA is the team that can help with these issues. I recommend calling them again to let them know the steps you've tried and that the issue is persisting. Customer Security Assurance can be reached at 1-888-565-4329 and their hours of operation are 6:00 AM - 2:00 AM ET/Seven days a week.

 

Please let us and the community know of the outcome!

I no longer work for Comcast.

Visitor

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1 Message

3 years ago

I’m running into the same problem my usage has been averaging less than 600GB a month. Somehow this month it spiked over 1.2TB with a week to go. I tried calling comcast security and the person on the line sounded like he barely knew what he was doing. He gave a ticket number and said someone will call back but nobody has. I’m using the same (and my own)  modem and router for 5 years. Interestingly after the call the usage on the site now says we’ve used about 8GB per day. When I got the warnings i checked my  usage and somehow ive used 150GB in an hour. Nothing has changed no devices added or removed. Everyone has been doing the same thing. 
Interestingly I also can’t find the direct message link anymore. 

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