Unusually high data usage megathread

I too have recently noticed a huge increase in our "usage".  According to Xfinity's meter we have used 63GB in the first two DAYS of August.  what??  We alsmot hit the cap last month, and I fear we might hit it this month.  Something does not seem right with the metering and we aren't given many tools to determine if there is indeed a culprit.  Communication with Customer Service and Tech Support were unhelpful.  "Run an anti-virus scan" was about all they could suggest.  I am moving everyone off our ORBI router and onto the Gatweay's Wifi with profiles to see if I can narrow it down, but it would be helpful if Xfinity would provide a more detailed breakdown.  Even my wireless carrier can tell me every single number I've called and a % data type used each month...

@joechangI'm assuming that @BobWang must have contacted you offthread, since I did not see any response here that indicated he was a change.

I myself have noticed that for August, my nuimbers are within 2GB between router and Comcast.

As expected, my router numbers are higher, since it collects data in real time.

I'll be continuing to monitor my usage, but currently, I'm looking at abour 40GB as of now, which seems to indicate a 15GB per day usage (though it does include two weekend days, which is normally large than my weekday).

Still, at 15GB per day, I shouldn't be hitting the 75% limit at all in any given month.

The change I made in the last week of July was to swap out the XFi gateway for my own SB8200 modem.

This was a planned change, since I wanted to save on the rental fee.  It was just accelerated with my frustration at the data count being off.

@bolohead No side conversation, just referring to a post @BobWang made a few pages back, around 7-19 where he said "Close Enough".  

I run specific tools on my linux-based router to monitor specific data coming in/out of my cable modem ethernet connection.  This is the single point where all internet comes in/out my network.

In the first few weeks of July, after reinstating bandwidth limits, I saw the Xfinity bandwidth meter be significantly off.  It varied greatly, but did not match my tool output.

Around late-July, it seemed to line up better.  For August, it has been spot-on with my personal data usage reporting.  Based on my usage pattern, I expect to be at MAX 80% of data limits.  I've also since adjusted Zoom/camera settings to be lower resolution for WFH, but I don't see significant savings there (most data is used downstream, at a ratio of approximately 6 to 1.

I'd suggest somehow getting your own reporting (I think BobWang uses Nest?, I've seen Asus mentioned as well) to ensure numbers are accurate, and then debug from there.  For August so far, I'm now OK with the Comcast/Xfinity meter, but will carefully monitor through the month.

@bolohead, I have not been in contact with anyone on this thread.

I did call Xfinity, got the "escalation" spiel, haven't heard back.

I also have an Arris SB8200,

I broke down, and rented an Xfinity XB7 (CGM4331COM) for Unlimited Data.

The first 2 days of August, Usage showed ZERO usage.

I had to call Xfinity to re-activate my SB8200 because the XB7 Upload was only 5 Mbps,

instead of the 40 Mbps I was getting with SB8200.

Plan is to periodically re-connect the XB7 and see if that matches more with Xfinity's number.

Usage Meter did kick back in yesterday,

So far, Nest WiFi reports about 10 GB since meter started again.

Xfinity Usage Meter shows 35 GB used.

It appears to me that Xfinity is using an algorithm to inflate my usage to just over 1,200 GB per month.

I only started tracking on 7/17

Can someone from Xfinity who monitors this forum contact me?

I posted a comment about 3 weeks and received no traction, and now after 6 conversations and chats with Xfinity I'm absolutely nowhere.

In the process, I've been hung up on by someone from their Internet Quality Assurance team (or whatever they're called) after being on hold for 15 minutes.

In a follow-up call, I was once told it's my fault and someone must be stealing my bandwidth. Have you changed your password? Yes. Then I was told I should buy a new modem, because everything looks good on their end, and either I'm using the bandwidth or someone has access to my router, even though I reset it multiple times and created new passwords.

My August data is at 116GB through 4 1/2 days, even though I unplugged my router for 36 hours to prove "ghost" activity. During that time my usage went from 0 to 24GB.

It's physically impossible for my household to use the data Xfinity is showing, I'm now at 3x my previous activity, with no change in activity.

There has to be attorneys on this thread. Given the widespread issue and lack of accountability from Xfinity, sounds like this is Class Action suit territory.

Any takers?

Month Total Monthly Usage Total Monthly OverageFebruary02/01/2020 - 02/29/2020March03/01/2020 - 03/31/2020April04/01/2020 - 04/30/2020May05/01/2020 - 05/31/2020June06/01/2020 - 06/30/2020July07/01/2020 - 07/31/2020August08/01/2020 - 08/31/2020

@Iuprecise, was that a single 36 hour shutdown or was it: shutdown for 24+ hours, record the meter, and then remain shutdown for 36 hours more, then check the meter again? 

Single shutdown. So in theory there could have been some carryover activity due to delays in data.

We had nothing connected yet because we just moved. However, the data use showed we had 13 GB used up in less than a day. It would be great if Comcast would allow us to monitor our data since they force a data cap. Why are they so afraid to allow customers to monitor the data they are using? It seems shady and more akin to trying to inflate data usage to get more money. No one is holding them accountable other than some "3rd party" service to analyse the data usage of which they say is "accurate." 

And... on top of over-reporting data usage, charging us for limits, there's the small issue of "scheduled maintenance" taking out all of San Francisco (where Xfinity is the only major broadband provider) while we're all WFH.  Posting this with my Verizon hotspot on the phone, I guess I need to monitor data usage there now too.  Why isn't Fios available again?

I appreciate the information, but I also believe that troubleshooting in the manner that you have suggested requires a level of technical network expertise that is above the capability of the average consumer.  Comcast is poorly serving its customers in not explaining why so many customers are receiving false readings on their usage, nor offering any remedies for this problem, or even suggesting programs or apps that would address this problem without requiring significant IT expertise.

@joechang 

Manual labor 😛

I have the Pendulum Clock app chime every 15 minutes.

If Data Usage has changed, I enter it into a Google Sheets spreadsheet.

@joechang , my neighborhood got the Maintenance alert the day before yesterday.

Yesterday, around 2PM, I got a text that the maintenance was completed.

Within a couple of hours, my usage meter started tracking accurately..

Hoping that will continue  😉

I attached a graph, with maintenance completion denoted by GREEN circle.