xFi Pods ethernet port not working correctly

Hello, I posted this before and got no resolution so here it goes again.  My xFi pods are not activating the ethernet port unless the plugged-in device is my computer.  For years I have had a NAS plugged into it and now I cannot access without first plugging in my computer and browsing the Internet.  That seems to activate the port and allows me to connect other devices.  Has there been a recent change to the pod configuration?  I have tried a couple with the same result.   My setup has a small Netgear switch plugged into the Pod and my printer and NAS are plugged into the switch.  This has worked fine for years.  Now the only thing that will get the Pod Ethernet port to work is to plug my laptop into the switch.  I have taken the switch out of the configuration to test the Pod port directly and still the only thing that activates it is my laptop...not the printer or the NAS.  I have also switched the Pod with another in my house...same thing.  Sure seems that something has changed somewhere in the Xfinity network equipment.