Visitor
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8 Messages
Xfinity X2 Upstream speeds
On August 5th I upgraded to Xfinity/Comcast Gig X2 service because my Gig+ contract had expired and being retired, my funds are limited. Gig X2 is supposed to provide 2Gbps down and 300Mbps up.
Unfortunately, after the new service was provisioned (and the contract was initiated), I discovered that my Motorola MB8611 Modem was capped at 41Mbps upload. The reason for that is that although the MB8611 is a DOCSIS 3.1 modem and capable of up to 2Gbps up, this modem would have to have received recent firmware upgrades which support orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the upstream side. Presently OFDM is only supported downstream. That being said, the MB8611 has fallen off of the Xfinity recommended/preferred list since Motorola has ceased to support upgraded firmware for it.
So, I purchased the new Arris Surfboard S33 DOCSIS 3.1 modem which arrived today. I provisioned it and I have 2Gbps downstream and 41Mbps upstream which is the same upstream speed I had on the old modem.
After talking to Xfinity Technical support for two hours and being elevated to a supervisor, I learned that the upstream speed is only 300Mbps if you are using an Xfinity X-Fi Gateway. Translation: They have not updated the upstream provisioning code for customer provided modems yet. There is no timeframe for this according to the supervisor that I spoke with. They offered to replace my UDM Pro with an X-Fi gateway which is a nonstarter with my seven VLANs, multiple site to site VPN's, 120 switch ports and so on. I run a YouTube tech channel and my upstream speed is critical and the reason I opted for the new contract for two years.
There is nothing in the product description and nothing that the sales folks said that led me to believe that the 300Mbps upstream was not an expected feature with the Arris modem which is listed as both a preferred and recommended device. In fact, the sales person on the phone who updated my contract told me that in the last two weeks that Gig X2 was offering 300Mbps as a new feature and was a huge improvement over the 200Mbps offered initially.
I was told that I would get 40Mbps only because I had a customer provided modem. So, I regard this as misrepresentation of the product/service being sold. The reason the the X-Fi Gateway is pushed is because it segments off a dedicated portion of bandwidth for a "public" Xfinity Wifi service for every customer that has this gateway. Their gateway does not support VLAN's, inbound/outbound custom VPN's, failover WAN connections, site to site VPN, and a plethora of other features I require. They also indicated they would not provide any "discount" on the service. I renewed my Xfinity contract for X2 service because it was the next higher service. Had I stuck with Gig Plus, I would have been paying $141 a month.
As it is, I have to pay $30 each month for "unlimited" data because I exceed the 1200GB per month cap (upload and downloads added). So, by getting this two year contract, my bill is $115 a month which is $10 more that I was paying, but I do have twice the download speed. The catch is they advertised in writing that I would get 300Mbps downstream and not the 40Mbps downstream I have. So, their point is I could go with their X-Fi Gateway and get the 300. What is really happening here is that they recoded the provisioning file on the download side, but not the upload side. They recoded the upload side only for their X-Fi device.
This is a bait and switch which I am inclined to report to the BBB since even the graphic from the website pictured above says my service is 2000/300. I can't use an X-fi gateway for my use case. I am livid that I bought the new Arris Surfboard S33 for $198 and I still have only 40Mbps upstream despite Xfinity's own documentation that says they support 300Mbps. I don't like AT&T, but their non-contract regular price for 1Gbps symmetric service is only $79 with no data cap. My price for the X2 service is $115 because 1200GB's amonth just doesn't work for my wife and I who watch 4k streaming all day long and my YouTube channel uploads. We are retired and have mobility issues and $115 a month is just not competitive in the market. Even less so if Xfinity doesn't deliver what is promised.
BruceW
Gold Problem Solver
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26K Messages
3 months ago
That's not quite correct. There are a few retail devices on their "Next Gen Speed Tier" list that are compatible with the new higher upload speeds, although neither of the modems you mentioned are on it. See:
And especially see the "All Compatible Devices" link near the bottom of https://www.xfinity.com/support/devices (at the moment it points to https://assets.xfinity.com/assets/dotcom/projects/cix-4997_compatible-devices/2024-07-18_Full-List-of-Compatible-Devices.pdf, but this changes from time to time).
Realize that although Comcast calls some devices "Compatible" and some "Recommended", for all but a few devices those designations only mean "compatible/recommended for use with their Internet service", and not necessarily approved for the new upload speeds.
You need one of Comcast's newer rental gateways (XB6, XB7, XB8) or one of the few retail devices shown in the "Next Gen Speed Tier" group with an upload speed rating in the "All Compatible Devices" PDF. Also see the Reddit link, which lists the approved devices as well as other requirements for faster upload speeds.
Comcast could make all of this much clearer, but they have chosen not to do so.
Please be aware that there are 2 kinds of responses in this Forum: Replies and Comments. When you Comment on a post by scrolling down to "Comment on this post here...", I am notified of your response. But if you select Reply, I am NOT notified and may not be aware of your response.
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EG
Expert
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106.9K Messages
3 months ago
@BruceW is right. Did you see the PDF ? These are currently the only retail cable modems that they will provision for the Next Gen upload speeds;
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BruceW
Gold Problem Solver
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26K Messages
3 months ago
Sorry to disappoint. Note that the retail modem list you posted is from last year. The current list, as stated above, is the one posted at https://assets.xfinity.com/assets/dotcom/projects/cix-4997_compatible-devices/2024-07-18_Full-List-of-Compatible-Devices.pdf (changes from time to time).
Also, as stated above, Comcast calls some devices "Compatible" and some "Recommended", but for all but a few devices those designations only mean "compatible/recommended for use with their Internet service", and not necessarily approved for the new upload speeds.
The retail devices compatible the new higher upload speeds are, as stated above, the ones in the "Next Gen Speed Tier" list. There are 4 "Next Gen" modem-only devices on that list which are compatible with the 2 Gbps speed tier:
Next Gen Speed Tier
And once again:
If you select Reply, I am NOT notified and may not be aware of your response.
(edited)
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SpartanCaptain
3 Messages
2 months ago
I also have an S34 and it is not working for mid split speeds. I was told by a rep it isn't supported.
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WindsurfMaui
Problem Solver
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857 Messages
2 months ago
I'm not sure you would get the 300 Mbps with an Xfinity modem either. I was recently given a free upgrade from 75 Mbps to 150 Mbps and for some reason after doing an Xfinity app reboot I'm stuck at 50 Mbps. They told me it must be the modem which was their xb7 and to go swap it out so now I have the xb8 and I'm still stuck at 50 Mbps. Not even the 75 Mbps that I used to get before I got the free upgrade. No one can explain this to me so don't be so sure that even by using the Xfinity provided modem you'll get anything more than you're getting now.
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AviationAtom
Visitor
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9 Messages
2 months ago
It would probably be most worth it to pay for xFI Complete and use their XB8, then just put it in bridge mode. Then you get unlimited data and can still have your Ubiquiti gear get a public IP.
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spatel2
1 Message
8 days ago
+1 I am dealing with same thing right now. They've been pushing me to get their spam-ware filled modem
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