Terabyte Internet Data Usage

[Hardtime1]

I feel your pain. Let’s put it this way. I reviewed this forum for chats all the way back from 2017 Sept.

I did not see one post from a consumer where Comcast resolves the issue and took care of the customer. Only users stating charges, fees and potential fraud by not accurately depicting the data usage with transparency.

I’m no PC expert but I was not born yesterday. While I take forums with a grain of salt, this forum is heavily one sided.

Here is my experience recently. Got the same email. Half way through my billing period. Usage close to 1TB and then over. Here is what Comcast reported for me, and I don’t stream, use cloud services or anything crazy. I have a couple of smart TVs , a work computer and some iPhones on connected.
June 87G
July 138G
August 149G
September 1104 G (over the 1TB limit with only two weeks of service period)
That’s a heck of a lot of data for a guy who likes to read the news and get on his fantasy football app.
No possible way I used that much unless there is some sort of DDoS attacking on my device. So I got some Norton protection.
Called C-cast and placed a ticket for excessive high usage NOT FROM ME
Based upon this forum and the experiences of others I don’t expect them to reach me back saying....we found the problem and fixed it sorry. Or much less being transparent.
This is my first overage and we will see but honestly it sounds like a total scam. And the worst part is...I already pay an arm and leg for their service. Pending the outcome of this experience, this could lead me to change providers once and for all.
If anyone has a GOOD result from the many similar instances provided on this forum, PLEASE Share

[Tester5]

Something isn't right. I've had Comcast internet for years and this month I get the 1tb overage email. No change in use. I have unplugged my router and no internet use whatsoever to test things out and it shows i still used 6 gb. What the heck is going on?

[RobertWy]

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@Stenar wrote:

I fully believe Comcast is fudging the numbers to force people to pay for extra GBs (that they're not really even using). Around 3-4 months ago, my internet usage suddenly doubled. Nothing new was added to our network. Our viewing habits did not change. We don't have any neighbors leaching our internet. This is extremely fishy.

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It would seem if they were fudging, they would do it to everyone; my numbers have been below the limit from the beginning.

[lesmikesell]

I'll second this.   My numbers have always seemed realistic.  There are enough complaints here that some sort of  date collection mistake is probably possible - or some way for neighbors to hijack the wifi without being visible, but I doubt if it is intentional fraud on Xfinity's part.

[cheolmin]

yup...

Even though I physically disconnected the cable (2 days ago), the usage keeps going up. It's ridiculous. 

Unless outsider physically hijacked the cable somewhere, there must be issue on xfinity metering or other security comprimising on them.

[Rustyben]

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@cheolmin wrote:

yup...

Even though I physically disconnected the cable (2 days ago), the usage keeps going up. It's ridiculous. 

Unless outsider physically hijacked the cable somewhere, there must be issue on xfinity metering or other security comprimising on them.

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are you using netflix or other apps (or someone else in your household) on the X1 set top boxes? on the xfinity my account app (smart phone or tablet) under the internet tab is there only one modem/gateway? does the 'serial number' match your current gateway's HFC MAC address?

[cheolmin]

I don't have any set top box. Also no xfinity app.

I have only one gateway modem.

I monitored all MAC address.

[tsmitdtw]

Im in the "september high data boat" like everyone else here.   Sounds like someone tried what I want to do is to go to my basement and do a physical disconnect.   I have usage meter on my router and use 1-5gb per day, but my usage according to comcast is going up 50-60gb per day since I started watching it five days ago (when I first go the warning from comcast).   I have the x1 off and coax disconnected and it still is going up and up.   At least with the gas company they make things right (my meter went bad and they just didnt charge me for that month) instead comcast just wants to scam you.   I may just  go back to charter and try their TV (or go back to dish)  I suppose Ill give them a few weeks to figure this out and then im gone.   I wonder if they (or a hackers) are just distributing data movement in their network among all subscribers in a node or something.   So if Johnny down the road is a hacker and uses 500gb a day he also knows how to make it look like he doesn't and it gets pushed to everyone in his area.

[lesmikesell]

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@cheolmin wrote:

I don't have any set top box. Also no xfinity app.

I have only one gateway modem.

I monitored all MAC address.

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I think the intent of the advice was to have you check your account online and make sure that your 'one gateway modem' matches the one that Comcast thinks belongs to you.   You can use the xfinity account phone app for that or online at https://customer.xfinity.com/#/devices.   Or you can probably ask a comcast customer service rep for the modem serial number they have for you, but checking yourself would be faster.

[LucyTurner]

About half a year back, I had ATT. I have since dropped them to be with Xfinity due to many moral issues I had with them. 

Well, something odd is happening, as my data is skyrocketing with them. 

According to their calculator, being online and using social media 24 hours a day, playing 24 hours a day of online gaming, streaming music for 24 hours a day, and watching 15 hours a day of HD videos should only just put me at the limit. And I know even the 3 people in my house do not do that. The only thing I can think of, is if someone is watching 4K videos, and that would be crazy saying none of us have a 4k TV. 

What the heck is going on? We have never had this issue before. I do not want to be charged for someone else's mistakes. 

[Phil28]

So I've had Xfinity for a couple of months and things were great. However I received a notice I used 90% of data available on Thursday.

I checked my account and it has about 80gb available left of 1tb. On average, I use about 250gb a month so receiving this warning was a surprise.

I immediately changed my Wi-Fi password and set that all devices trying to connect will have to be manually approved to join. Still seeing my data avaiable is decreasing, i unplugged my router. As of Thursday night, I had about 70gb remaining.

Router remained unplugged overnight and I checked my data Friday morning. I have about 60gb remaining. I called support and they said this was leftover information from Thursday, but I've been checking my data throughout the day and it's been increasing slowly.

It's now Friday night and I have 15gb remaining. How is this possible? My router was unplugged and cable has been disconnected for a whole day.

Ive checked all my devices for high data usages but all seems normal. I plan to buy a new router that has data traffic monitoring but I doubt it's coming from my end. I live alone and I'm out more than half the day. My devices are either with me or powered off when I leave.

Has anyone encounter this before? Is there a solution to this?

[rogerdodger22]

The same thing is happening to me.  I've already used 4 times my usual amount of data and it is only the 21 st of the month.  Our viewing habits have not changed and Comcast cannot tell me anything.  I did receive an email yesterday telling me that they have increased download speeds but not to worry as there is no charge for it.  It makes me wonder if they aren't charging me more in data instead of adding a charge to my bill?  

[kahnfewzd]

I kept hitting and going over the 1TB cap.  I gave up trying to figure it our what was using up so much. I can only guess 4k streaming?  Who knows.  My wife and I work from home and use VPN.  We do some data transfer, but the 98% of the data use is on the work network (use VMs and system on the work network).  We are a family of gamers and binge watchers.  I finally paid extra for unlimted and now have seen my usae get near or above 2TB!  I have no idea what is using up so much data.  I wish Xfinity ahd a way of showing actual data use.  The info I see online is has no numbers for each device that I can see.  Wish there was a graph as well ..  Good luck to you all...

[lesmikesell]

I guess some areas have xFi available and some don't.  If you have it, you get usage tracking per device.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/xfinity-xfi-faqs

[betamax]

My monthly uses were 300 -400 GB March - Aug.   Between Sept 01 and  Sept 15, 2019 my usage mysteriously jumped to the limit: 1,024 GB, the Terabyte limit.  There was not any change in my lifestyle or cable useage in September.  After many calls to Comcast and one site visit from Comcast I received a verbal commitment from Comcast over the phone, on Sept 19, 2019, to initiate an "Escalation" with an accompanying "Reference Number".  They said they wouild contact me in less than 72 hours.  Between Sept 16 and Sept 19th my Netgear traffic meter states I have used 19.63 Gigabytes.   Comcast's web page (Devices) says I've used 200 Gigabytes during that same period.  

If you live in California, the telephone number to address "disputes" with the California Public Utilities Commission is 1-800-649-7570.

[kahnfewzd]

I looked through tha faq and bounced around all the settings and all i can see is percent data use by device.  And I would have to check each device.  That does not tell what kind of data is being used   And I do not see a way of see the amount fo data being consumed at a time.  Only a total percentatge.  Ugh.

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@lesmikesell wrote:

I guess some areas have xFi available and some don't.  If you have it, you get usage tracking per device.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/xfinity-xfi-faqs

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[Rustyben]

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@kahnfewzd wrote:

I looked through tha faq and bounced around all the settings and all i can see is percent data use by device.  And I would have to check each device.  That does nto tell what kind of data is being used

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@lesmikesell wrote:

I guess some areas have xFi available and some don't.  If you have it, you get usage tracking per device.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/xfinity-xfi-faqs

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data is ones and zeros. do you subscribe to an off-site backup service like backblaze?

[rogerdodger22]

Many folks on the forum are experiencing the same problem.  My data usage has gone up 5 times the amount I have ever used in any of the previous months.  We have not added any devices or in any way changed our usage habits.  In fact we have cut back considerably to try to stop the absurd usage amounts that are being recorded.  Comcast support can only tell me to visit their online usage estimator which I have.  We do not excced in any of their estimates yet the usage is skyrocketing.  Obviously, something has changed but no one can or will provide any information or explanation to this ongoing problem.  Can anyone out there provide some answer to this ridiculous usage problem????

[lesmikesell]

The most likely wild guess is that some neighbor has guessed your wifi password, but someone here said they completely disconnected their cablemodem and the data still kept counting up.  Something like a security camera (ring, etc.) could also use a lot of data.

Have you followed the suggestion to see if the gateway device shown in your account login is actually the correct one - and that there is only one assigned to you?  If you have xFi, do you see any unknown devices, or if you click through the list do you see any unexpected amount of traffic?

[Rustyben]

data is posted usually every few hour update. the usage for 'now' can take up to 24 hours to post.

[zfch]

In the past months our data usage is around 300 GB on average, which is far from the 1 TB limit. But this month it said our data usage exceed 90% of data cap. No new devices added and we do not watch TV stream. It is so wierd that 2 people can use up over 900 GB in 20 days and most of the time we are not at home! I have no idea how to deal with it. Is there anyone can kindly help us with it? Thanks.

[Again]

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@zfch wrote:

In the past months our data usage is around 300 GB on average, which is far from the 1 TB limit. But this month it said our data usage exceed 90% of data cap. No new devices added and we do not watch TV stream. It is so wierd that 2 people can use up over 900 GB in 20 days and most of the time we are not at home! I have no idea how to deal with it. Is there anyone can kindly help us with it? Thanks.

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Have you recently upgraded to the X1 system?

[Hovdog1]

I am also experiencing an odd spike in data usage this month.  I've never received the 90% usage warning until this month.  Most months I use maybe 300-600 GB, sometimes much less.  In fact, last month, I only used 182 GB. 

I've been troubleshooting throughout the day and can't figure it out.  The Xfinity counter keeps increasing by at least 3-4 GB every hour while my Modem/Router says I've only used that much all day.  I've tried disconnecting devices to no avail.  I wish Xfinity gave a more detailed measurement of how it gets its numbers; even a daily usage number would be nice, so I could determine when this spike started.  Anyway, I have no solution but just thought I'd share my experience so far.  Seeing all these sudden jumps in usage people are experiencing makes it hard to not be a little suspicious, though...

[Rustyben]

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

I am also experiencing an odd spike in data usage this month.  I've never received the 90% usage warning until this month.  Most months I use maybe 300-600 GB, sometimes much less.  In fact, last month, I only used 182 GB. 

I've been troubleshooting throughout the day and can't figure it out.  The Xfinity counter keeps increasing by at least 3-4 GB every hour while my Modem/Router says I've only used that much all day.  I've tried disconnecting devices to no avail.  I wish Xfinity gave a more detailed measurement of how it gets its numbers; even a daily usage number would be nice, so I could determine when this spike started.  Anyway, I have no solution but just thought I'd share my experience so far.  Seeing all these sudden jumps in usage people are experiencing makes it hard to not be a little suspicious, though...

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are you in an apartment or condo by chance? do you know if there is a "POE" filter at your home's entrance connection? did you check your xfinity my account app to be sure only one modem is listed and the serial number shown on the app matches your HFC Mac address? the set top boxes use their own modem to run the internet apps (usage counts toward your cap).

[rogerdodger22]

Haven't we always been tracked per device?  The modem should track the usage no matter what device.  How do you know when or if you went on the xfi ?

[Rustyben]

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@rogerdodger22 wrote:

Haven't we always been tracked per device?  The modem should track the usage no matter what device.  How do you know when or if you went on the xfi ?

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the home data modem only sees local traffic (ethernet and wireless). it will count 'free' data too that the gateway's CMTS won't count. the local modem does not handle the data used by the set top boxes as they have their own gateway. usage still counts for internet apps.

[FlickNFreckles]

Looks like "someone" deleted my post from yesterday? 

So I'm posting it again for posterity.

Two days ago we received our first ever email warning that we'd reached 90% of our data limit.

Then the following day on Sat. the 21st (24hrs later) we received a second email accusing that we had used up all our data for the month, and that since this was the first time the overages would be waived.

We have never used over 450GB in a month (most months it's inbetween 300GB - 400G.

Nothing has changed.  No new devices, no more internet use than normal, and I checked our account to make sure that only known devices were conected.

What is going on Comcast?!

[Hovdog1]

@Rustyben 

I'm in a house, and I am using my own router/modem.  It is the only modem listed on the account and the serial number listed matches my modem.  I am only an internet customer, so I have no set up box.  I have no idea about the "POE" filter

[Rustyben]

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

@Rustyben 

I'm in a house, and I am using my own router/modem.  It is the only modem listed on the account and the serial number listed matches my modem.  I am only an internet customer, so I have no set up box.  I have no idea about the "POE" filter

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internet only won't apply for internet only if you do not have an xfi modem.

[Hovdog1]

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@Rustyben wrote:

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

@Rustyben 

I'm in a house, and I am using my own router/modem.  It is the only modem listed on the account and the serial number listed matches my modem.  I am only an internet customer, so I have no set up box.  I have no idea about the "POE" filter

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internet only won't apply for internet only if you do not have an xfi modem.

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I'm not sure what you mean by that.  The modem I have is marketed as an Xfinity-supported modem.  This is my modem.  Internet is the only service I have through Xfinity.

[Hovdog1]

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@Rustyben wrote:

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

@Rustyben 

I'm in a house, and I am using my own router/modem.  It is the only modem listed on the account and the serial number listed matches my modem.  I am only an internet customer, so I have no set up box.  I have no idea about the "POE" filter

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internet only won't apply for internet only if you do not have an xfi modem.

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I'm not sure what you mean by that.  The modem I have is marketed as an Xfinity-supported modem.  This is my modem.  Internet is the only service I have through Xfinity.

[Rustyben]

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

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@Rustyben wrote:

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

@Rustyben 

I'm in a house, and I am using my own router/modem.  It is the only modem listed on the account and the serial number listed matches my modem.  I am only an internet customer, so I have no set up box.  I have no idea about the "POE" filter

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internet only won't apply for internet only if you do not have an xfi modem.

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I'm not sure what you mean by that.  The modem I have is marketed as an Xfinity-supported modem.  This is my modem.  Internet is the only service I have through Xfinity.

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the new xfi modem has something called MoCA. your customer owned gateway like my customer owned gateway does not have that feature.

[Rustyben]

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@Rustyben wrote:

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@Hovdog1 wrote:

@Rustyben 

I'm in a house, and I am using my own router/modem.  It is the only modem listed on the account and the serial number listed matches my modem.  I am only an internet customer, so I have no set up box.  I have no idea about the "POE" filter

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internet only won't apply for internet only if you do not have an xfi modem.

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I'm not sure what you mean by that.  The modem I have is marketed as an Xfinity-supported modem.  This is my modem.  Internet is the only service I have through Xfinity.

[zfch]

No we didn't. We never watch TV so we only have Internet service.

[BruceW]

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@Rustyben wrote: ... the new xfi modem has something called MoCA. your customer owned gateway like my customer owned gateway does not have that feature.

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What does that have to do with "Internet only" service or with the poster's data usage?

[Rustyben]

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@BruceW wrote:

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@Rustyben wrote: ... the new xfi modem has something called MoCA. your customer owned gateway like my customer owned gateway does not have that feature.

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What does that have to do with "Internet only" service or with the poster's data usage?

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it ruled out the issue of another device using the MoCA network (like a neighbor) for internet.

[scott24601]

• I was sent an alert that I have used 90% of my allotted data this month. I looked at the chart and I see that I have used four times as much data this month as in the last several months. I do not think my internet habits have changed, can you tell my how I am suddenly using so much more data?

[RobertWy]

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@scott24601 wrote:

• I was sent an alert that I have used 90% of my allotted data this month. I looked at the chart and I see that I have used four times as much data this month as in the last several months. I do not think my internet habits have changed, can you tell my how I am suddenly using so much more data?

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Do you have something like the Amazon backup service?

[grday2]

Is this only people who use windows 10?     What about people who don't use wifi and use ethernet and no wifi.  What about people who do not use windows operating system.  It shows me use 472 gb for One person for this month.   Last month was 82gb and I am on the lower speed.    For now,  I changed my modem password, & reset modem.  I am also unplugging my modem when I am not using it   Then I will do some testing on Oct 2, 2019 or after.      I also don't understand what an apartment has to do with a comcast modem.    It shows the correct modem on comcast website.    If it is Microsoft problem,  comcast should work with them.

[Markeydusod]

I, and apparently many customers have done everything you posted and still are experiencing an incremental rise in data usage in homes that have not altered or added devices to their data usage . You don't need to be a "Comcast expert" To see a clear pattern of abuse. You should be asking better questions, like... Does the Comcasts "always on" feature contribute in anyway. As a no kids, non gamer, no large download customer I say there's absolutely no way I use a terra byte of data monthly. 

[Rustyben]

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@Markeydusod wrote:

I, and apparently many customers have done everything you posted and still are experiencing an incremental rise in data usage in homes that have not altered or added devices to their data usage . You don't need to be a "Comcast expert" To see a clear pattern of abuse. You should be asking better questions, like... Does the Comcasts "always on" feature contribute in anyway. As a no kids, non gamer, no large download customer I say there's absolutely no way I use a terra byte of data monthly. 

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set top boxes only consume countable data when you use clearly marked 'internet' apps. Roku devices, phones/tablets, computers, all kinds of internet of things (cameras for example) use data that is countable. the number one problem found in the forum threads is using a backup service like backblaze and 'it' performs a complete backup of a hard drive to non in-home cloud servers. 

[flatlander3]

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@Markeydusod wrote:

I, and apparently many customers have done everything you posted and still are experiencing an incremental rise in data usage in homes that have not altered or added devices to their data usage . You don't need to be a "Comcast expert" To see a clear pattern of abuse. You should be asking better questions, like... Does the Comcasts "always on" feature contribute in anyway. As a no kids, non gamer, no large download customer I say there's absolutely no way I use a terra byte of data monthly. 

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Well, they didn't like my previous post and removed it.  How about we try again? 

Instead of trying to guess what is using data,  find out.  Turn the wifi off on your router if it's a wifi router.  Now install a free firewall like pfSense or Untangle on an spare desktop PC with two network ports in it.  It will install a dedicated OS that does the routing/firewall on your spare PC.  Connect your new firewall appliance to your cable modem, then connect a different wifi access point to the the 2nd port.

Now you can see every single packet you generate, and which device it came from.   All traffic gets logged.  You can even see source and destination.   The manuals are pretty good.

Make sure you block remote access on your router.  Block all ICMP ping traffic.  Drop the firewall on your cable router so all packets from the ouside get logged on your firewall, instead of being blocked where you can't record them.

Perhaps you'll find your internal network gremlin, or an external one you don't control.

[coles1]

Weird 300% data spike over our average in one day. Checked each device, could not locate source. Changed wifi password to be safe. Called in to customer service.

Was told, after a LOT of qna and rigmarole, that a lot of people are calling in right now with the same issue and that it's just probably a meter error and we won't be charged. I am worried it will be counted as a courtesy month anyway and am concerned it will happen again.

to be quite frank I am halfway convinced she just said this to get me off the phone. Anyone else experiencing this? Would like to see some sort of evidence that there is in fact a weird influx of this and that I wasn't told a comforting lie to shut me up.

[murphysg1]

I had this happen too. We went from a maximum of 600Gbs used a month for the past several months to over 1000 this month, and nothing has changed that I can think of, except I did connect an HP printer to the laptop and have been printing more wirelessly. I haven't called yet but I hope it is a mistake!

[Jarvyjarvis]

I’m experiencing the same thing. I’ve been all over Twitter and Reddit and a lot of people are also experiencing the same thing.

[COBryan]

I also have this issue. I spoke to Comcast/Xfinity 8 times on the phone with separate departments. No one call tell me the reason for the spike in data usage. They just said I must be using more data. They did send a tech out to check for "data leakage" and found nothing. All my devices were checked for viruses and came back clean. My highest ever data usage was 349. The month of August with 23 people visiting the house was 181. There were a lot of movies and tablets being used last month which should have caused a higher usage but did not. In the first 2 weeks of the month of September I was already over my limit of 1024 and received the email from Comcast. It is now almost up to 2000 with no support or response from Comcast as to what can be causing this spike. Nothing has changed since I moved in the house in 2015. If this happens again next month, I will need to rethink keeping the service with Comcast or changing to another service. With the lack of response from Comcast that may be my only choice if they do not want to look into all the complaints that are being posted and called in on this topic. Extremely frustrating dealing with this issue and the lack of customer service.

[Variaaaa]

So this is the second time i've reached the 1TB data limit. I'm currently using the 50gb courtesy month data. I'm confused to how i've used nearly 40gb+ of data in the past 2-3 hours. There are 4 devices connected to the internet. There are no downloads/updates i've done in the span of those times. Any idea why its happening?

[Jarvyjarvis]

It’s happening to multiple customers all across the US. Including me. Comcast seems to not care. There’s multiple reports of people all over Twitter, Reddit and here.

[jorti299]

Hello everyone, 

I have an issue with data spikes for the month of September. My usage has never been above 300gb a month and without any new devices or a change in internet habits, my data has spiked over the 1tb cap. All of the devices are mine and I’ve run antivirus software network wide. According to some Reddit posts on the official Xfinity subreddit I am not the only one. Please help me with this issue! Thank you 

@ComcastAlly I saw on another thread that said we could DM you, but I thought this would be the most helpful for others as well. Thank you!

[jorti299]

I was told by “Joe” over the phone that the courtesy month would not be given back even if the data metered was wrong because it was an automatic thing done by the system

[COBryan]

According to Comcast. They have not received any complaints. They do not monitor this forum and they refuse to look for it. They keep saying no one else is having the issue I am experiencing. So frustrated with this company.

[COBryan]

Just curious. for the other folks that are having the same data spike in September, is your 2 year agreement up? i had an interesting conversation with the Comcast Customer Support this afternoon. Apparently mine is up and it is now time to sell me the unlimited plan. This must be their way of informing us without charging......yet. just curious if anyone else is at the end of their original agreement.