About dudeinco

@RobertWy wrote: My last six months, I haven't gone over.  Strange. My last two months, I haven't gone over yet either, but the first two months they enacted this, they cranked it to 11, and shot me over both of my free months.   Now that's strange... ... View more

That analogy fails, when you realize additional water is a precious commodity, that actually relates to the supply and demand of the water utility company, whereas with bandwidth, it has been investigated, and the limits Comcast are setting is not needed, and does not improve their infrastructure.  In other words, it's like your water company saying you can only take one shower per household, charges you the same as whatever you were paying before for your family to use, then demands double the money to allow your family to go back to taking their showers, without any change to supply and demand, or water cost.   It's extortion.    I really don't care, though. They are solidifying their poor reputation, and forcing cities across the nation to rise up and compete against Comcast.  They can have their hayday, and treat everyone poorly today, for tomorrow they become a warning to companies that extort their customers. ... View more

Btw has anyone checked out the new business class prices on internet? I want to say it is like $79.99/m for 16mb connection. $100 for 25mb and spirals out of control from there. Yes, over the years, they have slowly reduced speeds on business class, and increased pricing.  If I hadn't have moved, I'd still be paying $50 per month for 50MBps.     The reasoning behind the pricing versus speed on the business class is that it is reliable, guaranteed, and I have to say their customer service was great when I was with them.  Of course you'd need to prove you're a business, prior to getting it in your home.     Way back when, several years ago, I would have said that business class was the best deal.  Of course, with anything that seems a good deal on Comcast, they will grind it to a halt.   As for putting a dent in Comcast, I'd join you on the CenturyLink thing if it weren't for the fact that I *absolutely must* have a reliable connection, as my livelihood depends on it, for all my different revenue streams.  A casual user may not think much of it, but if my internet goes down for an extended period of time, I could potentially lose everything... ... View more

@Rustyben wrote: adding...   I use my unlimited t-<brand here) cell-data for streaming movies and such as well as for iOS updates of all kinds. So many unlimited cell phone plans out there now that some might want to consider the use of unlimited cell service to deliver the smart device traffic instead of your home wifi if the usage is approaching the 1 TB cap. I had thought of this, but there are hidden, soft caps, on unlimited mobile, and they will cut you off, if they think you are abusing it.  In the case of mobile, their caps are there for a really good reason.  The technology just isn't there to supply everyone with mainstream data coverage.  In my city, we'd be lucky to break 10Mbps on 4G.  I have used it in the case of a cable outage, hooked to a router with usb connectivity features (ASUS tends to have this), but most would prefer not, and for sure, the phone companies would prefer you didn't.  Good in a pinch, but if you're going over 1TB hard, I wouldn't lean on your mobile provider, as you may test their patience on what they are calling "unlimited."  (as an example, with Verizon, I believe the soft cap is 20GB. ... View more

The argument they gave me on the phone was they offer those speeds for large families with 5+ people using their connections, but that argument is flawed in the since that if I had 5+ people using those speeds then my data usage will also be higher than someone who only needs 100mb for theirs. I have 2 tv's that are generally streaming netflix/amazon and a decent portion of those are in 4k. I have 5 mobile devices, 3 tablets, 2 laptops, 2 consoles, and 5 gaming pc's along with the few I use for various servers. The servers are currently not being used for anything other than Active directory and Group policy for my local machines. So while my household doesn't use all these devices constantly I have a household with plenty of tech... and sadly while my household might have more than others in total.. I don't think the amount of data tech usage in my house is actually higher than most families in my age range.   I'm one person in a house, with one child.  I can blow through a TB easily in a month (in fact, I did, the first two months this was enacted - which is suspicious, but...).   Realistically, one person doing a cloud backup one time could blow throught that limit (depending on the size of the hard drive/amount used).  The limit is a number imagined by companies so they don't have to manage their networks (and so they can get more "green" for doing absolutely nothing).  Anyone who pays for a higher tier should automatically be given unlimited.  At their prices, they are insane for not thinking of this (well, actually, if you're willing to pay $400 per month in the remote areas where they offer 2GBps, it is unlimited).     CenturyLink did a trial with caps, and came to the opposite conclusion:  That it did not help their customers, was not necessary, and was not good business practice.  Too bad their service is horrible here. ... View more

This information is misleading, and out of date. http://stopthecap.com/2017/07/03/centurylink-drops-hard-usage-cap-trial-no-longer-aligns-goals/ ... View more

@AWBolden wrote: Yes. "first time this has ever happened to me in the 9 years ive been using comcast here. Data pretty much doubled my usual avg for the month of july. nothing has changed on my end, no abnormal connections, I dont get it. Smiley Sad is this happening to more people then usual this month? The first two months this went into effect, my usage went over.  It was cut in half last month, so I have no clue what is going on.  I did stop Steam updates, but that's the only thing I'm aware of that changed.   It's possible that was the source of the issue, I don't know for sure.  It seemed really funny that it jumped the first two months the cap was enacted, but I have little to prove malfeasance.   ... View more

Now that I'm paying for unlimited I'm going to use it to the fullest extent I can. Might as well right?  So I've opened up my media server to a few extra people, host stuff on bittorrent (nothing illegal), run a bitcoin node, full online backups, stream HD, etc.  Hitting 2-2.5 TB regularly.  I've been keeping my eye out for any viable alternative here as well.  If/when one shows up I'll be jumping ship.  So far the only alternative is Century Link. I gave them a try for a month, their service is pitiful compare to comcast. LOL.. That's what I was thinking - if I decide to go unlimited, I'm going to do everything short of DDOS to ensure I get my money's worth 😉  I already pay over $200 per month as it is, so it is really hard to think of giving them another $50, but as a software engineer, it is how I make money, so it is somewhat justified (and arguably a tax write-off)...     ... View more

It's all relative.  When you take my city that has two internet companies, and one of those being CenturyLink DSL (for all intents and purposes, is useless), they are the ONLY deal in town, thereby making them the "best value."  They can make these seemingly egregious claims, because there's no competition in many cities.  My state voted to remove the ban on municipal internet across nearly every city, but this should have been done 5 years ago (hindsight being 20/20, as they probably didn't expect Comcast to enact these sort of restrictions, and rate hikes).  There's a big push to remove Comcast across this state, but that's a tall order that takes at least 3-5 years to complete.   In the meantime, Comcast is making the powerplay to ensure they have their hayday, prior to being stomped into the ground. Expect to see offers for long term contracts, when competition looks like it will be a viable threat.   Also expect to see massive hikes in entertainment (TV) when that becomes more commonplace.  Because if they can't lock you into their internet service, they need to compensate those losses somehow.  As for DirectTV, and Dish, they will just follow the gravy train, instead of fiscally competing. ... View more

@Tgrable1 wrote: I just updated that post to do the math and it is actually more alarming than I thought it would be.   At 250mb download.. I can consume about 80TB in a month. So if you take that 80tb and divide it by the cap of 1tb you come to 1.25%.  That means I can only use 1.25% of my theoretical capacity of my connection each month without being penalized for it. That is so corrupt I don't even know where to begin.   So my 24/7 connection speed for a month if I did not want to go over my cap would be 3.125mb/s. Yet I am paying for a 250mb connection.  Yep, and do the math on getting a pricey 1Gbps connection.  It's even more hilarious:  2 HOURS (~0.3% potential)   ... View more

@Tgrable1 wrote: You basically hit the nail on the head.   I guess I just want more data to support their claim that only 1% of people go over the 1tb cap. I know that amongst my friends most of us have problems with it.. so maybe we are all that 1%? That being said I want to know when this data was collected. 5 years ago? I just don't think they claim that most people use less than 250gigs is realistic as digital content has become even more popular and common place. This problem is only going to get worse as time goes on.. no better. The 1% claim takes into account every account, by every individual, in their network.  It's still a questionable number, but you have to remember that many people still view the internet as a place to simply check their email, and connect their phone when they get home.  Some examples of this would be all of my 60+ year old relatives.  The "power users," as they would call them, are people that rely on the internet for their entertainment, gaming, work, streaming, and backups.   Their 99% claim is derived from the data gathered on users that would be content with an early 2000's AOL connection.     Another thing that would be interesting to see is what year their statistic comes from.  Recent changes to entertainment, like 4k video, and the push to move all gaming, and applications, to digital distribution, as well as broadcasting becoming more common, really draws their numbers into question.  Within the next 5 years, I'd predict that, barring everyone keeping it low tech to placate caps, the 99% will be over the 1TB number.   And I think Comcast knows this, so they are getting ahead of it by implementing the $50 tier, which they are aiming for everyone to eventually be on this price hike. ... View more

@Rxn wrote: Can you explain why higher speeds increase your usage? In some cases (i.e Twitch, Netflix, etc), the option of "default quality" will increase your quality to match the available bandwidth, unless otherwise specified in the settings, resulting in higher usage, due to the higher speeds.   Which is why I said that if everyone wants to be safe, buy a 10MBps connection, unless you're willing to give Comcast their pound of flesh they're looking for (+$50.00).   Just plain evil...  But what are you going to do?  They have been the most hated company in America for the past decade, and what have they done about it?  Given people MORE reasons to hate them.  All I can say about that is:  Respect.  They are the pinnacle of "Thug Life."  And now they want us to give them our mobile business?  Not bloody likely... ... View more

I have an R7000, but I assume they are roughly the same firmware.   From your administration:   Advanced Tab -> Advanced Setup -> Traffic Meter -> Enable Traffic Meter - but this won't give you by device.   Advanced Tab -> Administration -> Attached Devices - Will show you what has a DHCP address supplied by your router. ... View more

@TibbieMom wrote: if you are going over your limit, you can call and change to unlimited 'then' and it includes the current month so there would be no overages. for higher usage customers (I run 200-250 per month with 2 cams streaming and storing in the cloud for both cameras) it seems pretty cheap to pay less than $2 day for unlimited. I thought I read they won't make the unlimited retroactive. I hope I'm wrong.  They won't make it retroactive if you are past your billing cycle.  You have to upgrade DURING the billing cycle. ... View more

I can answer some of this generically, but specifics require specifics.  The answer to the question as to whether streaming video from cameras outside your home consumes data, the answer is yes.  The same answer applies to your cameras uploading captured segments to the cloud.  As for whether this would apply within your home, that depends on how the cameras operate.  If they always go through a cloud service, then the answer would always be yes (as is the case with my Arlo service).  If they are locally accessed (by internal IP address), then no.  *Generally speaking,* if you need to go to a public web address to access your feeds (with a login), it is always consuming data when you stream/view.   As to how much data they utilize, it really depends on the system, the stored format of the video file created, the streaming bitrate, the frames per second, and the resolution.  All of these are contributing factors to your overall data usage.  Whether this is significant or not, depends on the amount of use.  For me, my Arlo usually only captures my family and I off-guard a few times a month, in 30 second intervals.  It is statistically insignificant when analyzing data use.  For you, your mileage may vary.  If you keep them always on, and monitor 8 hours a day, you may end up adding a significant chunk to your monthly usage.  From the sounds of it, that is not likely.     Think of the usage as being comparable to having two people in your house watching Netflix at the same time (assuming your cameras feed decent 720p/1080p).  It's likely a bit less, because usually camera streams are *usually* compressed a bit more (and on most cameras, there's a setting for this).  But, when you add your streaming to the uploads your system is doing, it is likely similar.     If you can locate the framerate of your camera, and the format it uses, you can use a calculator like this to calculate your estimated usage:   https://www.digitalrebellion.com/webapps/videocalc   Basically, if you can measure in hours per day for recording, and viewing, you *could be* significantly adding to your usage.  If you can measure in minutes, and generally a few hours per week, you probably are not making much of a dent.   IOT was not prepared for internet technology to be set back a half-decade, but if you reign it in, you can still manage it.   The things that will absolutely kill you, however, are gaming systems - games downloading over the internet, gaming updates, streaming voice and video, recording - e.g. casts: regular podcasts/Twitch/etc. -, updates across multiple PCs, excessive 4K streaming (more than a few per week), and basically anything that is more modern, and frequently used.  For a gamer, on a Steam sale, you will burn through your cap just by downloading 20 AAA games (same applies for XBox, PS, etc - which also do regular updates as well).  And remember, that's not a concern for the day of the sale, that's a concern for the ENTIRE MONTH.  If it is *digital distribution* of large applications (Windows, Adobe, and Office comes to mind), or games (mostly AAA), then you can count on large chunks being taken out.   I guess XFinity wants us back in the age of DVD-based distribution (I also guess they can't manage their own networks, if they had to resort to such caps [lie]).  And obviously, if you're using any sort of peer to peer networking with this cap, STOP (I think the FCC, and MPAA killed this years ago anyhow, though).   ..And forget cloud backups, if you are using it for anything significant.  If you have already established one, incremental updates won't hurt (unless it syncs your entire library to another PC), but if you're starting with something large (like a huge photo library), watch carefully, and pay attention to the size of your image library.  AND NEVER backup your PC to the cloud.  Until Comcast learns their archaic practice is ridiculously stupid, that will burn up your allotment in 1 day. ... View more

@jweaver0312 wrote: @dudeinco wrote: @jweaver0312 wrote: @dudeinco wrote:   And 1TB limit for a gigabit connection is HILARIOUS, Comcast.  No, really...     "You can use this connection for two whole hours at the speed promised, and we'll bill you monthly, or charge you for 'overages'."     Not neccesarily. For example, you can still use it for two hours and not go over 1 TB. That is just your speed. For example, if you initiate a 6 GB download, that's 6 gigs of usage no matter what tier you are on. The speed tier affects the speed of the download itself and the time for the download to complete. Believe me I don't like the limit one bit as much as the next fellow customer but I hope either the feds step in or the states to step in on thisand tell them this isnt right. If you use the speed, at the acutal speed advertised, for 2 hours consistently, you would be using 1TB of data.  That's my point. You won't. See if this link does a better job of explaing it at the first section of it called "Bandwidth vs Speed" http://jpstm.blogspot.com/2011/08/difference-between-speed-vs.html I know the difference between bandwidth and speed - I'm a software engineer.  But on that note, using the full 1Gbps speed for 2 hours *consistently* means using 1TB of data.  I'm not saying one could do this without trying (or that this would be the norm), but this is not debatable.  They are related, in the sense that using 1Gbps requires a data stream at 1Gbps - if you data stream at 1Gbps for 2 hours consistently, you are using 1TB of data.   Imagine downloading your 3TB hard drive backup consistently at 1Gbps.  You would hit your cap in 2 hours.   This is the argument cable companies have been trying to confuse their customers with (there is a real difference between bandwidth and speed), but it's a fallacy.  Your rate of transfer IS in direct correlation to data used in a given amount of time, and vice versa (assuming you actually take advantage of it).  Bandwidth is potential, and data is using that full potential. (and what good is "potential," if you don't use it?  I have a sports car, but I need to make sure it's parked 99% of the time, or drive it at 5Mph?)   No, you won't be just surfing the internet by yourself and hit that cap, but there are a million other ways you could (e.g. Allowing your steam library to update).   And let's face the fact - you are promised 1Gbps for a month (or so they'd like you to believe).  What you are actually given is 1Gbps for two hours.  Because, using that rate of speed at its max bandwidth (without interruption) will hit your cap.   So, the amount of content you can consume in a month is no different than that of someone operating on a [edit] ~3Mbps connection with a consistent stream, EXCEPT you can consume it (a lot) faster.  Theirs takes the month to consume - yours takes 2 hours.   Here's where you should be looking to see the reality:     http://www.download-time.com/   1000Gb = 1TB, 30days x 24 hours = 720 hours. @1TB @ 1Gbps =  02:23:09 (hh:mm:ss)   And all this means everyone's potential usage is the same as someone on a 3Mbps connection.  One is an artificial limit, the other is a real limit.  - Even though you *think* you are paying for a month of potential at the 1Gbps you signed up for, you are actually paying for ~2 hours of it....   So, in order to be (relatively) safe from their caps and overages, everyone should get no greater than a 10Mbps plan from *any* company.  Which, by Comcast's standards is "more internet than 99% of people need," right?  (Comcast - the time machine that puts tech back 5 years).  Makes you wonder when they got their 99% statistic, no?  Don't we live in the "cloud" age? ... View more

@jweaver0312 wrote: @dudeinco wrote:   And 1TB limit for a gigabit connection is HILARIOUS, Comcast.  No, really...     "You can use this connection for two whole hours at the speed promised, and we'll bill you monthly, or charge you for 'overages'."     Not neccesarily. For example, you can still use it for two hours and not go over 1 TB. That is just your speed. For example, if you initiate a 6 GB download, that's 6 gigs of usage no matter what tier you are on. The speed tier affects the speed of the download itself and the time for the download to complete. Believe me I don't like the limit one bit as much as the next fellow customer but I hope either the feds step in or the states to step in on thisand tell them this isnt right. If you use the speed, at the actual speed advertised, for 2 hours consistently, you would be using 1TB of data.  That's my point.  Although, it's nice of them to give you this opportunity to do so, I suppose.   2 hours of unadulterated fun per month on the internet is good for something, right?  Maybe you can backup 1/3rd of a hard drive...   And unfortunately, our current feds are hard at work opening up even more shady opportunities for ISPs, but it's still worth pointing out your displeasure to them... ... View more

Yes... DDOSes that are not Comcast's problem, but yours to pay for!  This is evil genius level brilliant!  Yet another reason why we should love them.  If you can be charged for things beyond your control, that is, well, simply awesome!  (for them).   Look, you all have a few choices:   1.  Go with another provider that doesn't enact such archaic restrictions (or maybe even one that does, but actually cares about the circumstances - like finding bigfoot, I suppose)?   2.  Kill the breaker to your house, and keep paying Comcast.  THIS FIXES EVERYTHING.  It's win/win.  Comcast gets to keep collecting their mad stacks for nothing, and you don't pay overage charges, right?   I'm hearing people disconnecting everything in their house to avoid overages?  Really?  This is what it's come to?  ... Then you get the snarky comment:  "I don't see why you don't just pay an extra $50 when you're already paying $200+ for their content?"   And 1TB limit for a gigabit connection is HILARIOUS, Comcast.  No, really...     "You can use this connection for two whole hours at the speed promised, and we'll bill you monthly, or charge you for 'overages'."   Think about it... Seriously, sit and think.  They are charging you an insane amount for a gigabit connection, but you are allowed to actually use that speed for 2 HOURS before incurring overages.  And do you want to know why?  Because everyone would switch to the gigabit connection to avoid the overage charges.  But that's not what they want.  They want you to pay the $50, regardless of tier.  End of story - no if's, and's, or but's about it.  There it is in black and white.   That's the end game - they couldn't sell a $50 rate hike to customers, so they enacted caps to do it for them.  And just like magic, you get DDOSed the day they enact it, right? (Wow, that's a really weird coincidence!)   Anyone still defending this is a plant, plain and simple.     ...And anyone that can prove the malfeasance we all know is happening, should sue the pants off this company.   But at a minimum, please light up the following site: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us   Here's an interesting anecdote:   5 years ago, I had Comcast business @ 50Mbps for $50 per month.  Today, you can't even get 16MBps for that price.  When I had to move, they were shocked at the price I was paying (and took it away, of course). ... View more

Be careful - AT&T is known for copying every evil thing every other evil company does (e.g. Verizon): (in Verizon's defense, they took the high road so far)   https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1010099   If you are getting the 1000 plan, that looks like they haven't played with caps there... yet... ... View more

@echodreamz wrote: Trying to understand how a 1Gbps line has the same data cap as someone who only pays for 50Mbps... I truly do not understand the logic of these data caps aside from Comcast losing money to streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, so they want to make it harder on you.   I really do not understand all speeds share the same data cap limits. Especially for the 1Gbps service. They want their $50 extra, regardless of tier.   But theoretically using up your cap in 2 hours is awesome, right? ... View more

@ekym wrote: For all these years, when people would tell me to just ditch the cable TV part and stream everything, I would tell myself, no I have always paid for the TV with the tripple play, I'm watching  the shows and programming, even if I choose to stream the content rather then watch it over the Cable, I should still pay for the cable service because it is not right. All the while I'm thinking to myself, If I do the right thing and continue to pay for the services I'm using then when it comes down to it, Comcast will in turn do  the right thing, and charge those people who ditched the TV for streaming years ago the extra and I will be ahead of the game when they start charging extra to those people.    I never would have thought it would be those of us who continued to pay the whole package even though they hardly ever watch anything live, from the cable, that would be the client's who are targeted with the extra fee.  Amen to that.  They hosed their loyal fan base, while being noncompetitive.  ... View more

@RobertWy wrote: @jth182 wrote:   @dudeinco wrote: Don't sweat it. All of us are in the same boat, with the exception of Ben. I'm unsure what his vested interest in Comcast is, but I suspect there's something there. No one could be legitimately pleased, or accept this extortion, unless they were somehow close to the source. Rustyben is also a strong defender of Comcast's new policy of the degradation of TV display resolution to 720p over in the X1 forum.  There's no way he doesn't have an alterior motive in his posts. I strongly disagree; Rusty is only trying to help people here. Then again... you do carry his signature line...  The plot thickens...  You, at a minimum, have relations to Rusty that would present a conflict of interest in your opinion of what he is doing here.   Dun dun dunnnnn...  lol.   So, if you guys want to play (or are) the shills, I have a few pro-tips:   1.  Don't mimic signatures, then defend each other.  That makes seeing through the ruse too easy. 2.  Consider sock puppets.  Sock puppets allow you to back yourself up, and hit each other up with 'kudos,' while the community is none the wiser.  Change your speach patterns as well, and look for unique wording you commonly use, and avoid it.  (like this: '...' could give you away). 3.  Don't always defend.  Talk down the individuals, while seemingly being on their side.  Much like a hostage negotiator, you have to gain trust.  Validate their concerns, then gradually talk down their position. 4.  Have a good backstory, and make it believable (this is important!).  The more tears you can gain from the public, the more support you can gain for the indefensible position. 5.  Ban people like me (if you can) who are too adamant about fighting the indefensible positions.  As a certain despicable document once stated (paraphrased):  'Propaganda is intended for the masses, not the intellectuals/individuals.'   I'm all good with shills arguing that Enron was justified, and the likes, but you want to make it entertaining, and a challenge, for your intended audience.  I personally enjoy arguing a good indefensible position in the morning.  It's the second best thing to Folgers for waking up.   ...and like McDonald's, I'm loving it.     Where I have the problem is when it is no longer a challenge, because the ruse is too thinly veiled.  It just loses all intellectual integrity, and that degrades the entertainment value. ... View more

@RobertWy wrote: @jth182 wrote:   @dudeinco wrote: Don't sweat it. All of us are in the same boat, with the exception of Ben. I'm unsure what his vested interest in Comcast is, but I suspect there's something there. No one could be legitimately pleased, or accept this extortion, unless they were somehow close to the source. Rustyben is also a strong defender of Comcast's new policy of the degradation of TV display resolution to 720p over in the X1 forum.  There's no way he doesn't have an alterior motive in his posts. I strongly disagree; Rusty is only trying to help people here. You may be right, as I don't know personally...  I find the majority of his posts I have read to be defensive damage control of Comcast's poor choices, degredation of service, and shady business practices. ... View more

1.  When your bill is over $200 per month already, and you have to fight every couple of months with them, just to keep it there... $50 addtional per month, just to get the bandwidth promised to begin with, is neither reasonable, nor ethical. 2.  I stated bandwidth was limited, and data is unlimited.  This is a factual statement.  And you making excuses for the company, when it has already been proven that they are just enacting predatory pricing, due to their monopolistic status, and not due to actual necessity, is not helping your argument that Comcast is just your friendly "business as usual" company. 3.  My last paragraph is "arguably" my opinion (although nationwide polls tend to favor that "opinion").  The second to the last, is not. 4.  They played you well.  They put the ultimate strangle on you (300GB cap), then loosened your leash a little, so you would appreciate their "generous gift."  I was not conditioned the same.   It's all BS anyhow.  Our neighboring city gets 1Gbps municipal internet with no caps, and they have the promise there will never be one (as there will never need to be one, according to the city).  This internet, and promise, is all for the price of $70 per month.  So, excuse me if I don't shed tears for Comcast, and their hefty, multi-billion dollar company, that can't handle a fraction of the service that a "smaller" city can on their own...   The difference between your TiVo box, and Comcast, is that your TiVo isn't a modern necessity, but your internet is.  Your ability to skip commercials, or the manner in which you do so, is a far cry from your ability to telecomute, communicate, protect, and entertain, your family.  You can also ditch TiVo, and go with a different box.  And... TiVo isn't a monopoly, incorporating non-competitive practices.  Comcast is all of the above.   At the end of the day, on the topic at hand, I'd state Comcast is practicing false advertising.  They advertised I could purchase 1Gbps of bandwidth, billed per month, for that bandwidth, but what they are really selling is 2 hours @ 1Gbps with a mountain of surchages, or a $50 monthly fee, if I exceed that.   I know you are trying hard, but you cannot justify Comcast's actions.  No one can.  Studies have been done, the people have spoken, and the simple fact is that their actions are indefensible.  Yes, I am one of the people that is pushing the agenda to push them out in my city (I bet you're shocked).  I voted, and I will continue to support my city in removing this cancer from our society. ... View more

"Capitalism" and "Free Enterprise" requires viable competition to be beneficial to society.  Having packages and offerings change is "normal," yes.  What is not normal is reducing service, and increasing prices, while overhead for those services continue to drop exponentially.  That is NOT competing, and can only happen in a monopolistic scenario.   And if you're curious why I would be so adament over their destruction (aside from their business practices being flat-out ethically reprehensible), I am a developer, and fully realize the implications of the actions that Comcast has unleashed on this country.  For decades, they have been holding us back in comparison to Europe with their lackluster speeds, and hesitation to upgrade their systems, and have been empowered by their regional government sanctioned monopolies.  Now that they are starting to gain traction on getting caught up with other first world cultures, they limit progress with bandwidth caps.  Comcast is stifling the advancement of this country, technologically, and have done so for decades.  They are afraid of progress, because they are afraid the future doesn't involve them.  They have opted to enact non-competitive practices, rather than compete, to ensure their placement moving forward (which mind you, this is a temporary solution that will ultimately lead to their demise in the future).   As a software engineer of 20+ years, I am FIRMLY, and WHOLE-HEARTEDLY against ANY corporation that seeks to inhibit the technological progress of the United States for their own personal, and selfish gain.     Into the nitty gritty, and pointed out before (leaving out the political ramifications):  If you pay for 1Gbps, you don't pay for 1Gbps for two hours.  You paid for 1Gbps bandwidth on demand, for any purpose.  And as stated before, "bandwidth" is limited, data is not.  If they can't support their bandwidth allotted to the people (which is a lie, anyhow), then it sounds like they are overselling their infrastructure by offering higher speeds than they have the capabilities for.  That sounds like a THEM problem, not a ME problem (and if you investigate, it's really a NON-problem, as their "trials" of unlimited bandwidth proved beyond any reasonable doubt).   Back to the political:  If Comcast spent half the money they used lobbying to ensuring the quality of service, and enacting proper, and ethical decisions with their networks, this thread, and the outrage, wouldn't even exist.  But, don't count on that ever happening.  This greedy company is working hand in hand with the government (lobbying like a madman) to ensure that not only do they charge the user for their bandwidth, then charge them for the data they use (no, it's not "enough?"), but now they are even working on charging companies on different networks, to deliver their content to us, at the speeds promised to us in our agreements!!!  (The current FCC scandal - if they don't pay, we would get their content at lower speeds - e.g. "Fast lanes" and "Slow lanes")   This is probably the most ethically bankrupt, unabashedly brazen, and unapologetic company in America. (with this much influence on the current state, and future, of the country ...for now...) ... View more

Don't sweat it. All of us are in the same boat, with the exception of Ben. I'm unsure what his vested interest in Comcast is, but I suspect there's something there. No one could be legitimately pleased, or accept this extortion, unless they were somehow close to the source. ... View more

Which is a shameless cash grab...   https://www.extremetech.com/internet/237465-comcast-rolls-out-1tb-cap-to-more-markets-hit-with-2-3-million-fcc-fine-for-unauthorized-equipment-charges   http://time.com/money/4150473/comcast-data-caps-fcc-complaints/   https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/4h70ah/comcast_raises_data_cap_to_1tb/?st=j3um00vd&sh=f6e63717   More to the point: https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/resources/Comcast%20New%20Caps%20Factsheet_FINAL.pdf   There is no solution, outside of pressing US Congress, and your local government to remove the stranglehold....  Or pay?  I highly recommend pushing your counties, cities, and states to start taking municipal broadband seriously.   http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Survey-Comcast-Remains-Americas-MostHated-Company-138694 The point:  Comcast is ethically indefensible, but they just don't care...   As a background, some areas rolled out 300GB caps a few years back.  They were convinced that by enacting egregious caps, then expanding them, the country would thank them for their medieval mindset.  That's not quite how it worked out... ... View more

Good to know.  I don't think my neighbors are savy enough (or wanting enough) to run the experiments with me, and I'm unsure which direction the signal is coming from.  I'd be hesitant to burn through GBs of data, using the signal, however, as I'm not in a hurry to screw over my neighbors.     It is good to hear that their meter is relatively close (sans the question of "borrowing" data from neighbors).  I'd recommend to anyone having egregious usage to get their own equipment, or get a Comcast modem without WiFi...   But XFinity can still rot for implementing 1TB caps 🙂 ... View more

For that, I would recommend using YOUR OWN modem (can be purchased for ~$89), and a competent router (e.g. R7000), and logging your usage.  I could do this, as I own these, but I doubt it would shed light on the subject.  I'd bet the problem is more along the lines of XFinity routers, as they do all sorts of odd things (like share internet with neighbors and pedestrians).     I may do it as an experiment anyhow, just to see.  If I do, I will report the findings back, but it would be hard to sync results perfectly with their monthly cycle (I'm sure there are delays).   However, if using the neighbor's wifi doesn't count against you, and you can confirm this, I may run some experiments on that as well to prove it out.  My guess, however, is if this is true, Comcast will patch it eventually...   ... View more

Ha!  Which brings us round robin to whether they get secretly charged for it or not.   I'm betting a class action will arise from this eventually.  All it takes is one aggressive virus, or proving their calculations are wrong, coupled by a few hundred thousand people getting charged $200 overage fees, and it will be a nation-wide catastrophe for Comcast.  But I'd bet they wouldn't care.  Being rated the #1 most hated company on the planet for the last decade hasn't changed their mind about their consistant necessity for securing that position.   The ONLY way you can change this is by imploring your local government to action.  Our state had the majority of the counties vote to remove the ban on municipal internet (overwhelmingly) over the past 5 or so years.  In 10 years, XFinity internet will be a third class citizen in this state.   And what is it really all about?  I get they want to kill their competition (Netflix, Vudu, etc.), but why?  I pay for their bundle, and I even pay for a premium channel.  I'm not attempting to "buck" their system, or get the same content for free... ... View more

Which would make sense (kind of).  You'd be using 1/4 of my bandwidth estimation of continuous streaming, or perhaps 1/6th - once again, don't want to get into the exact math.  But you said you have 2 running live streaming 24/7, so you should be hitting 1/2 to 1/3rd your allotment on that alone...  Giving you about ~300GB-400GB per 30 days.  They can't be live streaming 24/7, and you'd have to be running pretty conservative on your streaming/update demands.   Most of my bandwidth was being eaten up by gaming consoles and a gaming PC.  Just letting one PC update regularly on 200 titles equated to 800GB of use alone, with OS updates (and don't think that 200 titles were updating every month - you could bring that down to maybe a dozen or so, at the most).   Of course, that behavior was modified by axing live updates.  The consoles are also now turned off and disconnected.   So far this month, with all updates turned off, my daughter watching youtube ad nauseum, and nightly watching internet content on the new 4k TV (Netflix, youtube, etc. - we try to stay away from 4k content), doing my work from home (no gaming communications), and removing my cellphone from the network, I am on par to hit 500GB by the end of this month.  I have 3 PCs running 24/7 (a few more have been purposely turned off to avoid updates), and I have onedrive that uploads a 1GB file each time I need to do business finances (maybe once or twice a month).  I do have to FTP files a lot, but never anything ridiculous.  I refuse to turn off my security cams, but I do have them on ondemand (motion triggered). So, you might call me a power user, but even by massively scaling back my digital life, I'm still treading a fine line...   And I pay for 120Mbps, not ~2...   This isn't water - it isn't like if I don't use their bandwidth, they can store it up and use it over time....  Let's call a spade a spade, and label it for what it is:  exorbitant greed, fueled by lack of competition (thanks to municipal deals that were cut a decade ago). ... View more

 30*24 (hours) = 720   http://www.meridianoutpost.com/resources/etools/calculators/calculator-file-download-time.php    = ~2Mbps (actually somewhere closer to the order of 3Mbps, but the calculator doesn't go to that level of detail, and I don't feel like doing the math). So... the two must be very old webcams...  (320x200?) Or - they are only activated on demand.   ...and it just occurred to me that this would be upstream which is capped somewhere around 6Mbps anyhow, so the example would fit the narrative if we were guaranteed 120Mbps upstream, but that isn't even close to the case.  But it still stands... Consuming or exporting ~2Mbps would hit your cap in 30 days.   ~1Gbps would hit your cap in 2 hours.   So what we can deride from all this (yes, deride is intentional):  For the insane price of 1Gbps XFinity internet, they are guaranteeing you an unbridled experience for all of 2 hours (and naive bragging rights). ... View more

And then they wonder why in our state, they implemented Gigabit service, but hardly any takers.  When you could perceivably eat through your allotment in 2 hours, what's the point?     Here's some facts:  If you had 2Mbps and ran it constantly, you'd hit your cap.  So essentially, we are paying for 2Mbps, but able to use it up over a vastly shorter amount of time. ... View more

This kills EVERYTHING.  I went over by 200GBs the first two months they implemented it.  I have no idea what it was before then, but I trust they may be right, and you shouldn't be too surprised if it seems high (although when it's your word versus there's - who knows? - if you can prove malfeasance - class action).     Internet of things uses data, every device needs to update (phones, tablets, fridges, toasters - anything connected), and just forget about gaming...  Each game is about 50GB to download (and can go as high as 100GB ).  You'd be surprised at the amount eaten up by updates of those games, and of course there's bandwidth used in online gaming.   Streaming is going to 4K, so massive bandwidth there.  Your wireless cameras may use bandwidth, so you have to watch that. PCs require updating regularly, and you are looking at several GBs for updates.      https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140218/11532626269/house-cards-4k-will-eat-broadband-caps-like-popcorn-shrimp.shtml   The list goes on, and on, and on...  This is a cash grab by XFinity.  There is absolutely NOTHING you can say that would convince me my $200 per month they vacuum up isn't enough to support my usage.   XFinity is attempting to stifle progress, and it's time people did something about it.  My county just voted to start looking into municipal broadband, and it has been an overwhelming response.  The neighboring county has 1Gbps with no caps for $70 per month.  I'm counting the months, along with hundreds of thousands of others....   So, in the meantime, turn off, or disconnect, your game consoles (don't let them update).  Forget about PC gaming, or figure out how to stop them from updating.  Stop using 4k streaming (only buy SD).  Watch for viruses on your PCs VERY CAREFULLY, stop automatic updates, turn off your security cams, or get cams with local storage, and disconnect all your connected devices (phones, tablets, etc.).  And of course, stop Skyping and using hangouts, or doing anything VOIP...   Because.... XFinity would like you to live like a caveman, or fork over another $50.  1TB was a ton *5-10 years ago*.  It's 2017 now...   If you're looking for reasons why?  Look no further:       Contact your senators, and I'd suggest pushing your local government for solutions.  Break the chains before they strangle us all.    ... View more