About Al8041

Al8041 · ‎05-19-2019

Lisa... you are right! My new iPhone which was shown to be connnected the other day is no longer connected. It does not show at either 10.0.0.1 or on the Xfi app itself. The iPhone Xs is on the same table as the gateway!!! I'm a software engineer (https://newmediacreate.com) ... and if I had eight days with the code I'd figure out the problem. Comcast engineers have had eight months and have given us update after update and they still have not fixed it. Don't get me wrong. I love Comcast. We get excellent service in our area. I pay them $143 a month for TV and Internet and I'm good with that. But I have to tell you, this issue does not give me a lot of faith in their software engineering and I'm to the point where I'm just going to delete the app and either find a 3rd party app that does the same thing (if there is one) or just live without it. The app is a convenience, not a necessity and I have more important things to spend my time on . I hope Comcast fixes it, but my confidence at this juncture is very low that they ever will. I wish them well. Al

Al8041 · ‎05-18-2019

I wonder if this might be device related. Lisa, what device are you running the app on? Apple or Android? What devices show as not connected?

Al8041 · ‎05-18-2019

@ComcastKenF wrote: Thanks for the info. You are right. I didn't know you could 'forget' a device. BUT... I did the update to IOS 12.3 last night on my new iPhone Xs and now the iPhone shows as connected!!! Maybe the issue is fixed? Al8041, This is good news! I'll leave this thread open for a few more days just in case this changes, but it sounds like you are set! Ken Well, in the past I've seen the iPhone via the Xfi app show the phone connected and than later on I go back and it is disconnected. So you might keep this open for a while to see if it reverts back to disconnected. I know the engineers have been working on this issue for six months or so. It looks like the app keeps every device that has ever connected in its device list. For example. I see "Amy's iPad." as NOT connected. She was a house sitter whom I gave my wi-fi password to so she could use the internet while she was staying here. It is fine that it shows her an NOT connected, but why show her at all? (I did the "forget device" function to her entry.)

Al8041 · ‎05-18-2019

Thanks for the info. You are right. I didn't know you could 'forget' a device. BUT... I did the update to IOS 12.3 last night on my new iPhone Xs and now the iPhone shows as connected!!! Maybe the issue is fixed?

Al8041 · ‎05-17-2019

I don't see Device Details on my xFi App on my iPhone Xs.

Al8041 · ‎02-05-2019

@Rustyben wrote: what is the symptom of not working. did the remote's LED flash as you pressed channel or xfinity button? if so what color(s)? I'm not sure. You could be right about the batteries. However, the keypad did light up when I picked it up per usual. I ended up changing the batteries and it still did not work. It did not work until I went online and found the "setup/981" method. So perhaps the batts were weak. However, even if they were dead it should still haver worked when I added new ones, right? You do't have to re-pair/re-set each time you change batts. I never have had to.

Al8041 · ‎02-05-2019

@RobertWy wrote: @Al8041 wrote: I did change the batteries but I still could not get past the Select Language until I did Setup/981. Probably re-set the STB with no pairing, clearing out garbage or whatever was causing the issue. The hand-held remote was working fine for a year. All of a sudden it stopped. So I still don't understand whay might have caused the problem. Are you saying it might have been a result of the nightly re-set that Comcast does automatically? I thought it does that only to the large box, not the small "slave" one?

Al8041 · ‎02-04-2019

I did change the batteries but I still could not get past the Select Language until I did Setup/981.

Al8041 · ‎02-03-2019

@RobertWy wrote: Ni ckue; how much distance is there between where you use the remote and the X1 box you are using? Too much distance might cause this. Distance is bed to the TV, maybe 15 feet. Been working great until this one time.

Al8041 · ‎02-02-2019

The other day, for no reason I can think of, we lost the pairing to the X11 remote. The batteries were fine. We don't use the voice option and don't use it to control the TV. I had to do the "Settup/981" routine to get past the "select language" screen. It only happened on the small DVR box upstaris in bedroom, not the large one in the living room. We love Xfinity X1. Has worked great for the one year we've had it... until this glitch. I'm wondering what could have caused it? Thanks.

Al8041 · ‎01-30-2019

This has been going on since the end of June... it is seven months later, and Comcast programmers still can't figure it out? It is either that or this issue is not anywhere near a priority to them.

Al8041 · ‎12-08-2018

I thought I had to report this to Xfinity? I tired some of the other IP lookup sites and some of them have the correct address. Others don't. Neither does my VPN (Witopia).

Al8041 · ‎12-08-2018

Well, I will report it when you give me the information. No idea about MAC address cloaning. We use the ARRIS TG1682G gateway (XB3). Do different MAC (hardware) addresses 'equate' to different geographical locations? Thanks.

Al8041 · ‎12-08-2018

A couple of weeks ago Xfinity sent about 30 trucks here to re-wire our neighborhood for fiber. We didn't get any faster speeds but they say we will get more stable internet streaming. Works great so far. But I notice that before the re-wire I was connected to the backbone not far from my Sacramento, CA home. Now when I do "WhatsMyIP" I see Laural, NJ. Should I restart the Arris gateway box or does it matter? I would think Xfinity would connect us to someplace closer... than New Jersey?

Al8041 · ‎11-22-2018

@Lisabev wrote: Thank you. I have sent them everything and they replied saying they would forward it to their engineers. I did that eariler... and so far no results. I doubt it is a high priority item for their software developers.

Al8041 · ‎11-19-2018

Thanks for taking the time to answer me. I will try this once the Thanksgiving holiday is over and the guests have left. I don't want to bring down my network and have something go sideways with guests on the way.

Al8041 · ‎11-17-2018

I have the ARRIS TG1682G gateway downstairs. I have 'home run' Cat6 cables running from it to my computers and Apple TV boxes. Thus, we don't use wi-fi too often... just for the cell phones and iPads, The wi-fi fron the gateway is weak upstairs where I use my iPad (to read in bed.) I have a relatively new Apple Extreme basestation (white 'tower') router sitting in the closet gathering dust as it was replaced when we moved to Comcast from DSL. Is there a way I could use that router to increase the wi-fi signal? I was thinking two ways: 1. Use the router upstairs with no ethernet connection. It would pick up the wi-fi from the gate way and 'amplify' it. This is simple to do with all Apple equipment but I don't think it can be done with the non-Apple ARRIS. 2. Take the ethernet cable out of the TV streamer box (Apple TV) and pop it in the Apple Router upstairs. Connect the TV box to the router via a short patch cable. Then configure the Apple router to pass the signal from the TV box to the gateway AND rebroadcast a wif-fi signal that the iPad could hear. (I still want the ARRIS wi-fi signal for downstairs as I often bring my iPad down there and have my iPhone there as well.) (Note: The TV box can go wi-fi, but for multiple reasons I don't want to do that.) So, is this possible? Does anyone know how? I think this is called a LAN to LAN configuration where you have both ethernet and wi-fi with two routers. I hate to have this expensive Apple router do nothing and have poor wi-fi upstairs. Thanks for any help you can share.

Al8041 · ‎11-16-2018

This is very strange.... especially over many different pieces of equipment, browsers, and equipment. Are you connecting over ethernet or wi-fi? If ethernet maybe try a different Cat 6 cable? What model of Gateway do you have, or are these separate modems and routers? What does Comcast support say? Have them come out and bring a new box and see if it is slow for them? Keep us apraised.

Al8041 · ‎11-13-2018

My Arris gateway screen comes up using 10.0.0.1 in a few seconds so I don't know what the issue is with yours. I run an iMac on macOS High Sierra. Now my Accounts app says the gateway is not connected!!! So according to these apps my iPhone is not connected to the gateway and the gateway is not connected to the internet... both are totally false. I've given up on both apps. I don't trust either of them.

Al8041 · ‎11-06-2018

@joey12volt wrote: Well for Comcast, it's a high priority app.. and since this problem deals with iPhones, which is sorta a popular phone, I would suggest they fix it. The xFi app is NO good if we can't do what it says we can with it. How can we control a childs WiFi usage on an iPhone if it says never connected, but it is!? Can you do any of this from the gateway itself via http://10.0.0.1 ? Or maybe from the Xfinity account on the web? I thought this app was just a substitute for direct administration of the gateway box via the 10.0.0.1 interface.

Al8041 · ‎11-06-2018

I've not heard of a solution. I'm a iPhone software developer and I have some ideas as to what the probem is.... it could be a whole host of things... and without seeing the code I would not venture my guess in public. I'm sure they will find it and fix it. It is not like it is a high priority app for any of us.

Al8041 · ‎11-04-2018

There has been an update to the app but it still shows my iPhone 7 as "not connected" which makes no sense since I'm using THAT PHONE to monitor the network! How can the iPhone not be connected and still show all the other devices, etc.? We had an outage last week and the gateway resynced (maybe it re-booted?) when the line came back (after about an hour... outages have been rare here... we love Comcast... get service!) So I thought that might 'fix' the iPhone Xfin app.... but it didn't. I have no faith in the integrity of the app and as such I won't use it for anything. It is just as easy to login to the gateway via the browser via http://10.0.0.1 and administrate from there. Al

Al8041 · ‎10-27-2018

@ComcastMartin wrote: AI8041, That means you can view bills online. When we dumped ATT DSL last year and get X1 I was able to go tot he retail store and pick the DVR boxes and the Arris gateway without any problem. Maybe we'll just leave my wife as the account holder and I'll log in as her and make me a 'primary' via this: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/change-your-primary-account-user and that should be good enough until she is well enough for the phone call or go to the store. I don't know why you make it so difficult but I guess you have your reasons. Thanks for your help. I do appreciate it.

Al8041 · ‎10-27-2018

I just signed in as my wife, looked at "users" and I see that I'm what they call an "unrestricted secondary." What does that mean?

Al8041 · ‎10-27-2018

Now I'm even more confused. You have the account holder. You have authorized user. You have primary user. You have secondary user. Can you explain to me the "rights and priviledges" of each of the above? Thanks.

Al8041 · ‎10-27-2018

@ComcastMartin wrote: Hello Al8041, to do a change of responsibility, you both would need to go in person to one of our service centers, with a valid form of ID. As for your second question, we have two forms of "users". We have a secondary user, in the sense where your wife could add you to see bill details, have access to the account online, a Comcast username, etc. Then we have our billing authorized user, which can only be added by your wife in person or over the phone. Your name will then be added to our billing system. Does that make sense? I can clarify any other questions you have. OK, thank you. What can a "billing authorized user" do that a primary (or secondary) user can't do? I can log in as my wife. No problem. I did that a while ago to make myself the 'secondary' account. I saw somewhere that I can log in as her and make myself primary but she would still be the so-called account-holder. Since I pay the bills and I take care of the Arris gateway and deal with calling Comcast when there are issues (we love Comcast... it is hardly ever down and when it is they fix both the TV and Internet quickly) I should be 'primary' as well as the account owner. Is it true that I can log in as her and make her secondary and me primary? Is this operative: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/change-your-primary-account-user It is not a big deal leaving her as the so-called 'responsible party' but that is in name only since I do everything related to Comcast. I don't think I want to drive a half an hour to your retail store, stand on line for another half an hour, just to change the responsibile party. My wife is disabled and would be a bit much for her. You say I can do this over the phone? Bottom line, it is silly for us to have a primary and secondary user. We only need one account and it should be me as primary user... but it is no big deal. So again, what can she do as account owner that I can't do if I become 'primary.' ?

Al8041 · ‎10-27-2018

My wife started our Comcast account (for TV) many, many years ago. They made her the primary account and I am considered 'secondary.' I pay the bills and take care of any tech issues and becasue of her medical issues it is best if I am in full control of the account. What is the procedure for either: 1. Putting the account in my name 2. Leaving account in her name and making me 'primary" (I honestly do know know the difference between 'name on account' and 'primary/secondary') It is not urgent or even all that important... but it would make things a bit easier for us. We are in our 70s. Thank you for whatever help you can provide.

Al8041 · ‎10-27-2018

I received a courtesy note from this forum asking if the problem was solved. No, it wasn't.... and isn't. The other day the gateway was rebooted by Xfinity when I did a service renewal. I did not do the restart myself so I don't know if it was a 'complete' restart. Since the xFi app does not work 100% I simply don't trust it to do the restart. The xFi app still says my iPhone 7 is NOT connected to the gateway even though I'm using the iPhone to accesss the gateway!! So on one level the app work fine... but somewhere there is a glitch in the "Devices" section of their code. I do want to post this becasue it relates to the service level I recevied here and from the company. I've been with Comcast/Xfinity for about 15 years subscribing to their cable TV service. It was not until a year ago that I switched from ATT DSL to Xfinity internet service. My contact is up in a month. I mentioned on the Xfinity forum that Xfinity said that they would raise my rate from $153 a month to $173 a month... $20 more a month or $240 more a year... for no value added. I posted that I would 'cut the cord' and just get internet service... perhaps again from ATT. Being age 70 on a fixed income, $153 was my limit. I would not spend more unless I got more, which I didn't. One of the Digital Care representatives known only to me as Tambrey read the post and went 'to bat' for me and was able to get me a promotion that DIDN'T keep my service level the same for the same amount of money, but INSTEAD kept it the same for $10 a month LESS than I'm paying now! Tambrey put into motion the renewal process and sent me a link to it so that all I had to do was review it, check two boxes, and click 'submit.' The changes will show up in December when the account rolls over. My point is that for years and years and years Comcast has won award after award as the company with the worst service in America. What entity was hated more than Comcast... besides the IRS? I know that Comcast went public a year or so ago and said that they would make changes and would do all they could to solve their service problems and do a much better job. No one believed them. Well, I'm writing this today to tell you that they have succeeded. From where I stand, they have turned their ship around. I don't know what everyone's renewal experience will be, but mine was excellent. Thank you, Tambrey, whomever you might be.

Al8041 · ‎10-20-2018

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Al8041 · ‎10-20-2018

It shows my iPhone is not connected... but I'm using that device to ACCESS the gateway!! My guess is that there will be an update to this buggy app real soon now.

Al8041 · ‎10-20-2018

And same here. The app says my iPhone is not connected... but I'm using that device to ACCESS the gateway with the app!!! I reinstalled the app, but did not restart the gateway box as I'm afraid that if I shut it down it won't come back!! All my devices are working just fine. My guess is the problem is in the xFi app and that it will get fixed in the next version... which will probably be very soon.

Al8041 · ‎10-20-2018

Well, just as I suspected, something must have gotten fixed server-side because I can now connect with the xFi app via my iPhone. The app says my iPhone is NOT connected to the gateway. How can that be if I'm using it to ACCESS the gateway box. It also says my wife's iPhone is not connected or her iPad. Yet, like my iPhone, her devices work just fine. I think that the last itteration of this app introduced a level of instabilty that the previous one didn't. It's not a big deal... eventually it will get fixed... and if it doesn't, it is not a app I really need. As long as everything works, I'm good. We've had excellent performance from Xfinity in our area since I changed to them from ATT ten months ago. I'm a happy customer, although a poorer one @ $153 a month!!

Al8041 · ‎10-19-2018

@ComcastTambrey wrote: Modem provisions are almost instantaneous and the most downtime customers see is the 5-ish minutes it takes for the modem to reboot. If you change your mind, I'm here to help. Thank you for that info. But what are the security implications for turning over my gateway to one of your tech people, probably an off-shore contractor, perhaps also surrenduring access to the MAC addreses of the devices on the gateway which could allow for more intrusive penetration. I know you mean to help, but at your level, I am fairly certain that you do not have the technical knowledge that I have and are not aware of the risks that a customer takes should he or she allow the kind of access you are requesting.

Al8041 · ‎10-19-2018

I understand but I'm willing to forgo use of the app instead of compromising my security. Also, a re-provision might bring down the gateway for an hour... or a day... I'm not sure. Your company does not have the best track-record in the world on solving support issues. At the end of the day, I am sure that the issue will be found in the app, not in the gateway... which is working perfectly. I'll sit this one out for a while. I'm not the only person with the issue and my guess is that the last app update which was a few days ago is causing the problem and that a new version will be out soon. Or, there was a gateway update last night that will be fixed in the one you do tonight. I do thank you for your kind attention.

Al8041 · ‎10-19-2018

I reinstalled the app on my iPhone. I still get the "not available" message. I am not comfortable giving you to access to my ARRIS TG1682G gateway box which woud give you access to every device on my network (if you knew how.) Why not tell me what to look for. I can access it via the 10.0.0.1 interface. I've been a software engineer for 20+ years. Thank you.

Al8041 · ‎10-19-2018

We had an outage an hour or so ago but the internet is back up now. However, the Xfi app says "settings currently unavailable" yet I'm about two feet from the ARRIS TG1682G gateway which is working just fine. There is no way on iPhone that I can find to 'clear data' and I don't believe that re-installing the app is going to help. Anyone have suggestions? Could this be a server-side issue... at the Xfinity 'switch' or whatever they call it?

Al8041 · ‎10-10-2018

   wrote: , this has been sorted out. Please check the Device Details at your convenience and let me know if you see any discrepancies.    Thanks, Brittany Brittany:   It is fixed!! Even though I am away from home and the iMac is shut off and not connected (obviously) the xFi iPhone app now shows the correct metadata for the iMac.    Did they tell you what the problem was? Was it mistake in their table of MAC addresses for each device type as I suspected?    Thank you for your help. I love Comcast... great company... you used to be the most hated company in the country and I know the company made a public commitment to change that and as far as I'm concerned YOU HAVE!    Feel free to share this note with your superiors.    You're the best!   Alan <edited private information>

Al8041 · ‎10-09-2018

OK, I figured out how to send it. You should have it in a few mins. Al

Al8041 · ‎10-09-2018

Scroll down? I don't understand. There is no way to change the device ID MODEL. Yes, you can change the 'name' of the device from TV to Computer... that is easy via the Edit button at top right of the app. But if you click Devices, and then the device you want to see (your computer) and then scroll down to Device Details.... it shows the Host, the Brand, operating system and the MODEL. It says my iMac is an Apple-TV using tvOS. Obviously that is false. My only guess is that Xfinity is looking at the MAC address of my iMac, looks at where it is in the 'range' of Apple MAC addresses and is concluding that it must be an Apple TV. How else would it determine the Model? Thanks,

Al8041 · ‎10-08-2018

I have the xFi app. When I go to the Device Details of my iMac connected via cable to the Xfinity router box, it has the right hostname and the right Brand (Apple) but it says the Model is Apple-TV and the Operating System is tvOS. The other iMac on the network is correct. Why does xFi think that mine is a TV box? The iMac works just fine on the net... but it is NOT an Apple TV!!!! (Note we have an Apple TV box and it is labeled correctly.) Thanks.

Al8041 · ‎08-19-2018

Now it is working again for me. Box goes off after 4 hours (give or take.) My guess is that it was a software screwup that Comcast did not want to admit to.

Al8041 · ‎08-04-2018

I have the same problem. It used to work, not it doesn't and I have not made any changes. It is not a big deal as I can push the button to turn it off, but I would like to know if everyone is having the same problem. Maybe it is glitch from a software update. Please advise. Thank you.