So Comcast had a free offer for upgrading the cable modem box. I decided to send in for it, because why not. It turns out that it also functions as a wireless hub. However, I’d like to keep on using my old Airport Express for now; I have the security settings the way I like it, and it seems a hassle to set up another box the way I want,
I know there’s no reason I can’t do so, equipment wise, but now I’ll have two wireless connections within a foot of each other. Will this be a problem? Should I stay with my old cable box if I intend to stay with my current hub? Is the wireless with the new box better?
The only reason to upgrade is to give Comcast your hub/AP for general subscriber use. It has no benefit for you except that it might be a marginally newer standard than your old junk.
Go buy a good cable modem instead. You’ll save at least that much the first year and with better equipment. (Motorola 6121, for most regions/users.)
I just did the equipment upgrade, and running speed tests seems to show faster access speeds than my old equipment. Also, what do you mean by giving Comcast your hub/AP for general subscriber use?
Some great majority of Comcast-provided modems are cheap and outdated junk, for which subscribers are paying $5-10 a month.
The current basic standard is DOCSIS 3.0, which is much faster and more reliable than prior standards (mostly DOCSIS 2.0 on the rental gear). If you buy your own first-rate modem for around $60-70, you save the equipment rental fee and often have a much better, much faster, much more reliable modem that is paid for within the year and free after that.
The only reason Comcast is swapping out old gear for the new wireless-hub stuff is to build a base for their shared/semipublic wifi network. Lucky you, you get to host any passing Comcast subscriber unless you specifically opt out - and maybe not even then.
Well, for one thing the SSID for this program is “xfinitywifi”. Presumably that’s not the SSID for your home network. So that would seem to indicate it’s a separate network.
Oh, I’m willing to concede right on the face of it that it’s a nominally different wifi network. So what? I have three running on my Ubiquiti pucks. They are three different wireless connections, not three independent networks. What I completely distrust is the security and firewall separation of those networks, especially on Comcast’s cheap-ass gear set up for their maximum convenience, and the notion that someone who lives, say, right next to a park or restaurant is going to see no impact on their own speeds and bandwidth.
For those who want to buy their own modem, be sure to check Comcast’s approved list for your service area and buy one from the first-tier, recommended models. They will often give you a lot of pushback - your modem might break, be hard to configure, cause problems, etc. - but if you get something on the level of the Motorola 6121, they can’t say you’re using junk.
Saving money by buying a Zoom or off-brand modem might not be the best idea here, as quality pays in speed and reliability AND keeps Comcast from having a reason to hassle you.
The Arris TG8 modem I use from Comcast works great. I’ve got 100Mb download speeds from this computer that’s hardwired to the modem and around 50Mb speeds for all the wireless stuff we use here…and no lag when multiple people are streaming, gaming, etc simultaneously.
Some Comcast gear is fine. You’re clearly paying for a premium tier of service, too.
Most users get outdated junk, sometimes on its third or fourth deployment. If you don’t do speed tests, you’ll never know you’re only getting part of what’s available or what you’re paying for. And now with the semi-public wifi rollout, it’s even smarter to run your own gear.