This is a longshot but does anyone here know much about how to log in to an Xfinity router?
When I go to the URL 10.0.0.1 (listed as the router’s URL on the bottom of the router) it shows me an xfinity logo and asks for a user name and password. I didn’t see a username and password listed on the bottom of the router (usually you’d see one there or somewhere on the router anyway) so I called Comcast to ask about it. They said I should use the Network Name and the Network Key–i.e., the same values I use to connect to the router. I wondered if they’d misunderstood my question, but wasn’t sure, and anyway, I tried it. The values didn’t work–I got an “incorrect login” popup. They then transferred me to “Xfinity Signature Service.” That person said “I can definitely fix your problem, it will cost you $80.”
She also believes the network name and network key listed on the bottom of the router should work. But they aren’t working, she says, because of a “problem with the router’s settings,” and they need to log in to my computer remotely to fix it. Hence, $80.
For my part, I certainly don’t want to pay $80 for this. And moreover, I suspect I shouldn’t have to since, apparently, the router’s settings have had this problem from the beginning. (I say this because this is the first time I’ve ever tried to log in to the router. It’s not like I used to be able to log in and now I can’t.) Plus–I’m not even completely sure they’ve understood exactly what I’m asking. It’s not usual, in my admittedly limited experience, for the router login info to be the same as the router connection info.
What’s riding on this is: My Roku has stopped being able to connect to my router. This could just be a problem with the Roku, but I can’t be sure til I’ve at least had a look-see at things in my router’s management suite. But to do that I have to log in to it.
Plus, it’s just, you know, good to be able to actually manage the device without having to cough up an extra $80 for the privilege.
There’s just a generic username and password you usually use to log in to most routers – “admin” and “password”. I think I used to know this, but it I didn’t know it this morning. Someone reminded me of it.
So here’s another problem, and I don’t know if it’s related. In retrospect, it seems like the two problems started happening at the same time, and it’s possible they’re related, but it could be a coincidence.
This other problem is more serious, as I don’t strictly need my Roku to work but I do need my router to work!
This began happening two days ago. Every few hours, every device in the house will become disconnected from the router, and the router no longer will show up in their lists of available networks. The router’s wi-fi light flashes steadily. I reset the router, and it works fine again–for a few hours.
I’ve started a thread on Comcast’s tech support forum, where it seems there are in fact knowledgeable people who sometimes actually help. (I can’t tell if they are Comcast employees or just other customers.)
But meanwhile I also wonder if any Doper techies have any idea what may be happening and what I should do. I certainly don’t want to call Xfinity “Signature Support” now that I know they charge $80. But just getting a new router may not be sufficient–the device I’m talking about is a router/modem combo, so if it’s got a problem, it may involve or have implications for the modem for all I know and a new router won’t help. (I mean this particular problem appears to have more to do with the router side of things than the modem side of things but in a small electronic device everything’s connected…)
You could turn off the wireless capability of the Comcast router and install a wireless access point downstream of the router. If you have an spare wireless router available you may be able to use it. It is not too complicated to do, but there is some tech know-how required. The second post in this recent thread should help.
How old is the router? It may be that its time is simply up, and you need a new one. We had similar issues a year or so back, and that was the ultimate problem/solution.
We’re probably going to just live with this til it drives us nuts enough to figure out how to have it go into access point mode and use our old router instead.
OR
Comcast says it’s $80 to do tech service on it, but on the other hand, we’re not a monopoly area here and I can plausibly threaten to switch to AT&T… could be worth a shot if it gets bad enough that I’m willing to switch.
Two things I would try. An AT&T wireless router a friend once had has a wireless “power” option. The default setting was very low. If yours has such a setting, set it to the max value.
If the router lets you select the wireless channel number, try different channels and see if any are more stable.
I wasn’t familiar with Xfinity Signature Support, but a quick read suggests that it’s intended to cover troubleshooting of your own personal devices that are connected to the network. If they told me I had to pay for help with a router I had just purchased from them, I’d be riotously pissed off.
Not to mention wanting to charge $80 for the default router login. Aren’t de facto monopolies wonderful things?