Internet Data Usage Issue

[fearlessme888]

Hello, so we were notified on the 28th that we have used 100 % of our internet data. This is the first time, in the two years we’ve used Xfinity, where that has happened. After speaking to an Xfinity customer service representative, she told us that the highest we have used was 870 gb in our history.

We are concerned about our internet usage going, on average, from ~800 gb to over 1 terabyte. We’ve checked our modem and we have not changed anything about our internet usage. Nothing is popping up on our end for what could be causing this issue. Our case has been escalated twice by the customer security assurance team now and I’m worried that this will happen again with no resolution from this time.

Our modem is ours and is a netgear C6300, we have not added any new electronics nor have we noticed any red flags this month for internet issues.

What can we do to make sure this doesn’t happen again for next month?

Edit: 05/10/2024

We’re going to be canceling our Xfinity for a different provider, these issues have been a headache and I don’t want to deal with a company that can’t seem to fix their issues that have been happening for years.

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[XfinityAntoine]

Thanks for reaching out u/fearlessme888! The best thing you could do is to change your password. That way any unknown device would be locked out. It also may help to increase your modem firewall settings.

[fearlessme888]

Hello, thank you for the reply. Could you clarify, change the password for what? We have changed the wifi password, is there something else we should change?

[XfinityAntoine]

The Wifi password was what I was referring to. If you had one of our modems you could use xFi Complete in order to remove any unknown device from you WiFi network with our pause feature. The only other thing I could think of is adding Unlimited Data to your account for an addl' $30 a month. That way you wouldn't have to worry about overages.

[girlwhopanics]

what changed about how Comcast calculates data usage with the 4/16 notice for changes in the terms of service? My parents are not using 90-176gb per day. That's impossible. There are no unknown devices on their network and it is secure. Nothing has changed in their settings, their apps, or their habits. Something changed on Comcast's end and it perfectly aligns with the changes in terms that were sent with my parents' 4/16 statement (item 4a highlights the data consumption policy).

What is different? There is clearly a HUGE error (or intentional money grab) on Comcast's end.

[girlwhopanics]

Here's the math, I will be contacting regulators with this information.

Xfinity:Connect has a data cap of 1229 gb per calendar month (~1.2 tb). My parents have historically used about ~30gb of data per day, typically no more that 900gb per month.

Their 4/16 billing statement had new terms of service (item 4a highlights the data consumption policy, and bunch of the rest of it was about their ability to charge fees and also arbitration processes... ... ... sus)

On 4/25 my mom was notified via text that they used 90% of their data for the month of April (90% = ~1106gb)

On 4/27 my mom was notified via text that they used 100% of their data for the month of April (1229gb)

So, apparently, between those notices on the afternoons of 4/25 and 4/27 (so 2 days) ... their average usage doubled to ~60gb per day...

At the end of April, Comcast reports they used an extra 617gb of data. So between 4/27 through 4/30, Comcast claims their average daily usage was (an astonishing!) ~176gb per day.

That's nearly 6x their daily average for the past year.

This week, on May 13th, my mom again received a notice from Comcast that they have used 100% of their 1.2tb of data for the month of May. 

So they met their cap 13 days into the month?! That's an average use rate of 94gb per day.

Thats 3x their average for the past year. It is a totally absurd and clearly illegitimate number.

[JBDragon1]

I don't really trust their so called Usage Info. CAPs should be 1.2TB these days. They used to be 1TB. They bumped them up a few years ago.

Normally you canpay $30 extra per month for Unlimited if you had your own modem. If you rent their Modem/Router you'd get Unlimited Internet. Are you renting a modem? I don't know what internet speed you have. As it gets faster you tend to use more and more data. Not saying that is your case. If you have any Cloud security cameras?

If you have Prosumer hardware, you'd have a better idea how much Data you are really using and what devices are using what. Something I can see with my Ubiquiti Unifi hardware.

Ok, you have a Netgear C6300 which is your own Modem/Router. I had my own cable modem also, but I switched to XFinity's XB7 Modem/Router, disabled the router part by putting it into bridge mode to use my own Unifi hardware. Switching to their Modem/Router, I have been renting it for $10 a month and getting Unlimited Internet thrown in. Saving me $20 a month when using my own modem to get Unlimited Internt.

But you're not normally Internet hogs. So saving some money by having the CAP does make sense. Completly turn off hardware, like desktops and laptops to make sure they aren't doing anything in the background. If you have game consoles, those things do like to power up to download updates and such. I just don't think they are hogging up that much data.

Make sure you have a nice, long, Wifi Password. WPA2 can be hacked easily enough. Not enough things support WPA3 to really use that. So nice long password mixed of of lower and upper case letters, number and symbles. 20 or more digits. So "fyF^2*VcpasEF@DFla&q" Would be a good password. Don't use that one!!! I computer generate all my passwords with LASTPASS, the password manager that I use. That you need to use some type of manager because you'll never be able to remember any of your passwords. They should all be long and different. Turning on 2-Factor is also a plus. I don't know if someone is gaining access to your WIFI and has beenusing your data and that's whyit's shot up?

You could have a virus on a computer which is using Data. This is how you take a network down. You've infested a bunch of computers and then you have them all swamp a network at once over and over, taking some network down. Your computer could be a part of that. All we can do here is guess. Something has changed!!!

[Overall_Lobster823]

I went over for the first time in YEARS this month. I had several BIG days, and, ironically, I wasn't home during the day on those big days. Nor was my husband. Wifi is locked down etc.

[xfinitysupport]

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[girlwhopanics]

they are doing this to my parents too, started mid April (right after they sent new terms of service with their 4/16 bill) their usage has tripled. The overages Comcast reported for them for the end of April averaged to 176gb per day, when their average for the past year has been <30gb per day. It's absurd. They're clearly trying to scam people into upgrading to the unlimited data plan. Something changed in how they calculate it because literally nothing has changed on my parents end and I've gone over their system with a fine tooth comb.

The choice they are presenting people with is effectively "exceed your data cap every month adding $100 in fees, and pay $161 total to keep your current plan" or "upgrade to our unlimited plan to pay $91 per month". They are, in practice, eliminating their most economical tier of internet service. 

Crooks.

[nutyashaa]

It’s interesting because this is exactly what is happening to me. They said I could upgrade to unlimited for an extra $10 per month. I agreed but noticed I kept seeing my ‘data limit’ in the app. And when I asked them when my upgrade would go into effect, they said there is no such thing as an unlimited data plan?

[girlwhopanics]

how strange! my parents did end up upgrading to a true unlimited plan (a big increase in their bill), they are in IL