Comcast Xfinity customers will experience faster internet speeds at no additional cost this week as the Philadelphia-based telecommunications giant rolls out automatic upgrades.
Emily Waldorf, senior vice president of consumer internet services, said the move is the latest in a series of periodic speed increases Comcast has implemented over the years to keep up with increased usage. Stated.
Some customers will see this change automatically applied to their home Wi-Fi. Some people may need to upgrade their router to a model that supports faster speeds.
Comcast had about 30 million home broadband customers at the end of 2023, according to its latest earnings report. The company declined to comment on how many customers across the region were upgraded or how many required new equipment.
Here’s what else you need to know:
How much will my Comcast Xfinity internet speed change?
These tier plans increase your download speed by:
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Connecting (starting at $25/month): 75Mbps to 150Mbps
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more connected (starting at $35): 200Mbps to 300Mbps
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fast (starting at $45): 400Mbps to 500Mbps
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Xfinity Prepaid ($45 for first 30 days, no contract): 50Mbps to 200Mbps
While Comcast’s marketing focuses solely on download speeds, spokeswoman Jennifer Bilotta said upload speeds will increase from 10Mbps to 20Mbps on all plans. However, “the majority of customer activity is still focused on download speed,” she added.
James Willcox, senior electronics editor at Consumer Reports, said upload speed has become more important to consumers in recent years as more consumers work from home.
You upload data when you join a Zoom call, post on social media, or play a video game. Experts recommend an upload speed of at least 10Mbps for most homes.
Will you notice an upgrade to your Comcast Xfinity internet?
it depends.
Those on Connect and Prepaid plans will likely notice the biggest improvements, with speeds jumping to 150Mbps and 200Mbps. Most streaming services automatically adjust picture quality based on internet speed, so cord cutters may be able to see a clearer picture the next time they watch their favorite shows.
“For most people, it probably won’t make a huge difference,” Wilcox says. “200Mbps will probably be enough for most homes.”
» Read more: How to improve your home WiFi without calling customer service, according to Comcast experts
How can I check if my router is capable of faster speeds?
People who connect to the internet with a direct wired connection automatically get faster speeds.
However, “most people connect via WiFi rather than an Ethernet cable or wire,” Wilcox said. “For a wireless home, your router and network must be able to support faster speeds.”
If you lease an Xfinity modem router called a “Gateway” that cannot support the new speeds, the company will send you an email asking if you want an upgraded device at no additional cost (you may need to return your old equipment). there is) ).
If you have your own router, you can Google the device’s capabilities or visit speedtest.net to see how fast your upload and download speeds are.
Is it easy to upgrade Xfinity Gateway if needed?
It’s interesting so you should give it a listen.
I needed to upgrade my gateway to access the new download speeds, but I was wary of replacing the equipment since my WiFi had previously failed. Every time we moved, we had setup issues that required a technician to come out. So I put off for days even opening his Xfinity package using the new gateway.
However, this device replacement actually It was pretty seamless and took about 15 minutes.
To connect and activate new equipment, you must disconnect old equipment. As a result, your device will be temporarily Wi-Filess during part of the setup process. I don’t have the strongest cell phone service in my apartment, so getting the Xfinity app’s activation assistant up and running proved to be the hardest part.
I also initially forgot what I had changed my account password to back in December, but it set me back a few minutes when I was asked to change it for all Xfinity customers. Before you begin, we recommend that you log in and load the app activation tool.
At the end of this process, I found that I was able to keep my WiFi network name and password. This means you don’t have to manually reconnect your TV, phone, or laptop to a new network.
According to Speedtest.net, maximum download speeds increased by more than 100Mbps within minutes of the switch, jumping from 480Mbps to 591Mbps, while upload speeds remained at around 24Mbps.
Why is Comcast Xfinity upgrading internet speeds now?
“We regularly upgrade speeds to stay ahead of customer demand for bandwidth and provide more value to our services,” spokesman Bilotta said.
The federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides a $30 monthly subsidy for home internet for low-income people, could also run out of funding next month unless Congress takes action. If that happens, about 23 million U.S. households will no longer have access to the internet, potentially deepening the digital divide.
“The speed improvements being rolled out today will ensure that those who may be affected by the termination of ACP continue to have access to fast, affordable and reliable internet options,” Comcast said in a statement Wednesday. “It will help us,” he said, encouraging those who are not affected. If you can afford your current plan without subsidies, please call 1-800-934-6489 to discuss alternatives.
» Read more: Rural Pennsylvanians crave the internet. Biden’s infrastructure bill could help.
“I think it’s really important that cable companies that offer budget plans increase the speed of those plans, because there are a lot of people who are going to struggle once their funding expires,” Wilcox said. Told.
This upgrade is a win-win for Comcast and its customers.
“Cable companies will be hurt,” Wilcox said. “Their real business model now is the Internet, not television.”
“This is both a good public relations message and a practical reality: it’s a way to retain customers,” he added.
How is Verizon Fios Internet different from Comcast Xfinity?
Verizon Fios’ two basic plans will have speeds of 300Mbps and 500Mbps, respectively, starting in 2022, spokesman Christopher Celico said. These packages start at a higher price than Xfinity, unless he is already a Verizon Mobile customer. If so, the 300Mbps plan is about $10 less per month than the same speed plan on Xfinity, and the 500Mbps plan is about the same price.
The advantage of fiber internet like Verizon’s is that the speeds are symmetrical. That means you get 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps for both downloading and uploading data.
How much internet speed do you really need?
The Federal Communications Commission defines broadband as a download speed of at least 25 Mbps and an upload speed of at least 3 Mbps, but experts believe broadband is a broadband We recommend that most households with devices opt for something more. Wilcox said that as a “minimum” he recommends a download speed of 50Mbps.
If you do a lot of 4K or HD streaming, make a lot of video calls, or have gamers in your home, you might want a faster plan if you can afford it. If you still have cable TV, don’t stream much, and just casually browse the internet on a few devices, you’ll probably save money on a lower plan. Consumer Reports has a handy “How fast does your internet need to be?” Calculator on the website.
