Comcast home networking

Jeremy · 02-14-2007, 12:15 PM

I currently have comcast internet and one computer hooked up to my cable modem. I am looking to create a wireless network. Looking at the comcast website it looks like you have to pay $150 to get Home Networking installed and $170 to buy there approved wireless router. Can you do it yourself if you already have the components and just tell them to allow multiple connections on your network or does it have to be done by comcast?

Cool Texan · 02-14-2007, 12:27 PM

DO NOT PAY COMCAST FOR THIS!!!!!

Hook up wireless router and do it yourself. Quick....easy....free.

Jeremy · 02-14-2007, 12:34 PM

Thats what i thought just didnt know if i needed to call them so that they could allow my network to be accessed by multiple computers in my house or not? I have a linksys cable modem that i will leave my desktop plugged into, what do you recommend for a wireless router?

Cool Texan · 02-14-2007, 12:39 PM

No, comcast doesnt need to know a thing about what you're doing.

Wireless router...I recommend the ones that have deals going on them. Shouldnt cost much money. We recently got a new G router, and I think we paid $10-$15 if that much. Give me some time, I'll find you something.

Edit....no really exciting deals out there. A few at $30, but that's it. If you can wait, there will be savings to be had on these.

cougfan · 02-14-2007, 01:13 PM

The maximum number of devices behind their modem that they will allow per circuit is 6.

Cool Texan · 02-14-2007, 01:17 PM

How do they measure or see this? I'm not a technical guy, so I dont know. Couldnt you go from modem to router to router to 10 devices? Would they see the ONE device behind the modem, or all 11?

StickFish · 02-14-2007, 01:46 PM

I believe the 6 limitation is the number of e-mail boxes you can have with comcast. The modem hooked to a router with a hardware firewall would only see one device the router. You can have like 250 wireless devices off of a wireless access point or some such.

Cool Texan · 02-14-2007, 01:48 PM

Stick...that's what I thought too. Who knows.

Chrome Bumper · 02-14-2007, 01:54 PM

We've got 3 or 4 computers on our Comcast cable. The installer actually helped us hook up our $60 router that came from a computer store, so don't sweat it.

Wifey has our phone through Comcast now too.

reelfine · 02-14-2007, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cool Texan

How do they measure or see this? I'm not a technical guy, so I dont know. Couldnt you go from modem to router to router to 10 devices? Would they see the ONE device behind the modem, or all 11?

I've seen a working demonstration using IP TTL to detect hosts behind a NAT. It works fairly well, but I don't know how effective it would be in something the size of an ISP network. Also, what difference does it make to them? You have a limited amount of bandwidth, if you want to suck it up with a dozen devices all doing downloads or uploads or something, that's your problem... :-)

Your only problem is that if you call their support line and have an "unsupported" configuration, they will just make you change it to a supported config before helping you. It used to be that way with Linux systems... you had to call them up and lie to them before they would even check your connection or give you the proxy information for activating your connection because their lame activation CD was windows only:

"What's that? Oh yeah, I run um, Windows XP. Yeah that's right. My CD drive is busted. No, it's fried, I don't want to troubleshoot it over the phone with you. What's that activation URL again?"

Heh.

cougfan · 02-14-2007, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StickFish

I believe the 6 limitation is the number of e-mail boxes you can have with comcast. The modem hooked to a router with a hardware firewall would only see one device the router. You can have like 250 wireless devices off of a wireless access point or some such.

Believe me, I tried to get more than 6 static IP addresses and couldn't do it. You are correct however in that if you put in a firewall and privately address everything behind it then you should be able to get away with it. You can set up your home network in numerous ways but here are 2 that work good. And remember as far as network security is concerned I can only guarantee 100% security if your network is turned off.

Anyway, you can come into your wireless router and serve DHCP to your wireless side and for your home/networking/hardwired side you could come off an ethernet port to a firewall appliance then out to your home network. Or you could find a Firewall device and go directly into it off your Comcast modem. On the back side of the firewall you should be able to seperate your wireless from you home network. Some Firewalls have a DMZ that you could plug the wireless router into. In any regards keep in mind that whenever you have a wireless connection somebody somewhere can see everything you doing from that wireless device and if they watch long enough could get all the password information you have. A lot of you probably have firewall capable PC's which should work just fine if properly configured. I'm not a total expert and there are a lot of other considerations to take into account virus & popup protection etc. Here's a link to a very useful site: http://www.firewallguide.com/broadband.htm

fish_on · 02-14-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cougfan

Believe me, I tried to get more than 6 static IP addresses and couldn't do it.

There it is "static IP addresses" for us normal Comcast users our IP address are dynamic from Comcast. I have friends that are the main account and then they wirelessly supply the entire neighbor hood their internet from just a normal comcast account. They have up to 10 houses on it at one time, no problems other than lowered bandwith.

Cool Texan · 02-14-2007, 03:21 PM

On a recent trip to Texas, I found myself driving down streets in Houston looking for a coffee shop....no luck. What I did find though were apartments...so I pulled in there, powered up the laptop, and about 14 unlocked "hotspots" popped up for me. Thanks! Connected, Googled up coffee shops, and was enjoying a latte within 10 minutes. I'm still amazed at how many people will leave their WiFi unlocked.

Last Cast King · 02-14-2007, 04:41 PM

IP addresses cost Comcast money, which is why they limit the amount that you can use on one account. As long as you don't touch their invisible transfer cap they don't care how many computers you have hooked up. Like others have said a router will use one IP address and any computers hooked up to it will share this address. A wired connection is 100% secure but a wireless connection can be almost as secure if it is encrypted.

lineman117 · 02-14-2007, 06:16 PM

I dont know much at all about computers but what i did was boght the stuff from best but and called there tech support to walk me though it i saved money and got wireless

RascallyRabbit · 02-14-2007, 06:39 PM

I own my cable modem, when called Comcast all they did was register it on their network. After that I connected the cable modem to my wireless router. All of this is in the downstairs office, with my wife's computer, which is cabled to the router. It's always good to have a direct connection for testing at the router, and that can be esilly moved over to test the modem. The rest was easy also don't forget to secure your network, to many people out there are willing to jump on a free connection. I also forgot to mention most of the networks I've built for friends and familly has all been from the same vendor. Early on I had some compatibility issues (which is why I buy my own cable modems), so now I just don't take chances.

Steve/RR