Comcast Bandwidth Meter Still A No Show - Company 'making some refinements' before launch...
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jus10 @ 30th Oct 08:55AM:
It would be nice to have a status update from CC on this
I was asking about it the other day. I track bandwidth on every one of my machines and at the gateway. So I have a general idea (and a 220 Gig available margin of error on a heavy month). While its not terribly difficult, I probably don't have as much legacy equipment as Comcast. I know the hamster powering my local CMTS gets tired at rush hour.
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Harddrive @ 30th Oct 08:58AM:
How about a meter at my house?
lets see..
i've got a water meter.
i've got an electric meter.
i could even get a natural gas meter.
i've got it! a broadband meter! just tack it up with the rest of the crap on the side of my house.
--
I've come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass and i'm all outta bubblegum.
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Van @ 30th Oct 09:15AM:
Honest question
How hard is it to implement this?
When I first heard about this, I just assumed it would be a simple tool that could be found on everyone's comcast account page.
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TKJunkMail @ 30th Oct 09:22AM:
Re: Honest question
said by Van :
How hard is it to implement this?
When I first heard about this, I just assumed it would be a simple tool that could be found on everyone's comcast account page.
Comcast has been extremely slow on rolling out the promised meter. Either their hardware & SNMP software is incapable of providing accurate info, or Comcast has some marketing motive to NOT roll out the bandwidth meter.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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anon @ 30th Oct 09:26AM:
Oink Oink
FWIW, Netgear makes a router ( WNDR3700 ) with an integrated bandwidth meter.
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Mr Matt @ 30th Oct 09:49AM:
Can they differentiate between overhead and actual usage?
:D They might look a little incompetent if they deploy their metering system and customers demonstrate that it is not accurate. I wish Comcast lots of luck in their new enterprise.
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bostonkarl1 @ 30th Oct 09:58AM:
Ya, they're being cautious
I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt this time around. I think they just want to make sure the meters work properly. What a disaster it would be should there be problems.
I am happy that Comcast is being upfront and honest about the caps and also feel that 250GB is reasonable. I am not a fan of metered billing, but also understand the need to ferret out those abusing the system.
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jhacker @ 30th Oct 10:11AM:
It's "McAfee", and it sucks!!
I just removed McAfee from all my computers after I had to help my friend reformat his computer. He had McAfee, and McAfee let 3 viruses/trojan horses through!! So, there's no way I'm installing that crap just to get a bandwidth meter. Heck, as far as I've heard, Comcast doesn't strictly enforce that bandwidth cap unless you're in the top 1% of bandwidth hogs!!
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aaronwt @ 30th Oct 10:15AM:
Re: It's "McAfee", and it sucks!!
said by jhacker :
I just removed McAfee from all my computers after I had to help my friend reformat his computer. He had McAfee, and McAfee let 3 viruses/trojan horses through!! So, there's no way I'm installing that crap just to get a bandwidth meter. Heck, as far as I've heard, Comcast doesn't strictly enforce that bandwidth cap unless you're in the top 1% of bandwidth hogs!!
No Virus scan program is 100%. although I never had any problems with Mcafee on my six machines. although I did switch them all to MS Security essentials even though I still had ten months left on the six mcafee licenses.
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sousademiami @ 30th Oct 10:16AM:
What do they use!?
If they are somehow determining who reaches the 250GB threshold, how are they tracking that? and why don't they just give us access to that?
--
OASAASLLS
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 10:35AM:
Re: It would be nice to have a status update from CC on this
said by jus10 :
I was asking about it the other day. I track bandwidth on every one of my machines and at the gateway. So I have a general idea (and a 220 Gig available margin of error on a heavy month). While its not terribly difficult, I probably don't have as much legacy equipment as Comcast. I know the hamster powering my local CMTS gets tired at rush hour.
I just do it at the gateway myself. I personally feel it is much more accurate when I'm tracking bandwidth that actually gets passed.
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anon @ 30th Oct 10:37AM:
security
I think folks are forgetting that most people still have problem securing their wifi AP. Not much from stopping my neighbors from stealing grandma's open wifi signal
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 10:46AM:
Re: Oink Oink
said by Ima Hogg :
FWIW, Netgear makes a router ( WNDR3700 ) with an integrated bandwidth meter.
I'll see your Netgear router and raise you pfSense :P
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AlexNYC @ 30th Oct 10:52AM:
Re: security
Ignorance has never been an excuse! That is their problem isn't it?
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 10:57AM:
Re: It's "McAfee", and it sucks!!
said by aaronwt :said by jhacker :
I just removed McAfee from all my computers after I had to help my friend reformat his computer. He had McAfee, and McAfee let 3 viruses/trojan horses through!! So, there's no way I'm installing that crap just to get a bandwidth meter. Heck, as far as I've heard, Comcast doesn't strictly enforce that bandwidth cap unless you're in the top 1% of bandwidth hogs!!
No Virus scan program is 100%. although I never had any problems with Mcafee on my six machines. although I did switch them all to MS Security essentials even though I still had ten months left on the six mcafee licenses.
I personally have found McAfee to be a resource chomper.
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 11:00AM:
Re: security
said by AlexNYC :
Ignorance has never been an excuse! That is their problem isn't it?
It isn't? Could've fooled me.
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 11:01AM:
Re: What do they use!?
An ISP that actually is open about it's practices? Impossible!
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jus10 @ 30th Oct 11:07AM:
Re: Honest question
said by TKJunkMail :
Either their hardware & SNMP software is incapable of providing accurate info, or Comcast has some marketing motive to NOT roll out the bandwidth meter.
Well of course they have a marketing reason. If you have a gauge showing how much you can use, heavy user folks will use right up to the top. If you leave it ambiguous, then the folks will have to leave a little "play" in the amount of traffic they push.
That said, I don't think that's enough of a reason. I'm guessing they are having a hard time making sure their meter is spot on enough to be defend-able.
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IPPlanMan @ 30th Oct 11:13AM:
And the cap prevents what again?
Gosh... it's almost November now....
I still don't understand why a cap is necessary if there is a congestion management system in place to prevent "real time" congestion from occurring and affecting users.
And for that matter, how can a few users, supposedly an almost insignificant amount, affect the "experience" for the rest of the subscriber base?
This 250 GB cap, which hasn't changed in a year now, reeks of Comcast's fear of video competition from Hulu, Netflix Streaming, iTunes/Apple TV, and Vudu....
Don't want us cutting the cord to your premium channels/on demand, do ya Comcast?
Not fooling me....
--
"We're going to start at one end of (Fallujah), and we're not going to stop until we get to the other. If there's anybody left when that happens, we're going to turn around and we're going to go back and finish it."
Lt. Col. Pete Newell: 1st Inf. US Army
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Michael C @ 30th Oct 11:25AM:
Re: How about a meter at my house?
One benefit to those meters is that they are certified by a weights and measures regulatory body. Will Comcast's meter have the same certification? Doubtful. So how can I trust what the ISPs and the hardware itself is actually counting? I can't.
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pnolte @ 30th Oct 11:27AM:
accuracy
Who is going to certify the meter. The gas stations don't certify their gas pumps. The butcher doesn't certify the scales. Are we going to have another government agency to certify the accuracy of some broadband meter. Once the meter goes in place does broadband become a public utility? If I have a complaint about the reading and the accuracy of the meter, who do I go to?
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patcat88 @ 30th Oct 11:28AM:
Re: How about a meter at my house?
said by Michael C :
One benefit to those meters is that they are certified by a weights and measures regulatory body. Will Comcast's meter have the same certification? Doubtful. So how can I trust what the ISPs and the hardware itself is actually counting? I can't.
What about TCPIP headers? Who is responsible for packet fragmentation generating more ACKs, you or Comcast? Who will be paying for the constant 40kbitps of ARP storm?
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patcat88 @ 30th Oct 11:29AM:
Re: It's "McAfee", and it sucks!!
said by jhacker :
I just removed McAfee from all my computers after I had to help my friend reformat his computer. He had McAfee, and McAfee let 3 viruses/trojan horses through!! So, there's no way I'm installing that crap just to get a bandwidth meter. Heck, as far as I've heard, Comcast doesn't strictly enforce that bandwidth cap unless you're in the top 1% of bandwidth hogs!!
And loose 400 MB of ram to that crap.
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Nsane_iceman @ 30th Oct 11:35AM:
Re: Oink Oink
said by PapaMidnight :said by Ima Hogg :
FWIW, Netgear makes a router ( WNDR3700 ) with an integrated bandwidth meter.
I'll see your Netgear router and raise you pfSense :P
I see your pfSense and raise you a Cisco ASA 5550 :p~
--
Avatar by: dandelion | Disarm you with a smile. | Tell me, tell me what you're after. I just want to get there faster.
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wssddc @ 30th Oct 12:34PM:
Local bandwidth monitoring isn't enough
A bandwidth monitor that runs on your computer is almost useless if you have multiple computers. One month I had over 500 GB of internal traffic as I moved stuff off an old machine. All of that showed up in the statistics of the network monitoring applet I use. My router doesn't have any monitoring capability.
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nasadude @ 30th Oct 01:04PM:
Re: How about a meter at my house?
said by Michael C :
One benefit to those meters is that they are certified by a weights and measures regulatory body. Will Comcast's meter have the same certification? Doubtful. ....
actually, I would go so far at to say it's a safe bet that the comcast meter WILL NOT have any official certification by an independent entity.
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anon @ 30th Oct 01:44PM:
Re: Oink Oink
but does that see all arp and other traffic that hits the cable modem but does not get past it but still is counted as part of your cap?
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espaeth @ 30th Oct 01:41PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
said by IPPlanMan :
I still don't understand why a cap is necessary if there is a congestion management system in place to prevent "real time" congestion from occurring and affecting users.
Congestion management systems can only be effective if they are forced to take action by exception, not as a rule.
That's sort of like saying: I have overdraft protection, so I don't understand why I need a budget.
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k1ll3rdr4g0n @ 30th Oct 02:26PM:
Re: It's "McAfee", and it sucks!!
said by aaronwt :said by jhacker :
I just removed McAfee from all my computers after I had to help my friend reformat his computer. He had McAfee, and McAfee let 3 viruses/trojan horses through!! So, there's no way I'm installing that crap just to get a bandwidth meter. Heck, as far as I've heard, Comcast doesn't strictly enforce that bandwidth cap unless you're in the top 1% of bandwidth hogs!!
No Virus scan program is 100%. although I never had any problems with Mcafee on my six machines. although I did switch them all to MS Security essentials even though I still had ten months left on the six mcafee licenses.
I think having to pay an annual fee should raise a red flag. Isn't that what the malware AV writers do? Install some bloatware on your computer and make you pay to remove it?
Seems one of the same to me :).
I personally have been using AVG, and now I am trying out Avast on my Windows 7 laptop.
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IPPlanMan @ 30th Oct 03:17PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
Is that really the case? I'm not sure I agree with that at all.
...and how long does Comcast plan on sitting at 250GB? It's been a year already you know...
...and let's assume that you're right for a second... and if you are, then how will Comcast ever get its system to support a cap higher than 250GB?
It's clear that Docsis 3.0 isn't changing a damn thing. 50/10 and still a 250GB cap... Why not do 100/20 while they're at it?
--
"We're going to start at one end of (Fallujah), and we're not going to stop until we get to the other. If there's anybody left when that happens, we're going to turn around and we're going to go back and finish it."
Lt. Col. Pete Newell: 1st Inf. US Army
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StubbyinKCMO @ 30th Oct 04:01PM:
Got this from DSLR
Got this a while back, about a year or so, and its pretty good.
Works for the everyday consumer. Not as fancy as your Cisco or PFsense but does the job.
»www.bwmonitor.com/
Little graph by the clock on the taskbar. And you can log how much over time. Just my $.02.
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 04:07PM:
Re: Oink Oink
said by castsucks :
but does that see all arp and other traffic that hits the cable modem but does not get past it but still is counted as part of your cap?
Of course not, but that's why it's good to have your own traffic counters: to counter any bs that the isp might spin.
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PapaMidnight @ 30th Oct 04:16PM:
Re: Oink Oink
Hey, enterprise routers don't count :P
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chronoss2009 @ 30th Oct 07:29PM:
problems
as with all things they are not perfect and every so called monitor has problems and this is why they and all the known solutions are not going to work.
The best your going to get is something that works about 80% of the time and that 20% means your paying big time.
then there is the need for windows software that guess what it literally doesnt exist in the FOSS world for windows so guess what pay for it or pirate
on a home network the cheapest was a pay per cpu OMG thats nastey to us regular folk.......
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espaeth @ 31st Oct 03:42AM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
said by IPPlanMan :
...and how long does Comcast plan on sitting at 250GB? It's been a year already you know...
Considering the average broadband connection utilization is far below that, the pressure to boost the cap isn't quite as dire as you suggest.
»Cisco: Average Connection Consumes 11.4 GB Per Month
said by IPPlanMan :
and let's assume that you're right for a second... and if you are, then how will Comcast ever get its system to support a cap higher than 250GB?
Continual upgrades. Reducing the number of modems per downstream channel, further rollouts of DOCSIS 3 CMTS upgrades and user modem upgrades. The capacity of the system can always be augmented for additional cost.
Yes, the cap hasn't increased, but neither has your monthly HSI bill.
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IPPlanMan @ 31st Oct 05:51AM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
said by espaeth :
Yes, the cap hasn't increased, but neither has your monthly HSI bill.
Hasn't increased? Really?
»Comcast Raises Cable Modem Rental Fee
Additionally, that average amount was called into serious question for a number of reasons in that thread.
Lastly, your argument doesn't hold true because the business tiers provide perhaps 10 times the usage (or more) for around 20-40 dollars more or so per month than the residential tier, with all of the extra goodies included. (Microsoft Email, Web Page, Business level support)
--
"We're going to start at one end of (Fallujah), and we're not going to stop until we get to the other. If there's anybody left when that happens, we're going to turn around and we're going to go back and finish it."
Lt. Col. Pete Newell: 1st Inf. US Army
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Mordhem @ 31st Oct 04:31PM:
Re: How about a meter at my house?
hahaha that had me rofl when I read that.
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Mordhem @ 31st Oct 04:33PM:
I would need to buy more hard drives.
Guess I need to upgrade lol, Guess if I wanted to hit that cap I would need to go buy a new hard drive. Then Download it full of PORN!
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anon @ 31st Oct 05:19PM:
to hell with the cap crap
no one should agree to this cap crap get fios or some thing different next they will want more for a lot less o but you know you people are like drug addicts they get you and that's it get over the net or one day it is going to be just like crap tv
have a nice day suckers
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gadgetpig @ 31st Oct 08:49PM:
Re: How about a meter at my house?
i've got a water meter.
i've got an electric meter.
i could even get a natural gas meter.
Hmmm..3 questions...
1.) Since it has a meter, does broadband qualify to be a "utility" yet?
2.) Like all utilities, does it qualify to be monitored by government agency?
3.) Is a utility considered a "right" or is it a "luxury"?
Questions to ponder....... :)
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anon @ 31st Oct 09:23PM:
msg deleted
deleted by a moderator
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n0xlf @ 1st Nov 12:30AM:
Re: to hell with the cap crap
(deleted)
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espaeth @ 1st Nov 12:36AM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
That's not an increase in broadband pricing. Many people, especially members of this forum, own their modem so this change in fees won't affect them.
said by IPPlanMan :
Additionally, that average amount was called into serious question for a number of reasons in that thread.
People on this forum question the ISPs because it comes from biased sources, then they question the independent sources by challenging the methodology. There are sites like »www.dtc.umn.edu/mints/home.php that have a plethora of different statistics that fall into line with the Cisco 11GB average finding. The point is, even if the Cisco numbers are only accurate +/- 100%, the monthly average is still a full order of magnitude less than the 250GB cap.
said by IPPlanMan :
Lastly, your argument doesn't hold true because the business tiers provide perhaps 10 times the usage (or more) for around 20-40 dollars more or so per month than the residential tier, with all of the extra goodies included. (Microsoft Email, Web Page, Business level support)
The Exchange accounts and web page infrastructure is dirt cheap to offer and support. As for the bandwidth, you don't get 10x the amount. In most markets, even with a business account, you're not going to be able to pull down 2.5TB and avoid getting a call from Comcast looking to move you to a non-DOCSIS product.
The overwhelming majority of business accounts use far less than 250GB.
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n0xlf @ 1st Nov 12:40AM:
Re: It would be nice to have a status update from CC on this
They are obviously up to something - When I log into my business account, I get a message about the BW meter only being for residential customers (in the same spot that residential customers normally see the DNS opt out under "My devices")..
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IPPlanMan @ 1st Nov 04:57PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
It absolutely is an increase in broadband pricing... How can you say otherwise? I'm not only talking about members of this forum. The sheeple that rent a modem are paying more too.
You are also disregarding what I said about real-world use. A few streamed HD movies from Netflix/Apple TV/Vudu, and one day HD from Hulu, puts you over that alleged "average" without accounting for any other usage whatsoever.
Dirt cheap to support Exchange and a Web page? Ok, I'll take that as a given. So what about the remainder of the 20-40 dollar difference (probably 15-35 dollars at this point).... That covers the extra bandwidth available over 250GB.... If you're not convinced it's 10x, then let's make it 5x.
--
"We're going to start at one end of (Fallujah), and we're not going to stop until we get to the other. If there's anybody left when that happens, we're going to turn around and we're going to go back and finish it."
Lt. Col. Pete Newell: 1st Inf. US Army
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espaeth @ 1st Nov 08:08PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
said by IPPlanMan :
It absolutely is an increase in broadband pricing... How can you say otherwise?
Because it's not. Say I buy a car at a dealership and they raise the cost of oil changes, that doesn't mean my cost of ownership goes up. I have other options to avoid the fee, it's not part of cost of the car. The specific line item for HSI service has not increased; the modem rental is an optional part of the service.
said by IPPlanMan :
You are also disregarding what I said about real-world use. A few streamed HD movies from Netflix/Apple TV/Vudu, and one day HD from Hulu, puts you over that alleged "average" without accounting for any other usage whatsoever.
Sure, streaming a ton of HD content will put you over the average -- but again, actual statistics show a different picture of real world usage than your conjecture.
There are approximately 228 million Internet subscribers in the US, of which approximately 70 million are broadband subscribers. (source: »www.internetworldstats.com/am/us.htm )
According an October 2009 report, 168 million unique viewers watched online videos of some kind. Hulu averages 38.7 million unique viewers a month viewing an average of 15.1 videos. So about 17% of all US Internet subscribers are hitting up Hulu and watching an average of 15.1 videos. So that's like 30 hours of video, right? Not according to the statistics...
•The average Hulu viewer watched 15.1 videos, totaling 1 hour and 32 minutes of videos per viewer.
•The duration of the average online video was 3.8 minutes.
Source: »www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Pr···ewership
said by IPPlanMan :
So what about the remainder of the 20-40 dollar difference (probably 15-35 dollars at this point).... That covers the extra bandwidth available over 250GB.... If you're not convinced it's 10x, then let's make it 5x.
Again, you're assuming that every business account uses more than 250GB, which the vast majority do not. Have you priced car insurance recently? The premium on a policy for $300k isn't double that of the premium for a $150k max coverage policy. The higher pricing for business connectivity is based around expected higher usage in relation to the average residential connection, not higher usage in relation to users who run to the edge of the cap.
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IPPlanMan @ 2nd Nov 02:16AM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
We'll have to agree to disagree on that. The sheeple pay it even if you don't. If they don't consider buying a modem an option, then the higher rental fee is absolutely a service cost increase.
What are the figures for NetFlix, Vudu, and iTunes/Apple TV? Hulu is just starting to offer HD. Netflix HD (720P) , Vudu HD (1080P no less !), and iTunes/Apple TV HD (720P) currently exist. You don't need a ton of streaming either. Just a couple of those movies and you'll be well above that so-called "average", forgetting other usage.
Expected higher usage for business? How many times higher? I don't think using a car insurance analogy is a good one.
--
"We're going to start at one end of (Fallujah), and we're not going to stop until we get to the other. If there's anybody left when that happens, we're going to turn around and we're going to go back and finish it."
Lt. Col. Pete Newell: 1st Inf. US Army
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IPPlanMan @ 2nd Nov 03:49PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
said by espaeth :
In most markets, even with a business account, you're not going to be able to pull down 2.5TB and avoid getting a call from Comcast looking to move you to a non-DOCSIS product.
The overwhelming majority of business accounts use far less than 250GB.
»Re: When do I get the call or will I?
--
"We're going to start at one end of (Fallujah), and we're not going to stop until we get to the other. If there's anybody left when that happens, we're going to turn around and we're going to go back and finish it."
Lt. Col. Pete Newell: 1st Inf. US Army
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espaeth @ 2nd Nov 03:54PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
What's your point? That's a guy who claims to have downloaded 3.5TB and upgraded to Business HSI because he thinks it will avoid him getting "the call" --- not that he was a business user and hit 3.5TB.
Again, these are extreme cases -- they have absolutely nothing to do with average use.
The average user doesn't stream Netflix, doesn't have a Vudu box, or doesn't have Apple TV. Only about half of broadband subscribers ever use the free Hulu video offering, and of that group the average person doesn't watch more than about 90 minutes of video.
If you are arguing the cap can be exceeded through media streaming, I won't disagree. My point is that multi-hour media streaming isn't common -- and the numbers show that.
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IPPlanMan @ 2nd Nov 04:09PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
My point is that new technology and services develop to market to people who don't do "average".
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espaeth @ 2nd Nov 08:18PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
Broadband access is a product that caters to the masses, it is a series of compromises to meet the feature requirements and price of the intended market.
It's not designed to be everything to everyone, it's designed to be adequate for as many people as possible.
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IPPlanMan @ 3rd Nov 09:01PM:
Re: And the cap prevents what again?
Really... You could say that about any product.
The point here is not to "maintain the status quo" either....
You can say "intended market"... Having caps is one way to shape the market and control it so it's yours.
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anon @ 13th Nov 03:50AM:
Nice Meter
If you want a nice meter and happen to have a router it will run on, I recommend the Tomato firmware (»www.polarcloud.com/tomato). I swear by older Linksys WRT series routers (except for the marginal Cisco firmware). Tomato give you a nice bandwidth meter by day, week and month.
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