Can I Have Xfinity Internet Service And Wave At The Same Time?

comcast wifi hotspots — It's been 1 year since Comcast started its monster projection to coating the entire nation with continuous Wi-Fi coverage. Imagine waves of wireless Internet emitting from every domicile.

If you're a Comcast cable customer, your home's private Wi-Fi router is being turned into a public hotspot.

It'due south potentially creepy and annoying. But the upside is Internet everywhere.

Information technology'due south been ane year since Comcast (CMCSA) started its monster project to coating residential and commercial areas with continuous Wi-Fi coverage. Imagine waves of wireless Internet emitting from every dwelling, business organization and public waiting area.

Comcast has been swapping out customers' old routers with new ones capable of doubling as public hotspots. So far, the company has turned three million habitation devices into public ones. Past year'southward end information technology plans to activate that feature on the other 5 meg already installed.

Anyone with an Xfinity account can annals their devices (laptop, tablet, phone) and the public network will always keep them registered -- at a friend's home, coffee shop or charabanc finish. No more request for your cousin's Wi-Fi network countersign.

Related: CNNMoney'south cybersecurity magazine

But what about privacy? It seems similar Comcast did this the right style.

See your online secrets revealed

Outsiders never get access to your private, password-protected abode network. Each box has two separate antennae, Comcast explained. That means criminals can't jump from the public channel into your network and spy on you lot.

And don't expect every passing stranger to get access. The Wi-Fi signal is no stronger than it is now, so anyone camped in your front 1000 will have a difficult time tapping into the public network. This system was meant for guests at home, non on the street.

Equally for strangers tapping your router for illegal activity: Comcast said yous'll be guilt-complimentary if the FBI comes knocking. Anyone hooking up to the "Xfinity Wi-Fi" public network must sign in with their own traceable, Comcast customer credentials.

Withal, no system is foolproof, and this could be unnecessary exposure to potential harm. Craig Young, a estimator security researcher at Tripwire, has tested the top 50 routers on the market correct now. He establish that two-thirds of them have serious weaknesses. If a hacker finds one in this Comcast box, all bets are off.

"If you're opening up another access indicate, it increases the likelihood that someone tin can tamper with your router," he said.

Related: Stalker is a creepy wait at y'all, online

What nigh connection speed? Having several people tapping a single machine tends to clog up the Wi-Fi. Comcast says it found a way to make this piece of work.

With ii split networks, each antenna has its own information speed cap. Comcast said the private aqueduct provides whatever speed customers already pay to get (well-nigh take 25 Megabits per second). The public hotspot channel is given 15 Mbps and allows up to five people to connect at a time.

That means having your data-hungry friends over shouldn't slow down your Netflix (NFLX) stream.

Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas promised "there's more than enough capacity" in the cables connecting to people's homes to brand this work.

"You shouldn't experience whatever conflict between the two networks," he said. "It'due south something our engineers thought virtually carefully. The last thing we want to allow is to create a bad user feel."

Comcast's project that started in northern New Jersey has now spread to Boston, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and elsewhere.

"Before this, there was no value in having Cyberspace when you're non at home," Douglas said. "Every time you left the house you lot walked away from your subscription. Simply with all these hotspot locations, y'all can connect to the Internet remotely. Everyone's device is mobile. It makes a lot of sense."

Just what if you detest the idea of your private boxes turned into public hotspots? Yous can turn information technology off by calling Comcast or logging into your account online. The visitor says fewer than i% of customers accept washed that and so far.

CNNMoney (New York) First published June xvi, 2014: seven:09 AM ET