Why Does Xfinity Have Slow Upload Speeds?

Comcast just released a 2020 Network Performance Data written report with stats on how much Internet usage rose during the pandemic, and it said that upload use is growing faster than download utilise. "Peak downstream traffic in 2020 increased approximately 38 percent over 2019 levels and elevation upstream traffic increased approximately 56 percent over 2019 levels," Comcast said.

Only while upload use on Comcast'southward network chop-chop grows—driven largely by videoconferencing among people working and learning at home—the nation's largest home-Internet provider with over xxx meg customers advertises its speed tiers as if uploading doesn't exist. Comcast'due south 56 percent increase in upstream traffic made me wonder if the company volition increment upload speeds whatever fourth dimension before long, so I checked out Comcast's Xfinity.com site today to see the current upload speeds. Getting that information was even more than difficult than I expected.

The Xfinity website advertises cablevision-Cyberspace plans with download speeds starting at 25Mbps without mentioning that upstream speeds are just a fraction of the downstream ones. I went through Comcast's online ordering system today and found no mention of upload speeds anywhere. Even clicking "pricing & other info" and "view plan details" links to read the fine print on various Internet plans didn't reveal upload speeds.

Even after adding a plan to the cart and going through most of the checkout procedure, I could not observe whatever mention of upload speeds. I got to the betoken where you have to enter credit card data to go along, and then I initially stopped there. I after confirmed that Comcast's ordering system will show upload speeds after information technology checks whether your credit carte du jour is valid, in the last page where you submit an lodge.

Deliberately keeping customers in the dark

I've long known that it's hard to find upload speeds on Comcast'due south website, but I'chiliad not sure exactly when it became virtually impossible. In that location were complaints about this very problem on Comcast's customer back up forums in 2020 and in 2019, though. "What is my upload speed now? No where in the world can I detect documentation," i customer asked. The answer was that existing customers can find upload speeds for their own plan in their account settings after logging in and navigating to the right department.

But that does non assistance people who are signing upwards for service and want to find out what upload speeds they'll go or compare upload speeds of different plans. Even the Xfinity.com comparing tool that lets you compare details of unlike plans doesn't reveal their upload speeds. The absence of upload speeds from Comcast'south website is so thorough that it is conspicuously a deliberate attempt to keep customers in the night. This gallery shows how the Comcast Xfinity website displays Net plans without mentioning upload speeds and continues that tactic through almost the entire checkout process:

• Comcast's website displays these Internet offers in my location without stating upload speeds.

• Comcast has a tool that lets you compare ii plans—but information technology doesn't show the plans' different upload speeds.

  Comcast

• After adding a plan to the cart, y'all can start the checkout process. No upload speeds are in sight.

  Comcast

• Nosotros still don't know what the upload speeds are, but Comcast tells u.s. nigh its "Flex" streaming box.

  Comcast

• Now we can select an installation engagement and fourth dimension, but upload speeds still are not revealed.

  Comcast

• Now you lot take to enter your credit carte information—only after doing so volition Comcast let y'all see the 300Mbps download programme'south 10Mbps upload speeds.

  Comcast

Thankfully, the 3rd-party website CableTV.com lists both download and upload speeds, showing that Comcast's 25Mbps download plan comes with 3Mbps uploads; the 100Mbps and 200Mbps download plans both take 5Mbps uploads; the 300Mbps download program has 10Mbps uploads; the 600Mbps programme has 15Mbps uploads; and the 1Gbps download (one.2Gbps in some areas) comes with 35Mbps:

Enlarge / Comcast speeds and prices, no thanks to Comcast's website.

Comcast's website does list the 35Mbps upload speeds for the gigabit plan at this page, only I couldn't detect anything like for Comcast's other cable-Internet plans. Comcast also offers a cobweb-to-the-home service with 2Gbps speeds both downstream and upstream. But Comcast's residential fiber requires installation charges of up to $500, and the service costs $300 a month, which is more than iii times as much every bit the gigabit-cable program that has 35Mbps downloads.

Comcast, why did yous make this then hard?

I contacted Comcast today with two primary questions: is in that location any fashion to find upload speeds on Comcast's website before submitting an order for Internet service, and does Comcast accept any plans to raise its cable upload speeds?

Comcast'due south answer on where to notice upstream speeds was as follows:

Our network written report shows that, despite the growth in upstream traffic in 2020, patterns remain highly asymmetrical equally downstream volumes were 14x college than upstream throughout 2020. Our website reflects the manner customers use the Cyberspace with downstream overwhelmingly dominating usage, but upstream speeds are included in your cart and are visible upon bank check out when you submit your order.

Despite Comcast claiming that "upstream speeds are included in your cart," I could find no prove of this. Adding a Comcast Cyberspace plan to the cart and then clicking the cart icon brought me to an ordering page that does not mention upload speeds. I confirmed this behavior on Xfinity.com in both Chrome and Safari.

I circled dorsum to the Comcast spokesperson and asked what exact steps I demand to accept to make upload speeds evidence upwards in the cart. It turns out the upload speeds never show upward in the cart at all unless yous ascertain "cart" to include the entire ordering process. Comcast told u.s. the upload speeds will finally announced "when you are at the stride when you review your order."

Despite my earlier reluctance to enter my credit bill of fare information for service I am non ordering, I finally did and so to check whether this is accurate. I submitted my accost, phone number, and credit card information, and I clicked "Next." This triggered a step in which Comcast's system checked to see whether I had entered a valid credit menu. I accidentally entered a recently expired card number, and so Comcast's organisation "declined" my card and made me re-enter it. Afterward I entered a menu number that Comcast could charge, I finally got to this folio, where the 300Mbps download-plan's 10Mbps upload speeds are shown:

Enlarge / The last folio in Comcast's ordering system.

Xfinity.com

At this page, with Comcast having already verified your card, you can view upload speeds and decide whether to submit the lodge or exit the ordering system. The role of Comcast's statement that upload speeds are "visible upon check out when you submit your social club" is thus accurate. But refusing to tell a prospective client what they're paying for until after they submit credit carte information is merely ridiculous. You can probably get upload speeds earlier past request a Comcast rep in an online chat or phone call, but that shouldn't be necessary.

Update: Afterwards digging through Comcast's list of client agreements, policies, and disclosures, I found a now-outdated network management page that includes download and upload speeds. It appears to exist the newest such list available on Comcast'south website, but information technology was published on August 19, 2019 and the listed speeds don't match Comcast's current offerings.

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Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/comcast-hides-upload-speeds-deep-inside-its-infuriating-ordering-system/

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