I’ve been using Xfinity Wi-Fi for a long time. I picked it because of the variety of plans, offering internet speeds ranging from 25 Mbps to 1 Gbps.
However, one day I realized I wasn’t getting the full speed of the plan I’d opted for.
This simply wouldn’t do. So I went online to find out why and even though it took hours, I got it fixed.
Possible reasons include network congestion, network outage, too many devices connected to your network, etc.
Many of these causes have simple fixes, while some require a little more effort.
If you’re not getting the full speed of your plan on Xfinity, restart your router, upgrade your current internet plan, and replace your old gadgets and routers.
Is it Xfinity? Or is it you?
First and foremost, you must establish the source of the poor speed, whether the issue is with the Xfinity network or with your own home network.
If the problem lies with the Xfinity network, any of the following issues will be present:
- Your internet speed is slower than the speed guaranteed in your plan. You can check your Xfinity bill to know about the max speed you can attain with your home network.
- Your internet speed is low during peak times, i.e., after 7 PM, when the number of users in your locality is much higher.
- Your internet speed is slow (or lost) even when your Wi-Fi signal is at full strength.
If any of the following issues are present, then the problem lies with your own home network:
- Your internet speed is low only on a particular device. If multiple devices show slow speeds, then the issue lies with Xfinity.
- When the internet speed reduction is in your home network alone, your neighbors have no issues with their internet speed.
Problems with Xfinity Speed and How to Fix Them
Some of the most common issues with Xfinity Wi-Fi speed are listed below:
Xfinity network outage
When a network outage occurs, you will lose your internet signal immediately. Also, your devices will show “Connected, no internet.”
Network outages may be attributed to maintenance at Xfinity’s side, adverse weather conditions, hardware failure, etc.
Whenever an outage occurs, you should report it to Xfinity as soon as possible because you can’t determine whether the outage is due to maintenance or not.
You can do this by logging in to your Xfinity account and viewing the outage map.
The outage map shows the areas near you that have been affected by the network outage.
Once you identify the different areas, you can inform Xfinity. Once you report, Xfinity will take care of the rest.
Sadly, there is nothing else you can do at this point but wait out the outage.
Xfinity network is congested.
Imagine a junction. If too many vehicles approach the junction at the same time, a traffic jam occurs.
Similarly, if the number of connected devices in an area is too much, network congestion occurs, and the internet speed in that whole area drops.
This is frequent in the peak times when the number of users is more. In addition, Xfinity is a cable network, so congestions are more prone to occur.
You can avoid this congestion by postponing data-intensive operations and downloads to after the peak time.
Thus, the overall network performance becomes smooth.
Try not to connect too many devices to Wi-Fi.
Similar to the case of network congestion, if too many devices are connected to your home network at the same time, then the speed reduces for all devices. Sometimes, the Wi-Fi will just start disconnecting.
Your router may also not support too many devices simultaneously. So, you can avoid this situation by limiting the number of devices that can connect to your network at a given time.
How to Get Xfinity Internet to Run faster?
Given below are some of the basic fixes for the slow speed of Xfinity Wi-Fi:
Restart the Router
Firstly above all, you must figure out what’s causing the slowdown.
Restarting clears your cache storage and thus improves the performance of your network devices considerably.
There are two ways in which you can restart your modem/router :
- Switch off your modem and your router for a few seconds and turn the modem back on first. Allow the modem a few minutes to get the internet connection. Then, turn the router back on. You will see that the Wi-Fi network is back in a few minutes.
- Log in to your Xfinity account and restart your modem/gateway by clicking the Restart Modem button.
Replace old devices
Have you noticed that only one or some of your devices show lower internet speeds when connected to your Wi-Fi?
In such cases, the problem usually lies with the device and not with the network.
You will see that the older device’s speed is very low, even though the connection is strong.
This is because the device hardware cannot handle fast internet speeds, as the device’s technology predates that of the high-speed network.
An example would be the case of a 4G device and a 5G network. The 4G device won’t be able to utilize the speed of the 5G network to its full extent.
In such cases, replacing your particular device is the best solution.
Upgrade your Modem
Internet speeds are improving day by day, and if your network devices are not up to date, you will not be able to enjoy the best internet speeds.
Similarly, if your router or modem is old, your internet speed would be low regardless of your chosen plan.
This is because the hardware of your modem/router is unable to support such high speeds.
Your router’s ability to handle a certain transmission power may also be limited.
To solve this problem, first of all, learn about your plan and the speed it offers.
Then, do a study on different Xfinity Voice Modems and select the router to provide the best internet speed for your plan.
Using the latest routers will give you the best speeds that your plan can offer.
To prevent this problem from occurring in the future, you should replace your router once in a few years.
Get a faster internet plan.
There may occur cases where you require high-speed internet access, but your current plan has limited bandwidth.
This is very prevalent in work-from-home situations. You might choose a plan with a faster internet speed in that scenario.
Final Thoughts on Getting the Best Speed You Can
To improve your network performance, you can use a Wi-Fi booster app to determine the position of your router that will provide the best internet connectivity throughout the house.
You can set up a wired connection and extensions for bandwidth-intensive applications to obtain the best speed possible.
If the above fixes prove futile, you can always reach out to Xfinity support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Xfinity slow down your internet if you don’t pay?
Comcast will impose a penalty on your next bill if you don’t pay the bills on time instead of reducing your internet speed.
The penalty usually amounts to around $10.
Do Internet booster apps really work?
Internet boosters do not increase your network speed. Instead, they provide you with information that will help attain the best network connectivity, like optimal router positioning.
How can you tell if your internet is being throttled?
Run two-speed tests: one using a virtual private network (VPN) and one without. If you notice that the speed with VPN is much higher than without VPN, it is a clear indication that your ISP is throttling your internet.
How long will Xfinity let you go without paying your bill?
Xfinity usually allows late payment for a period of 30 to 45 days after a bill’s invoice date. After that, they will move to add a fine to your bill for the coming month.
