ANSWERED: Xfinity Internet Data Usage Guide

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​***Created by our ​​ Community Experts​​***​

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​ ​​You can find out more about Comcast's usage plans (data caps) here: ​​https://www.xfinity.com/support/internet/data-usage-plan/​

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​This guide is meant to help you understand some basics about data usage. ​

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​The Comcast usage meter​

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​If you are the primary or self-managed secondary account holder, you can view your current usage and usage history by signing in to your​​ ​​Usage Mete​​r​​ ​​page. You will need to enter your XFINITY username and password. ​

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​You can also download the​​ ​​Xfinity App to view the data usage meter.

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​If you are interested in a technical survey of the meter's accuracy you may want to read the​​ ​​report by NetForcas​​t​​. (pdf file)​

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​Your data consumption​

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​Streaming video commonly uses the most data for many households. Streaming HD content uses around 3 GB per hour while streaming 4K content uses about 7 GB an hour. Some services like Netflix allow you to​​ ​​adjust video quality​​ to reduce data consumption.​

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​Activities like torrenting, large game downloads, video conferencing and uploading can also use significant data.​

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​Other activities like gaming, web surfing, VoIP services, music, and email communication​​ ​​don't​​ ​​typically consume large amounts of data.​

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​The​​ ​​Comcast article "What counts toward my Data Plan"​​ may help you understand everything that counts toward your data usage.  ​

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​Meter accuracy​

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​Keep in mind that the meter is not in real time, there is a lag between a traffic event and when the meter will actually display it. Also, the meter operates on universal time (UT or GMT). This means that the "new month" which will show a meter reset to zero appears in the evening of the last day of the month across the US. For example, Eastern Time is typically 5 hours behind UT or GMT.​​ ​​(Source: ​​NetForcast​​ report)​

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​You may be interested in NetForcast's​​ ​​T​​hird Accuracy Assesment of Comcast's Internet Usage Meter​​. (pdf)​

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​A good way to test the usage meter is to schedule a period of "digital silence". Power your network equipment completely off and monitor the usage meter. If the meter still shows usage, then there is a problem outside of your control. If it shows no usage, then you can concentrate on resolving the issue on your network.​

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​If you see a large discrepancy between your estimated usage and the Comcast meter:​

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​1)​​ ​​Make sure to run a virus scan and a malware/adware scan on all of your computers. These types of programs can run in the background and even turn your computers into​​ ​​zombie machines​​.​

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​2)​​ ​​Secure your WI-Fi network! Make sure your neighbor isn't leaching off of your account and consuming your data. If you need help with this, the folks in the​​ ​​networking forum​​ would be happy to help you.​

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​3)​​ ​​Contact Comcast's Customer Security Assurance Team: ​​1-888-565-4329, 6:00am - 2:00am EST, 7 days a week. They may able to help you figure out why your usage is not what you expect. ​

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​*** FYI: If you exceed your data threshold, Comcast​​ ​​DOES NOT THROTTLE​​ ​​your speeds. ***​

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​Last updated 08/14/2023

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