Regular Visitor
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16 Messages
Cannot access Youtube without signing in
Starting the evening of March 12, 2026, I am unable to access Youtube on a laptop or mobile device unless I sign in to Youtube. I receive this message "Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot". This occurs only when I'm using Xfinity internet service; I have tested using AT&T and also Fidium, and do not have any problems. I can only conclude that my Xfinity IP address is now on a blacklist. I do not want to create an account to sign in to Youtube. Why is Xfinity service an issue?
EG
Expert
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116.9K Messages
13 days ago
You could try using a VPN service as a work-around and see. YMMV.
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EG
Expert
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116.9K Messages
13 days ago
Try contacting this team about it. They handle blacklisting issues;
Comcast Customer Security Assurance. You can contact them online using the link below;
https://spa.xfinity.com/?linkId=130556429
Or call them at 1-888-565-4329 or 1-800-934-6489 and ask for a transfer to them directly.
Business Hours: 6:00am - 2:00am EST, 7 days a week
Good luck !
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jpopatents
Regular Visitor
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16 Messages
12 days ago
Thank you @EG. I submitted a report using the link that you provided.
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jpopatents
Regular Visitor
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16 Messages
12 days ago
I contacted the security team and they weren't any help. Their reply was "Thank you for your patience while we reviewed your request. We've confirmed that there is no xFi Advanced Security block related to the reported website. Please contact the website owner if access issues persist."
Gemini says this about the situation, but power cycling the modem isn't releasing my IP.
Why it’s happening on Comcast
YouTube uses automated "reputation" systems to decide if an visitor is a human or a bot. Comcast users are often hit by this because:
Shared "Dirty" IPs: Comcast uses a system where thousands of customers can share the same pool of IP addresses. If one person (or a literal bot) on your local Comcast node is spamming YouTube or scraping data, Google may "flag" that entire IP range. You just happen to be using a "dirty" IP at the moment.
Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT): If Comcast is routing your traffic through a massive gateway, YouTube sees hundreds of simultaneous connections coming from a single point. To their server, that looks exactly like a bot farm.
Browser "Fingerprinting": If you use a privacy-focused browser (like Brave) or high-security settings on Firefox, YouTube can't verify your "human" markers (like cookies or tracking history), so it defaults to the bot-check as a fail-safe.
How to bypass it (without signing in)
1. The "IP Refresh" (Best for Comcast)
Since the issue is likely your current IP address, you need to force Comcast to give you a new one.
Power cycle your Hitron CODA56: Unplug the power for at least 5 full minutes. Sometimes Comcast’s system won't release your old IP unless the modem is offline long enough for the "lease" to expire.
Change the WAN MAC (Advanced): If you use your Firewalla Gold in Router Mode, you can often "spoof" or change the MAC address of the WAN port in the Firewalla app. This forces Comcast to see a "new" device and assign a fresh IP immediately.
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EG
Expert
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116.9K Messages
11 days ago
@XfinityAbel
FWIW. Doing that on a computer / device that is connected to a stand-alone router or a combo modem / router gateway device will only serve to renew / change the LAN / private IP address that is assigned to a computer / device by the router's built-in DHCP server. It will not renew the WAN / public IP address that is assigned to the router by Comcast's system / DHCP server.
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jpopatents
Regular Visitor
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16 Messages
11 days ago
Absolutely correct. Unfortunately, I have not found a way to renew / release the public facing IP on the modem. Only Comcast can do that.
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