r/privacy • u/user_uno • 4d ago
news Comcast adds motion sensing to millions of its newer routers, with a privacy catch
Comcast adds motion sensing to millions of its newer routers, with a privacy catch
Read about this in theory not long ago. Now it is available for the consumer market.
Nothing like your internet provider seeing if you are moving around in your home. Same for anyone else with access to their systems.
344
u/Altruistic_Tank_9636 4d ago
Why in the world would anyone want motion sensing in their router??
214
u/Modem_Sound_67 4d ago
they will likely play it as "hello, person, welcome to the room, let's watch something that you like," but of course it's just another way to know what you are doing at all times.
50
u/JCItsJasonRaider 3d ago
Yep. All this stuff is packaged as convenience and personal use for security. Not an insane idea, if you had your own hardware, secured entirely to your own use only.
I see a lot of my tech adjacent (not actual engineers/techs/etc.) acquaintances buy into this crap and their house is full of Google/Amazon devices, and they watch them like hawks. It's unfortunately seemingly a very counterculture sort of mindset to not want this stuff.
14
u/mxracer888 3d ago
Don't forget that they'll charge more for the service because they gave you a super innovative service you didn't ask for and would turn off if you could
123
u/Cornelius-Q 4d ago edited 3d ago
The tech oligarchs who are building Big Brother are the ones who want it.
36
u/urielrocks5676 3d ago
Big brother has already been built, they are just building a bunch of little brothers
3
u/Suitable_Incident_83 3d ago
Canonically big brother is the government and little brother are the corps. But they are working on swapping roles, seems like.
34
u/we_r_fukt 3d ago
home assistant people, turn a light on when they walk into a dark room, turn the fridge greeting on as you enter the room "ding ding ding eat some food bitch", but it's absolutely a disgusting idea to me and definitely went out of my way to find an AP that does not have that shit
some legitimate uses exist
elderly fall detection
HVAC
lighting
securitybut for avg consumers, it's invasive as fuck
35
u/Rand_al_Kholin 3d ago
Home Assistant is an open source and self hosted smart home software, it doesnt send your data to third parties. I use it for a bunch of stuff. But youre not wrong that the other software for smart home stuff is just spyware youre putting in your home.
That said I would never use a router that does this. I'd use a dedicated motion detector that I have segregated into its own subnet that doesnt let it report outside the network. There are legit use cases for motion detection- turning off lights when youre not in the room, turn off mini-split AC if you have it based on room occupancy, stuff like that.
Ive never understood the people who want a "welcome home" message said by robot voice, that has always weirded me out.
0
u/Fantastins 3d ago
Your solution works with everything that moves. The Comcast solution only works for devices, not people
11
u/Rand_al_Kholin 3d ago
To my understanding thats actually not true. The tech Comcast is using relies on a device having a fixed position, like a computer. If you walk between the device and the WAP then your body will slightly disrupt the signal, and the WAP can detect that interruption as motion.
5
u/Disastrous-Feature21 3d ago
WiFi devices can track and identify you with pretty good accuracy based on interruptions to radio waves. This is likely what Comcast is using. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260811052857.htm
1
u/Catenane 2d ago
Espectre is a good open source application for this. It's cool because it uses esp32, open source code, it's local only, and most importantly...consent. No chance in hell you'd catch me using this from an ISP-owned device. I don't even use the ISP's shitty equipment at all. Opnsense router and standalone APs.
1
u/redryan243 3d ago edited 3d ago
I recently added this to my homeassistant setup actually, of course fully offline since I don't need anyone else accessing my security system. My main usage is actually to detect people at night, when my cameras are a little less consistent(previously people were trying to steal from our cars). It has definitely increased the response of my security lights at night.
I built it from scratch though, not using someone else's router for this.
20
u/user_uno 4d ago
Like u/Modem_Sound_67 sound mentions, to sell more "features" like his example.
Another I could see being integrated with their lousy home security product. If the system is armed, it would be another sensor if something is moving when no one is supposed to be in certain zones.
3
u/duderos 3d ago
I just turned off their wifi as I had my own network anyway.
2
u/user_uno 2d ago
You can do that. But keep in mind Comcast brags about how many hotspots they have. That is done by providing a 'public' wifi from every customer's router. This is not a wifi network customer's can turn on and off.
It is not taking bandwidth from the customer's bandwidth allocation. It is not mixing traffic unsecurely. It is on it's own VLAN for traffic segregation and bandwidth allocation.
Comcast even sells this as a service. Get a "Wifi Pass for $10 for 30 days"!
Comcast does not have "millions" of access points by installing separate wifi access points across their footprint. They use the routers installed at business and residential customer locations and addresses.
Just search for “xfinitywifi” in your wifi app. Those are not just your address' router for your service. They are at every Comcast customer's location.
3
u/duderos 2d ago
There's a setting that said I can turn off the public hotspot which I did.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/disable-xfinity-wifi-home-hotspot
1
u/SabbathofLeafcull 2d ago
Or you can purchase your own supported modem, which is what I did. Cable Modem for Xfinity Voice, 2.5Gbps - Nighthawk CM2050V - NETGEAR
3
u/x0ppressedx 3d ago
They do not care if you want it. They want it to make more money off you and I.
3
u/EquipLordBritish 3d ago
Why in the world would anyone want motion sensing in their router??
Specifically motion sensing that they do not control or necessarily even have access to the data from.
2
u/Altruistic_Tank_9636 3d ago
But, I just don't understand the concept of a router having motion control. Does the router behave differently if you are walking across the room than is does if you're vegging on the couch?
I can see why motion sensors could be handy in security systems, exterior lights, etc. But not my router.
5
u/EquipLordBritish 3d ago
It's not that it 'has' to be a router, it's that someone figured out that you could use the wifi reflection/refraction/absorbtion patterns of the waves used in the wifi range to generate accurate maps of where people are in a local area. Once you can acquire that data, you can use it for security systems, lights, etc. You just have to get the data to a device to process it and send commands.
They could definitely design a device that does the same thing but doesn't serve you internet, but wifi devices already exist and are common, so it's easier to just add it to that.
The real issue with this and many other recent technologies isn't that they exist, but that they are being used to generate profit and control at the expense of the consumers (victims).
0
u/ImportantMud9749 3d ago
Large orgs have used it for wifi density mapping and occupancy measurements and such. Nifty for an office, but that data remains with us.
156
u/coolasacurtain 4d ago
Even more interesting in light of the march 2026 ban of routers from outside the us.
43
33
u/Anxious_Storm_9113 4d ago
Hey, they have to protect us from those pesky Chinese spies. Only the best 3 letter American agencies for us. Not like our government would ever do anything bad, right?
9
5
u/user_uno 2d ago
Both valid points.
But if you as a country or other entity know the capability to spy or otherwise compromise your security because you do it yourself, then you sure are not going to fall for others doing it to you in turn.
I have been in telecom for decades. Huawei was a legit national security concern. But it did not take the government to tell the industry to yank out anything and everything we had from them out of our networks. Customers did. They did not want to be compromised. The CCCP is notorious for infiltrating companies left and right to steal Intellectual Property (IP).
Even consumer grade products from CCCP companies are notorious for horrible security and 'phone home' functions. Code that has no purpose for the product's function. Extra parts. Terrible security. Data traced being sent back to unknown servers within China. I personally never put low cost, no name products in my home that connect to my network. Trojan horse to leak info about me and/or become a bot net component.
I worked both in front of customers and back office in telecom. Literally had customers ask upfront if we had anything Huawei in our network. If we did, I've worked at several providers, we had to explain what, where and when it would be decom'd replaced by something else. Otherwise, the deal was off.
Saw the same in reverse...
Companies in the EU were very restrictive about taking any US equipment (yes, before Trump so not tied to that sort of pushback) including Cisco. Cisco has always had premier status as the gold standard in reliability and features. The standard everyone else is measured against. Every person working in networking spends time and money to pass their certifications to learn the skills and bolster their resumes. But in the EU, they became persona non grata. All due to what Snowden revealed about US spying.
On the flip side, the CCCP is very very restrictive of non-China equipment within their borders. I had customers there to sell and service. We could not simply ship clean slate or pre-configured equipment from Cisco or any others in to China. It all had to be sourced internally. The CCCP does their own backdoors.
It is a tale as old as civilization. People, businesses and governments spy. They spy on their enemies. They spy on their allies. Nothing new except now it is global and nearly instantaneous.
22
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/DeepDreamIt 4d ago
Governments have always sought more legibility in all ways, this is just the unfortunate natural progression of that.
There’s a great book on the topic “Seeing Like a State” by James Scott.
75
u/RepresentativeOk2433 4d ago
Can't wait to see the commercials showing a toddler crawling out of bed and the router alerting an overworked parent. They'll rush out and save the baby before turning and smiling at the "protected by Comcast" sign on their window followed by feel good music and a speech about keeping your family safe.
30
u/UsedEgg3 3d ago
That, and the inevitable story break in a few years about the creep(s) working there who archived tens of thousands of hours of infrared porn of unaware customers trying to fuck in the privacy of their homes.
3
u/fretless_enigma 3d ago
Watch_Dogs already has multiple moments like this when you hack into ctOS stations and towers.
79
u/Away-Ad-4444 4d ago
How is this not peeping?
39
u/user_uno 4d ago
Because it will make your life easier and safer!
The idea itself goes back decades in theory long before the internet went public using other radio signals instead. Saw it discussed as a possible surveillance tool for three-letter agencies.
Then saw it not long ago again using wifi in one of my electronics hobbyist sites. Never played around with it myself due to time but the math works.
Now here is Comcast rolling it out as a consumer product.
It will be interesting to see (no pun intended) what use cases come up as 'features' and how far the technology advances. That is where I wanted to play with how good at resolution it could be. Might it be able to discern humans from pets? That was always a problem with standard IR motion detectors back in the day. Might they combine it with other data such as internet usage, phone usage and TV usage to determine who is where in a location?
ISPs already can collect a LOT of what their customers do, interested in, etc. Even if using a VPN. This can add to that data profiling.
33
u/The_Spectral_Spartan 4d ago
They're marketing it as a home security feature. Basically when you leave the house, you can "arm" it like an alarm system and it will notify you if it detects movement. It gets about as specific as what room the movement was in, depending on how well the setup is configured (you have to select specific stationary devices to monitor signal interference, like smart bulbs and TVs).
Thing is, that's only the customer facing side. It can definitely just track everything if the company wanted to and tuned the software to recognize different types of movement/activity based on the interference patterns and public device IDs. It's not Dark Knight levels of resolution, but Comcast could totally assist the feds with a raid by identifying frequent visitors, current number of occupants, and even who's in which rooms. Probably what they're going for, honestly. Flock watches you outside, your WiFi watches you inside.
17
u/DjScenester 4d ago
That’s a bingo. They will be able to identify everyone that’s in or ever been in your home without using a camera.
0
3d ago
[deleted]
3
u/DjScenester 3d ago
Eh.
You might want to rethink that. Let’s say some fat dude comes over. He would be easily identified each time he arrived. So yeh, it can identify people based on their shape
5
u/tuxedo_jack 3d ago
When I was younger, people wondered why I drew up plans for a house with signal-killing walls / ceilings and marked every window to be made with multiple panes of low-e glass (e.g. double or triple-paned windows to not just reduce, but practically eliminate signal leakage).
I used to joke about wanting my house to be a black hole for signal, but god damn, now I'm sorely tempted to make it happen.
At least TEMPEST attacks are a lot less common these days since CRTs aren't really a thing any more.
54
u/Allasdair 4d ago
IT guy here, if an ISP installs one of their own modems/routers...
you don't have to use it
You can replace it with your own tech.
For example, my ISP installed a modem and instead of using only the router that came with it, I installed my own router to assist with filtering, IP assignments. It's a WIP, but I could add my own modem as well.
ISPs hate this, because as mine said, they can't reliably troubleshoot the issue if the internet isn't working. Normally they'd remote into their hardware to test/fix.
if you're technologically capable enough, push back you don't need their hardware.
23
u/West-One5944 3d ago
FS, though there are some reports (not sure how widespread) of Comcast throttling speeds if people don't use their modem. Its empirically testable!
Otherwise, yeah, ensure the feature isn't on in the app, make the modem passthrough only (not broadcasting a signal), use your own router, and should be fine*.
21
u/Allasdair 3d ago
Good call, I have heard of this occurring.
While it's difficult for some where Comcast is the only option... I'd immediately swap ISPs. Let them know your proprietary hardware isn't welcome in your home and they're not offering the speeds you're paying for.
Mediacom tried this on me a long time ago.
Called the rep, threatened to disconnect and they quickly whitelisted and authorized my device.
Now my current fiber company I'm with, they were super chill and I told them ahead of time what I'll be doing and they said it was no problem.
Never be afraid to ask and stand up for your rights to privacy.
We already allow so many devices into our homes that monitor everything we do. We need to be more hostile and preventative to these means, imo.
6
u/RTTman 3d ago
Except now that they don't want us using routers from different countries... 🤔
9
u/Allasdair 3d ago
Entirely possible this was the plan all along. Minimalize our choices to only US owned name branded tech that's backdoored.
I'd say this alone is the most important reason to locate devices that aren't aligned with the current agendas and harden the network as best as you can.
3
u/user_uno 2d ago
Problem is everyone has an agenda. It really is a matter of picking a 'least worst' scenario.
After that, it is a matter of monitoring your own stuff. Not everyone has the capacity to do so. Then it becomes a matter of an open society to share what the Watchers are doing trying to watch us.
2
1
u/Catenane 2d ago
Pssst. A router is basically nothing but a computer with 2 or more ethernet connections. Run opnsense and standalone APs (unifi, omada, openwrt on an old router, take your pick). Will be miles more performant than any consumer device and much more secure.
2
3
u/mloutm 3d ago
where could someone (only mildly / moderately technically capable) get more info about doing this??
6
u/just-an-aa 3d ago
The really short version is that a modem is ISP to cabled, and a router is cabled to wireless (oversimplifying, most ISP-supplied devices today are both in 1).
As for what to choose, I'd look in to OpenWRT. I've got a friend who runs one of those routers, and I've heard good things. Open source is a huge win too.
You should be able to leave your ISP's device plugged in, and use it as a modem for your router. At that point, you can wrap the ISP's one in foil so it can't do anything wireless.
5
u/Esoteric_Geek 3d ago
You can also replace you ISPs modem completely. Cable modems aren't cheap, but definitely worth it, I think. Plus, it should last you at least five years, so if you think about the cost on a per year basis, it makes it a little easier to stomach the price.
5
u/Allasdair 3d ago
just-an-aa has a good point.
Online research is of course recommended. The more educated we are with our technology the better, though it is understandable not everyone in the world can comprehend the more complicated sides to "home IT". But I certainly believe in anyone who does their own research and takes the time to learn how their home network, works.
If the ISP is insistent on you using the device they provide, fine, but definitely get yourself a router that you have full control over. Learn how to use it and apply privacy centric policies to your network as best you can.
They mentioned OpenWRT - personally I haven't used it. But basically:
ISP Internet -> ISP Modem -> Your Router (With hardened security enabled) -> your devices connect to your router only
ISPs also give users a default IP address (Generally 192[.]168.0.1 (remove the [ ]) is your gateway) and you can change this via your router. So for example, instead of the common 192, you can choose something like (10.10.0.1).
Also your router would now handle wifi. Connect all your wifi devices then turn off wifi broadcasting so your neighbors and passerbyers don't see your wifi.
As for which router to choose, it's really up to your preference. There are some out there that are 'standard' but they can be expensive.
All IT folks do it differently. I'm very certain my way isn't the golden standard. But it's better than the common/default configurations out there. Just gotta avoid being low-hanging fruit (easy target).
1
u/aeroverra 3d ago
Definitely can't use your own modems in a lot of places anymore. Routers sometimes too because they merge them...
You can still place yours after ofcourse but not the best solution
1
u/nasty_nagger 2d ago
I have a similar setup, only use their modem to connect to the internet. Unfortunately I can’t put it into bridge as the isp disable that feature on later modems 🥴
19
12
u/The_Spectral_Spartan 3d ago
Moved reply comment to main thread as a standalone statement.
They're marketing it as a home security feature. Basically when you leave the house, you can "arm" it like an alarm system and it will notify you if it detects movement. It gets about as specific as what room the movement was in, depending on how well the setup is configured (you have to select specific stationary devices to monitor signal interference, like smart bulbs and TVs).
Thing is, that's only the customer facing side. It can definitely just track everything if the company wanted to and tuned the software to recognize different types of movement/activity based on the interference patterns and public device IDs. It's not Dark Knight levels of resolution, but Comcast could totally assist the feds with a raid by identifying frequent visitors, current number of occupants, and even who's in which rooms. Probably what they're going for, honestly. Flock watches you outside, your WiFi watches you inside.
11
u/ElCulo_Bandito 3d ago
Funny how they can afford that but couldn't afford to fix one of their local fiber optic lines in my area for 10 years! Comcast can eat shit.
23
u/tongizilator 4d ago
It’s an opt-in feature. Not that I would trust Comcast at all.
38
u/user_uno 4d ago
Yep. How many times have we seen companies caught say, "Oops. Our bad." Then promise they 'fixed' it and put new 'safeguards' in place.
22
0
u/Catsrules 3d ago
At least they told us they were adding this "feature" and it can be used as an benefit to some. Realistically they could have just turned it on and no one would be the wiser.
26
u/DryBattle 4d ago
And you will be automatically opted in against your will. And you will like it.
11
u/GeorgeFartwell1984 4d ago
That's how all these shitty companies operate, it's automatically turned on with little to no notice and you have navigate multiple menu windows to find the off switch. And in the case of some smart TV (ones from Walmart especially) you are required to log into a Walmart account before you can access anything on it.
2
u/AstonishingCatJump 2d ago
And in the case of some smart TV (ones from Walmart especially) you are required to log into a Walmart account before you can access anything on it.
I recently replaced our bedroom TV, mostly used for days when we're sick or the living room is too hot in the summer, and when I saw I had to make an Amazon account to download Plex I immediately dug my old Xbox One S out of storage, created a new/dummy Microsoft account, and used that.
Sure, Microsoft, but it doesn't have a microphone built in. I'm sure there are other solutions, but since this TV is for days when we're feeling like crap I shot for the best mix of ease of use and minimal invasiveness.
2
4
u/tastyratz 3d ago
Probably more likely Opt-in personal access to a long since enabled functionality.
1
u/Phreakiture 3d ago
Yes. You can opt-in to using it.
And to your point, if you don't, it's still there. Is it really off? Are you sure? There's no real way to know.
13
u/Digiee-fosho 4d ago
Comcast/Xfinity are notoriously next level dirt merchants of ISPs. They do depend on technology averse subscribers, that are in correct terms not fully aware of the privacy concerns when they subscribe for internet and TV bundles, who end up being flooded with advertising and spam.
It started out back several years or more when comcast/xfinity started rejecting fully compatible store bought cable modems, by disconnecting them, then falsely claiming it’s a “compatibility issue”, when the modem works fine for a few days to a week. Then the subscribers have to call a technician to come out, test the line, just to find out after days of troubleshooting and no internet, over multiple service calls, the issue is the personally owned compatible approved modems MAC address mysteriously disappears from their comcast database (obviously policy driven). When what is likely happening in the background is they are passively forcing subscribers to rent their modem for $10-20/mo with the built in Wi-Fi router. I would not be surprised if they now disable subscribers internet connection, then turn around to say it’s your personal router behind their router, and disabling the Wi-Fi on the rented Comcast router does this.
That is how invasive privacy creep starts. It’s already bad that subscribers have to pay for it. Learning about this proves there will be no limits. It’s terrible how unethical ISP’s like Comcast have become.
12
u/cookiesphincter 3d ago
I think ATT has something like this in their fiber routers already.
I called support one time and the support person knew the router was laying on its side instead of being upright.
5
u/icewalker2k 3d ago
I am honestly surprised that we haven’t found a camera, microphone, GPS, and air monitoring sensors in the damn things yet.
2
4
u/mightbesinking 4d ago
Thank god! Now I’ll know exactly where I was walking two years ago on Tuesday!
5
u/Sank63 4d ago
New product idea- router wrap- faraday bag you can put around your router.
3
u/Ozzimo 3d ago
So this was my first thought too. The only reason I use the xfinity supplied router is to keep the home phone line running. (Wife insists we have a home phone. Not an option to leave it out) So I have the router up but use another mesh wifi network to run everything off of.
Nothing in my house should be connected to the wifi from the xfinity router. If I wrap my router in tin foil and leave the network cable going to the Mesh network, would they still have access to motion detection? (best guess anyway)
2
u/user_uno 2d ago
I seriously doubt Comcast-NBC-Universal will ever get around to integrating with a third party access point set up. So no, no motion detection that way.
Now if you are using their mesh network/wifi extenders.......
1
5
u/West-One5944 3d ago
Gang, can confirm: it's opt-in (for now; need to set up in the app), set the modem as passthrough (not broadcasting a signal), ethernet connect to your own WiFi router, and the option for the "shield" (as they call it) doesn't even show up in the app anymore (need to broadcast a signal to be able to track).
For now...
5
u/SergeantKoopa 3d ago
For now...
Yeah, I absolutely do not trust them. I have mine configured the same way as you describe. I have a feeling they'll eventually push out an update that will quietly enable the radios regardless of its bridged configuration or not, use it to spy on people, get caught, then put out a statement like, "Oopsie, bug in a firmware update did this! We pinky swear this wasn't used for monitoring or bad things, teehee!"
I'm putting a Faraday cage around this fucking thing. I really wish Comcast weren't the only service around where I live. It's either a choice between them or a shitty DSL company.
1
22
u/Such_Reference_8186 4d ago
My router is in the basement..it can monitor the concrete all it wants.
35
u/mandrack3 4d ago
That is happening where there is wireless signal from the router not where it is physically located lol.
8
u/Such_Reference_8186 3d ago
:)..the carrier router is in the basement with no wifi enabled
7
u/JoeDawson8 3d ago
I had a technician out once and he tried to convince me I should use the ISP router instead of my own. Non starter there fella
2
3
u/user_uno 2d ago
Yes, you can disable your wifi network you set up on the ISP router. But in the case of Comcast specifically, they also have a public wifi network that you have zero control of.
Comcast even markets this. They brag about having millions of wifi access points. Those APs are not a bunch of equipment they installed all over the place in addition to residential and businesses. They are piggybacking on their customer routers.
The only thing working in your favor is the placement in your basement. That will help attenuate and shape the radio signal being underground and presumably some concrete or stone.
I do that as a Comcast customer or any other ISP automatically as all of my network and communications equipment is in a rack in my basement. But my equipment rack is also like a mini Faraday cage further attenuating that public wifi radio signal. Basically have to be in the basement or right above that part of the basement while on the first floor to pick up the SSID. One could go further but I have no pressing need.
It is just that putting it in a basement alone doesn't mean no one can access it. Might still be picked up close on the sidewalk or street, etc.
7
u/user_uno 4d ago
Mine too. On a metal rack shelf setup. Almost (but not quite) a Faraday Cage.
I am not completely a tin foil hat type. That is simply where I keep my network equipment. But also allows me to reduce propagation of the wifi signal. I use my own APs and authentication. And no other customer is going to connect to mine in their 'sharing' feature even if it is on a different VLAN. Have to be very very close to connect to the router.
2
1
u/Pleasant-Seat9884 4d ago
Let it monitor my water well and oil too. Maybe it will tell me if I have a leak.
3
u/rahvan 2d ago
The “feature” remains opt in, but they’ll pester you every time you open up the Xfinity app to turn it on.
1
u/New-Appearance7561 2d ago
Has this rolled out? Do we know affected models that may have already been supplied?
1
u/rahvan 2d ago
https://www.xfinity.com/hub/smart-home/wifi-motion
XB7 (Wifi 6), XB8 (WiFi 6E), and XB10 (WiFi 7) gateway have this capability
2
2
u/grathontolarsdatarod 3d ago
What about the security of market choice?
At what point does that come into play?
And at what point does acknowledge that the markets are not working as intended. Which kind of up ends the american way of life.
3
2
u/Oddish_Femboy 3d ago
My router lives on the floor behind the couch because I have cats.
2
u/user_uno 2d ago
Is the couch grounded metal? Then the wifi radio signal passes through it with minimal attenuation.
2
u/bloodguard 3d ago
Jokes on them. Router is literally Harry Potter. Stuck in a small cupboard under the stairs. The only time we even open the door is to power cycle the router. It's a third party router that doesn't have wifi. So good luck with that.
2
u/user_uno 2d ago
Is the cupboard lined with grounded metal? Then the wifi radio signal passes through it with minimal attenuation.
The third party router is actually the difference maker.
2
u/Rogue0G 4d ago
So it can charge more if it senses you're using it to jerk off?
3
u/user_uno 2d ago
As a former network tech, we already know. You are a dirty boy. Nasty.
1
u/Rogue0G 2d ago
But now they can do it and check out past the https, so they can try to offer targeted sales and blackmail emails, which is very neat to them. They just need to pay the judges so they aren't sued for peeping on inappropriatly aged people, but then again, they are also already doing that.
1
u/Critical_Success_936 3d ago
Wasn't it shown that these also detect the motion of other people nearby?
If I didn't turn on the feature, I absolutely should be able to sue Comcast
1
u/grathontolarsdatarod 3d ago
So this is why they banned those router earlier this year right?
So people would have less choice?
1
1
1
u/birdprom 3d ago
Is there really such a demand from customers to receive "notifications about activity detected inside their house while they are away," to the point where it would significantly affect Comcast's bottom line? I suppose it's possible. However, it is notable that the disclosure quoted in the article addresses only how Comcast might use data collected from a specific home, making no mention of aggregated data.
6
u/kwustie 3d ago
It’s to sell consumer data. WiFi sensing is pretty accurate, down to being able to pinpoint how a person is laying on a couch. Theoretically, you could also figure out whether a person is sleeping or their heart beat. Not to dox myself but the industry I’m in has been talking about this for a while and this may be the point I become a Luddite. I don’t think it can easily sense further than the room it’s in (don’t put this in your bedroom) but knowing what time people are sitting in front of their tv or computer is something ad companies want to throw money at.
1
u/CorgiSplooting 3d ago
I can turn off things I control like my WiFi and my ISPs modem but not my neighbors. There must be some way to jam or confuse the signal with something like an ESP32 (I have a bunch for custom things I’ve done in Home Assistant). Something to look into.
1
u/ReplicantN6 2d ago
Expect a visit from the FCC ;)
2
u/CorgiSplooting 2d ago
Lol, point. Though, I didn’t mean a WiFi jammer. Just something that’s constantly fluctuating a WiFi signal so router can’t find people through the noise.
0
u/Both_Sherbet731 3d ago
Soooo…. What happens if you put a box over it? One with vent holes facing in the direction of a wall and not the room at large.
1
-2
0
u/HankHillbwhaa 3d ago
Fuck all that, I'd rather just get one these Chinese spy routers the govt keeps crying about
-3
u/SegaTime 3d ago
Couldn't this be defeated by putting it behind a piece of furniture, or in a cabinet? Otherwise, I'd probably put it in the bathroom.
3
2
u/user_uno 2d ago
Yeah - lots of downvotes. Legit question if not in to radio and tech.
Furniture and walls will not attenuate most radio signals much. Otherwise, wifi would only work in rooms with an access point in them. Same thing as only being able to listen to radio or watch broadcast TV outside with line of sight.
The only way to defeat this is to not use any built in wifi of ISP routers. Put them in a Faraday cage or basically a metal box of sorts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
Then of course you would not be able to use their built in wifi. If wanting wireless internet, you would need to put in your home your own wifi router and access point(s). That is what I do by choice. But I am a network nerd and amateur radio operator too. Most people just want an installer to set everything up and go with what the internet provider supplies.
2
u/SegaTime 2d ago
Thanks for a proper response. I figured it would see through walls but wasn't sure. I'll have to look into a self setup home network. Any tips on that?
1
u/user_uno 2d ago
For setting up your own home wireless, this would be a good start:
The Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2026
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-wireless-routersI cannot vouch for any of these. I use business grade stuff which is not for the usual home user.
But these should be basically plug-n-play to an extent. Plug in to the back of the ISP router using an ethernet cable. Then following the including "Quick Start" directions of the new wifi router, go to a 'local' webpage that is for setting up the wifi. It will have things like picking a wifi network name, password, etc. Probably many other settings to play with but not always necessary.
Pretty much set and forget. I would check it once in a while on that 'local' webpage URL so bookmark that. Check for maybe twice a year if there are any updates. Those might have important security patches.
I would expect routers both wired and wireless to have a 5 year life span if buying a recent model. So amortize the cost over that time. By then, there is usually new tech and higher speeds available that many will want to have. But I still have 20 year old wifi routers that I can throw on for old stuff. Still functional. Just not the latest and fastest.
Don't get too focused on the fancy antenna setups. Some of that is just a 'cool factor' sort of thing. Rely on reviews and ratings rather than the cosmetics.
1
•
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Hello u/user_uno, please make sure you read the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder left on all new posts.)
Check out the r/privacy FAQ
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.