

Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times-and that's just here at How-To Geek. This sort of feature isn't something to be afraid of - it's a good thing.Ĭhris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. Comcast is the first ISP we're aware of that now provides this feature in the USA. No, this article was not an advertisement for Comcast - it's an explanation and stamp of approval for a feature that's provided in Europe by companies like Fon and ISPs like BT, SFR, and. It's a way to share Internet access without any slow-downs or legal risk, so why not leave it enabled? The more Wi-Fi the better.
#Wifi signal amplifier for laptop optiumum wifi hotspot free
This sort of feature provides you with more free Wi-Fi hotspots you can connect to and helps other people get free Wi-Fi, too. Of course, you likely won't see any slowdowns from leaving this feature enabled - assuming your Internet service provider sets things up correctly - so there should be no harm from leaving it enabled. Other ISPs will likely allow you to disable it in similar ways. For example, Comcast allows you to disable it by visiting their account management page or calling their phone number and asking. You can probably disable this feature if you don't like it. Any XFINITY Wi-Fi subscriber - this includes other XFINITY customers and people who pay to connect to the xfinitywifi network - can connect to this Wi-Fi network and access the Internet. One is your home Wi-Fi network, while the other is an "xfinitywifi" network.

This XFINITY WiFi service is completely separate from your secure WiFi home network.Įssentially, the combined modem/router unit your ISP provides you with will create two separate WI-Fi networks. This creates an extension of the XFINITY WiFi network right in your home that any XFINITY Internet subscriber can use to sign in and connect. Your XFINITY Wireless Gateway broadcasts an additional “xfinitywifi” network signal for use with XFINITY WiFi.

How the Hotspot Feature WorksĬomcast's XFINITY WiFI Hotspot is one example of such a feature. Other US-based Internet service providers will likely follow suit with similar features. We're focusing on Comcast's XFINITY WiFi feature here because it's been the subject of some controversy in the press. We are, however, fans of truth and honesty, and this article is a product of that. Editor's Note: we aren't fans of Comcast, as they are a fairly awful company.
