Comcast Offering Free Wi-Fi in California As Long As You're an Existing Comcast Customer Comcast today announced that the company is now offering free Wi-Fi to existing paying customers in California. According to a Comcast press statement, the company is now offering Wi-Fi to users in Northern and Central California plus Santa Barbara County, including: the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Fresno, Monterey, Santa Maria and Chico (we've included the full list below). The announcement comes on the heels of the news that Comcast would be expanding free Wi-Fi to 2,500 more hotspots on the East Coast. Comcast originally piggybacked on Cablevision's idea (and some of their infrastructure) in offering Wi-Fi to combat FiOS, with installs along major commuter zones around New York City. Comcast customers can sign in wherever they see the "Xfinity WiFi" SSID. Xfinity WiFi will provide fast wireless Internet access via hotspots in cities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Aptos, Atwater, Buellton, Cameron Park, Carmel, Chico, Chowchilla, Colusa, Corcoran, Davis, Diamond Springs, Dinuba, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, Fairfield, Folsom, Fresno, Galt, Grass Valley, Hanford, Kerman, Lathrop, Lemoore, Lodi, Lompoc, Los Banos, Madera, Manteca, Marysville, Mendota, Merced, Modesto, Monterey, Murphys, Nevada City, Newman, Oakdale, Oroville, Parlier, Patterson, Placerville, Rancho Cordova, Reedley, Roseville, Sacramento, Salinas, San Andreas, Sanger, Santa Maria, Selma, Solvang, Sonora, Soquel, Stockton, Tracy, Tulare, Twain Harte, Vacaville, Vallejo, Visalia, Willows and Yuba City. A full coverage map is available here.
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  IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
 ·Comcast
 ·Verizon Broadban..
| I don't use public hotspots When I use my laptop on the go, I use my Verizon 4G Jetpack. Too many security issues with public wi-fi hotspots.
My iPad has a built in 4G LTE radio built in and its on my VZW share everything plan (in addition to my Jetpack, iPhone, and two dumb phones).
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I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town). | |
|  |  RR ConductorNWP RR Inc.,serving NW CAPremium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
kudos:1 | Re: I don't use public hotspots .................... | |
| | RR ConductorNWP RR Inc.,serving NW CAPremium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
kudos:1
1 edit | Well, unless you have the grandfathered and now unavailable unlimited plan, you are going to run into their nice caps. Also, not all areas have LTE yet, up here in rural Mendocino County in Northwestern California we still don't have it, though Verizon, AT&T and U.S. Cellular all plan to roll it out here.
Edit-We do have HSPA+ w/EB from AT&T, and I can get up to 10 Mbps down and 1.1 Mbps up on that, but again, unless you have unlimited you run into the carrier's teeny caps. | |
| | | | | Re: I don't use public hotspots said by RR Conductor:Well, unless you have the grandfathered and now unavailable unlimited plan, you are going to run into their nice caps.
Considering he has stated that he has the share everything plan, I would wager that ship has long sailed. | |
| | | | RR ConductorNWP RR Inc.,serving NW CAPremium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
kudos:1 | Re: I don't use public hotspots said by PapaMidnight:said by RR Conductor:Well, unless you have the grandfathered and now unavailable unlimited plan, you are going to run into their nice caps.
Considering he has stated that he has the share everything plan, I would wager that ship has long sailed. True, I meant you though in general. | |
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RR ConductorNWP RR Inc.,serving NW CAPremium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
kudos:1
2 edits | Comcast HSI in Mendocino County, no Comcast WiFi yet though. We have Comcast HSI up here in Redwood Valley (Mendocino County, Northwestern California), but the closest Comcast WiFi point to me is in Healdsburg, 55 miles south. I hope they expand soon, though I get free WiFi with my AT&T Wireless plan as well, and many places, like hospitals, hotels, trains, etc. have free WiFi now too, even in rural areas like mine.
As far as security (mentioned by Iowa Cowboy), well, there can be an issue here, but just make sure and have a good firewall and anti virus package, and ONLY use sites that are secure, if you don't feel secure with those, well, just wait until you can get a secure access point to do transactions and other sensitive things. | |
| | | | | | | Re: Comcast HSI in Mendocino County, no Comcast WiFi yet though. many Universities give VPN access into the schools. It's how they keep their data safe when you're trying to access something that's secure. Such as Software Centers (places you can download programs that the university purchased for everyone) without being at school. | |
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| | Missing information in "story". Karl- you forget to mention that even if you're not a customer, you can still use the service by paying, which you should anway. | |
|  MooJohn
join:2005-12-18
Milledgeville, GA
 ·Windstream
| Ripe for phishing Now all someone has to do is set up a rogue wireless point with that SSID and start collecting (presumably) valid Comcast logins & passwords. That won't get anyone free internet access since it's a cable company but I bet it'll get access to those email accounts.
Set up a welcome page that requires another bit of account info and you've got a treasure trove of stolen data without having to breach any security systems.
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John M - Cranky network guy | |
|  flibby3655Bully SpotterPremium
join:2004-12-19
Lompoc, CA | Not Working Here Drove by all seven hot spots here in Lompoc with my iphone. Not one was broadcasting a signal.
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"Safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye" | |
| | | | Re: Not Working Here I drove by a couple of the outdoor locations in Sacramento and also found no signal. | |
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schebPremium
join:2007-04-14
Folsom, CA | Hotspots in CA I checked the hotspots in my area and they're in places like a lawyers office, fitness trainer, realtor, etc. Not really anywhere convenient (open after 5, etc.)... It leads me to believe that these are merely Comcast business customers with special hardware. | |
| | flibby3655Bully SpotterPremium
join:2004-12-19
Lompoc, CA | Re: Hotspots in CA said by scheb:I checked the hotspots in my area and they're in places like a lawyers office, fitness trainer, realtor, etc. Not really anywhere convenient (open after 5, etc.)... It leads me to believe that these are merely Comcast business customers with special hardware.
Locations are the same here... Did you get a signal from the locations?
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"Safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye" | |
| | | schebPremium
join:2007-04-14
Folsom, CA | Re: Hotspots in CA I managed to stop by the realtor yesterday and didn't pick up the xfinitywifi ssid. Today I stopped by the lawyer and my phone picked up the ssid and gave me the login page. I entered my credentials but the page timed out during authentication. So it's not vaporware out here, but still is in inconvenient locations.
Business names on the hotspot finder (instead of addresses only) and xfinity wifi hotspot signage at the locations would go a long way towards making this a usable product. | |
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| | ugh.. stop using the word "FREE" if you have to be a subscriber..
the correct term is VALUE-ADDED, or complimentary (as in addition to... something you BUY)
free implies no purchase necessary in most cases. | |
| MadtownPremium
join:2008-04-26
Madera, CA | What are the actual speed? What are the actual speed? I would think that this being CC, it would be at least 12mbps download. | |
|  THZNDUPDeorum Offensa Diis CuraePremium
join:2003-09-18
Lard
kudos:2 | Does the useage go against your caps? Free WiFi? I wonder how that will work out after nationwide caps are put into place. | |
| | | Tested working in 93933 Taco Bell Parking lot, LOL. | |
|  AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ
kudos:1 | not Free, Included Is this is like what they have in the NYC metro area?
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--Standard disclaimers apply.-- | |
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