Topic 'Re: Data Caps, just got the email.' in forum 'W.O.W.' - dslreports.com

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 18:48:31 EDT

garylapointe posted :

I was under the impression (by talking to a CSR about a speed problem) that when they implemented the cap, that voided your contract.

That's only handy if you want to leave, right? If you're getting promo pricing, you probably don't want to leave.

I think with AT&T cellular, when they changed the contract (when you had contract phones) but if you hung on for 90-days after the change, you've basically agreed to the contract.

I've yet to be notified by Wow about the cap change but on the other hand, I haven't been charged for any overages (although they've been very small because I've been watching).

said by tc1uscg:

Yep. But my experience with Comcast is, you get the speed you pay for. WOW on the other hand....

My Wow Internet service is pretty rock solid here in SE Michigan, usually about 10% higher than I'm paying for (both up and down).

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 20:15:50 EDT

tc1uscg posted : Yep. But my experience with Comcast is, you get the speed you pay for. WOW on the other hand....

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 16:51:28 EDT

Donut posted :

said by tc1uscg:

ay way cheaper then AT&T or Comcast (who are in my area).

Dont they offer more data than Comcast does? Because Comcast only offers 1.2 TB a month or unlimited. I know some of the other cable co's offer more data on faster packages.

SO you need to put that in to the equation. If they offer you more data than Comcast, then they might still be a better solution.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 08:56:30 EDT

tc1uscg posted : I was under the impression (by talking to a CSR about a speed problem) that when they implemented the cap, that voided your contract. I've not tested those waters yet but I have (on paper) another year left of my "discounts". My last bill was $183 for 500/50, large cable w/HBO, the cable card, 2 STB's (one ultra box, one HD box) and Telephone. I don't pay for the modem because their ultra box wasn't compatible with their 500 services so it's free. I have two tv's just plugged into their coax and using the TV's QAM tuners, I can still get over something like 60+ channels, just no EPG. And I have a 4tuner PCi card in my media PC that can act like a DVR (tested it). I have to wonder if they will ever kill off that part of their network? But leave it as it may. With caps, there is no reason to keep their services unless they are way way cheaper then AT&T or Comcast (who are in my area).

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 16:30:01 EDT

garylapointe posted :

said by pparks1:

garylapointe,

Yes, I have received text messages when I was approaching my 2.5TG limit in December. Last month, I only hit about 50% of my cap

Thanks for the info.
I'm on the tail end of a contract, maybe they'll start bugging me after that?

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:03:33 EDT

pparks1 posted : garylapointe,

Yes, I have received text messages when I was approaching my 2.5TG limit in December. Last month, I only hit about 50% of my cap

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:37:34 EDT

Donut posted :

said by Cbusdude:

Also notice how WOW! doesn't implement data caps in areas where they compete with Charter, is their network somehow inherently able to handle these heavy users better in these areas? It is entirely a cash grab

Talking to a coworker who is a WOW customer. It sounds like their network is garbage. So the caps may be due to that. However Im a Comcast sub and their caps are a cash grab. Because they can make lots of revenue for people who go over or the people who pay $30/m to add unlimited data.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 09:18:21 EDT

Cbusdude posted : Also notice how WOW! doesn't implement data caps in areas where they compete with Charter, is their network somehow inherently able to handle these heavy users better in these areas? It is entirely a cash grab

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 08:57:33 EDT

Cbusdude posted :

said by markmich4:

so its plain greed, and greed always results in trouble..

Yep, the company is just looking to boost its profits so it can get a bump in share price.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 08:08:25 EDT

tc1uscg posted :

said by markmich4:

Also @tc1uscg I agree, all of what's left of WOW will be having data caps. I wish I could change to another provider.. So much for competition, well I could always move.. ya like that's affordable to do! lol

I've not looked at the other wired providers lately but I think they all have caps in my area and now that WOW has them, there is NO incentive to stay with them. So, it's back to jumping ship just for a cheaper bill. I pay for 500/50 and was willing to overlook the fact that most of the time it's 300-400 range in download speeds. But at the end of the day, Comcast was the ONLY provider that gave you the speeds you pay for, at least in my area.

I did try TMO's home broadband for a couple of months. Used it at work, home, a couple of my kids (one in Detroit, one in Chesterfield Twp) and it was pretty solid. At work, I was getting over 500mbps dwn, 70 up. I'm not a gamer so ping times were not a deal-breaker. I know it will work if that's all I have but at home, it didn't match my speeds and I was afraid it's overall speed (80 to 150mbps) wasn't going to keep up with my needs. So, I returned the device. WOW keeps sending me those "hey, we can save you money if you dump your cable video services..." mailers every month since May of 2021. Bottom line, there's no reason to stay with WOW for just broadband at the moment.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 07:48:17 EDT

baess posted : (not replying directly to you)

14 pages and this thread is still hilarious. People complain no matter what.

Seems pretty simple to me. If someone doesn't like the data cap, find a provider who doesn't have one. Or maybe they prefer to keep posting here about it instead.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 02:57:45 EDT

brad152 posted :

said by markmich4:

oh is that why they're selling off whole markets if they aren't in trouble.. so its plain greed, and greed always results in trouble..

I do not think so much that they're in "trouble" per se, but they're going to have to do D4 upgrades soon, and they likely do not want to do it in markets with lower uptake, and just offloaded them to focus on a "core" area or two.

At some point I do see them selling the rest out to someone, but it'll be just becuase they do not want to do upgrades.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 23:12:11 EDT

garylapointe posted : Does anyone in SE Michigan get text alerts for hitting overages?
I guess I'd be curious if anyone does (please post location) as I don't think I've seen anyone mention these alerts.

I've still never been notified by Wow that they have overages now and I've definitely hit 75%, 90%, 95%, and maybe even 100% of my 1.5TB limit.

From their site:

How will I know when I am near or over my data limit?
You can visit login.wowway.com/services any time to view your comprehensive data usage dashboard. You’ll also receive email and text notifications when you reach 75%, 90%, 95%, and 100% of your data plan. »www.wowway.com/support/i ··· ge-plans

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 22:41:34 EDT

markmich4 posted : oh is that why they're selling off whole markets if they aren't in trouble.. so its plain greed, and greed always results in trouble..

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 21:45:24 EDT

Cbusdude posted :

said by markmich4:

I think WOW is just in the "death throws" now and it's only a matter of time before they go under, it's obvious.

What? Now that WOW! has sold systems to Cogeco US and Astound Broadband they have a fairly low debt load. Even pre-sale their debt was going down. WOW! definitely has lost their pro-consumer policies but they aren’t going to “go under”

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:31:11 EDT

markmich4 posted : I agree it's an insane "we like you so we charge you more" language in the email. I think WOW is just in the "death throws" now and it's only a matter of time before they go under, it's obvious. A lot will say that has been the case for awhile but this blatant money grab is just that.

Also @tc1uscg I agree, all of what's left of WOW will be having data caps. I wish I could change to another provider.. So much for competition, well I could always move.. ya like that's affordable to do! lol

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 14:59:09 EDT

tc1uscg posted : If it's still a WOW system, caps are there. If it was sucked by RCN, caps will be gone. I'm in SE Mich. I doubt our caps are going anywhere rather it's on the website any longer or not. I'm still under the WOW umbrella.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 14:56:24 EDT

anon posted : So some are being contacted to say the caps are GONE and some are being contacted to say the caps are being turned ON. Then there is me who can't even CHECK if I stil lhave a cap.

What in the world lol.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 12:33:35 EDT

tc1uscg posted :

said by markmich4:

Every day, we’re working hard to ensure all WOW! customers have a consistent and reliable network experience. In an effort to ensure this consistent experience continues

The only thing they are consistent on is trying to blow smoke up it's customers' butts. Seriously. Let's punish everyone but blame data hogs. Why not just go after anyone using over 5tb of data? No, we will just muck over all the other customers and blame the hogs instead. It's insulting.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 09:57:25 EDT

uteck posted : I got email from RCN/WOW stating that they will not be charging for data overages starting this month.
So at least for the people that are now part of RCN this now a non-issue.
====================================================
Dear RCN/WOW! Customer:
As you know, RCN acquired the WOW! systems in and around the Chicago area on November 1, 2021 which may include your Internet, TV, and Phone Services. We promised to provide updates along the way to keep you informed of the progress we’re making to fully transition your service to RCN.

To that end, we have some great news to share. Effective February 1, 2022, data overages will no longer apply to WOW! internet customers in these areas.

What does this change mean for you?
As of February 1st, data overages will no longer be charged. Your February billing statement will reflect any overage charges incurred in the month of January, and beginning with your March billing statement, you will no longer see additional data overage charges. If you have previously subscribed to Unlimited Data, that charge will be removed effective February 1, 2022.

We still have your whole household covered for streaming, video conferencing, email, browsing, and gaming. And, we’re always here to talk through your Internet service options.

We’ll keep you informed
As always, we will keep you informed of the progress we’re making to transition your service to RCN and any changes coming your way. In the meantime, thank you for being a valued customer. We look forward to serving you!

Sincerely,

RCN Telecom Services, LLC
www.wowway.com/rcn

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 09:08:57 EDT

markmich4 posted : I just got the email and I'm in Mid-Michigan.. Looks like it's not just the bigger cities like Detroit, etc.. What a joke.. just plain greed..

Don't ya just love the whole "we're working hard that you do well so we can charge you more" type language.. insane..

==========================

Account Notification:
Important Update to Your Internet Plan

Dear Valued WOW! Customer,

Every day, we’re working hard to ensure all WOW! customers have a consistent and reliable network experience. In an effort to ensure this consistent experience continues, we’re writing to let you know that we’re introducing a monthly data usage plan for your residential Internet service.

This change is effective April 1, 2022. Rest assured, the average WOW! customer will consume far less data than their plan allows and only a small percentage will be impacted by overage fees. Unless you’re using servers or file-sharing applications that consume extreme amounts of data, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll go over your data allowance.

If you do go over your data plan, we’ve got you covered. The first time you experience a data overage, we’ll proactively waive fees. For any subsequent data overage, increments of 50GB for $10 will be automatically applied for the remainder of the current calendar month. Total overage charges will not exceed $50 per billing statement no matter how much data you use.

Here’s what we’re doing to make sure you feel confident that your Internet service includes enough data to work, watch, and surf to your heart’s content:

We’ll notify you via the text and/or email addresses in the customer contact information provided by you if you approach your data allowance.
Don’t miss a message - head to login.wowway.com to ensure your contact information is up-to-date!
Wondering how much data your household uses? Your data dashboard at login.wowway.com/services will help you understand your monthly usage.
Have questions? Check out our Monthly Data Usage Plans page here.
Take a look at our breakdown of data plan by Internet speed. If you want to discuss options to ensure your plan fits your needs and budget, give us a call at 1-866-991-3586.

Internet Package Speed* Data Allowance
Internet 50 50Mbps 1,024 GB
Internet 100 100Mbps 1,536 GB
Internet 110 110Mbps 1,536 GB
Internet 200 200Mbps 1,536 GB
Internet 300 300Mbps 1,536 GB
Internet 500 500Mbps 2,560 GB
Internet 600 600Mbps 2,560 GB
Internet 1000 1,000Mbps 3,072 GB

Again, and we can’t stress this enough -- the vast majority of WOW! customers will not be impacted by overage fees. Your WOW! experience is not changing - we still have your whole household covered for streaming, video conferencing, email, browsing, and gaming. And, we’re always here to talk through your Internet service options. Give us a call at 1-866-991-3586.

Thank you,

Your WOW! Customer Care Team

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 10:05:30 EDT

RootWyrm posted :

said by tc1uscg:

Sprint tried this around 2003 in the Detroit metro area. It worked great in Phoenix Az but those old-growth maple tree's didn't play well with the signal in my market. They stomped around on my roof for a couple of hours before giving up. I volunteered to be a "beta tester" when they were asking employees if they wanted to help test it out.

Yep, it's the exact same as the microwave LOS we were doing in the mid-90's, except worse. Because you can't brute force it, and you can't fix the range. If you had LOS obstructions with licensed microwave, you could always go to tower and crank the power up. Or just burn a path up to your license limit.

And Starry's basically on trash frequencies. RF is a fixed asset with specific scarcity, which is why mm-wave "5G" band licenses in actually usable bands go for >$0.015/MHz. The bands Starry uses? <$0.00019/MHz. Usability is what ultimately determines price. And 37.1-37.5GHz? NTT DOCOMO has done very detailed, publicly published studies.
And everything they keep finding is that the only frequencies which are actually usable, are below 24GHz. 810MHz, 2.5GHz, 5GHz, etc? Those are fine. 24GHz and the path loss is catastrophic even with line of sight. And 37.1-37.5GHz is the absolute worst performing of the lot, every time, simply because of physics. Even just putting office furniture in the way wrecks 37GHz.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 09:15:18 EDT

tc1uscg posted : Sprint tried this around 2003 in the Detroit metro area. It worked great in Phoenix Az but those old-growth maple tree's didn't play well with the signal in my market. They stomped around on my roof for a couple of hours before giving up. I volunteered to be a "beta tester" when they were asking employees if they wanted to help test it out.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 17:08:14 EDT

Matt7 posted :

said by TMC:

I have a house in Franklin County that has a Dublin address but Columbus city services. My daughter lives there as she attends OSU. She got Starry installed about a month ago and has been pretty happy with it. That being said, the installer said he'd gone to a bunch of houses and mine was the first where he was able to do an installation.

In concept Fixed Wireless is a nice idea but the technology that Starry relies on requires 0% obstructions between the antenna installed at the home/business and their tower - even trees between will block the signal and make install a no go.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 16:28:24 EDT

TMC posted : I have a house in Franklin County that has a Dublin address but Columbus city services. My daughter lives there as she attends OSU. She got Starry installed about a month ago and has been pretty happy with it. That being said, the installer said he'd gone to a bunch of houses and mine was the first where he was able to do an installation.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 14:03:59 EDT

Matt7 posted :

said by Body Count:

Still waiting on Starry to notify me about the install since I signed up for $25 200/100 internet but that's been over six months now.

Good luck - Starry requires 100% clear direct line of site to their tower or it's a no go - lot of unhappy/angry people on Starry's social media about this.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 11:58:25 EDT

baess posted : Its working now.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 10:53:19 EDT

Tony0945 posted : From Live Chat: "Thank you so much for being patient! After checking the information I'll need for you to please delete cookies and cache then log back in to Online Account Manager and will pop up the service tap, let know if appears "

No, I didn't bother.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 21:02:43 EDT

baess posted : I can't even log in to my account right now and none of the CATV channels are streaming when I try and use my account info. I wonder if WOW! jettisoned us?

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:26:57 EDT

garylapointe posted : I'm in Dearborn and it comes and goes all the time in my experience (it's there more often than not, but it's gone enough that I'm not surprised when it is). And even when it's there, it often doesn't work.

Just checking now, had to reload twice and it worked. Oof, only 435 left of my 1500...

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 10:08:42 EDT

anon posted : I’m in the Metro Detroit market and can’t find my usage on the site anymore either. Are they deliberately hiding it at this point?

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 07:30:12 EDT

EricLEdberg posted : Alas, the "Services" tab is still visible on the wow home page for Naperville, IL.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:36:27 EDT

anon posted : Why am I no longer able to find the data usage section on wows website? I want to check how much I have used so far as well as last months total. The page looks a bit updated but the option appears gone entirely? God I hope this means they got rid of the caps but I doubt it.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 23:33:39 EDT

garylapointe posted : Comcast called me once (maybe 15 years ago) and said something like I was in the top 0.01% of their users and I needed to cut it out or they'd cut me off. I tried getting a number as to what qualified me to get this call, nor could they tell me a way to check my usage so I couldn't actually tell if I was using less. When I pointed out that without numbers, I'm not sure what they wanted me to do and even if all the people who fit the 0.01% of the users, there is still going to be a top 0.01% of data users. Finally got them to admit they weren't a Comcast employee and were just making the calls on behalf of them.

I really don't remember if it was 0.01% or 0.001% but it was something like that that they told me. That was a ways back, I can't even remember what kinds of speeds I got in those days nor how big the files I'd be downloading could be at the time.

With 4k video being the norm these days, I'm sure I download more in a day now than I did back then!

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 07:18:46 EDT

Donut posted :

said by tc1uscg:

It's been a few years, but when I first had Comcast in 2009-12, they had no caps enforced. Not that they didn't have them, they were suspended. I had them again for a couple years in 15/16 and again, no caps. And they had changed from 1tb to 1.2 or something around that. I switched to WOW because rumor had it, they were going to enforce the caps. Told them when asked, why I was leaving, I said caps. This is over in the east side (east of 8 mile)

That’s was when they were testing caps and overages in select markets. Because before they had a 250 Gig cap that was a hard cap that they would shit you off if you went over.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 20:59:20 EDT

tc1uscg posted : It's been a few years, but when I first had Comcast in 2009-12, they had no caps enforced. Not that they didn't have them, they were suspended. I had them again for a couple years in 15/16 and again, no caps. And they had changed from 1tb to 1.2 or something around that. I switched to WOW because rumor had it, they were going to enforce the caps. Told them when asked, why I was leaving, I said caps. This is over in the east side (east of 8 mile)

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 16:12:07 EDT

Cbusdude posted :

said by tc1uscg:

I think in some markets maybe they "suspend" those caps. I recall Comcrap use to do that in the Detroit market because WOW and others didn't have caps but they always had that 1.2TB cap, just not enforced. I have to guess maybe in the Dallas/FT Worth area, they have caps but don't enforce them. Daugther just said she wasn't told she had a cap and they just installed her fiber service yesterday as the house never had their service before. They had some cable company's service.

Nope it is all markets, here is the info on what tiers have what data allotments »www.att.com/help/internet/usage/
Additional sources:
»www.fiercetelecom.com/te ··· ustomers
»about.att.com/story/2020 ··· ons.html

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 12:41:42 EDT

Donut posted :

said by tc1uscg:

recall Comcrap use to do that in the Detroit market

Maybe Downtown Detroit as they have Fiber in the city, but I live 2 miles from Detroit Metro Airport and we have had caps for years. The only time they have suspended them was during the start of the pandemic. But even then they reinstated them at a higher data allotment.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:29:16 EDT

tc1uscg posted : I think in some markets maybe they "suspend" those caps. I recall Comcrap use to do that in the Detroit market because WOW and others didn't have caps but they always had that 1.2TB cap, just not enforced. I have to guess maybe in the Dallas/FT Worth area, they have caps but don't enforce them. Daugther just said she wasn't told she had a cap and they just installed her fiber service yesterday as the house never had their service before. They had some cable company's service.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 10:49:59 EDT

Cbusdude posted : All the fiber tiers as well as the 100mbps VDSL tier have unlimited data 75mbps and less VDSL all have a 1TB data cap and then ADSL and fixed wireless both have data caps but I don't recall what they are off the top of my head.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:27:16 EDT

tc1uscg posted : FWIW, one of my kids just got ATT fiber in Ft Worth. 300/300 I think, but I know the download was 300. She mentioned something about having a data limit but didn't know what it was. For skins and grins, I've asked her to find out for sure. I think when I checked, ATT's gig service (fiber) does not have caps. But anything else in a market where the speeds are throttled does. But I could be wrong.

And as far as their website goes, they sure could have saved a lot of white space had they just come out and said "No data caps" or "Data caps in some areas apply"

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:52:10 EDT

adam1991 posted :

said by Nick1:

said by adam1991:

said by Nick1:

ATT has caps

ATT fiber from ATT retail doesn't have caps. Those went away within the last year.

ATT fiber from toast.net never had caps.

Nick, I repeat:

ATT fiber from ATT retail doesn't have caps.

Now, show me in that ad where it says this is for AT&T fiber.

Hint: it's not for AT&T fiber.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:05:19 EDT

Cbusdude posted : I have Spectrum’s Ultra and it’s super solid service just a bit more expensive than I’d like.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:04:00 EDT

Body Count posted : AT&T fiber will never be in my area but it's in the subdivision south of my house. I do have 75 meg DSL to my house which I'll never use.

Still waiting on Starry to notify me about the install since I signed up for $25 200/100 internet but that's been over six months now.

Hopefully WOW can hold onto Columbus just a little longer. I do not want to go to spectrum.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:48:59 EDT

Vchat20 posted : Here's what ATT's own site says regarding this: »www.att.com/support/arti ··· M1010099

Had to look this up as I'm seriously considering getting them as at least a backup line. I've got the 100/20 VDSL plan available to me which should fall under the unlimited cap umbrella.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:27:18 EDT

Nick1 posted :

said by adam1991:

said by Nick1:

ATT has caps

ATT fiber from ATT retail doesn't have caps. Those went away within the last year.

ATT fiber from toast.net never had caps.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 15:41:57 EDT

HolyRoses posted : it works, but wow will downgrade you eventually back to what they support. I know because I did it as well with a comcast connection.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:23:20 EDT

garylapointe posted :

said by Cbusdude:

If you have a friend with a Charter or Comcast connection if you plug the modem in at their home your modem should update. Both Charter and Comcast actually do push updates to modems even if they aren’t active with service.

Nice tip! That might be handy to know...

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 18:58:28 EDT

Cbusdude posted : If you have a friend with a Charter or Comcast connection if you plug the modem in at their home your modem should update. Both Charter and Comcast actually do push updates to modems even if they aren’t active with service.

Re: Data Caps, just got the email.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 18:31:51 EDT

adam1991 posted :

said by Body Count:

Also just because there is a newer version out there doesn't mean WOW will have it ready to push to your modem.

yeah, in my situation it wasn't a matter of manufacturer firmware. It was whatever firmware WOW had read to roll. Apparently, they just don't have any process to make sure units that get returned to WOW, go back out on the truck in any updated manner. So I ended up with three of them, all on older firmware or whatever, despite the fact that WOW had updates ready to push.

And it certainly seemed that they didn't push any such updates automatically (like how AT&T does with their residential gateways), otherwise my problem would have solved itself.