Well yeah. That’s what their tech does. And it’s why I have my ISP’s WiFi offering disabled and the antennas removed and run their router in bridged mode, hooked up to equipment I own that doesn’t call out to the Internet.
Submitted 2 months ago by mesamunefire@piefed.social to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/wifi-motion
Comments
adespoton@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
possumparty@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
Doesn’t matter for me, my neighbors use all that shit. There’s enough latent rf for them to triangulate literally everything happening nearby.
happydoors@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I live in an apartment building. I wonder if this is useless tech with dozens of WiFi networks from my neighbors going
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Faraday cage or bust.
etchinghillside@reddthat.com 2 months ago
Is your ISP know for robbing customers when they’re not home?
adespoton@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
It doesn’t really matter… the data is managed by a third party in another country. I have no real control over who gets access to it, intentionally or otherwise. Better that the data just doesn’t exist in the first place.
magic_smoke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
Yes but they also rob them when they are. Usually via hidden fees.
peteyestee@feddit.org 2 months ago
Didn’t read the article, but it’s possible to get a 3d map with wifi. They can probably see you.
hansolo@lemmy.today 2 months ago
They don’t need a 3D map, and the researchers who have rendered a 3D map need a lot of specialized software and resources.
Xfinity doesn’t need that. They only need to know when people are online, what they’re looking at, and who/how many people are watching TV, and if there’s indication of pets in the house. That gives them an advertising gold mine of data.
kieron115@startrek.website 2 months ago
By default, WiFi Motion is set to detect even small amounts of movement in the motion-sensing areas, including motion caused by small pets.
holy shit lol
Glitterbomb@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Oh boy, I can’t wait for this new wave of paranoid customers claiming their wifi is watching them. Thanks, comcast.
possumparty@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
cymor@midwest.social 2 months ago
I remember when MIT had a paper on this around 2000
Buske@lemmy.world 2 months ago
The show continuum used it too.
rhythmisaprancer@piefed.social 2 months ago
I don't really understand how this works, so struggle to see any benefits (only drawbacks😐). It does make me thankful my provider is a small local company. Not the fastest, but probably no spying.
BussyCat@lemmy.world 2 months ago
If you are interested I can try and find the article on it but a few years ago an article came out where they were able to use wifi signals with enough accuracy that they could see a password that you were typing on your keyboard!!
But basically they use the way the wifi signal bounce off things to make an image in much the same way that echo location works
Monument@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
Like - I’m excited about sensors that uses higher frequency versions of this for health monitoring. I think that’s a perfectly valid use. But also, in my use, I’d be installing it as an IoT device on a network I control, feeding data to services I own.
This use - where it’s opt in for now, until they figure out how to monetize selling how much time you spend in front of the TV, in the kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom (paired with ‘anonymized’ data about what you’re looking at online in each space) is creepy as fuck.
rhythmisaprancer@piefed.social 2 months ago
That is nuts. I've always liked hardwired better but hard to do that with a mobile phone.
kautau@lemmy.world 2 months ago
wifinowglobal.com/…/breakthrough-in-wi-fi-sensing…
It’s been around for almost 4 years. Don’t use rental modems.
webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
Different context but the first time I heard about this it was touted as the future for VR
pyre@lemmy.world 2 months ago
fucking Batman
kieron115@startrek.website 2 months ago
DOCIS 3.1 involves more than just speed. No point going over the speed limit if all the traffic lights are timed based on a certain speed. cablelabs.com/…/how-docsis-3-1-reduces-latency-wi…
blacklotus_@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Mad at the concept, but at least it’s off by default. Had Xfinity for 2 years and was running my own modem and router anyway, so I’m all set if I decide to switch back at this point
WhereGrapesMayRule@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Get your own gateway. Don’t rent theirs.
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2 months ago
You can buy cable modems cheap, too. No reason to use their crap at all.
JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
“cheap” is a relative term.
Nobody should be buying a DOCSIS 3.0 modem these days. They are obsolete and for some reason still being sold.
A decent DOCSIS 3.1 modem is at least $200. A Next Gen like S34 is at least $220.
And then you have to get your own wifi.
It pays for itself pretty quick (by not paying rental fees), but that doesn’t necessarily make it cheap.
I absolutely prefer using my own equipment, and do…but it’s also worth mentioning that in many markets, Xfinity removed data caps if you have a rented modem.
timewarp@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I wouldn’t trust them to not randomly enable WiFi, but you can also use their modem but disable any built in WiFi on it & still use your own router. ISPs continue to try to bundle their modem & router, which gives them complete access to your home network. Some lucky people have found fiber providers that let them use their own SFP.
Ulrich@feddit.org 2 months ago
Can you use your own modem? I thought you had to use theirs?
Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
In Europe that used to be the case, but that changed not that long ago. Now providers are legally obligated to allow you to get your own modem
magic_smoke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
No you can use your own modem with xfinity.
adespoton@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
You need to use their modem quite often, but you don’t need to use their router. They’re usually “all in one” modem/router things these days, but they’re legally required to provide you with a modem in bridge mode if you ask — at that point, an Ethernet cable attached to their modem is effectively attached to the Internet, and you can put your own hardware inside (firewall, Wifi router, etc.).
CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 2 months ago
You can use your own. But at every single point they’re going to tell you that your brand new top of the line modem, is out of date and is probably the problem of any issue that you’re having. They try so hard to gaslight customers in believing that you need to use their white labeled equipment. They want you to use their stuff and pay the fees so they can resell the Wi-Fi, and they have full control over your device.
goatinspace@feddit.org 2 months ago
Use your own modem and open source lon range router
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
I have successfully avoided cable up to this point, but I did use my own modem back when I used DSL. It wasn’t advertised anywhere, but I just took the details from their modem and called support for the last bit I needed and used my own. It worked just as poorly as theirs did…