Xfinity Internet DIY: Your Comprehensive Self-Installation Handbook
It doesn't take long to get started with Xfinity internet, and you can usually do it on your own. Everything you need to get started is included in every Xfinity equipment package, and you may use an app to get ready to connect your new service in addition to handling installation on your own.
Are you prepared to begin? This tutorial will show you how to install Xfinity internet on your own. Location of your router/modem
Your modem/router combo, which Xfinity frequently refers to as a gateway, must be placed in a central area. The kitchen, great room, living room, and entertainment room are a few typical locations. Wi-Fi will be available throughout most of your house thanks to the gateway's ability to send a signal across floors and walls.
However, the signal's intensity can be diminished by every obstruction. So, it's advisable to minimize the amount of barriers that stand between your gateway and devices that support WiFi.
Whether or not someone wants to connect to your gateway directly using an Ethernet connection is another factor to take into account when deciding where to put it. Compared to Wi-Fi, Ethernet frequently offers a faster and more reliable connection.
You might wish to utilize an Ethernet cable to connect your computer or device straight to your network if you have critical video meetings or need better connectivity when playing games or viewing your favorite movie. That is something you will need to consider when choosing where to put your gateway.
The location of the gateway in respect to other devices that can create interference is the last factor to take into account. The radio waves in your Wi-Fi signal are sent via the atmosphere.
It might be susceptible to interference, just like other radio-based devices, depending on the radio waves coming from adjacent devices. You should consider positioning your gateway a good distance away from any of the following devices if you own any of them:
- Microwave oven
- Baby monitors
- In-floor heating elements
- Other wireless networks
It's also a good idea to place your doorway as far away from your neighbors' if you live in close proximity to them. In this manner, there is less chance of interference between the two signals.
Password and network name
Your devices can connect to the unique networks that each gateway establishes. The bottom of your gateway is labeled with a special name for this network. The letters "SSID," which stand for "service set identifier," will be next to it. There should be a password beneath the SSID, denoted by the letters "PW."
You can write down your password and SSID/network name to facilitate the remainder of the installation process. When the time comes to connect a gadget to your Wi-Fi, you'll use them.
Linking the internet to your gateway
The next step is to use a coaxial wire to connect your gateway to the internet signal provided by Xfinity. This should have been installed by an Xfinity technician and should enter your home from the outside. The chord that plugs into the back of your TV or cable box to receive cable television service will perfectly match if your service is delivered to your home via a coaxial cable. It comes with the installation kit that accompanied your gateway and is circular in shape with a pin in the center.
The first step in connecting your service to your gateway if you have cable internet is to screw the cable's connector into the opening on the back of your gateway, making sure it fits securely. For the main reason that you don't want to over tighten the connection with a wrench—you risk stripping the threads and creating an unreliable connection that experiences disruptions. Rather, manually twist the connector until it is tight.
The other end of the cable needs to be connected to the wall socket that houses the coaxial wire that enters your house from the outside after you've finished that step.
Attach your gateway to an electrical outlet
It's time to connect your gateway to a power source after you've established your internet connection with Xfinity. It's crucial to only power the gateway after connecting it to the coaxial connection provided by Xfinity. In the unlikely event that your gateway experiences an electrical short, this will help you avoid being electrocuted.
The power cable should be plugged into your gateway before being connected to your wall socket for the same reason.
Permit your gateway to begin operating
The first boot up of your gateway could take up to twenty minutes. When your gateway boots up, the computer inside of it simply turns on and establishes a connection with the many parts it needs to provide you with Xfinity internet service.
Throughout the boot procedure, you need to maintain your gateway connected in. Once the LED on your device is steady white for 60 seconds, you will know the booting process is complete. Your router is prepared to offer Wi-Fi to any nearby devices after it has finished booting up.
Connect to the internet signal of your gateway
You can either use Ethernet or Wi-Fi to connect to the internet signal of your gateway.
Using Wi-Fi to establish a connection
You should enter your device's Wi-Fi settings before attempting to connect to the network's Wi-Fi. If you are near enough to your gateway and have turned it on and booted it completely up, your device will identify your network automatically. Use the SSID you already noted, or look through the list of available Wi-Fi networks on your device.
After that, click or tap your network. When prompted, enter the password, which is the combination of the characters, digits, and letters adjacent to the previously written "PW." It's crucial that you type the password precisely as it appears on your gateway's bottom. Case sensitivity means that when you submit your password, any capitalized letter must be submitted as a capital letter.
To establish an Ethernet connection
It is easy to connect using Ethernet: It only requires you to insert one end of an Ethernet cable into your computer or other device, and the other end into the Ethernet port located on your Xfinity gateway. A network name or password does not required to be entered. An Ethernet cable, which looks like the kind you plug into a phone, should have come with your gateway.
Turn on your internet
Upon connecting to the internet signal of your Xfinity gateway, an automatic setup screen appears. If that still doesn't happen, you may try typing xfinity.com/activate into the address bar at the top of your screen while using a browser like Chrome or Firefox. After that, a page with instructions for configuring and verifying your Wi-Fi network is displayed to you.
There are other parameters that you may adjust, but one that most people find useful is the name of their network. This makes it simpler for you to tell your network apart from other Xfinity users' networks. During the setup procedure, you can also modify the password for your Wi-Fi.
With Wi-Fi networks, there are several password safety precautions you may take, although it's recommended to:
- Refrain from logging into another online account with the same password.
- Stay away from only changing a password's number—for example, changing "JohnDoe" to "JohnDoe1."
- Add symbols, numbers, and letters at random.
- Use a password manager or write down your password and keep it somewhere safe to protect it.
Check the connectivity of your internet
Using your preferred email account or website, you can check the quality of your connection. Xfinity includes a tool for evaluating its internet connections, which you may use to obtain precise speed readings. You can visit speedtest.xfinity.com once you've established your account and connected to the internet.
There ought to be a "Start Your Test" button visible on the screen. Once you do, the test results will begin to show on the screen and will change as the website evaluates your internet speed.
You can only see your download speed during the test unless you select the dropdown arrow next to "Show More."
It may be useful to comprehend why the speeds you experience while testing can differ from those that Xfinity has advertised.
Additional internet-connected devices you may experience slower speeds due to other devices consuming bandwidth.
An inefficient DNS (domain name system) server a domain name server is used by any website that asks for a word or number to be entered rather than an IP address. This connects a website's name, like Google.com, to the IP address of the content server that serves it to you. You may become slow if the DNS for your testing site is slow.
The simultaneous use of internet by other neighbors could clog the network and result in slow internet service at your house.
Wi-Fi capabilities of your gadget: Relatively poor internet connections can occasionally be produced by the device's internet connection management system.
You can attempt connecting straight to your internet via Ethernet to rule out the chance that the problem is with your Wi-Fi router or the Wi-Fi connection mechanism on your device. After that, you'll be able to gauge the performance of your connection more accurately.