I just got a new New Xfinity Wireless Gateway Dual Band 802.11 AC Installed (DPC3941T).
New vs. Old
According to Multichannel news, The new DOCSIS 3.0-powered and voice-capable Xfinity Wireless Gateway is a dual-band 802.11n router with 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz radios designed to expand wireless coverage in the home and help customers connect their tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and PCs to the home network.
To get the higher speed, you need to have a device that is capable of connecting to the faster band. Some older devices won't be able to. For a laptop, you can get a Dual Band 802.11n USB Adapter, that will allow you to connect to the 5.0 band.
Here are the results of a Comcast Speed Test:
Wired:
Wireless:
It seems like it's going to cover a farther range from my upstairs office. I'll be watching it's performance to see how the connectivity is downstairs.
2.5 GHz Band is crowded, 5 GHz band isn't
I used WiFi Explorer to take a look at EiFi networks that are around me. The 2.5 GHz Band is crowded, the 5 GHz band isn't. The Xfinity tech told me that the crowded band is like the old wireless home phones where you had to pick a channel. Sometimes you'd hear your neighbor's calls, or have conflicts with their phone.
That's what's happening with the 2.5 GHz WiFi band. It's getting crowded. So crowded in fact, that it can become almost unuasable when there are lots of devices in the same area.
Here's my quiet neighborhood's 2.5 GHz WiFi band.
Here's my quiet neighborhood's 5.0 GHz WiFi band.
A lot less crowded.
And yes, I named my Xfinity Wireless Gateway Skynet. ;-)
There were other suggestions.
Press Release:
INTRODUCING THE INDUSTRY'S FASTEST WIRELESS GATEWAY:
Our new Gateway not only offers faster speeds, but it also operates within the 802.11 AC spectrum, a Wi-Fi channel that is used by many of the latest consumer electronic devices including the Samsung Galaxy S4/S5, Macbook Pro, and the Macbook Air. And like previous Xfinity Gateways, the new hardware is built to the MoCA 2.0 standard, which allows the device to leverage a home’s existing coaxial cable network to create a faster and more efficient network of connected devices in the home.
This technology translates into faster speeds and a better connection to do all the things we love: stream HD video, download music, network multiple rooms in our homes, and connect lots of devices and gadgets simultaneously.