Can I Have Two Modems With My Xfinity?

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In today’s day and age, a lot of people work from home. Because of this, we need to ensure we have reliable internet for all those business meetings and other such types of work. In theory, having two modems could double up on your connection and make it so that you would still have a reliable service if one goes down. So can you have two modems with Xfinity?

You can have two modems with Xfinity. However, they will not hook it up for you. Xfinity advises against it. Hooking two modems together to create their own network is something that is possible on your own.

Below you will see why Xfinity doesn’t allow users to use multiple modems in the same address and how you can hook them together if you decide to do so on your own.  

Why Doesn’t Xfinity Allow Users to have Multiple Modems?

There are many reasons why Xfinity doesn’t allow multiple modems for a single user in their home. 

Xfinity doesn’t allow users to use multiple modems because of interference and feedback and because it takes a really long time to configure. There are other things Xfinity customers can do to ensure fast internet throughout their homes.

The biggest one is having multiple modems within close proximity together can cause interference. Think of it like you have two speakers close together, and feedback happens. It makes the sound quality you were hoping for disintegrate. 

This gets into our second issue: it takes more time to configure. Because of the feedback from being on the same frequency, you need to configure your modems to sit on different frequencies if you hope to avoid that interference. 

Even though Xfinity won’t flat out do it, you can have multiple modems. It shouldn’t be the first option, but you can also try using WiFi extenders through Xfinity to boost your internet.

How to Connect Multiple Modems

As stated earlier, it isn’t impossible to connect multiple modems; just ill-advised. In order for you to connect these modems together, you need to go through a few steps. 

The first thing you need to do is contact Xfinity. Yes, Xfinity does not allow you to have multiple modems on one account, but you can create another account and let Xfinity know that one is yours and the other belongs to the landlord. You need to let them know. Otherwise, they will deactivate all other existing accounts.  Still, you will want to do a manual install. 

There are two ways to connect your modems. 

Using a Splitter

A two-way splitter is the first way to connect your two modems. The splitter can reduce your internet signal, so ensure that you have good internet before trying this. Because of this, you might not want to try it if you have Xfinity, as this requires you to ask about your signal. 

While some providers allow you to use multiple modems, Xfinity is not one of them. You can still use a splitter, but just be aware that you must do all the connectivity yourself. 

Bridge Mode

The second way to do this is by putting one of the modems into “bridge mode.” Bridge mode is what will allow your modems to talk to each other. There is no specific modem that you have to put into bridge mode. 

Some choose the second modem to act as the bridge, while others do not. This allows the “bridge modem” to act almost like a cable. 

  1. Adjust your IP settings. 
  2. Connect your two modems physically using an ethernet cable. Make sure it’s plugged into each modem using their LAN ports. Unless you want them to share a network, plug it into the second modem’s WAN port. 
  3. Hook up both modems to a dual WAN router to balance the load of the connection. If you don’t, you get into trouble with slowing down your internet. 

Reasons to Have Two Modems

There are a few reasons why people would want to have two modems connected. It could be from the bandwidth to security reasons. 

Streaming

When it comes to streaming, especially gaming, you don’t want lag to ruin your game. The lag time in an online game can cost you the entire play. 

So, if you are a pro-gamer, having allocated bandwidth accessible all the time is key.

Security

Maybe you have your vacation home set up and would like to be able to rent it out when you aren’t there. Having two modems set up would allow you some extra security. 

Your guests would only be able to access one of your modems, allowing you to have a more secure modem for things like your Ring or other Smart Home systems. 

Wi-Fi Coverage

Being able to double up on your upload and download speeds is great. So, if you are used to high content work, like video editing, you might want the extra Wi-Fi coverage. 

Reliability

The last way is because of reliability. If something happens and one of the modems craps out, at least you would have the second one. 

Xfinity and Two Modems

So, while Xfinity won’t allow you to connect two modems to your single address, that doesn’t mean you can’t. It also doesn’t mean other service providers won’t allow you either. The best thing to do is shop around for something that fits you, or look into how to do it yourself.

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