Flow Internet Thread

[dean_spleen09]

liking this wifi idea
as long as they provide the extra bandwidth

[maj. tom]

hmm, so idea isn't new. Comcast in 2014:

https://www.howtogeek.com/184727/your-h ... ont-panic/
Your Home Router May Also Be a Public Hotspot — Don’t Panic!

https://money.cnn.com/2014/06/16/techno ... index.html
Comcast has been swapping out customers' old routers with new ones capable of doubling as public hotspots. So far, the company has turned 3 million home devices into public ones. By year's end it plans to activate that feature on the other 5 million already installed.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/router-pu ... res-means/
Did you know that other people might be using your router without your permission? A recent report states that, by 2017, one in three home routers will be available to use as a public hotspot to other subscribers of the same internet service provider (ISP).
And while stories of people getting hacked through their public hotspots are uncommon, it is possible. Back in 2014, an Ars Technica author spoofed his phone into giving its credentials to a fake AT&T public hotspot.

https://www.tanaza.com/blog/carriers-do ... structure/

The American company assures that people connecting to the public network will be isolated from the private connection thanks to a firewall, but in practice, giving strangers access to their home router means that the owner will be sharing their bandwidth with other users. Also, as the second antenna for the public hotspot uses up electricity, this means that the private network owner is footing Comcast’s electricity bill. Once again, it is the client that has to support the expenses and not the carrier.

FLOW didn't tell me about this. I do not consent. It also leaves me open to possible security breaches. Anyone with a Flow ID can exploit my internet. In addition to the constant dropping of my 5GHz network signal. I'm going to buy a router today, disable Flow's built-in router and use modem mode only.
While most people are not going to be aware of this, and would support something like that, I don't on my personal internet connection. And the fact that Flow did this so sneakily without even asking or announcing it...

F*ck you Flow.

[adnj]

It also leaves me open to possible security breaches. Anyone with a Flow ID can exploit my internet.

It really depends on how it is implemented. A public hotspot requires a separate logical device with different MAC filters and IP address. That alone will insulate you from intruders.

But the bandwidth on the connection goes up accordingly.

[dean_spleen09]

So who else is suddenly seeing an open network called "Flow Wi-Fi" in their house?

Well shiet!!!!

what package allyuh on ?

[Dizzy28]

So who else is suddenly seeing an open network called "Flow Wi-Fi" in their house?

Well shiet!!!!

what package allyuh on ?

I'm on Basix.

[paid_influencer]

yea that seems like a bad idea from flow. they are using one of the antennas on the modem/router to create the public network, so customers might notice decreased wifi coverage or speed.

ISP's can legally do this since the modem is their property (you did not buy it).

I would advise you buy your own router and disable all the wireless functions on flow freebie. You can get a much better router with a higher antenna count very cheap. Your signal strength and speed will be better especially if you are using many devices in your household.

[dean_spleen09]

So who else is suddenly seeing an open network called "Flow Wi-Fi" in their house?

Well shiet!!!!

what package allyuh on ?

I'm on Basix.

have you connected to the flow wifi and tested the speed of it ?

[Dizzy28]

So who else is suddenly seeing an open network called "Flow Wi-Fi" in their house?

Well shiet!!!!

what package allyuh on ?

I'm on Basix.

have you connected to the flow wifi and tested the speed of it ?

It's not connecting. It keeps saying unable to connect

[maj. tom]

It's still is development stage. It used to connect for me and had to use Flow ID to access the internet. Then it stopped working.

I got an Asus AC-1300 router on sale for $525 at the Wizz yesterday. Regular price is USD $70 on amazon, so after shipping and taxes it's a good buy for that price. Setup within 5 minutes. Disable Flow router, use Modem mode, apply, reboot, plug in router and it self-sets up within 2 minutes. I did the firmware upgrade from the ASUS support page. Much happier with this signal and level of customization than Flow's Connect Box, plus Asus offers many more features for networking for future devices and streaming, like setting up a media server and other usb applications.

It has a USB3.0 port, a quad core Cortex-A7 processor and 128MB memory. Excellent signal range; at 50 meters through several bricks walls the 2.4GHz had no problem connecting to my phone. 5GHz signal is much stronger than Flow's and could still get a very good connection through 3 brick walls and a 6 inch layer of concrete 12 meters away.

8K YouTube 4320p60 streaming is so smooth, though I don't have a monitor to take advantage of that.

[ed360123]

Anyone else with the 'Flow Wi-Fi' having constant drops in signal?

[adnj]

I got an Asus AC-1300 router on sale for $525 at the Wizz yesterday. Regular price is USD $70 on amazon.

Amazon regularly drops the price on that particular router to US$45/US$50.

[jsm1985]

I connected to a Flow WiFi network in my neighborhood. I have my WiFi turned off from the modem so I don’t think it’s coming from my modem.

Did a Speedtest and I got 15 mb

[paid_influencer]

I got an Asus AC-1300 router on sale for $525 at the Wizz yesterday. Regular price is USD $70 on amazon.

Amazon regularly drops the price on that particular router to US$45/US$50.

kinda. I checked the price history for that model and the average price is $61.58. There are only a handful of times Amazon had it below $60.

Amazon Price History
Type Price When
Current $69.00 Jun 09, 2019
Highest * $69.99 Jun 09, 2019
Lowest * $44.99 Dec 05, 2018
Average + $61.58

Remember you also have to add 7% Florida sales tax to any of those prices.

[shaneelal]

I connected to a Flow WiFi network in my neighborhood. I have my WiFi turned off from the modem so I don’t think it’s coming from my modem.

Did a Speedtest and I got 15 mb

Even with wifi turned off, the modem seems to still advertise the AP. Check when last your modem was rebooted, check the "System up time" so you'll know when last Flow may have pushed a config change onto the modem.

[maj. tom]

Your neighbours also have Flow and are broadcasting. When the Connect-Box is on modem mode with the solid green bar light in front it does not broadcast the open wifi. You can use a wifi scanner app on your phone to confirm signal strength and direction and graph it.

[gastly369]

Never used flow shitty WiFi modems

Dedicated Linksys and a intellinet guestgate hotspot for business

[hydroep]

Linksys E1000 + DD-WRT - 7 years on, still works like a charm...

[adnj]

I got an Asus AC-1300 router on sale for $525 at the Wizz yesterday. Regular price is USD $70 on amazon.

Amazon regularly drops the price on that particular router to US$45/US$50.

kinda. I checked the price history for that model and the average price is $61.58. There are only a handful of times Amazon had it below $60.

Amazon Price History
Type Price When
Current $69.00 Jun 09, 2019
Highest * $69.99 Jun 09, 2019
Lowest * $44.99 Dec 05, 2018
Average + $61.58

Remember you also have to add 7% Florida sales tax to any of those prices.

To clarify, if you are in the market for a router and you are willing to babysit Amazon, you may be able to find this router for less since it has been discounted every few months (see chart).

With July 4th sales coming up in the US and WiFi6 slowly supplanting 802.11ac, this may be a good time to look for a new router, trade war notwithstanding.

[maj. tom]

well i wanted the router day before yesterday, so none of that price watching applies. And it's just $70 USD, not $700 USD.

[dredman1]

Anyone's Flow connection giving problems?
Seems to be down in edinburgh/montrose area now. Both cable and internet

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

This new Flow Free WiFi on the go system is incredible, I am no longer forced to pay ridiculous amounts of money for mobile data from these thieves known as Bmobile and Digicel.

Once you use your flow ID and log in your smartphone will auto connect to anybody with a Flow modem broadcasting this signal, you can always call and have it disabled however you lose the ability to connect to other people wifi if you do this. So yeah don't be a douche bag and try to disable it, I have no issues sharing my Wifi to others because when I am in a jam and need some internet somewhere in the country I am thankful to others who can return the favor.

Hopefully this would actually force Bmobile and Digicel to drop their insane mobile internet prices. I was about to switch over to Digicel internet by next week but thank god I stuck with Flow, it actually paid off.

I really hope this is a permanent thing and not some experiment they are doing to eventually abandon. We should all support this service, it benefits us the consumers. And since we are NEVER getting a 3rd phone company and we are stuck with being raped by bmobile and digicel, it is now more important than ever to support flow on this.

[fred1266]

glad u have a good experience i just wish they would have told us about it i actually like the concept also

still not sure if i would be disabling mine because i now sure if having it enable they would be using form bandwidth am paying for, flow needs to be a bit more transparent

[lchan485]

AT&T and some other Providers was doing that a long time now. I don't mind . Just this month i decided to stop adding a mobile plan. Not gonna pay $250 for mobile data lol. I'll support data only mobile plans. But with Flow i think its only on the CW new modems?

[GIGAkun]

Hey everyone. Has anyone experienced any throttling with Flow recently. In particular with "android boxes etc". I use a !ptv service and as of recently it has become unwatchable during prime time. So i decided to tryout a free vpn to see what's up. And surprise surprise it streams again. I disabled the vpn, next to nada. Reenabled, it streams. Can anyone else confirm?

[brickman]

No vpn & mine works fine.

[GIGAkun]

No vpn & mine works fine.

To clarify I'm using an actual paid !ptv service (m3u list, username, password, port number etc). So i suppose i'm bypassing whatever regular restreaming method a normal android app etc uses and fl0w sees my traffic as !ptv.

[brickman]

So am i,had the service since november & have had no issues with flow.Could be the servers that the service you use are having problems.Maybe find people who use the same iptv you are using & ask them or talk to the service seller.

[dean_spleen09]

https://discoverflow.co/trinidad/flow-wifi
Get 200MB of data every 24 hours
Flow Wi-Fi offers speeds of up to 10Mbps download and up to 3Mbps upload

you can do better than this flow

[originalbling]

Do I have the option of opting out of this?

Yes, you can opt out at any time. Simple call our contact centre at 1 (868) 223- 3569 or send us an email at FlowWiFisupport@cwc.com and one of our helpful agents will assist. Please note that it may take up to 2 weeks for the Flow Wi-Fi to be disabled on your modem

Call centre process flow:

Step : 1 FLOW BB Customer unwilling to grant access to Flow Wi-Fi.

Step : 2 Customer contacts FLOW call center and speaks to an agent.

Step : 3 Detail explanation of the benefits of Flow Wi-Fi and confirmation.

Step : 4 Agent advises service blocked and reconnect anytime.

Once I opt out, can I still use Flow Wi-Fi?

No. Once you opt out of Flow Wi-Fi you cannot use this service at any location where it is available.

Why should I allow Flow Wi-Fi when I’m paying the electrical bill?

This service is free of charge for your friends and family therefore it eliminates the need for you to share your password or your Broadband speeds.

Anyone knows how this is being provisioned on modems and can it compromise your network in any way?
What does paying the electrical bill have to do with it?

[teems1]

Do I have the option of opting out of this?

Yes, you can opt out at any time. Simple call our contact centre at 1 (868) 223- 3569 or send us an email at FlowWiFisupport@cwc.com and one of our helpful agents will assist. Please note that it may take up to 2 weeks for the Flow Wi-Fi to be disabled on your modem

Call centre process flow:

Step : 1 FLOW BB Customer unwilling to grant access to Flow Wi-Fi.

Step : 2 Customer contacts FLOW call center and speaks to an agent.

Step : 3 Detail explanation of the benefits of Flow Wi-Fi and confirmation.

Step : 4 Agent advises service blocked and reconnect anytime.

Once I opt out, can I still use Flow Wi-Fi?

No. Once you opt out of Flow Wi-Fi you cannot use this service at any location where it is available.

Why should I allow Flow Wi-Fi when I’m paying the electrical bill?

This service is free of charge for your friends and family therefore it eliminates the need for you to share your password or your Broadband speeds.

Anyone knows how this is being provisioned on modems and can it compromise your network in any way?
What does paying the electrical bill have to do with it?

It's the same thing Comcast did with their Xfinity WiFi years ago.

This isn't something new which FLOW is doing. They're simply enabling an out of the box module which supposedly has been tested in other countries.