Hey everyone! I just moved to Harpers Ferry, WV from Virginia, and we recently had Xfinity WiFi installed. Unfortunately, ever since we set up the gateway, our devices are showing incorrect geolocations. They keep flipping between Harpers Ferry (which is where we are), White House, TN (totally wrong), and Quebec City, Canada (really off). My iPhone and laptops can sometimes show the right location but my HomePod is stuck thinking we're in Tennessee.
I've had no luck with Xfinity's customer service—one rep even told me to just Google it instead of helping. I've started to suspect that we might have a recycled gateway that still has old data linked to it from previous users. Do you think that the device needs to be replaced, or is there something else I could do to get this fixed? It's super frustrating not having location services work right!
3 Answers
Honestly, Xfinity has a reputation for having some quirks with geolocation. If you’re getting inconsistent results, it could be a mix of outdated IP registrations and how they allocate addresses in your area. You've probably pinpointed the problem pretty well, so just keep pushing to get a new modem! Whenever you’re dealing with services that use location-based features, having accurate data is key.
It’s definitely frustrating to deal with incorrect locations, especially after moving! Your guess about the recycled equipment might be spot-on. I’d recommend calling Xfinity and asking for a fresh gateway. They may try to convince you it’s not their fault, but you mention that the problem is persistent, so you’ve got a solid case. If they brush you off, consider purchasing your own modem—just make sure it’s compatible with their service. Sometimes that can help clear up these kinds of issues.
It sounds like your issue is related to how Xfinity is handling IP addresses for geolocation. Basically, your new modem could have an IP that’s still linked to those previous locations. ISPs are supposed to map IPs to their geographical areas, but that doesn't always go as planned. This can cause devices to report different locations based on how they’re querying the data.
For most devices, the correct location should come from their internal GPS, but if your modem’s IP isn’t accurately registered, it can lead to all sorts of confusion. You might want to try contacting Xfinity again and specifically ask for a new modem. Sometimes, they can refresh the IP allocation too, which could solve the problem!
Not to mention that 'Find My' isn't reliable anymore! My friends see me as being in Canada or TN most of the time. I've never seen this happen with anyone else—this definitely can’t be how it’s supposed to work.
So I used to have Fios and never saw this issue. Are you saying I just have to live with this weirdness now that I'm on Xfinity? That's super inconvenient for relying on location-based services.