[Andrepartthree]

Here’s PC Mag’s review of the free version of Malwarebytes though I know users on here would probably disagree with PC Mag’s stance 🙂 … again not taking a side one way or the other here I’m sure the people on here recommending Malwarebytes know a lot more about this stuff than I do !  😛 ..

 

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/malwarebytes-free

[Andrepartthree]

Well I’ve noticed on the internet that there is a LOT of debate about what is and is not a good antivirus/security software suite, if Norton is even necessary 🙂   .. looks like there’s a debate here too 🙂 .. I’m just grateful for all the kind people who post here and volunteer this helpful info 🙂

As far as I know if you switch over to AT&T they still provide free antivirus/security software (McAfee) which PCMag claims is pretty good though not as good as Norton … but then I’ve seen online too from various sources the argument that Windows Defender paired with say Malwarebytes will do just fine (PC Mag says Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is their top pick for free antivirus but I’m not a security IT software expert type guy by any means 😛 ) …

However – and bear in mind this is info I received from Xfinity years ago so this info could be highly suspect 😛 … Xfinity claims that A&T caps the number of devices that can connect to the internet, limits bandwidth speed in ways Xfinity does not and so forth (wiser heads than mine please chime in and give your opinion so we have a source other than Xfinity’s biased info 😛 ) … I do remember years ago asking AT&T about this and the sales rep I spoke to reluctantly admitting it was true then desperately trying to convince me why AT&T was better.     Honestly I’ve found Xfinity price gouges you the least for internet service though I’ve been with them long enough to qualify for certain discounts (then again I was with AT&T forever and they still couldn’t offer the better prices Xfinity did).

Also before jumping ship to AT&T bear in mind during Black Friday/December sales you can pick up a 10 license Norton for as cheap as $15 or (thinks) if memory serves me correctly – 20 devices? – for $35 , that’s per year of service.    Checking the internet I   see   Black Friday pricing that took place in the past for Malwarebytes at $24 per PC so more expensive but – maybe you get what you pay for? 🙂

My own personal experience –  my wife is absolutely NOT computer literate by any means and runs the same risk the “typical” computer user does of downloading something bad or clicking on the wrong thing , same issue for my kids when they were younger and Norton kept us protected from human stupidity for decades 😛 …

[Andrepartthree]

Well the axe has dropped – today (January 12th 2021 ) Norton stopped working on my computers, fortunately I had one of my paid norton subscriptions I got back during Black Friday ready to go… anonymous thanks for that link I second that, if you don’t use the norton removal tool before reinstalling Norton I can attest from personal experience you’re in for a world of headache and from what I understand absolutely , if you’re using some antivirus / security program other than Norton this can also create a lot of headaches if Norton isn’t uninstalled completely from your PC.

So I guess my amazon purchases will go to use after all.. though I’m just shaking my head at what I perceive to be corporate greed on Comcast/Xfinity’s part… I guess it’s possible they’re losing money with everyone at home on the internet due to covid but I can’t help but wonder if it’s the opposite… if this somehow works to their advantage… maybe more people signing up for higher speed internet?

But then you have people out of work due to covid who couldn’t afford that kind of upgrade … and I can’t help but feel they’re mercilessly taking advantage of the situation by taking away internet security from people who might be being squeezed by financial difficulties due to covid who might need it (though hopefully if one cannot afford paid antivirus they will stumble across this post like I did and know that there are good free options out there too like malwarebytes or the PC mag recommendations).

Sorry for the soapbox musings that have no practical impact on this conversation 😛 … though I can tell you I’ve been on the Comcast/Xfinity forums too and there are a LOT of unhappy people on there !

[Andrepartthree]

well darn I knew it was too good to be true 😛 .. but thanks so much Imacri, now I know to expect it at least when I turn on the PC and Norton displays a not-working message (in which case I guess my amazon purchases will pay off after all).

Kathy thanks for that as well 🙂 … on the topic of internet security from what I’ve seen online there is a LOT of debate over which programs work the best, whether or not you can just simply use Windows Defender and not click on anything stupid (not to insult my wife she’s great and all but not the most computer literate person so you have to take family members into account too who may do silly things 😛  …. at least with Norton I know it sometimes says ” Hey wait a minute this is a bad website/download don’t do that ! ” ) .. I’m not an expert on internet security by any means 🙂  so I look to the reviews from that Neil guy on PC Mag (some impressive credentials in computer security apparently) and he gave Bitdefender and Norton a big thumbs up.

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-antivirus-protection

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-free-antivirus-protection

(last link here is by Max Eddy who’s apparently a security analyst)

https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/is-windows-defender-good-enough-to-protect-your-pc-by-itself#:~:text=Windows%20Defender%20is%20a%20great%20example.&text=High%2Dquality%20free%20security%20products,Webroot%20SecureAnywhere%20AntiVirus%2C%20among%20others.

 

[Andrepartthree]

Two anonymous posters thanks so much that is helpful info 🙂 .. and yep that actually happened to me too on Win 10 – well sort of, on one Win 10 PC it gives the message “Xfinity no longer offers Norton Security Online” and on the other Win 10 PC it does not give that message – but on both PC’s Norton still works.. it will be interesting to see whether or not Xfinity/Comcast just shuts Norton down completely as of end of January or later on or if they just keep it going…

And yep, I actually know a fellow Xfinity customer who had the same experience, the 7 licenses that customer was allowed way back before Xfinity insisted said customer had to open a norton account still worked – so that lucky person had 7 licenses from before plus the 5 licenses from opening a Norton account 🙂 … So that makes me wonder if Norton will just go on working indefinitely as long as you leave the license and the Windows install it’s on alone.

Wirecutter has never steered me wrong, here’s their list of the modems they recommend most for various internet service providers including comcast/xfinity … I had no idea their top pick was $80 that’s cheap compared to how much you’ll save on those rental fees 🙂 … BUT, important but here, this list doesn’t do you any good if you use comcast for your phone service too in which case you’d need a more expensive modem with phone jacks on it as well …

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-cable-modem/

For persons using phone plus internet for comcast unfortunately you’d be stuck with a $250 modem plus tax like the  Netgear CM1150V  (no idea if it’s good or not but I know I paid $200 for my voice plus internet modem) for example like in the link below… still given enough years of service the modem will eventually pay for itself then you start to make money off it compared to the rental fees one pays month after month, found my own very easy to set up too it’s not hard 🙂   … my purchased modem has been running a year and five months now with no issues or problems.   From what I could dig up on the internet rental fee is $14 per month or $168 per year …. so in my case 17 months times $14 is $238… modem has paid for itself and I am now making a profit (no rental fee) that will continue to increase as the years go by 🙂 … even at a $250 price given enough time you’ll start to make money 🙂 ..

10 Best Modem & Router Combo For Comcast Xfinity Cable Internet

[Andrepartthree]

Thanks Kstephens this is good to know 🙂 … and yes, very true you can dispute the charges through your credit card company… since I’m the paranoid sort though 😛  I still removed my credit card info from my norton account immediately right after they forced me to enter it (in this case it was for a paid norton subscription for my phones, Comcast/Xfinity basically said “nope we won’t install onto your android phones” back when I tried it , albeit many years ago)

[Andrepartthree]

anonymous wrote:

I bought my own modem/router and as of today 01/05/2021 my Norton still functional. I also purchased their special offer for $14.99/12 months’ subscription and am thinking if I should request refund for it.

This is good to know that one other person in addition to myself (with their own modem) is reporting that Norton is still working thanks for this 🙂   … it would be interesting to see if someone who is renting a modem from Comcast/Xfinity still has Norton up and running too.

Apologies if I’m stating something you’ve already done 🙂  but… did you give them your credit card info?  Norton has a nasty habit of forcing this info from customers (terrible stuff) just to get Norton up and running but it’s easy to take that credit card info right off your norton account right after you’ve inputted it 🙂

https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20090818144126EN

Having said that I have a reminder set on my computer as I get closer to the expiration date for my paid Norton subscription for my phones to double check and make darn sure they didn’t magically resurrect my credit card info or suddenly decide I’m signed up for auto pay again or something crazy like that 😛 .. apparently once they’re able to charge you again Norton won’t back down on the insane auto-renew rates they charge you at (I think Norton is banking on people just leaving their credit card info in there and not realizing Norton will auto renew it at astronomical rates)

[Andrepartthree]

kstephens I feel like I owe you an apology I think I hijacked your post 🙁 … it started out as a “find a suitable replacement for the norton that comcast/xfinity is taking away” and turned into ” Hey Norton is still working what should I do?”  (though I guess the two are related so hopefully this helps?) .. but my apologies 🙁 ..

But (I know I know I apologize then I continue the hijacking 😛 ) … I’m beginning to think (even if Comcast/Xfinity doesn’t say this out loud) that they are going to just quietly let existing Norton installations stand/continue and simply deny the installation of Norton onto new devices or the devices of new customers who join comcast/xfinity.

This is definitely groan-worthy for people like me who just bought $70 worth of Norton security it’s beginning to look like I’ll never have to use 😛  (can still use the $15 purchase for the phones/tablet come October when the current license runs out).. but in the long run worth it in not having to spend $35 a year (at least) for all the household devices is good if comcast/xfinity just continues to keep ignoring (not cancelling) existing Norton installations.

Again I should point out I have purchased my own modem/router so I don’t know if that makes a difference and persons who rent a modem from Comcast/Xfinity had their Norton cancelled as of January 1st 2021.  Roger if you don’t mind me asking, do you rent a modem from Comcast/Xfinity or have you purchased your own one?

• This reply was modified 1 week, 6 days ago by Andrepartthree.
• This reply was modified 1 week, 6 days ago by Andrepartthree.

1 user thanked author for this post.

kstephens43

[Andrepartthree]

b wrote:

plannerguy wrote:

Comcast Xfinity is being confusing as can be about this. When you look at the details, they claim to be discontinuing free Norton Internet Security ONLY if you rent one of their rent an Xfinity xFi Gateways.

Comcast don’t say free Norton is ONLY discontinued if you rent an Xfinity gateway, but they justify their decision based on what the majority of their 30 million customers use:

Because of the protection xFi Advanced Security provides, we’ve decided to no longer include Norton Security Online with our Xfinity Internet service beginning January 1, 2021.

Norton Security Online No Longer Offered with Xfinity Internet in 2021

 

plannerguy wrote:

The Xfinity page where you download Norton is:
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/norton-security-download-install-pc
If that page is still working on Jan 1 2021, you probably can still get Norton free if you don’t use the Xfinity’s xFi Gateway.

The page is still there but the download is no longer available.

Thank you so much Woody 🙂 … but still confused (I admit it I’m stupid 😛 ) … I don’t have to download it since it was already installed on my PC’s so I guess I’m lucky 🙂  … and just today (January 1st 2021 I mean) Norton let me run a live update … so I guess I’m wondering if anyone knows… does Norton automatically let you know when it no longer keeps itself current (that is when your subscription to it expires)?     If it does I’d be inclined to just quietly keep Norton on my PC’s until and if Xfinity/Comcast catches on and says ” Oh no you don’t ! ”  😛 ..

[Andrepartthree]

Hi guys brand new to the forums here – thanks so much to everyone who’s posted here, this is the only website I’ve found that addresses whether or not one is really losing Norton if you’re an xfinity subscriber come January 1st 2021

I read and understood the previous posts on malwarebytes thanks for that too but – given I just spent $85 on 3 years of Norton protection, possibly unnecessarily (rolls eyes at himself) on amazon’s black friday sales specials I guess I’m stuck with Norton for the time being at least 🙂 …

Plannerguy your post was super helpful 🙂 .. I tried logging into the norton account that Xfinity made me create years ago and surprisingly as of today (January 1st 2021) it still lists my Norton subscription as active… I do have my own modem rather than renting the one from Xfinity (works great, kicking myself for being scared for so long and not just buying one immediately like I should have when I switched to Xfinity/Comcast).

So I’m scratching my head here trying to figure out what to do … will Norton be kind enough to notify me if my subscription suddenly becomes “not active” and it’s no longer providing updated protection?  Should I just continue to quietly use Xfinity’s free (for now apparently) Norton Security?  Or should I not take any risks, uninstall Xfinity’s free security right now and install the Norton subscription I paid for this past November 2020 (Black Friday sales)?     Again please bear in mind I’m stuck with Norton anyways since I already paid for three years worth of it 🙂  ($35 a year for 20 devices, bought two of those codes from amazon, plus $15 from newegg actually for one year for the desktop PC’s – phones were already covered by paid Norton I purchased previously).

Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated – and again thanks so much to all of you, I would have had no idea what was going on if someone hadn’t started this thread and then continued it 🙂 ..

[Author]

Posts