Comcast Extreme 50? Maybe. Maybe not.
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
Just about a month and a half ago I suddenly became unable to download large files from the Internet, be they a linked download or updates through the Mac OS Software Update. I was consistently greeted with this error message in Safari: SafariErrorDomain error 1, invalid checksum. Other browsers resulted in similar errors. If I could get a file down I was unable to mount the file as different corruption errors would pop-up then as well.
After exhaustive searching of the ‘net I found no solutions that worked. Other have had the same problem but there seemed to be no magic bullet solution to fix it. I posted a thread on the Apple Discussion Groups and have since seen several people who get the same error but on solution that has worked.
Assuming it was my Mac Pro, that is hardwired to the router, I started from scratch with a complete, clean reinstall of the OS on another drive. Still the same error. Then I discovered it happened on every computer in the house but by signing on to the neighbor’s wifi (with permission) I am able to download these updates. With that revelation I called Comcast. After nearly an hour on the phone we came to no solution. My Internet connection was their “Performace” package that was rated at 12 Mbps of download speed. I suggested to the Comcast tech that he sign me up, for free, to their highest package, Extreme 50 at 50 Mbps down, so I could test the connection over a few days and see if that solved the issue. He informed my that I couldn’t just sign up for free but I could upgrade to that package and cancel in 30 days if I wasn’t satisfied. That’s what I did.
After a reset of the router and modem I began testing the speed for the next month. First off I’ll say that this didn’t fix the download problem, the same error still occurs. My only other idea is to get a new modem. I’m currently running a DOCSIS 3.0 Motoroal Surfboard which is compatible with all of Comcast’s fasted speeds so that doesn’t seem like a solution that will work but I don’t know anything else to try at this point. But this blog post isn’t about the download error but rather the Comcast claimed download speed …
