Comcast’s wireless gateways don’t play nice with Android 5.0 Lollipop, but Google’s on the case

A nasty issue with Comcast-bred wireless gateways has spawned for anyone using Android 5.0 Lollipop. According to sources of Phandroid’s familiar with the matter, the bug makes general browsing and download speeds slow to a crawl when an Android 5.0+ device is used over WiFi with a number of Comcast wireless gateways, including (but possibly not limited to):

• Cisco XB3939


• Cisco XB3941


• Arris 852


• Arris 862


• Technicolor 8305c


• SMCD3GNV

So what’s causing the issue? The exact problem is unknown, but we know it only affects customers when they try to use an Android 5.0 or higher device with Comcast gateways that use IPV6. The problem is that all current Comcast gateways primarily use IPV6 to handle DNS requests.

A quick workaround to try if this issue is plaguing you is to download this app that will allow you to force your device to use IPV4. The hope is that the workaround won’t need to be around long as Comcast has already escalated the issue with Google and the two companies’ technical teams are investigating the matter to get to the bottom of it. We’re hoping it won’t be long before we hear something more.