The XB7, in ALL its Glory (Blog 171)

(10/21/2025) Somewhere between “plug-and-play” and “you’ll need the app for that,” Xfinity quietly turned your home network into their rented sandbox. A few years back, a firmware update buried your ability to actually block websites through your own gateway. You know, those basic parental controls everyone assumes are still there? Interface is still there. However, functionality, gone. In their place—a glorified “on/off” switch disguised as family safety.

“Bridge Mode” has become the last act of defiance for anyone who remembers when their router still obeyed them. From the clunky AI chatbots Comcast now makes you beg to speak to a human, to the surreal futility of trying to outsmart firmware engineered against you, this is part tech guide, part digital existential comedy. We’ll talk Raspberry Pis, parental controls that aren’t, and how reclaiming your bandwidth feels oddly like declaring political independence.

Because this isn’t just about internet settings—it’s about autonomy. When a corporation decides which doors you can lock in your own digital house. Control isn’t gone; it’s just been demoted to a “feature request.” And until ISPs stop confusing “security” with “submission,” Bridge Mode might remain the last honest button left.

If you’ve ever factory-reset your gateway out of spite—or spent a weekend arguing with a support or their bots—you’ll probably find this strangely amusing.

The XB7, in ALL its Glory — https://mineofilms.me/XB-7
by David-Angelo Mineo
2,147 Words
00:14:28 Audio/Video