Comcast User Rigs Raspberry Pi to Tweet When Internet Speeds Slow

Hate it when your Internet speeds drop below what you pay for? You're not alone.

One Washington, D.C.-based Reddit user came up with a clever solution to make his Internet service provider, Comcast, aware of the problem. The user, who goes by the handle AlekseyP, rigged a tiny Raspberry Pi to automatically tweet at Comcast when his Internet speeds drop "significantly" below what they should be.

In a Sunday Reddit post, AlekseyP explained that he pays Comcast for 150Mbps down and 10Mbps up, but is often unsatisfied with the speeds he actually gets. So, he set up a Raspberry Pi to run a series of speed tests every hour, and store the data. Whenever the down speed drops below 50Mbps, the bite-sized computer uses a Twitter API to automatically tweet at Comcast with the results. Check out the stream here.

Hey @Comcast why is my internet speed 31down\9up when I pay for 150down\10up in Washington DC? @ComcastCares @xfinity #comcast #speedtest

— AComcast User (@A_Comcast_User) February 1, 2016

"I know some people might say I should not be complaining about 50mpbs down, but when they advertise 150 and I get 10 to 30 I am unsatisfied," AlekseyP wrote.

To its credit, Comcast has replied asking AlekseyP for his account number and address to look into the issue, though usually "hours after the speeds have returned to normal," he said. AlekseyP admitted he has not followed up with the cable and Internet giant, however.

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"I do not want to [be] singled out as a customer; all their customers deserve the speeds they advertise, not just the ones who are able to call them out on their BS," AlekseyP wrote.

Comcast did not immediately respond to a request for comment.