xfinity hotspot access fuckery

this is where my brand-new unwrapped xfinity modem will live, unused, forever.

i recently did some deep cleaning and found the (two years) old modem sitting in a closet. unused because i am perfectly satisfied logging into the xfinity hotspot broadcast from my neighbors and there is no co-ax outlet in my place.

i considered just tossing the thing into the trash, but decided to be a responsible consumer.

after returning the old device to the xfinity store and subsequently discovering that my hotspot access was turned off, i got to take repeat train ride into the city to pick up a new device. it turns out that even though my account is in good standing, a physical device is required to be attached to my account in order to maintain hotspot access.

should i have just tossed the old one? should i just toss this one?