Is this BS

Hi!

Might this explain why sometimes my system is speedy and
other times it is CRAWLING. (All 3 computers)

No. There are a few possibilities. A bad or defective cable modem is
one of them, but I'd expect it to be broken in far more infuriating
ways than just an occasional slowness in connection.

On a networking system such as the one in use with a cable TV network,
you are typically sharing bandwidth with a few other people. One of
them could be hogging the line, or the network could be "oversold"
with too many people on it. And that's to say nothing of potential
problems with anything in between the cable network and where it
finally turns data over to the greater Internet.

You could have a bad or weathered cable line coming to your equipment.
How many (if any) TVs are sharing the cable connection with your
modem? Is there a signal booster on the line, as there would be with
multiple TVs? (If there is, it may distort the signal coming to and
from the cable modem. You should therefore bypass any such amplifier
so it's not in the circuit between cable modem and cable network,
while leaving it in place for the TVs.)

Cable modems can vary the amount of power they are outputting. The
maximum output level for any that I have seen is 61.0 dB. Most will
tell you how much power they are using if you go to that built in web
page I talked about earlier. ( http://192.168.100.1/ )

Many cable modems also will show the signal quality that they are
seeing on the line, using a measurement called "signal to noise
ratio". If this is high, you may have a noisy or bad cable line.

Equipment outside the cable modem must be considered as well. Do you
have a router? Some routers simply fill up and slow down after being
up for a while due to bugs in their firmware. Check for an updated
firmware from the maker of your router, or consider just trying a
different router.

I especially like the Buffalo wireless routers and have never had a
bad experience with them at all. I have used all of the WHR-G54S, WHR-
G54-HP, and WHR-G125 with both the stock Buffalo firmware and DD-WRT
aftermarket firmware. They have some "A" and "N" band wireless stuff,
but I cannot say about its quality as I don't use or recommend those
standards. So if you need a replacement...

William

"William R. Walsh" wrote in message
...

snip

Many cable modems also will show the signal quality that they are
seeing on the line, using a measurement called "signal to noise
ratio". If this is high, you may have a noisy or bad cable line.

William, of course, meant:

"If this is *LOW*, you may have a noisy or bad cable line."

- David Harper

William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

Actually, I checked further and I didn't order it that long ago.

I knew that I remembered the discussion from somewhere.

Is that enough information to tell you that it is okay?

The CM100 is a DOCSIS compliant modem, supporting versions 1.0, 1.1
and 2.0. I was not able to determine what they offer for certain, but
Charter is offering some DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems.

DOCSIS is said to be compatible in all directions. If you have a
DOCSIS 1.1 compliant modem, you can use it on a DOCSIS 2.0 cable
network. The reverse should also be true...a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would
work on a 2.0 network. Features provided in a newer version of DOCSIS
won't be available to equipment that supports the older version.

As best I can tell, the only thing added to DOCSIS 3.0 is support for
IPv6 protocol. DOCSIS 2.0 provided for enhanced communication speeds
over the previous revisions. If this is true and DOCSIS 3.0 only
brings support for IPv6, an older modem could theoretically have its
operating software upgraded to a release supporting IPv6 as that is a
software-only issue.

(Cable companies can upgrade the firmware in your cable modem from
afar. They do this in much the same way as they do when sending
parameters to it.)

I think that Charter may have incorrect information on the equipment
you have--OR they are being somewhat dishonest and trying to rent/sell
you something that you do not need. As DOCSIS is *the* standard for
data exchange over cable TV networks, I doubt Charter would be doing
something different.

Therefore, I strongly doubt that you have to upgrade your cable modem.
I would recommend keeping your current equipment and continuing to use
it.

William

i looked up the specs too (wow did cisco ruin the linksys site!) and i
totally agree. there is no motivation to upgrade from the perspective
of compatibility. however, i did notice that the cm100 is a usb 1.1
type device and that presents a potential bottle neck that can be
improved upon. this is only an issue if you happen to have the modem
connected to your computer via the usb port. if it is connected via the
ethernet port on the cm100 then the speed of the usb port is irrelevant.
either way, you really should have a router between your computer and
the cm100 for security reasons (and side benefit of being able to share
the high speed cable internet with other computer wired or wirelessly).
newer cable modems do offer faster throughput but it is likely that
the additional throughput far exceeds the typically throttled
(slowed/controlled max) speed that your cable company supplies. i think
their letter is just marketing. keep in mind that men have been elected
president based largely on fear... i am certain it helps in selling
modems too. smart of you to question the motivation of their letter.
though it may not technically be wrong, the newer higher performance
equipment will do nothing for you. kind of like buying a 257mph ssc
ultimate aero to drive on national highways with 55mph speed limits...

Hi!

"If this is *LOW*, you may have a noisy or bad cable line."

Oops. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I had it mixed up now that I've gone back
and looked. I tend to do that at times, more often than I should.

William

Thanks for the info, Chris.

I do have a linksys router as well.

Mel
"Christopher Muto" wrote in message
...
William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

Actually, I checked further and I didn't order it that long ago.

I knew that I remembered the discussion from somewhere.

Is that enough information to tell you that it is okay?

The CM100 is a DOCSIS compliant modem, supporting versions 1.0, 1.1
and 2.0. I was not able to determine what they offer for certain, but
Charter is offering some DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems.

DOCSIS is said to be compatible in all directions. If you have a
DOCSIS 1.1 compliant modem, you can use it on a DOCSIS 2.0 cable
network. The reverse should also be true...a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would
work on a 2.0 network. Features provided in a newer version of DOCSIS
won't be available to equipment that supports the older version.

As best I can tell, the only thing added to DOCSIS 3.0 is support for
IPv6 protocol. DOCSIS 2.0 provided for enhanced communication speeds
over the previous revisions. If this is true and DOCSIS 3.0 only
brings support for IPv6, an older modem could theoretically have its
operating software upgraded to a release supporting IPv6 as that is a
software-only issue.

(Cable companies can upgrade the firmware in your cable modem from
afar. They do this in much the same way as they do when sending
parameters to it.)

I think that Charter may have incorrect information on the equipment
you have--OR they are being somewhat dishonest and trying to rent/sell
you something that you do not need. As DOCSIS is *the* standard for
data exchange over cable TV networks, I doubt Charter would be doing
something different.

Therefore, I strongly doubt that you have to upgrade your cable modem.
I would recommend keeping your current equipment and continuing to use
it.

William

i looked up the specs too (wow did cisco ruin the linksys site!) and i
totally agree. there is no motivation to upgrade from the perspective of
compatibility. however, i did notice that the cm100 is a usb 1.1 type
device and that presents a potential bottle neck that can be improved
upon. this is only an issue if you happen to have the modem connected to
your computer via the usb port. if it is connected via the ethernet port
on the cm100 then the speed of the usb port is irrelevant. either way, you
really should have a router between your computer and the cm100 for
security reasons (and side benefit of being able to share the high speed
cable internet with other computer wired or wirelessly). newer cable
modems do offer faster throughput but it is likely that the additional
throughput far exceeds the typically throttled (slowed/controlled max)
speed that your cable company supplies. i think their letter is just
marketing. keep in mind that men have been elected president based
largely on fear... i am certain it helps in selling modems too. smart of
you to question the motivation of their letter. though it may not
technically be wrong, the newer higher performance equipment will do
nothing for you. kind of like buying a 257mph ssc ultimate aero to drive
on national highways with 55mph speed limits...

On 4/7/2010 10:25 AM, MZB wrote:
I got the email below from Charter. About 15 months ago I got tired of
paying their $5/month modem charge and bought a new (reconditioned) lynksys
modem. It works great but I have noticed that things are a tad slower of
late. But I don't know if this is accurate, or just a sales pitch. Is there
some way to test this?

Mel


Things are getting faster all the time and we're here to keep you up
to speed.

Based on your account information, you have an older modem that is no
longer optimizing your Charter Internet experience.

It is important for you to take action and replace your modem. This
ensures that you continue to receive the fastest and most reliable Internet
speeds available?.

To help make this process easy, you can lease a new modem for only
$5/mo or purchase a replacement. Click the link below to get started.


REPLACE YOUR MODEM NOW

Thank you for choosing Charter. We look forward to many more years of
delivering you the best Internet experience.


Sincerely,
The Charter Internet Team




Well, good old bankrupt Chapter 11 Charter DID upgrade the speed of its
service here in central MA, and it was done free of charge. Supposedly,
you need a DOCSIS 3.0-compliant cable modem to actually get the high
speed. But other people here in town continue to use older Motorola
Surfboards like the SB4100, and they report faster speeds. Feeling
flush with cash, I spent less than $100 for a Motorola SB6120 cable
modem, putting my old SB4100 aside, and yes, it is faster.

Here is what I suggest. Go to www.dslreports.com and run a few of the
various speed tests there, and see what speed you are getting versus the
alleged speed advertised by Charter. Then make a decision based on
fact, not being pushed by Charter or swayed by the experience of someone
else in possibly different circumstances... Ben Myers

On 4/7/2010 12:44 PM, MZB wrote:
William:

Actually, I checked further and I didn't order it that long ago. It's the
linksys CM100, refurbished from Buy.com for $27.99. I got it in early
November, so I've only had it for 5 months.

Is that enough information to tell you that it is okay? I remember at the
time checking with Charter and the DOCSIS for the modem was compatible with
their setup.

I suspect Charter is upgrading and maybe the DOCSIS is no longer compatible
(ie: recommended)?

Mel


"William R. wrote in message
...
Hi!

But I don't know if this is accurate, or just a sales pitch. Is there
some way to test this?

You can use an online speed test against a server that is relatively
close to you.

Most cable modems have an informational web page that you can use to
see what the current data rate is for both upstream and downstream
communications. It is accessible at http://192.168.100.1/ for most
models. You are looking for your "provisioned rate" and there will
likely be two values--upstream (lower for uploads from you to the
'net) and downstream (higher from the 'net to you).

Based on your account information, you have an older modem that
is no longer optimizing your Charter Internet experience.

Which may or may not be true. To know for sure, you need to know the
specifications to which your modem complies. The standard (in the US)
is known as DOCSIS and there are varying versions of it. Each one
specifies different capabilities.

What Linksys modem do you have? Model and version number are both
important.

Even if your modem is older, it's likely still doing a fine job. I've
got a 12 megabit connection over my Linksys BEFCMU10 and it's rare
that I can download anything that fast outside of speed tests and
Microsoft's web sites.

Cable modems receive their parameters at startup via trivial FTP. The
cable company sends these parameters out and then (usually) reboots
the modem to force it to update the parameters.

Therefore, you may try rebooting your modem to force it to download
the new parameters.

William



FYI, the Linksys CM100 complies with the DOCSIS 2.0 spec, not the newer
3.0... Ben Myers

Hi!

FYI, the Linksys CM100 complies with the DOCSIS 2.0 spec, not
the newer 3.0... Ben Myers

From a cursory examination, it appears that the biggest thing about
DOCSIS 3.0 is IPv6 support. This could always be added in software,
but with the tendency to sell a new device instead of patching the old
ones with new software, I don't know how it will play out.

The DOCSIS standard itself appears to be one of the few (and
beautiful!) standards where compatibility is available in all
directions (less features that aren't provided with an older revision
of the standard.

William

William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

FYI, the Linksys CM100 complies with the DOCSIS 2.0 spec, not
the newer 3.0... Ben Myers

From a cursory examination, it appears that the biggest thing about
DOCSIS 3.0 is IPv6 support. This could always be added in software,
but with the tendency to sell a new device instead of patching the old
ones with new software, I don't know how it will play out.

The DOCSIS standard itself appears to be one of the few (and
beautiful!) standards where compatibility is available in all
directions (less features that aren't provided with an older revision
of the standard.

William

FWIW: Comcast - my esteemed ahem ISP - only requires a DOCSIS 3.0
modem if you are using its ultra-high-speed service. Unless someone is
desperate for ways to waste their money, a DOCSIS 2.0 modem is all they
need.

Daddy

On 4/8/2010 1:42 PM, Daddy wrote:
William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

FYI, the Linksys CM100 complies with the DOCSIS 2.0 spec, not
the newer 3.0... Ben Myers

From a cursory examination, it appears that the biggest thing about
DOCSIS 3.0 is IPv6 support. This could always be added in software,
but with the tendency to sell a new device instead of patching the old
ones with new software, I don't know how it will play out.

The DOCSIS standard itself appears to be one of the few (and
beautiful!) standards where compatibility is available in all
directions (less features that aren't provided with an older revision
of the standard.

William

FWIW: Comcast - my esteemed ahem ISP - only requires a DOCSIS 3.0
modem if you are using its ultra-high-speed service. Unless someone is
desperate for ways to waste their money, a DOCSIS 2.0 modem is all they
need.

Daddy

That's consistent with Charter's line. But, yeah, my DOCSIS 3.0
Motorola Surfboard SB6120 does make a difference in speed. I'm not
making this up. And since I routinely download large ISO files to keep
my Linux distro collection up to date, the speed is good... Ben Myers