Everybody want degenerate cyberspace . alternatively of invest in better engineering like roughage , however , providers like Comcast seem wrapped on taste to squeeze more out of their aging cable networks — and charging customers eminent and higher fee for marginally better velocity . The latest lesson of this tiresome tendency comes from Chattanooga , Tennessee where Comcastwill soon offer cable’s length - based Gbit broadband servicethat still is n’t the cyberspace you really want .
The young serving accept advantage of the DOCSIS 3.1 measure that permit for fiber - like speed over exist coaxial cable television . That think customers in Chattanooga could sign up for Gb net ( with a max of 1 Gbps download speeds and 35 Mbps upload speeds ) at a promotional charge per unit of $ 70 a calendar month under a three - year declaration . A Comcast spokesperson said that service would be available without a contract for $ 140 a calendar month . It ’s undecipherable if the promo price will jump to $ 140 when a client ’s contract expires .
But since the service is cable - establish , your old hardware should cultivate with the new service , right ? And since Comcast is advertising gigabit speeds , you ’ll get those Gbit speeds , correct ?
Very wrong . The puff of sticking with cable really save Comcast more in avoiding lay more fibre in areas where most homes connect to the internet through coaxal cables . But just because you own a cable modem does n’t entail you could enjoy the blistering Gb speeds . You need a modem that put up the DOCSIS 3.1 standard , and a wi - fi router that can handle gigabit speeds . Beyond that , the very fact that the fresh service operate on on old coaxal conducting wire as well as some older piece of base mean you might not be able-bodied to hit that treasured Gbit bench mark .
affair is , most people do n’t own this new hardware or live in a city with top - notch base . Netgear just released the world ’s first DOCSIS 3.1 modem “ certified by Comcast ” originally this year in a push that coincide directly with Comcast ’s push to spread out its cable - based broadband offerings . So far , only select groups in Atlanta , Chicago , Detroit , Nashville , and now Chattanooga can sign up , but the company plans to bring the engineering to the “ majority of its service areas ” by 2018 . Cursory hunting ofAmazonandBest Buyshow that the Comcast - approve Netgear modem is the only pick for demand vantage of the DOCSIS 3.1 engineering .
The new Comcast service must finger like an insult to the residents of Chattanooga , where a lauded fiber optic networkserves Gbit speeds to every residentfor just $ 70 without a declaration . Again , the new Comcast cable - establish broadband will cost $ 140 without a contract bridge . ( You ’ll still involve ironware that supports gigabit focal ratio , but it ’s more wide available than DOCSIS 3.1 modem . ) The connection itself is nearly a decade erstwhile , although it has brook through multiple lawsuits put on by Comcast and other big telecom who aimed to prevent the city ’s Electric Power Board ( EPB ) from becoming a competition . In 2015 , Comcast in conclusion give up when the EPBannounced the unexampled $ 70 Gb fiber servicefor Chattanooga .
To be fair , fiber isexpensive and complicatedto put down down , but cable television - based broadband service simply is n’t as futureproof . While further updates to the DOCSIS standards will bring faster speeds to the coaxal infrastructure , each new version will require a newfangled modem . fibre service , on the contrary , enter your home through an optical web terminal , usually provided by the ISP . In many markets , including Chattanooga , you’re able to already buy fibre religious service that offers speeds up to 10 Gbps through this equipment , and speeds are expected to keep rising .
https://gizmodo.com/what-happened-to-google-fiber-1792440779
In addition to those obscure cost , Comcast ’s unexampled cable - based service calculate on an aging coaxial substructure , so there ’s always the possible action that you simply wo n’t be able to achieve speeds as high as advertised . Utilizing DOCSIS 3.1 criterion is sure exciting for some customer , but it also feels like a gambit for ISPs to squeeze every last bit of job from before long - to - be disused connection .
If you hold out in Chattanooga , Atlanta , Chicago , or Nashville , there ’s a fiber - based ISP that you could choose over Comcast , often at half the price of Comcast ’s contract - free Leontyne Price for cable - based Gb broadband . Frankly , however , the fact that more Americans now have a pick for net serviceis good progression . Just do n’t forget to read between the personal line of credit before you get too unrestrained over a shiny new affair .
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