Posts Tagged ‘Internet Speed’

DOCSIS 3.0-A New Reality at WOW!

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on Sep 13, 2011 at 8:46 am

As has been indicated in past posts, WOW has been working behind the scenes for the better part of a year to upgrade Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) plant to support DOCSIS 3.0, a cable standard which more effectively manages digital bandwidth on the cable network as well as allowing “channel bonding” to attain higher speeds to individual users.  That work is largely complete at this point.

What this means for our customers is the availability of higher speed data connections, as well as more network availability during times of peak congestion.

Currently the maximum speed available is 15MPS down and 2MPS up with our Xtreme Turbo product–very fast by any standard, but by mid 4th quarter, two additional HSD tiers will be available in all markets.  They will feature download speeds of 30MPS and 50MPS, and upload speeds of 3MPS and 5MPS, respectively.  New modems will be required to support the DOCSIS 3.0 based products.

We have had a number of testers out there who have had the product for a while.  It has performed very well, and certainly is fast.  I spoke to one individual today though that offered some perspective on these upper speed tiers that is worth passing on to our readership.  Quote, “The way I use the internet, there isn’t much discernible difference between what I had (Xtreme Turbo) and what I have now.”  We discussed the “garden hose” metaphor of internet service, and that is that regardless of how large the opening is on the end of the hose, there is generally a narrower pipe on the far end server providing the requested data.

Now, lest I be accused of reducing the internet’s complexity down to a “series of tubes” as the late Senator Ted Stevens so infamously opined, there is, nonetheless, a component of truth to this “garden hose” analogy.  In practice, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and other video providers have practical limits on the stream they will send to any one customer, and all of these streams will fit very nicely into one of WOW!’s lower speed tiers, thank you very much.  Said another way, you may not see a lot of difference on most of the content downloads/streaming in the new superfast speed tiers, particularly at peak times when servers providing the requested content are sharing bandwidth to potentially thousands of customers.  It certainly will make a huge difference in non-peak times, or other types of traffic such as peer-to-peer, gaming, etc.  So it depends on how you use the internet, and how many users you have in your household that would be using the service simultaneously.

One thing is certain.  Bandwidth requirements will continue to rise as new services and applications become available through the internet.  DOCSIS 3.0 positions WOW! and our esteemed customers for the future.

Until next time….

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Update on DOCSIS 3.0

In: Voices of WOW!

By: Cash Hagen on Jan 21, 2011 at 8:29 am

In a previous blog posting, WOW! Technology Editor Steve Stanfill has written about the various ins and outs of DOCSIS technology. By way of a refresh, DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) is the defacto standard used by cable operators for the delivery of Internet and telephone over our cable networks. Since the introduction of version 1.0 by CableLabs in 1997, the standard has been modified several times, with the most recent release, DOCSIS 3.0, enabling cable operators to offer even higher downstream and upstream Internet speeds. Using DOCSIS 3.0, Internet speeds could theoretically reach 304 Mbps down and 108  Mbps up, allowing cable operators to provide even faster Internet service to customers.  Until DOCSIS 3.0, the limiting factor on speed was that only one 6 MHz RF channel could be used for data transmissions. With the introduction of DOCSIS 3.0, operators can achieve downstream speeds of up to 300 Mbps by combining multiple channels, a practice commonly referred to as channel bonding.

Knowing faster speeds are important for our customers to enjoy increasing online video streaming, gaming and other common activities, we have been upgrading our network to DOCSIS 3.0 over the past several months.  It is important to note that enabling these faster speeds is not as simple as “bonding” some channels together. There are many moving parts to the DOCSIS network, each having distinctly different roles in providing Internet service to our customers. From the cable modems in all of our homes, to the equipment on the WOW! network and complex “behind the scenes” software systems that tie it all together, each element has to be addressed before higher speeds can be delivered .

So where are we in the process?  We have completed the upgrade of our network infrastructure in all markets with hardware and software developed specifically for DOCSIS 3.0.  In parallel we upgraded our back office provisioning systems allowing for the deployment and support of DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems.   With these upgrades mostly complete, we are now addressing the “behind the scenes” software and processes that will support the new speeds and cable modems.

We strive to provide an exceptional customer experience so we tend to measure twice and cut once with something as important as this.  I know you are anxiously waiting for new, higher Internet speeds and I’ll have more information on the availability shortly.  Stay tuned for exciting developments in the coming months.

I look forward to your feedback……

Thank you.

Cash Hagen

WOW! Chief Technology Officer

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Support for Motorola SB6120

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on Oct 27, 2010 at 8:55 am

Some months ago, I published an article on DOCSIS 3.0, and how WOW! was working to upgrade plant to offer those services in the future.  That process is still ongoing, and our marketing folks will let our customers know when those services are available in due time.

An outgrowth of that discussion centered around providing support for modems available at Best Buy and other retail outlets.  While WOW! cannot feasibly support every modem out there for obvious reasons, we’ve had a sufficient number of inquiries regarding this particular modem that the decision was made to build a specific configuration file to support this particular product.  Several things had to happen first, including a major upgrade to our Sigma provisioning system.  Those upgrades are now complete, as well as the creation of the necessary file structures to support the SB6120.  Support for the SB6120 will be formally rolled out on November 1st, 2010.

So, for your information, and as promised, WOW! currently supports the following equipment on its DOCSIS network:

All Scientific Atlanta modems

All Cisco modems (except Linksys, which was acquired by Cisco within the last couple of years)

All Arris modems

and, (drum roll please….)

The Motorola SB6120! (as of November 1st, 2010)

Please note that the 6120’s advanced DOCSIS 3.0 feature set will not work until DOCSIS 3.0 is officially launched on the WOW! network.  But for now that modem will operate effectively at the same speeds and performance levels as the other modems on this list.

Those of our customers that have purchased these modems may implement them on the network by simply calling our Customer Care Center and giving requested information to the agent (modem MAC address and serial number).

Until next time….

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We want to know what’s right for you

In: Customer Experience & Support

By: Bill Wright on Aug 19, 2010 at 8:00 am

   Have you ever been sold something you really didn’t need? Or find out after you bought the item that you really couldn’t afford it but was told that you “had” to have it? Well, you won’t have those problems here at WOW!.

  The WOW! Sales staff understands that not ever customer’s needs are the same. They also understand that the economy has not been the best lately, as well. The WOW! sale staffs are not only trained on the product knowledge but also how to “Right-Size” the customer to what they need. If you are only using the High Speed Data for checking your email, you probably do not need the fastest speed of service. Or if your idea of watching TV consists of the local channels, then a premium package may not be for you.

  When you call in to order new service, or change your existing service, let the sale staff know what your needs are and they will make sure that services you buy are the “Right-Size” for you. A salesperson is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling: 866-496-9669

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Picking the Right Speed for Gaming

In: Education

By: Barbara Kubereit on May 07, 2010 at 7:00 am

Gaming is a hot topic nowadays so it’s not surprising how many people want higher internet speeds, just so they can play their favorite games.  I talked with Jason Powers, one of our T3 Customer Care Reps to get the low down on the gaming phenomenon and he shared a little bit of his knowledge about the hottest games going and educated me about how to pick the right speed for gaming. 

War Games are hot and one of the most popular games is “Call of Duty, Modern Warfare II”  It’s a “first person shooter,”  meaning you are the person you are playing in the game.   It’s violent and rated M for mature, 17 and up.  Another popular internet game, one that’s less violent, is World of Warcraft.  It’s a game where you are playing in “third person” and you set yourself up for various quests such as killing quests, escort quests, or recon quests.  Violence makes me squeamish so I quickly diverted the conversation to non-war games and Jason told me in the “coming soon” category, gamers are anxiously awaiting Madden 2011, an NFL game that you can play online, third person, which allows you to take your team through a season.  This game is likely to be big hit.

Jason also told me it’s not unusual for WOW! Customer Support to get calls from customers having difficulties with these popular high capacity games. Usually they report having difficulty connecting to the internet or there are latency issues while playing the games.  These problems are usually an indication that the internet speed the customer is subscribing to is not high enough to handle heavy gaming.

For those who aren’t sure what speed is best for gaming, it really depends  upon the game and the number of people in the household playing at once.  For folks who enjoy popular high capacity games, like those mentioned earlier, the middle speed, or 8 meg, is recommended.  For people who have multiple players playing high capacity games at the same time, the highest speed, or 15 meg, is recommended.  When you call in with problems and it’s determined that a higher speed is needed, we can do an immediate upgrade, up to 15 meg, on the spot.  

I was curious what kind of people gamers are, so I asked Jason if there is a certain personality type or age group that calls for help with gaming.  He said there are no certain types and that gamers come in both genders and all age groups.  The only trait they seem to have in common is that they consider their computer and game console a primary form of entertainment.   Seems like the internet is replacing TV with this group and non-gamer, low speeders, might really be missing out on something exciting here.

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