Re: Cable modem

[Ankur Rohatgi <ankur@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all ,
I saw many messages about this so i thought i will add my two bits , having 
used so called 'broadband' access for two months or so.

In my office we have a DSL line from Dishnet , 64kbps and also has a 
transfer limit . Modem payment is 30k and they give a tiny USB modem . The 
modem does not work with win2k and after a long period of troubleshooting 
they installed the modem that they usually install for more expensive 
accounts . It has a RJ45 connector and that connects to a lan card on the 
computer . You cant connect this to a hub/switch as it needs to assign a 
static IP , a router will do fine though. Performance is ok , 5-6 Kbps 
downloads on an average.

Also in the office we have a Spectranet Cable connection , this is 128k . 
The modem costs 15.5k and the monthly cost is 7k , its absurd why they have 
a 64k connection at Rs.1.5 k and 128k at Rs. 7k per month . Anyway they 
have given a 3com DOCSIS compliant cable modem , you can get one from 
anywhere , i looked and since they cost around $300 in usa , its better to 
buy it here coz it comes with a warranty. Plus they cant blame the modem 
for performance. Hmmm speed is good , 14-15Kbps on average . IP is dynamic.

I might add both these are connected to one machine , actually there are 3 
internet connections (2 mentioned above and a third coming up) going into 
that machine (4 lan cards one for local lan) so its pretty much a router . 
Sadly due to my knowledge on linux , its win2k . Also on the this machine 
is a mail server , with a dynamic dns mapping its pretty awesome . As long 
as i have this machine online with any ISP it keeps getting email . If all 
die , then the email is stored at the dynamic DNS center .

Now for exciting part , at home also i have a cable connection from Incable 
. They are new and still concentrating on expanding their network , so they 
arent focused on customer acquisition . So why is it exciting ? Get this , 
NO SPEED LIMIT , NO TRANSFER LIMIT , and what speeds do i get ? from 
70-80kbps YES , in the day to 170-200 kbps (thats kilobytes) .  Who needs a 
T1 anymore , i was checking with them and in the course of about 30days of 
functioning i have leeched more than 9GBs (dont ask me what :) . Also i do 
a lot of online gaming , pings are vital and i get awesome pings to the 
game server . I know this will not last very long but its fun. Aah yes it 
costs rs.1.5k per month and the modem is that same 3com costing 15.5k . 
This is so good , that i have asked them to immediately install it in my 
office , i wanna use as much as i can of this line before they throttle it 
. The sad part is , since they are expanding their network , they are doing 
a lot of testing and the connection goes down sometimes , but they dont 
charge for downtime.

Well in case anyone wants more info about anything mentioned above 
please  send me an email directly .

- Ankur.