Internet Access Via Cable TV

Internet Access via Cable TV
able Modems.1 CEENet ‘2000 - Understanding and using Remote Access and VPN services
Changes in the Cable Network
• The cable network was designed to deliver TV

signals in one direction from the Head-End to the
subscribers homes
• To provide TV services Cable Operators had to
recreate a portion of the over-the-air radio
frequency (RF) spectrum within a sealed coaxial
cable line
• Operators had to upgrade the cable network so that
signals could flow in both directions
• Cable Operators assign a spectrum of signal

frequencies to the cable network
• One spectrum is used for the signals that move
from the Head-End towards the cable subscriber
• Another spectrum of signal frequencies are used
for the signals that move from the cable subscriber
towards the Head-End
• By replacing existing one way amplifiers with two

way amplifiers Cable Operators are able to
separate the upstream and downstream signals and
amplify each direction separately in the right
frequency range
A Traditional Cable network
A Modern Cable network

What is a Cable Modem?
How Fast is a Cable Modem?
• Cable modem speeds vary widely

– Depends on the cable modem system
– Cable network architecture
– Traffic load.
• In the downstream direction (from the network to
the computer), network speeds can be up to 27
Mbps
– BUT, this is an aggregate amount of bandwidth that is
shared by users.
• Few computers will be capable of connecting at such

high speeds or have exclusive access to the network
– A more realistic number is 1 to 3 Mbps.
• In the upstream direction (from computer to
network), speeds can be up to 10 Mbps.
– However, most modem producers have selected a more
optimum speed between 500 Kbps and 2.5 Mbps
– AND, many cable operators limit the upstream bandwidth
to 128 or 384kbs
• An asymmetric cable modem scheme is most

common. The downstream channel has a much
higher bandwidth allocation (faster data rate) than the
upstream,
• primarily because Internet applications tend to be
asymmetric in nature.
• Activities such as World Wide Web (http) navigating
and newsgroups reading (nntp) send much more data
down to the computer than to the network.
• Mouse clicks (URL requests) and e-mail messages

are not bandwidth intensive in the upstream
direction.
• Image files and streaming media (audio and video)
are very bandwidth intensive in the downstream
direction.
Real-world performance
• The theoretical performance of a Cable Modem is

based upon all other devices being able to work at
the same speed and performance as the Cable
Modem
• However, in a similar way that the actual usable
bandwidth on a 10Mbps Ethernet connection
reduces to a 4Mbps, so too will the performance of
a Cable Modem connection be reduced
• The Cable network itself will suffer the same

problems of Internet performance as any other
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
• Although performance to services on the cable
network itself can be amazingly fast, access to 'the
outside world' will be slowed down by the
performance of other connections on the way.
• As usage on your segment grows (as more customers

are added) the bandwidth must be shared by more
people
– Adding more cable network segments is very expensive for
the cable operator
• If you connect to a remote Internet site that itself has a
connection speed equivalent to a T1 connection
(1.5Mbps), then that is as fast as the data can be served
to you, no matter how fast your receiving equipment is
Who Makes Cable Modems?
• 3Com, Cisco Systems, Com21, General

Instrument, Motorola, Nortel Networks,
Phasecom, Samsung, Terayon, Toshiba, Zenith
• And many others
Cable Modem Technology
• It MOdulates and DEModulates signals

• Much more complicated than their telephone
counterparts
• Cable modems can be part modem, part tuner, part
encryption/decryption device, part bridge, part
router, part network interface card, part SNMP
agent, and part Ethernet hub
• Typically, a cable modem sends and receives data

in two slightly different fashions
– In the downstream direction
• he digital data is modulated and then placed on a typical 6
MHz television channel, somewhere between 50 MHz and 750
MHz
• 64 QAM is the preferred downstream modulation technique,
offering up to 27 Mbps per 6 MHz channel
• This signal can be placed in a 6 MHz channel adjacent to TV
signals on either side without disturbing the cable television
video signals.
– The upstream channel is more tricky

• Typically, in a two-way activated cable network, the upstream (also
known as the reverse path) is transmitted between 5 and 42 MHz
• This tends to be a noisy environment, with RF interference and impulse
noise. Additionally, interference is easily introduced in the home, due to
loose connectors or poor cabling
• Since cable networks are tree and branch networks, all this noise gets
added together as the signals travel upstream, combining and increasing
• Due to this problem, most manufacturers use QPSK or a similar
modulation scheme in the upstream direction, because QPSK is more
robust scheme than higher order modulation techniques in a noisy
environment
• The drawback is that QPSK is "slower" than QAM.
Cable Modem Services
• The dominant service is high-speed Internet access

– This enables the typical array of Internet services to be
delivered at speeds far faster than those offered by dial-
up telephone modems
– Other services will include
– access to streaming audio and video servers, local
content (community information and services)
– access to CD-ROM servers
– a wide variety of other service offerings. New service
ideas are being developed daily.
Cost of Cable Modem Service
• In North America, cable operators are packaging

high-speed data services much like they do basic
cable television service
• Typically charging $40 - $60 per month for an
Internet service package
– Includes software, unlimited Internet access,
specialized content and rental of a cable modem
Cost of Cable Modem Service
• At the low end of this pricing scale, a very robust

Internet service is available to consumers for
about the cost of a dial-up account with a local
Internet service provider and a second telephone
line
• Even at $60 per month, cable is a far better value
than ISDN.
"Telco-Return" Modems
• Not really a cable technology

• Used more often with Direct Satellite video
systems
• Satellite down link is used for fast downstream
transmission
• A telephone modem handles upstream
communication over the public telephone
network.
Support for Multiple PCs
• A cable modem can provide Intenet access to multiple

PCs, if they are connected via a local area network (LAN)
• Cable modems typically have an Ethernet output, so they
can connect to the LAN with a standard Ethernet hub or
router
• Each PC must have an assigned IP address
– The cable ISP usually sells at a premium of $5-$10 a month per
PC
– NAT (Network Address Translation) can allow multiple PCs to
"hide" behind a single IP Address

Internet Access Via Cable TV

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Internet Access Via Cable TV

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Internet Access via Cable TV

• The cable network was designed to deliver TV

• Cable Operators assign a spectrum of signal

• By replacing existing one way amplifiers with two

A Traditional Cable network

A Modern Cable network

• Cable modem speeds vary widely

• Few computers will be capable of connecting at such

• An asymmetric cable modem scheme is most

• Mouse clicks (URL requests) and e-mail messages

• The theoretical performance of a Cable Modem is

• The Cable network itself will suffer the same

• As usage on your segment grows (as more customers

• 3Com, Cisco Systems, Com21, General

• It MOdulates and DEModulates signals

• Typically, a cable modem sends and receives data

– The upstream channel is more tricky

• The dominant service is high-speed Internet access

• In North America, cable operators are packaging

• At the low end of this pricing scale, a very robust

• Not really a cable technology

• A cable modem can provide Intenet access to multiple

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