is this BS? DOCSIS modems stating specific provider compatibility

[mattkime]

thinking about getting this dead - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...id=7443014&SID=8a479aa3757040fb843833c69bc5e878&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16825188005&cm_sp= - although my internet provider is optimum / cablevision.

i'm pretty skeptical of the idea of cable providers needing to bless specific cable modems. but maybe i shouldn't let my hatred of the cable providers get in the way of sound engineering reasons.

is it bs?

has anyone found an incompatibility between a given cable modem (on the DOCSIS standard) and a given service provider?

[Carm]

IIRC - The cable companies need to be able to provide a type of "profile" for the modem to connect with their system.

[freeradical]

The modem that I bought, the SB6141, only gets one star from Comcast. Whatever that means. It works.


http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/

[Chakravartin]

mattkime wrote:
i'm pretty skeptical of the idea of cable providers needing to bless specific cable modems. but maybe i shouldn't let my hatred of the cable providers get in the way of sound engineering reasons.

is it bs?

No.

mattkime wrote:
has anyone found an incompatibility between a given cable modem (on the DOCSIS standard) and a given service provider?

Yes.

Time Warner is famous notorious for failing to support good modems. But since they're also notoriously slow, good modems are probably wasted on them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_modem#DOCSIS

Although interoperability was the whole point of the DOCSIS project,[14] most cable operators only approve a very restricted list of cable modems on their network,[15][16] identifying the 'allowed' modems by their brand, models, sometimes firmware version and occasionally going as far as imposing a hardware version of the modem, instead of simply allowing a supported DOCSIS version as it should. From this point of view, the DOCSIS standard has failed to provide the promised practical interoperability for the end user.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

I think most modems could work on every cable system with the right firmware. The problem is getting someone knowledgeable from both the cable company and the modem company to work together so that a modem can respond to the software that the cable company uses.

Would you be willing to pay $20 less for a modem, and then have to pay $30 to ship it to a third party to flash the right firmware in it because you aren't running the right version of Windows/OS X?

[GGD]

Carm wrote:
IIRC - The cable companies need to be able to provide a type of "profile" for the modem to connect with their system.

My experience is that they go a step beyond that, I've seen Comcast update the firmware in my customer supplied Motorola SB6120 modem more than once.

It currently list this "Firmware Build Time: Mar 6 2014 15:23:55", and I purchased the modem in August 2010.

[Hardly Worthit]

freeradical wrote:
The modem that I bought, the SB6141, only gets one star from Comcast. Whatever that means. It works.


http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/

Comcast says it means:

http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/certhelp.php

[Carm]

GGD wrote:
[quote=Carm]
IIRC - The cable companies need to be able to provide a type of "profile" for the modem to connect with their system.

My experience is that they go a step beyond that, I've seen Comcast update the firmware in my customer supplied Motorola SB6120 modem more than once.

It currently list this "Firmware Build Time: Mar 6 2014 15:23:55", and I purchased the modem in August 2010. Yes, forgot about that, they update the firmware to suit their needs.
Remember the ISP that enabled the open wi-fi on their modems. Xfinity...

[silvarios]

Carm wrote:
Remember the ISP that enabled the open wi-fi on their modems. Xfinity...

Those are the WiFi combo units.

[MrNoBody]

Filliam H. Muffman wrote:
...
Would you be willing to pay $20 less for a modem, and then have to pay $30 to ship it to a third party to flash the right firmware in it because you aren't running the right version of Windows/OS X?

The end-user's operating system (LAN) doesn't enter into the equation.
Let's say your iMac running Yosemite is connected to a Cisco router which is connected to the Comcast modem. That router is running some form of Linux!

It is the modem's ability to match the cable provider's specs for frequencies, bandwidths, channel modulation, etc.; the modem's WAN side is what matters.
The ZyXEL BRG35503 (I use one on Comcast) from Newegg is actually mfd. by Hitron, one of Comcast's main network equipment suppliers.