With the increasing demand for bandwidth, cable companies are experiencing tremendous pressure to adopt DOCSIS 3.1 installations.
Back in the day, consumers had limited options for home Internet connection. They either relied on phone lines or existing cable connections. However, with the deployment of fiber-optic networks, cable companies can provide gigabit speeds to consumers. But it is a new option which is not yet widely available.
But now cable companies have the tools to provide the same gigabit speeds with the help of DOCSIS 3.1 technology. Unlike fiber-optic connections, companies don’t have to tear up streets to provide DOCSIS 3.1 based connections.
So is Docsis 3.1 worth it? We will find that out in this post.
Before moving onto any further discussion, let us first learn what DOCSIS 3.1 tech is. To define it in simple words, it is the current standard of telecommunication companies. It is short for Data over Cable Service Interface Specification.
This standard helps cable companies to offer high-bandwidth, and high-speed data transfer. It enables ISPs to deliver top-notch internet services to existing coaxial cable lines in conjunction with a cable modem.
It was originally developed by CableLabs back in 1998. Over the years, the standard has gone through many revisions. It is the upgraded version of DOCSIS 3.0 tech.
We live in an age where consumers want both high-bandwidth and high-quality broadcasts. The demand for real-time interactive gaming, 4K streaming, and remote home monitoring is equally high.
This is where DOCSIS 3.1 introduces a 100x increase in the average data rate. This allows consumers to stream ultra HD content such as Netflix. The kind of bandwidth required streaming Ultra HD content on multiple screens or downloading a 15GB movie in minutes is made possible with DOCSIS 3.1 tech.
Besides that DOCSIS 3.1 also provides two very important benefits to cable companies. Firstly, DOCSIS 3.1 is more efficient than previous versions of DOCSIS. It has the potential to translate to hundreds of megabits more bandwidth and that too without needing alterations to the network. Secondly, the new standard provides a higher capacity to networks that are already fully utilized.
DOCSIS 3.0 uses channel bonding to increase the throughput. But with DOCSIS 3.1, the concept of channels is eliminated.
CableLabs restructured the DOCSIS physical layer to implement orthogonal frequency division multiplexing in the cable. It works by encoding data on several subcarriers which in return helps boost spectral efficiency while reducing signal loss and interference.
Around 50% improvement in throughput can be reached by fully optimizing the spectrum for a given frequency range. Not just that, DOCSIS 3.1 also widens both the downstream and upstream bandwidth. This enables it to utilize the full spectrum available in the cable environment.
The secret is that the parameters of each channel can be configured to optimize the channel. In case, there is certain interference at a certain frequency, it can be managed easily.
Almost all communications systems make use of some sort of recovering and detecting an error. DOCSIS 3.1 is shifted to LDPC, which helps increases the potential to recover signals in a loud environment.
Considering the potential of DOCSIS 3.1 many of the top cable companies have adopted it to deliver the best speeds to consumers. However, it still has a long way to go before it becomes widely available.
From the above discussion, we know that DOCSIS 3.1 is the future of cable companies. With this advanced tech, they can bring high bandwidth to consumers quickly and easily.
