Unlike the previous DOCSIS 2.0 technology, DOCSIS 3.0 technology was designed to support IPv6 IP addressing and to revise to significantly increase transmissions speeds (both upstream and downstream). DOCSIS 2.0 was revised to support the IP telephony by enhancing the upstream speed.
In Europe, the DOCSIS standard was modified (which is under the name EuroDOCSIS) due to frequency allocation band plans used are different with the ones used in US. DOCSIS 3.0 modems are backward compatible with the DOCSIS 2.0 cable infrastructure currently still used by some cable providers which are not upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 technology yet.
The following are some of the Cable modems which are designed with the DOCSIS 3 technology and also backward compatible with the previous DOCSIS 2.0/1.0 versions.
SURFboard SB6120
Motorola SURFboard SB5101 DOCSIS 2.0 cable modems are so popular for delivering high speed cable broadband internet services to the subscriber premises. When many Cable services upgrade their infrastructure to support DOCSIS 3.0 or EuroDOCSIS 3.0, Motorola introduces SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem.
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SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems enable channel bonding of up to 4 downstream channels and 4 upstream channels to allow you experience the high-speed advanced multimedia with data rates of up to 100 Mbps in each direction. The modem is compatible with mostly all the operating systems including Windows®, Macintosh® and UNIX®.
SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems include a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Port for incredible wired network speeds when connecting to any Gigabit wireless routers in homes or in small business offices. Many wireless routers today are embedded with Gigabit WAN and LAN interfaces that can be connected to this high-speed gigabit Ethernet port of this modem.
The all-in one version of the DOCSIS 3.0 wireless cable modem from Motorola is SBG6580 cable modem. SBG6580 Cable Modem Wireless Router is the Next Generation High-Bandwidth Services and Home Networking in a Stylish Package – includes all the requirements to build a high-performance wireless home network.
CMD31T-CME31T Netgear Docsis 3 Cable Modem
Netgear CMD31T/ CME31T Docsis 3.0 Cable Modem replaces CM232 Pre-Docsis 3 Cable modem (which is now marked as the End of Life product).
CMD31T/ CME31T Netgear Docsis 3 Cable Modem is a high-speed cable modem, data rates on an HFC network: 152 Mbps or 200 Mbps (DOCSIS or EuroDOCSIS) with 108 Mbps upstream (up to four times that of conventional DOCSIS 2.0 technology). It’s a docsis 3 compliant modem and is backward compatible with DOCSIS 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 Cable Modem Termination Systems.
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The CME31T provides hybrid mode to allow the ISP to deploy the CMD31T/CME31T in a network that uses EuroDOCSIS 8 MHz downstream channel. The CMD31T and CME31T have been Cable Labs certified and support the future IPv6 architecture. Installation is easy and simple with the capability of being managed remotely with SNMP.
The CMD31T/CME31T Docsis 3.0 cable modem offers both a USB 2.0 (connected direct to the computer with USB port) and Gigabit Ethernet port for users to take advantage of the very high-speed WAN connection. You can deploy wireless routers with WAN gigabit port such as Netgear WNDR37-AV wireless gaming router for high-speed applications such as for multiplayer online gaming and streaming HD video. Or you can connect to the new Linksys E-3000 dual-band gigabit router.
Both SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 and CMD31T/CME31T cable modems are pure modems and do not include the routing function. Therefore you need to connect these modems to the wired or wireless routers in order to share the broadband internet connection with multiple computers in homes. Many people make mistakes in connecting these modems to the wireless access point in order to share the Internet and create the wireless network. The wireless access points do not have the NAT function to translate the public IP address to the private IP address and vice versa. To share the internet connection, you need a wireless router to connect to the modem. See also: wireless access point Vs wireless router.
The figure shows the networking diagram for home networks using SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem and the wireless router. Connect the WAN port of the router to the RJ-45 Ethernet port of the modem using the included network cable. You can enjoy the high-speed network with DOCSIS 3.0 modem connecting to the gigabit wireless N router. Enjoy the high-speed online gaming experience and jitter free video streaming with DOCSIS 3.0 modem.
By Ki Grinsing
See also:
- Internet connection problem – general guidelines
- General types of WAN technologies
- MBR1200 CradlePoint Wireless Mobile Router with failover & failback feature
- Cisco RV016 Multi WAN Routers with VPN
- Small business computer network
Is the Belkin N900 DB a 3.0 Docsis modem?
Any recommendation which might be better, this one or Motorola SBG6580?
Jeff: Belkin N900 is not a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, it’s a wireless router N900 which connects to DOCSIS 2.0/3.0 cable modem or DSL modem. Motorolla SBG6580 is wireless cable modem gateway – an all-in-one device consists of Docisi 3 Cable modem with wireless N300 router integrated in one device.
You select Belkin N900, you need cable or dsl modem, but if you select sbg6580 you don;t need cable modem anymore.