Earlier this year, NETGEAR released the industry’s first cable modem with DOCSIS 3.1 capability, the CM1000 Ultra-High Speed Cable Modem. Now, NETGEAR leads the industry again with the launch of the first DOCSIS 3.1 CableLabs certified cable modem router in retail, the Nighthawk X4S,C7800 DOCSIS® 3.1 Ultra-High Speed Cable Modem Router.
But, what is DOCSIS 3.1 anyway?
CableLabs develops technology and specification for delivery of high secure data, voice and video over coaxial cable infrastructure, called DOCSIS, which is now the international standard for providing internet data, voice and video services using existing cable TV systems.
Over the past 20 years, DOCSIS technology has evolved from its original 1.0 version (which had top speeds of 42 Mbps) to DOCSIS 3.0 (which reached 100s of Mbps speeds for internet, telephone and video services). With the growing demand for faster internet speeds and the availability of gigabit speeds through competitive technologies like Fiber networks, CableLabs needed a new generation of technology to meet and exceed gigabit speeds for consumers. And that’s where DOCSIS 3.1 comes in.
DOCSIS 3.1 standard supports up to 10 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload speeds which is up to 10x faster than DOCSIS 3.0. Currently cable ISPs are offering Gigabit Internet service using DOCSIS 3.1 technology. Higher throughput is made possible by using advanced signal process techniques to better utilize a frequency spectrum and by increasing the available spectrum for upstream and downstream data transfer, essentially allowing DOCSIS 3.1 to have greater capacity while transmitting data.
As DOCSIS 3.1 utilizes existing cable infrastructure, it is much more cost effective than Fiber. Unlike Cable, Fiber requires completely new infrastructure and new fiber layouts to homes—making it much more expensive to deploy.
DOCSIS 3.1 uses new certificate based security that strengthens security, and reduces the risk of malicious firmware being loaded on Cable modem devices.
DOCSIS 3.1 further reduces packet latency by optimizing movement of data packets along the network resulting in improved voice quality for VoIP calls and improved online streaming and gaming experience by reducing lag.
And what if your internet service provider doesn’t offer DOCSIS 3.1?
DOCSIS 3.1 is fully backward compatible with DOCSIS 3.0. Consumers who purchase DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems are ensured that their device will work on their existing network and will be ready for upgrade to higher internet speeds when their ISP rolls out DOCSIS 3.1 in their region.
Currently, Comcast already offers DOCSIS 3.1 in over 15 states in the US and plans to widely deploy it across 39 more states by next year.
The Nighthawk X4S AC3200 is the industry’s fastest new cable modem router and is ready for the new DOCSIS 3.1 gigabit internet speeds. If you are looking to upgrade your router, or want to eliminate your service provider equipment rental fees while getting blazing fast speeds that rival the speed of Fiber, then this is the cable modem router for you!
