| reply to NormanS
Re: Looking to upgrade Speedstream 4100 modem Out of curiosity, would other modems which use the TI chipset (Netopia 3346N-002, Actiontecs, some Westells, etc.) work as well? Some of these other models have the advantage of providing statistics which are not reported by the 4100/4100B. |
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 d_lBarsoomPremium,MVM
join:2002-12-08
Reno, NV
kudos:7 | The AR7 is pretty much the standard chipset for most modern modems. If the modem manufacturers follow the reference designs for the AR7, then their performance shouldn't vary much from the Speedstreams, especially the 4100b with DSL2+ capabilities.
A big difference besides other stats would be the presentation of the stats. Sometimes the same stats are labeled differently on other modems, so that might involve some study to be able translate terms into Speedstream "speak". Nor do all modems list the tone bin info -- bit loads or tone bin noise margins.
If there are any specific modem operational quirks, you would be on your own as far as help here, e.g. ultra sensitivity to lightning induced line noise, etc. Chances are the other modems wouldn't have ACK prioritization if that is important to you, but that can be handled by the router (even the use of QoS to cripple/limit upload throughputs can be substituted) or at the OS level. |
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| Some of the stuff out there can be frustrating to work with. For example, the Netopia 3346N-002 doesn't give you a DMZ function- they have a "virtual DMZ". Since even the oldest/cheapest D-Link, Linksys, etc. router has a "real" DMZ, no clue as to why Netopia left this out.
Actiontecs have issues working with OpenDNS- have to use an external router to perform this function, or set the Actiontec up in bridge mode.
Isn't the ACK prioritization a function of the TI chipset? If so, then I would expect any TI-based modem to have this feature (unless the manufacturer somehow disabled it in the firmware). |
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d_lBarsoomPremium,MVM
join:2002-12-08
Reno, NV
kudos:7 | Yes it is, but I think most manufacturers disable it. Certainly the generic 4100/4200 modem doesn't have it. You can take an AT&T 4100 modem, flash it with a generic firmware, and you will lose the ACK prioritization. It's been done before.
The memory normally used to buffer uploads and allow the ACK traffic re-ordering apparently is then used to expand the NAT tables (the modem still uses NAT tables even though it is in DMZ mode). The expanded NAT tables allow more sessions at one time. The chipset doesn't have enough memory to do ACK prioritization AND handle all the simultaneous sessions the P2P users/gamers want. It is a trade off between the two competing demands.
The Bellsouth version Westell 6100 modem once came out with ACK prioritization and along the way they pushed out a firmware upgrade that removed it. |
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| Interesting. |
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