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C_Chipperson
Monster Rain
Premium Member
join:2009-01-17
00000

C_Chipperson to gar187er

Premium Member

to gar187er

Re: [CDV] No More Free Batteries

said by gar187er:

how do you think cdv functions? it runs on the same QAMs as the HSI.

really? I've read the exact opposite on these forums in the past, that CDV doesn't take away from HSI bandwidth

EG
The wings of love
Premium Member
join:2006-11-18
Union, NJ

1 recommendation

EG

Premium Member

said by C_Chipperson:

really? I've read the exact opposite on these forums in the past, that CDV doesn't take away from HSI bandwidth

It doesn't.

JigglyWiggly
join:2009-07-12
Pleasanton, CA

JigglyWiggly

Member

why would you even want comcast voice?
it's terrible

PeteC2
Got Mouse?
MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT

1 recommendation

PeteC2

MVM

said by JigglyWiggly:

why would you even want comcast voice?
it's terrible

On what basis do you state that? I have Comcast voice and have had no problems from day 1. I have never missed a call, had one drop, or suffered poor incoming/outgoing clarity. Support is at least on par with the better VOIP services.

In fact, I am considering dumping Comcast voice for a more affordable VOIP alternative, however, nothing that I have experienced would lead me to characterize their service as "terrible", pricey would be my only negative (still cheaper than what my AT&T landline service cost).

Some VOIP services have issues when there are multiple devices accessing the system during calls...that is a non-issue for Comcast voice.

plencnerb
Premium Member
join:2000-09-25
53403-1242

1 recommendation

plencnerb

Premium Member

I'm going to 2nd what PeteC2 See Profile has said above. I've had Comcast Digital Voice since 05/18/2012, and have never had any problems with it. I've never had a call be dropped, had issues hearing the person on the other end of the line, or have them tell me they cannot hear me either.

As far as network load, I only have 3 desktops in the house (Mine, my uncles, and my mothers). My mom just reads e-mail, reads / posts things on FB, checks the weather (either from weather.com or Weatherbug), chats (via text) on AIM, and does some other light web surfing. My uncle does some light surfing and checks his e-mail. My system is probably the only one that would have any impact on the network, but even then, I would say I'm a "moderate" bandwidth user. So, if it is the case of households using "lots" of bandwidth that causes issues with CDV, then that could be why my house is not having a problem.

The price of CDV was less then what we were paying for a POTS line from AT&T as well. I forget the exact savings, but I believe it was around $15 to $20 a month that we are saving because we have switched from AT&T to CDV.

--Brian

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt to C_Chipperson

Premium Member

to C_Chipperson
It runs on separate channels from HSI but the method is similar. It is VoIP via a private network. the home security services use yet another group of channels, and other future uses may get their own channels too or run as VPN's piggybacked on one of these other networks.
all invisible to you, and not using your HSI bandwidth.

owlyn
MVM
join:2004-06-05
Newtown, PA
Netgear CM2050V
Netgear RBRE960
Netgear RBSE960

owlyn to EG

MVM

to EG
Technically, it does not take away from the HSI bandwidth, but that is because a section has already been carved out and reserved for CDV, so it was never available for HSI. However, one could argue that bandwidth that _could_ have been used for HSI is reallocated to CDV, so it is taking some away. It is really just a matter of semantics. Everyone is right. Now, can we get back to the battery discussion?

I would think that the FCC or local PUCs would require battery backup as part of the service. OTOH, with the proliferation of cell phones, land line phones have become redundant. Of course, in a major power outage (let's use Sandy as an example), many cell phone towers will lose battery power after a certain amount of time (although some may have generators), thereby eliminating phone service there also. Even with CDV batteries, the Comcast plant must have power, and those batteries will also only last but so long. With POTS, only the COs need power, and they had diesel generators for backup, ensuring almost 100% phone service (as long as the lines don't go down, and they can get diesel fuel). All that being said, in my area, during Sandy, Comcast did not have any down time due to lack of power. The power outage was only 17 hours in my area. Other nearby areas (within a mile) were out for days. I don't know if Comcast was able to maintain service there or not.

Anyway, during Sandy, of course I didn't know the outage was only going to be 17 hours, and I discovered that the best use of my UPS was not to keep my Comcast eMTA up and running. Because I have an iPhone, I had (adequate) internet service on my cell phone, the best use of the UPS was to keep my iPhone charged (also charged it in my car). It uses way less power than the eMTA, so my UPS battery would last longer. As it happened, I never lost cell service. Bottom line was, although I have three batteries for my eMTA (which I rotate to keep charged), I never had a need to use them. If cell service died, I could have used the Comcast batteries as the final backup instead of the primary backup.

So, the question is- are eMTA batteries really necessary with the proliferation of cell phones?

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

1 recommendation

Johkal to JigglyWiggly

MVM

to JigglyWiggly
said by JigglyWiggly:

why would you even want comcast voice?
it's terrible

I had zero issues with CDV. Call quality was excellent & no connection issues. The caller ID function was awesome appearing on my TV. I only dumped it to save money.

PeteC2
Got Mouse?
MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT

PeteC2 to owlyn

MVM

to owlyn
said by owlyn:

So, the question is- are eMTA batteries really necessary with the proliferation of cell phones?

Also, most other VOIP solutions have no back up systems other than allowing one to have a cell phone designated for calls to go through when power is down.

I can live without battery back up on the eMTA as long as Comcast incorporates a cell-designated back up scheme.

Again though, my beef with that is since Comcast voice is an expensive VOIP provider, not providing batteries for their eMTAs appears a bit of a chintzy policy, and would be a contributing factor towards me considering a more economical VOIP solution.

If you are going to charge more, the best paradigm would be that you are giving more at that price.
PeteC2

PeteC2 to Johkal

MVM

to Johkal
said by Johkal:

I had zero issues with CDV. Call quality was excellent & no connection issues. The caller ID function was awesome appearing on my TV. I only dumped it to save money.

Yep, cost is the only real issue that I have with Comcast voice as well. I am betting though that the convenience of having the same provider as tv and internet, combined with excellent reliability will keep them a viable option for many folks, and they still are less expensive than a comparable AT&T landline service.

TheBigChee
@comcast.net

TheBigChee to EG

Anon

to EG
said by EG:

said by C_Chipperson:

really? I've read the exact opposite on these forums in the past, that CDV doesn't take away from HSI bandwidth

It doesn't.

My experience is that it does. I had garbled phone calls whenever I was downloading large files and Comcast could not solve the problem so they installed a second modem!

andyross
MVM
join:2003-05-04
Aurora, IL

1 recommendation

andyross

MVM

said by TheBigChee :

said by EG:

said by C_Chipperson:

really? I've read the exact opposite on these forums in the past, that CDV doesn't take away from HSI bandwidth

It doesn't.

My experience is that it does. I had garbled phone calls whenever I was downloading large files and Comcast could not solve the problem so they installed a second modem!

That could be an underpowered eMTA not being able to processes high Internet data rates and phone calls simultaneously.

egeek84
Premium Member
join:2011-07-28
Livermore, CA

egeek84 to TheBigChee

Premium Member

to TheBigChee
said by TheBigChee :

said by EG:

said by C_Chipperson:

really? I've read the exact opposite on these forums in the past, that CDV doesn't take away from HSI bandwidth

It doesn't.

My experience is that it does. I had garbled phone calls whenever I was downloading large files and Comcast could not solve the problem so they installed a second modem!

That is so not true. We've had CDV since last year and it's been crystal clear EVEN during intense HSI usage. In fact I have tested this myself and have had like 10 downloads going on Steam and streaming a movie on Netflix and the voice quality is perfect.

PeteC2
Got Mouse?
MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT

PeteC2 to TheBigChee

MVM

to TheBigChee
said by TheBigChee :

said by EG:

said by C_Chipperson:

really? I've read the exact opposite on these forums in the past, that CDV doesn't take away from HSI bandwidth

It doesn't.

My experience is that it does. I had garbled phone calls whenever I was downloading large files and Comcast could not solve the problem so they installed a second modem!

Then you have an eMTA problem, as a second modem would do nothing in terms of expanding bandwidth. Not questioning your experience with it, just the conclusion.

I have never had any problem with multiple devices running, video streaming, interfering with phone calls.

I too however installed a second modem...but for a different reason. That way when I'm rebooting the modem and such, I'm not knocking my wife off the phone...good for domestic tranquility!