Hello Franz, been a long time! you said << Explain to me why it would not be possible for someone like CPQ to sell a "plug-n-play" computer for ATHM service. >>
It is possible and in the works currently. This makes the most sense and gives ATHM a higher comfort level that buying a modem at circuit city and installing it yourself. The configuration is pre-tested so they have confidence in compatibility out of the box. This model has minimal service calls, and almost none after the first month (based on historic preconfigured telco modem-based systems).
The customer calls up to place a system order, they ask for your zip code, and if it matches an ATHM-approved zip code, they take your order.
The only unknown is your in-house cable. In the past, ATHM has installed a dedicated line with a higher quality, higher bandwidth coax, split and filtered at the entry point to your home. They even went so far as to pipe it direct to the cable modem, without a 3-foot coupling splice and wall plate plug, to eliminate any connector problems. So, there will still be potential problems in homes where the coax was shoddily installed by the builder, or spliced and split to death by the homeowner. This means service calls, which is what they want to get away from.
The next lower comfort level lies with USB-based user-installed cable modems, and at the bottom, a user-installed cable modem that requires an Ethernet interface.
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