ADSL: Looks like a winner:
Is the WAVE becoming a
ripple?
Cable modem users complain about slow connections
By Keith Schengili-Roberts
Just over a year ago Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco and other cable companies across Canada started rolling out
high-speed Internet connections that were accessible using cable modems. The service was easily the fastest
connection to the Internet at the time, offering transfer rates greatly in excess of those offered by regular
telephone-line modems.
The sheer speed, along with a successful ad campaign, has drawn in thousands of users to the service.
Unfortunately, the success the cable companies had deploying their WAVE service (which is now called
@Home by some providers, notably Rogers) appears to have led to congestion problems, to the point that some
users are now looking for alternates to surfing the WAVE.
Cable modem networks are laid down in local neighborhoods in a single
high-bandwidth "pipe." This arrangement is fine when you have a limited number of people on the network, but
the "width" of the pipe, while large, is not infinite. By adding more connections to the pipe, the resulting
amount of bandwidth per user drops, so the once high-speed connection slows to a trickle. The more people on
the network, the slower the connection speed for individual users.
Cable modem users are quickly finding that there are peak times (such as immediately after dinner) when
Internet connection speeds can be slower than using a conventional telephone-line modem, especially for
non-Web connections to such things as Usenet newsgroups, online gaming sites and more.
A 33.6Kbps modem would be faster
Users who have had a cable modem for a long time have seen a steady decrease in both speed and service. Deb
Cormier found download speeds averaged about 200Kbps to 300Kbps from just about any site she accessed on
the Web. She now says average download speeds "have dropped to about 20Kbps and have been that way for
months."
Rudy Marques, a Rogers WAVE subscriber since April 1997, also believes the level of service has gotten
steadily worse, saying that "during peak hours a 33.6 [Kbps] modem would download faster, and due to
frequent packet loss, more reliably."
Online gamers are also frustrated by the lack of promised speed. "Rrob" from London got a cable modem
primarily for its speed, but says he often can't connect to major gaming centres like mplayer.com and heat.net.
These sites are located on the @Home backbone service, and so are optimized for cable modem users, but often
many WAVE users simply can't connect at acceptable speeds. Rrob says he
previously had a dialup account with AT&T Canada and "could always connect better with it than @Home. The
ping times and packet loss for online gaming is terrible on the @Home network and... that is why I will be
going back to AT&T Canada."
Fellow gamer James Martens summed up his cable connection this way: "Lag city."
Bandwidth hogs
However, the cable modem companies are aware of the problems and are beginning to take steps to deal with
them. Rogers acknowledges that network congestion has been an issue in some areas it services, and the
company is currently investing resources to ensure its network keeps pace with the expanded user base.
Rogers also cite problems in which people seem to be "hogging" the bandwidth, using the service for
business-like applications instead of for purely residential purposes. Rogers says it will soon be contacting
customers it believes are using the network inappropriately in an attempt to free up additional bandwidth for the
majority of its customers.
While online gaming may not be a primary concern for the majority of users, cable modem users have been
plagued with occasional outages of service, often with no warning before or after by the access providers.
Users have also complained about abysmally slow connection speeds to Usenet newsgroups, and more
seriously, problematic email service. Users who try to connect to their cable modem service
from outside of the network (say, at work or at school) find the quality of access goes up and down. As one
user aptly put it, the "mail server pops up and down like a jumping bean." Email messages may take days to be
received, if at all.
Both are of major concern to people who require a reliable email service for business needs. Rogers says it is
aware of these concerns, and its priority "is to restore service as soon as possible," though it asks that users be
patient, as outages sometimes occur for reasons beyond Rogers' control (due to accidental damage, extreme
weather and hydro outages). Rogers also has a policy of planning its
outages (for maintenance) in the wee hours, so while some night-owls may be temporarily inconvenienced, the
majority of users never notice them.
The relative lack of technical support also frustrates many users, who believe their complaints are going
unheard. In is not uncommon for support emails to take a week or more to be answered. Users have also
complained of telephone hold times typically averaging 45 minutes or more. Outages are common enough that
reports of known local connectivity problems in certain regions are often available through an automated
voice-mail system. Rogers says it has been taking steps to reduce the waiting time for technical support, and
promises that its customers will see substantial improvements in customer service and support by the end of
March.
Should I stay or should I go?
Many users who have become frustrated with their cable modem service have adopted a "wait and see" attitude,
hoping that the cable companies will respond in time to their concerns.
While Rogers and the other cable companies that comprise the WAVE are
attempting to improve overall service, some users have decided not to wait, and have dropped the WAVE in
favor of the emerging high-speed Internet connections
such as ADSL now being offered by the telephone companies in many areas.
One of these users is Richard Virtue, who recently closed his Ottawa-based WAVE
account in favor of ADSL service. He said his decision was based on repeated
problems with the WAVE, and he opted for ADSL after despairing of getting better
service. "If there was ever any hope of them [WAVE providers] providing what I
wanted, it has grown very dim indeed," Virtue said.
With the advent of a competitive high-speed access to the Net from phone companies, the race is on for the
high-speed Internet access market. Chances are the congestion many people are experiencing will be lessened as
the cable companies add more capacity to their lines, but the cable companies will have to start treating their
users better if they want to keep them from going to the telcos. |
