Brendon:
I've heard little about x2 performance upstream, but what I have heard suggests that it isn't mathematically related, ie, if you are getting 46K downstream, you don't necessarily get 23K upstream; most upstream rates I know of are 24.6k-28.8k regardless of downstream, on a decent connection.
I worked on the desing of some cable modem systems, and you are correct in explaining that cable modem performance falls off rapidly as more customers come on line. I just don't think that one has been thought through carefully by many, but it will be as real-world reviews come in for the systems being installed now. In fact, I have seen cases where a fully loaded cable system is actually slower than a dial up modem. And when you add in the fact that, for now at least, you must connect using a dial up modem on the upstream (to send data), I dunno, it seems there ought to be a better way. It is not trivial to run separate cable and phone lines to a computer in the den. You have to get someone to run the coax for the cable modem and/or someone else to run the wire for the dial up modem, which in both cases often involves drilling holes in the house or running the cables through the walls or attic, which I don't like to mess with. I think there will always be some locations where a particular technology works exceptionally well, and when we hear a report of that, we of course WANT IT. But when you spread a particular technology over a broad range of circumstances, YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY, and most will not see anywhere near the performance originally enjoyed by the early customers. Unfortunately with cable modems, the first to get them will enjoy tremendous bandwidth, because there are few to compete for it, so the initial reports are glowing. But, as your acquaintence, who has had a cable modem for 2 years, reported, as more users came on line, his performance dropped steadily and is now not so hot.
We'll see more technology advances which will make the situation much more pleasant for dial up users; the 56k modems aren't the end of the line. But that is part of the fun, to enjoy the surprises as they happen!
Larry |
