Internet: The Hottest Channel On Cable TV

It is hard to predict what will happen to the Internet. Right now, cable modems, the faster alternative to dial-up modems, are all set to become one of the most popular "broadband" connections to the Internet. The same odd wire that brings TV signals to your home is capable of providing Internet access many times faster than the current dial-up line. Theoretically speaking, it can go up to 30 Mbps, but in reality, users are usually connected to a 10MB Ethernet card, so you can't get a faster connection than that. What’s more, its actual working speed is even slower and depends a lot on the service provider.

What’s Net over Cable TV?

Net over cable TV uses coaxial cable lines that currently bring television signals into your home. It is designed to transmit information to your PC at very high speeds. Television as well as Internet signals travel through the same cable at different frequencies, enabling you to watch cable TV while accessing the Internet at the same time. However, don’t try accessing the Internet merely by installing a modem of your own. The cable TV ISP will have to activate your connection.

A head-end unit at the cable TV ISP receives high-bandwidth data from the Internet and is transferred through the television cable to the customer's home. At the customer’s end, a cable modem is attached to the television cable using a splitter. The cable modem is in turn connected to your PC’s Ethernet card. The Ethernet card translates the data received through the television cable to your PC.

But that need not stop you from accessing the Internet on your TV set itself, through a ‘cable TV set-top box’, (see visual) if you do not have a PC. Until now, cable Internet access was designed for use only with your PC. But companies abroad have introduced cable TV set-top boxes for accessing Internet over television sets. In fact, Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd, is all set to introduce these boxes within six months in Mumbai.

Why go for it?

In a standard analogue modem, you have to dedicate a telephone line entirely for the purpose of Internet access, rendering it inoperative for receiving phone calls. However, in Net over Cable TV, you are connected to the Internet as long as your computer is on, without interrupting the regular soap opera. Besides, your telephone is free to receive calls. Of course, the best part is that you end up saving on telephone bills.

Net over cable TV is tailor made for cyber junkies who spend long hours online and like high-speed access. So if you have a second phone line dedicated exclusively for Net access, other than the one used for telephony, this service is for you. In fact, the cost of having two telephone connections is equal to the cost of Net over cable TV. Though installation prices vary at present, you may rest assured of a good deal, once more operators enter the fray. Commercial users and channel partners may opt for the service after making a thorough comparison vis-a-vis other services.

The promise of high-speed Internet connection will hold true till the time the number of users do not exceed the cable TV ISP’s bandwidth capacity. Don't look at the maximum speed a service provider offers. Since Net over cable TV runs on the principle of shared bandwidth, one can expect the speed to be anywhere between 500-1000 kBit/sec while downloading files from the Internet.

Most of the time, this limit is based on the overall speed of the Internet. There are many other factors affecting speed. The upload speed is usually quite a bit less. You can expect an upload speed of around 128 kBit/sec to 500 kBit/sec. Again, this will vary based on the configuration of your local system. So, be careful while installing splitters. It is possible that additional splitters will reduce signal strength affecting the cable modem. Ask your cable TV ISP for help in this regard.

Glitches and bottlenecks

- Initial investment for a cable modem is very high compared to dial-up modems. A cable modem costs around Rs 15,000, while an ordinary dial-up modem costs anywhere between Rs 1,500 to Rs 6000. Besides you have to pay monthly or yearly subscription charges.

- Most cables TV connections in India are rooftop cabling. Hanging cable connections are illegal. Also, there are chances of damage to cables, which in turn could result in poor transmission. A lot will also depend on the service ethics of the cable TV ISPs, like providing underground cabling, in which case, costs will increase considerably.

- With a cable modem, you have a full-time permanent address on the Internet called a static IP address. This could make you more prone to hackers than you would be, with a dial-up connection. However, cable modem providers can set up proxy servers with firewalls to keep you from being attacked. With a dial-up line, you get a dynamic IP address that changes each time you dial in, so a hacker wouldn't necessarily know where you are on the Internet.

- One of the biggest disadvantages of cable modems is shared bandwidth at a local level. If you are the only one using it, you get all the bandwidth, which allows for maximum transfer speeds. But when another person uses it, the transfer speed is equally divided between the two users, and so on. So, technically speaking, it depends on how many people are sharing the bandwidth.

- Since the bandwidth is shared among many users, cable modem systems do not always encrypt/filter traffic within the local cable loop. This means that you can peep into all the traffic sent by your neighbors and vice-versa.

- While subscribing for Net over cable TV, you do not have a choice of ISPs. You have to stick to the cable ISP operator you are subscribing to.

- If cable TV ISPs don't upgrade capacity as more people sign up for Internet access over cable TV, speeds are sure to go down. However, often the main problem lies at Internet gateways, from where ISPs get their connections. If the source itself is slower than the local cable operator’s facilities, nothing can be done to increase the speed.

Choose what you require

If you have a dedicated line for a dial-up modem, you are probably paying between Rs 200 per month for Internet access at speeds up to 56kbps (plus phone bill). If you're using ISDN, you may have to pay around Rs 10,000 per month for speeds up to 128kbps, and ADSL users will pay around Rs 250* (see box) for a speeds of up to 64kbps. But if you can get Internet access from your cable company, expect to pay around Rs 1500 per month for unlimited, "always connected" access at speeds up to 10Mbps (that's 10,000kbps)!

A Unique Indian Innovation!

The latest trend emerging in India is a combination of Net-over-cable TV-over-LAN. Users typically subscribe for a Net over cable TV connection and route it over a LAN, so that multiple users can have access to high speeds at a low cost. In fact, it has become the preferred option for cyber cafes and offices with many Internet users.