ChannelBonding
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Insert Coin: Connectify Switchboard bonds all your internet connections into one
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. When we last saw Connectify, it had brought its Dispatch internet connection combining software to Kickstarter, doubled its funding goal and launched the product into market. However, customers using it said they wanted more than the web browsing and BitTorrent streaming speed-ups the load-balancing app provided, and were looking for so-called connection aggregation tech that'd allow quicker video streaming, VPN access and Skype calls, too. As a result, the company has just launched Switchboard, a cloud based app that combines all your internet connections but appears as only one IP address. To make it work, the company built new software from scratch and put together a network of cloud servers across the world. The result is a "channel bonding" system that Connectify says will speed up all your online activities: Dropbox or SkyDrive uploads and downloads, Google Hangout video conferencing and video streaming from the likes of Netflix, to name a few. A quick test of the beta software on our end has worked seamlessly so far, requiring just a software installation and two or more internet connections (two ADSL lines in our case). On top of speeding everything up as promised, we also noticed that our IP address appeared as that of the server we were connected to instead of our local one, which could be a bonus for those trying to access US internet from abroad. Connectify's looking to grab $100,000 in funding this time around, with pledges starting at $50 -- so if you're looking to finally click that "HD" button on Vimeo, hit the source.
Virgin Media testing DOCSIS 3.0 to new limits with 200Mbps, 3D and 1080p
Forget 101Mbps Internet service or even the 160Mbps available in on J:COM in Japan, Virgin Media is about to put a lucky few of its slick new modems to real work, testing 200Mbps internet, "full HD" broadband content (we take that to mean 1080p) and 3D. All delivered via DOCSIS 3.0, the downside is that at least for the next six months this pilot project will be extended only to about 100 "lead adopters" around Ashford, Kent for testing. We've heard all we need to get packed for a move, how about you?[Via Hexus]
Virgin Media shows off stylish 50Mbps cable modem
This truly may be a world's first: a cable modem you don't feel incredibly pressured to relegate to the rear of your networking stash. Yes friends, that succulent device you see above is Virgin Media's shockingly stunning 50Mbps cable modem, which unsurprisingly relies on DOCSIS 3.0 technology in order to provide such 1337 speeds. It's still not as speedy as Ambit Broadband's channel bonding modem, nor can it hold a candle to whatever Sigbritt Löthberg had going on in Sweden, but 50Mbps isn't anything to sneeze at. No word on pricing just yet (don't worry, you'll pay it), but it should be available for UK-based speed freaks before the year's end.[Via TrustedReviews]
Cablevision and Charter gear up for DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts
Comcast nabbed the first US DOCSIS 3.0 deployment award by pushing the technology out to select Minnesota residents in April, but both Charter and Cablevision are making sure to not fall too far behind. During its most recent quarter earnings call, Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge noted that DOCSIS 3.0 would be "operational this year," with around 20% of its footprint going live in 2008 and 100% to be covered by mid-2010. Charter is also poised to introduce the lightning fast broadband capabilities to its loyal customers, with CEO Neil Smit affirming that it would be launched in at least some markets "later in the year." We'd like to think this means we can all look forward to 100Mbit/sec cable internet in the not-too-distant future, but who knows how long it'll take those other MSO's to join the bandwagon.[VIA DSLReports]Read - Cablevision DOCSIS 3.0 rolloutRead - Charter DOCSIS 3.0 rollout
And we're off: Twin Cities get first DOCSIS 3.0 deployment
Although we just heard that Comcast's DOCSIS 3.0 rollout was on track for 2009, folks in the Twin Cities region now have exclusive bragging rights for an undisclosed window of time. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota have become the first markets to have access to an all new "extreme" broadband (or wideband, as it were) connection, which promises 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up. As expected, the carrier isn't being modest about the launch, claiming that users can suck down a 4GB HD movie "in about ten minutes," compared to "more than six hours" on a 1.5Mbps DSL connection. The newfound speed won't come cheap -- for residential users, look to lay down $149.95 per month for the privilege. Even if you aren't springing for the good stuff, current customers in the area will have their existing broadband connections hastened gratis, with 6Mbps / 384Kbps users moving up to 1Mbps uploads and 8Mbps / 768Kbps users seeing 2Mbps uploads. Kudos, Twin Cities -- you just made most of America sick with envy. [Image courtesy of TheRedWoodMotel]
Comcast CEO sees 160Mbps internet in 2008
Remember that blisteringly fast channel bonding modem Comcast showed off earlier this year? Turns out that the firm's CEO is apparently aiming to roll out internet services that can reach up to 160Mbps down / 120Mbps up sometime in 2008. As in, next year. In a recent interview with Fortune, Brian Roberts stated that service based on DOCSIS 3.0 technology would start "rolling out" sometime in 2008, and casually noted that it should provide "more than enough bandwidth to do multiplayer online gaming." Additionally, Cable Digital News explains that the firm has plans to cover some 20-percent of its footprint with the uber-quick service before 2009, and while we're left to guess what areas will be covered, we'd bet locales fetching FiOS could entertain some competition. Granted, we've still got aways to go before we can go toe-to-toe with a certain Swede, but we'll take any progress we can get.[Via ArsTechnica, image courtesy of AFP / BBC]Read - Fortune interviews Comcast CEO Brian RobertsRead - Comcast closes in on 100Mbit/s
Cable providers shun HDTV at 2007 Cable Show
The constant struggle for cable companies to crank out more HD channels with an increasingly limited amount of bandwidth rolled right on through the 2007 Cable Show conference in Las Vegas, as a keen attendee noticed a stark absence of HDTV boasting at an expo that would seemingly showcase the format. Mark Kersey noticed that cable providers at the show set up "absolutely zero breakout sessions devoted to cable HD," and moreover, "virtually none of the high-powered panelists in the general sessions even uttered the word HDTV." His perception was that providers seemed "ashamed" of their offerings in comparison to FiOS and satellite, but considering all the flack the dishes have taken for crippling their HD feeds and making grandiose promises that we've yet to see realized, it's not like the other guys are really showing anyone up. Of course, cable has also been scolded a time or two about subpar HD quality, but the reality is that breakthroughs such as OCAP and channel bonding were able to steal the show due to the newsworthy nature of, say, hitting 150Mbps over copper. That said, we're certainly looking forward to the day when cable (or any other medium, actually) goes out of its way to put hordes of HD offerings up on a pedestal.
Comcast shows off blisteringly fast channel bonding modem
Two little words that could potentially give new life to copper, at least in the high-speed internet department, have found their way into the news once again, and this time it's Comcast who's showing us just what channel bonding can do. While you may have been scratching your head about Ambit Broadband's ridiculous claims, it looks like the technology may actually be edging closer to hitting the mainstream. Apparently, Comcast's CEO was able to demonstrate such a modem in front of the public and cable competitors alike, and while he claimed that it could reach speeds of 150Mbps, it was the testing that got everyone all riled up. Based on DOCSIS 3.0, the modem was able to download a 300MB file "in a few seconds," and he even snagged the 32-volume Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 and Merriam-Webster's visual dictionary in "under four minutes." Interestingly, it was noted that the FiOS competitor "could be available within a couple years," but if fiber crawls to our house before this stuff is ready to rock, it'll sure to be hard to hold off.
Ambit Broadband's Channel Bonding cable modem does 144Mbps / 30Mbps
Questions surrounding cable's ability to keep up with the big boys have been circulating for what feels like ages, but an intriguing new product from the labs of Ambit Broadband has some fairly substantial numbers to go along with it. The firm's Channel Bonding cable model will be available exclusively to subscribers of Hanaro, and by partnering with Netwave, the device will enable "triple play service" consisting of VoIP, IPTV, and high-speed internet. More interesting, however, is the reported maximum speeds that this thing can handle, as it boasts the "capability to bond three downstream channels to enable a maximum 144Mbps downstream and up to 30Mbps upstream." The modem also supports the usual interfaces such as gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0, but it supposedly comes pre-ready for DOCSIS 3.0 and IPv6 -- you know, the protocols used to shatter the Internet2 transmission record. While it may all sound a bit sensational at the moment, the truth shall be unveiled when Ambit / Netwave delivers 150,000 of said modems to Hanaro "during Q2" of this year.
