EG wrote:
Rustyben wrote:the other possibility is that comcast's CMTS is not allocating. Since CMTS has something close to 5 to 1 more upstream channels available than downstream it can't be a lack of channels.
That's incorrect. It's the opposite. There is far more available downstream physical bandwidth allocation than physical upstream allocation capability. No system anywhere yet has more than 4 upstream carriers.
A typical CMTS has four or six upstream ports per downstream port (this is at the head-end)
the reason for this is noise on the line upstream is more of a problem so fewer cable modems (like a subdivision) can share those upstream ports whereas downstream port can be shared by multiple subdivisions (cleaner stream).
the DOCSIS 3.0 'allows' multiple channel bonding and with at least 2 channels bonded if one gets noisy or has problems, the CMTS will drop that channel and add another channel (different frequency) and will continue to do that until ranging is successful. With only one channel if the noise is too high the CMTS has not alternative other than to disconnect that channel and provision another and if the time exceeds the customer's equipment timeout setting (in the provision) then the modem will reboot and begin again to successfully get channels allocated that 'work'.
Hopefully comcast will bond the minimum (no such thing as a single bonded channel) two channels even if customer has no comcast provided VOIP service.