Google Fiber

[samclem]

I'm thinking more and more about the $300 1-time investment for 7 years of "free" internet at the same speed I currently have.

This sounds good on the surface, but I wonder about it long term. Is Google trying to eliminate competition, then jack up prices as high as they want? Seven years is a long time, a lot of low-margin companies could be forced out of the market, and others forced to merge. After that, Google is left as the only one standing at the bottom end of the market (with the installed fiber already going to your house, nobody could undercut their prices and also afford to install fiber) and their increases begin.

 

[rodi]

This sounds good on the surface, but I wonder about it long term. Is Google trying to eliminate competition, then jack up prices as high as they want? Seven years is a long time, a lot of low-margin companies could be forced out of the market, and others forced to merge. After that, Google is left as the only one standing at the bottom end of the market (with the installed fiber already going to your house, nobody could undercut their prices and also afford to install fiber) and their increases begin.

Well - given the large corporations that offer internet in my hood - this is a non issue. There are NO low margin companies to be forced out of the market. My only internet options are u-verse (att) and time-warner. I wish there were a small start up competitor....

 

[sengsational]

Horizontal drilling machines are currently buzzing away in my neighborhood. I talked to some Google fiber reps yesterday afternoon at the pool. They said they would build-out the entire neighborhood (run fiber in front of every house), then "light up" the network all at once.

 

[Nodak]

The little rural telephone co-op where I live upgraded to fiber. I pay $90 per month for phone including long distance plus 30Mbs internet both upload and download.

Speedtest.net by Ookla - My Results

 

[Animorph]

Got my 1Gb fiber installed a month ago or so by the local cableco. Older neighborhood, but upscale and probably 99% cableco customers since DSL is only 1.5 Mb here and no visible TV antennas are allowed. They spent a couple of months digging up the streets and updating their boxes. Then there was a big TV ad/mail blitz. It took another two months or so to get our fiber to home installed, since they had to run conduit instead of just buried cable and install the new in-home box and fiber run. We're now paying about 20% less than we were for 50 Mb internet + cable. We see lots of neighbors getting their gigabit fiber installed as well.

Can't say I notice any big difference between 50Mb and 1Gb other than the reduction in my bill. Thanks Google!

 

[steelyman]

Thanks JoeWras and rodi - those are the sorts of replies I was hoping for, very informative.

My post was prompted by heading to the TWC office after most Internet-based things just stopped working, all that happened was a redirection to a page saying you needed a new modem. Interestingly, VOIP services (e.g., Ooma) continued to work perfectly (I realized that midway through a verification call to TWC over Ooma).

Here's what I can report: the specific modem they supplied as a replacement, according to the information sheet enclosed with it, is labeled as DOCSIS 3.0. I double-checked on that through the modem's management interface and it agrees. It is manufactured by a company I never heard of, Arris, model TG1672G.

It's definitely plug and play and of course looks slicker with intuitive icons that show you the state of various functions. It's not set up like what it replaced (a Motorola Surfboard, pretty old now that stands like a book on a shelf, spine facing out), but rather lays flat. It appears that some features are not operational and my guess is that's dependent on the level of service for the individual plan (e.g., it looks like it's dual-purpose, serving both as a modem and router, but the basic plans do not go beyond modem. That's also what the public TWC web page indicates).

The TWC-advertised new speeds (all no cost over existing plan) are 50 Mbps (Standard), 100 Mbps (Turbo), 300 Mps (Ultimate). There might be more levels, I'm not sure.

The most obvious change is faster-loading web pages, no noticeable (to me) difference in things like streaming through Roku. Those never-ending app updates on iPhones zip through much faster.

So it's a good incremental change, but not a leap to what full-blown fiber sounds like. I'm not sure if someone like me actually needs that level of service, but increased capacity is always welcome.

 

[rodi]

Here's what I can report: the specific modem they supplied as a replacement, according to the information sheet enclosed with it, is labeled as DOCSIS 3.0. I double-checked on that through the modem's management interface and it agrees. It is manufactured by a company I never heard of, Arris, model TG1672G.

ARRIS is the new name for former Motorola modems. ARRIS acquired Motorola Mobility from Google a few years ago. (Just the last of the many corporate mergers/spinoffs/take overs I dealt with before I retired.)

I don't recognize the model number... If it started with SBxxxx - it would be a surfboard modem. But this might be one developed by the ARRIS folks (vs Motorola.)

 

[steelyman]

I have one more thing to add about this "new" networking setup from Time Warner.

The modem replacement is, in fact, a modem/router combo, and broadcasts itself by default (that is, it shows up with dual bands on other equipment). That is different from what I'd been accustomed to in the Midwest, where I used a bare DSL modem from AT&T along with a nice router I got on recommendation from a rather questionable individual here on e-r.org. The router still performs like a champ.

Since the new wi-fi showed up, I asked TWC what that's all about. They confirmed it and also that they would enable it for an extra $4.99/mo. But I say, "why?".

Info about it (and Motorola models) can be found at www.arris.com

 

[target2019]

Newer modems have builtin WiFi, and it is available with your service from Google fiber and Comcast. No extra charge with those providers that I'm aware of. I am still holding out and expect to use my older artist modem with Comcast until it dies. The modem, that is. It is arris docsis three without WiFi.

It sounds like your provider is evil. You'll want to stick with your own WiFi router. Unless you want to help out the service provider and send them more money each month.

 

[steelyman]

My thinking too, target2019. It's fine as-is.

I am reminded of another item that has improved my residential networking that was uncovered in a search on e-r.org, but that belongs in a different thread. I'll do that this week.

 

[sengsational]

Since the new wi-fi showed up, I asked TWC what that's all about. They confirmed it and also that they would enable it for an extra $4.99/mo. But I say, "why?".http://www.arris.com

Sometimes the evil cable company (ECC) gives you a modem with guest wifi enabled that you, the payer of the bill, can't turn off. If someone wanders into it and tries to hit a web site, they get an ECC logon screen. If they are a customer of ECC with their credentials, they're using your bandwidth!

I buy my modems off eBay. The last one I got was of the docsis three variety and no wifi built-in. That was by design; I didn't want ECC to be able to monkey with my wifi, which they can do if it's built into the modem. I just went to the ECC site, looked up compatible modems, and shopped eBay. Picked a popular model so more bug disclosures and tips would be available through the geek community. Gotta watch out to make sure you're not buying a leased one, but I've never had a problem in that regard. And I'm still using a wifi router that also happens to be a DSL modem...it's just not connected to a DSL line.

 

[steelyman]

Since I enjoyed sidetracking this thread so much before, I figured I'd do it again ("if it feels good...").

I've replaced the gateway (modem/router combo) that TWC provided with a new Arris/Motorola Surfboard 6183 that is compliant with the standard (DOCSIS) that JoeWras mentioned. It works like a charm,is compact, and removes the monthly rental of $10 that TWC charges. And no wi-fi capabilities or indicators (or stealth "hot spots"), the existing router handles that just fine as always.

 

[Fedup]

Google a fiber is also coming to my town, I can't wait to get rid of Cox.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[rodi]

I have cellphones through Ting and was on their website today. It looks like Ting is rolling out Gigabit fiber in some markets.

Unfortunately, not mine.

https://ting.com/internet

I have no business connection with Ting other than being a cellphone customer. I just found it interesting to see more competition against the cable companies for broadband.

 

[sengsational]

Since I enjoyed sidetracking this thread so much before, I figured I'd do it again ("if it feels good...").

I've replaced the gateway (modem/router combo) that TWC provided with a new Arris/Motorola Surfboard 6183 that is compliant with the standard (DOCSIS) that JoeWras mentioned. It works like a charm,is compact, and removes the monthly rental of $10 that TWC charges. And no wi-fi capabilities or indicators (or stealth "hot spots"), the existing router handles that just fine as always.

I bought my FIL a Surfboard, but that was before I knew his rented modem had a phone jack on it. Turns-out that if he runs his Internet through this Surfboard modem I bought him, the modem rental fee goes to zero. Yeah, he still has the same hardware in his house, and that lets him have the bundled telephone, but as long as he's not running Internet through their modem, it's "free".

So along with one of those inexpensive modems, you buy a coax splitter and a couple of chunks of coax. Then you're out of the modem rental business. Luckily he has his own wifi router (he got that from my BIL), because they try to give you a real fancy modem with everything, but he dodged that bullet. And like you say, with the modem that has built-in wifi, they share your internet with the world, whether you like it or not.

 

[steelyman]

I bought my FIL a Surfboard, but that was before I knew his rented modem had a phone jack on it. Turns-out that if he runs his Internet through this Surfboard modem I bought him, the modem rental fee goes to zero. Yeah, he still has the same hardware in his house, and that lets him have the bundled telephone, but as long as he's not running Internet through their modem, it's "free".

So along with one of those inexpensive modems, you buy a coax splitter and a couple of chunks of coax. Then you're out of the modem rental business. Luckily he has his own wifi router (he got that from my BIL), because they try to give you a real fancy modem with everything, but he dodged that bullet. And like you say, with the modem that has built-in wifi, they share your internet with the world, whether you like it or not.

That's right. At the same time I'd ordered my new modem, a friend who also has TWC thought it was a good way to save that rental cost. But she also has phone (I use Ooma and like it a lot) and is nervous about changing that. So I got her a splitter (she, too, has an existing dedicated router) and hooked her system up. TWC left her gateway box in place but took the rental off the monthly bill.

If she decides at some point she wants to go all in, the minor cost of the splitter won't be wasted because I have an idea about how I can take advantage of it at my home. That'd be better in the "Dropped Cable TV" thread, I've dragged this one far enough off topic already!

 

[JoeWras]

Raleigh can look like a war zone these days. Both AT&T and Google are out there laying fiber and it is getting messy on a lot of streets.

People: competition is a Good Thing. This is great to watch. They are literally at war with each other trying to beat their way to customers first.

A monopoly would roll this out over, who knows how long?