DOCSIS 3.1 Technology: Everything You Need to Know

DOCSIS 3.1 modems are packed with features and are recommended even by tech experts. But before you get a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, you need to understand a few things about it. In this tech guide, we will cover the important details about DOCSIS 3.1 technology. 

What is DOCSIS 3.1 technology?

DOCSIS stands for "Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification". 

DOCSIS technology is developed by CableLabs for transferring data over coaxial cable. This technology is adopted by cable operators across the globe for providing better voice, internet data, and video services.

Over the years, DOCSIS technology has evolved from a 1.0 version to DOCSIS 3.1. The current version can provide you more than 10 Gbps speed.

DOCSIS 3.1 technology enables a new generation of cable services. Not just that, but it also helps operators meet the demand for high-speed connections. It includes the latest digital communication technologies such as high modulation orders, over 1 GHz of usable spectrum, LDPC encoding, and support of QoS and low latencies. 

The key features of DOCSIS 3.1 technology include:

• Coax cable: It supports high-speed downloads compared to fiber cable.
• Reduced packet latency: It helps improve the online gaming experience and voice quality for VoIP calls.
• Improved security features: It helps reduce the risk of malicious software being downloaded to your cable modem.
• Sleep mode: It also helps conserve power.

WHY DOCSIS 3.1

Most of the cable operators were actively utilizing old DOCSIS 3.0 technology till 2016, and no doubt it has evolved from previous specs. DOCSIS 3.0 provided a good toolset to sustain throughputs over 100 Mbps upstream side & over 300 Mbps on the downstream path.

This was gained through using RF signals over HFC networks. In layman's terms, There are several variables that Cable Operators use to improve the condition of the DOCSIS network. The below Table consists of those Variables: 

The DOCSIS 3.1 Technology provides higher connection throughputs which are "1 Gbps in the upstream & 10 Gbps in Downstream." The advantage here is, it can coexist with DOCSIS 3.0 operating networks because of its backward compatibility. 

If you are planning to get the best DOCSIS 3.1
based modem, then you should check out Gizmoszone for more information.

There are few New technologies in DOCSIS 3.1 that make it better than DOCSIS 3.0: 

1: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) 

It provides multicarrier transmission, unlike the predecessor. Previously, Single Carrier QAM was used. 

2: LDPC

All the predecessors of DOCSIS 3.1 used Technology called Reed Solomon. It was based on Error Correction. Now, LDPC is used which provides 6dB more coding Gain than Reed Solomon. 

3: Modulations

Till DOCSIS 3.0 maximum Modulation allowed was: QAM64 for an Upstream and QAM256 downstream. But with LDPC it opened the use of higher-order modulations. 

DOCSIS 3.1 modems are known for their high speed. They are fast because they have advanced signal process techniques, which use a frequency spectrum. It increases the available spectrum for both upstream and downstream data transfer.

DOCSIS 3.1 technology relies on higher-order modulation for data transfer. It is known to work through prioritization and also by splitting data into narrower bits. This allows more data to get transmitted across the same frequency band.

There are many reasons why you should go for DOCSIS 3.1 technology. It provides significant value for cable operators and broadband consumers.

It can support up to 10 Gbps downstream and up to 1 Gbps upstream.It uses Active Queue Management to greatly reduce network delay.

DOCSIS 3.1 modems make the best choice if anyone wants high-speed internet. This is the best type of cable modems you can use. But make sure that you buy your modem, instead of renting it from your cable operator.