There is an actual technical reason for coax networks not being able to provide symmetrical speeds. It has to do with what frequencies (channels) are dedicated to data uplink, data downlink, and cable TV. Cable TV is still the cash cow for coax providers, and installing appropriate channel splitters network-wide to reallocate higher-bandwidth channels to data uplink would result in days or weeks of downtime for cable subscribers, not to mention the crippling amount of money in new hardware. It is a consequence of how the networks were physically built when providers thought that cable and download speeds were all anyone needed; it’s not just a software switch they can flip if they wanted to.
Spectrum still sucks, but asymmetrical Internet speeds are not one of the things they suck at on purpose.
It makes sense when you think about it, upstream is typically in the like 5-40mhz range, where downstream/tv is in the 40mhz-1ghz range. The splitting and routing is done at the analog level, similar to how a low-pass filter routes low frequencies to a subwoofer in a high-end audio setup.
You can’t just have a hardware low pass filter start filtering upstream traffic above what the equipment is designed for, and with frequencies that low there just isn’t the bandwidth for the throughput people want.
I mean, they have the money. They could build their own fiber network. They already have the permits, pole access, equipment, maintenance network, distribution network, utility boxes, etc. that they could leverage to build a truly modern network infrastructure in parallel to their outdated coaxial one if they wanted to stay relevant in this century, but they don’t. They stick with their shitty cable and its shitty uplink limitations and let much smaller third parties spend all that money to get their own permits, equipment, etc. and build their own fiber networks that can actually deliver the performance people want. Then Spectrum cries like the crybaby they are when everyone abandons their ancient infrastructure when competition arrives. Hell no I don’t want to stick around for your lame “gigabit” cable with a pathetic 20mbps uplink.
I had to yell at them on the phone to cancel when I switched to symmetric gigabit fiber last summer after over a decade of 200/20 Spectrum. They said “but wait we can offer gigabit too” and I said that what they were selling was theoretically impossible to match what I had. Garbage company selling inferior product. I’m glad they’re starting to see real competition in more and more places from smaller fiber companies.
It is a consequence of how the networks were physically built when providers thought that cable and download speeds were all anyone needed; it’s not just a software switch they can flip if they wanted to.
This is true of so much of our infrastructure in the US.
Not bandwidth speeds specifically but just aging infrastructure that was built out long ago and not properly maintained and/or updated over time
There is an actual technical reason for coax networks not being able to provide symmetrical speeds. It has to do with what frequencies (channels) are dedicated to data uplink, data downlink, and cable TV. Cable TV is still the cash cow for coax providers, and installing appropriate channel splitters network-wide to reallocate higher-bandwidth channels to data uplink would result in days or weeks of downtime for cable subscribers, not to mention the crippling amount of money in new hardware. It is a consequence of how the networks were physically built when providers thought that cable and download speeds were all anyone needed; it’s not just a software switch they can flip if they wanted to.
Spectrum still sucks, but asymmetrical Internet speeds are not one of the things they suck at on purpose.
That’s interesting. I knew coax wasn’t symmetrical but never know why.
It makes sense when you think about it, upstream is typically in the like 5-40mhz range, where downstream/tv is in the 40mhz-1ghz range. The splitting and routing is done at the analog level, similar to how a low-pass filter routes low frequencies to a subwoofer in a high-end audio setup.
You can’t just have a hardware low pass filter start filtering upstream traffic above what the equipment is designed for, and with frequencies that low there just isn’t the bandwidth for the throughput people want.
I mean, they have the money. They could build their own fiber network. They already have the permits, pole access, equipment, maintenance network, distribution network, utility boxes, etc. that they could leverage to build a truly modern network infrastructure in parallel to their outdated coaxial one if they wanted to stay relevant in this century, but they don’t. They stick with their shitty cable and its shitty uplink limitations and let much smaller third parties spend all that money to get their own permits, equipment, etc. and build their own fiber networks that can actually deliver the performance people want. Then Spectrum cries like the crybaby they are when everyone abandons their ancient infrastructure when competition arrives. Hell no I don’t want to stick around for your lame “gigabit” cable with a pathetic 20mbps uplink.
I had to yell at them on the phone to cancel when I switched to symmetric gigabit fiber last summer after over a decade of 200/20 Spectrum. They said “but wait we can offer gigabit too” and I said that what they were selling was theoretically impossible to match what I had. Garbage company selling inferior product. I’m glad they’re starting to see real competition in more and more places from smaller fiber companies.
This is true of so much of our infrastructure in the US.
Not bandwidth speeds specifically but just aging infrastructure that was built out long ago and not properly maintained and/or updated over time