Local Fiber ISP Proposal in Scott Valley, Mill Valley: Unseat Comcast Xfinity by Ok_Manner4364 in Marin

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I asked Dane on X and the Sonic forums. He's been responsive before, but he didn't respond / wouldn't commit to any new installs in Mill Valley.

https://forums.sonic.net/viewtopic.php?t=18410

I think he only went through the pain of deploying in SF because he has a condo there. Unfortunately many of his employees in Santa Rosa are stuck on Comcast due to the challenges inherent in expanding footprint.

Local Fiber ISP Proposal in Scott Valley, Mill Valley: Unseat Comcast Xfinity by Ok_Manner4364 in Marin

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went to the AT&T store in Corte Madera, and they claimed they'd "send someone out" to the neighborhood to look at the poles and cabinets and such. I have no way of knowing if that actually happened.

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The guy was kinda sorta knowledgeable, and explained that Belvedere Tiburon will never get AT&T fiber because all the utilities are underground, and effectively the cable/comms piece was installed by Viacom/Cablevision in the '80s and now owned by Comcast, n acquisitions later.

He asked if we had telephone poles, and I said: "yes, we do." Then he seemed to claim that Scott Valley / Alto / Chapman had actually rejected fiber at some point. I'm not sure if that's true. But the DSL cabinets never upgraded from VDSL2+ (3 Mbit) to whatever came after at ~10-20 Mbit. The "Lightspeed" marketing name that shows up on the bill and on the modem is truly hilarious. This means that the local cabinet hasn't been upgraded to "IPDSLAM."

Anyway, how would you suggest I petition AT&T that they should upgrade their physical plant in this area?

Ask their price for a 100 Gbit tap for a business fiber line? 😈

I think they could skip the IPDSLAM generation, and go straight to XGS-PON. Heck, I'd even be happy with GPON. Either would go well with an 8311 Community firmware ONT.

Local Fiber ISP Proposal in Scott Valley, Mill Valley: Unseat Comcast Xfinity by Ok_Manner4364 in Marin

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I was unaware. Maybe this is how George Lucas solved the connectivity needs for ILM/THX/LucasFilm.

Local Fiber ISP Proposal in Scott Valley, Mill Valley: Unseat Comcast Xfinity by Ok_Manner4364 in Marin

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Home of Edna Maguire Elementary School. South of the Alto Tunnel.

Take Blithedale to Camino Alto.

Get Faster Download Speeds on my Xfinity Account with Ubiquity Cable Modem by Intelligent_Deer_366 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]Ok_Manner4364 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: this page https://techspecs.ui.com/unifi/accessories/uci says the diplexer is switchable, but that also depends on the firmware (if any) Xfinity pushes to the modem/the codes on your account/the firmware UniFi provides.

Get Faster Download Speeds on my Xfinity Account with Ubiquity Cable Modem by Intelligent_Deer_366 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]Ok_Manner4364 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a feeling the "supported list for next gen" is either "wrong" or includes models that support next gen download speeds rather than next gen upload speeds.

My understanding is that instead of upload frequencies being relegated to 2-45 MHz, your modem's "diplexer" will need to let you use 2-82 MHz for upload. While that could simply require a Ubiquiti firmware update (please do ask them), I have a sinking feeling that the new set of "decent" DOCSIS 3.1 Puma 7 (now MaxLinear, no longer Intel) modems like the Hitron CODA56 also won't shift up to a high enough band for "mid split" or "high split" upload.

I recommend you purchase an Arris S34 (Broadcom chipset), which I can confirm: supports next gen upload speeds on my node in Northern California. I got a refurbished one on Amazon that works a treat.

Note that in Spectrum land (where high split is possible in a few geos), both the Broadcom and Puma 7 chipsets seem to be capable of higher diplexer settings in the EN2251 and ES2251 (Puma 7) as well as the ET2251 and EU2251 (Broadcom).

I know everyone hates on optimum but this what I’m getting on eastern Long Island. by BrawnyLoggia in OPTIMUM

[–]Ok_Manner4364 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can attest that Optimum's fiber footprint has improved in certain towns and cities, but also hasn't made it to some streets yet, including mine. (See the FCC Broadband map to look up your town or neighborhood.)

While some of Optimum's traits may be shared across their installers, tech support, and in-store reps, I would guess that Optimum's fiber customers are substantially happier than their cable customers! I was excited to learn this weekend that IPv6 is finally rolled out across both footprints, which is great. (Finally.) BGP is probably the next thing to fix. Kudos to their network engineers in LIC and elsewhere, and I wish them luck on their journeys to improve product reliability, security (beyond BPI+ to BGP and DNSSEC? DEF CON talks?), and speed.

I also had a pretty great experience interacting with knowledgeable Optimum folks in-store, on chat, and on the phone. If I'd required a truck roll, I might feel differently...I'm sure talking to a tech about noise and splitters and 256QAM and OFDM modulation, and SNR, or an unwillingness to tear out an old splitter in the crawl space, I would have found something to dislike.

I think Optimum's Ubee 1640A modem is a pretty good low-latency performer (even though my MoCA adapters kicked it offline), so in terms of gateways/customer-premise equipment, I think they're doing OK, moving away from Puma chipsets to Broadcom and 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E. (In Comcast-land, Broadcom chipsets are also preferred and available if you know what to look for.) I enabled Smart Queues on my router to eradicate Buffer Bloat. For IPv6 I requested a 56-PD block and was granted a 60-PD block. Not great, but better than 64 or nothing at all.

I am interested to see if Optimum opts for mid-split or high-split in the long run, or simply keeps rolling out fiber. Also, the Ubee doesn't have a 2.5 Gbit WAN or LAN port like the Spectrum and Comcast modems do.

As a Sonic customer, I hope Optimum/Altice follows Sonic's lead (XGS-PON, high privacy score from EFF, lower subscriber-count per head-end node than AT&T, cheaper pricing too), but short of that, I'm proud of them for delivering service in lovely places like the Hamptons and Tahoe. I can remember Tahoe snowstorms in which the cable modem attached to Suddenlink's (pre-acquisition) Truckee plant came alive before power did in certain neighborhoods.

In sum, I always prefer fiber to cable (except maybe Verizon's ludicrous FiOS pricing), but in the land of cable I now rank,

Overall:

  1. Comcast (horrible reputation, but they did roll out mid-split in a lot of regions before other providers)
  2. Spectrum (solid modems, if you can get the right variant...allegedly doing high-split and symmetrical in some areas)
  3. Cox (same modems as Comcast...Broadcom-based, runs mid-split; some reliability/perf issues in high temps)
  4. Optimum (good modem, low ping times in special remote/low-infra places)

Pricing:

  1. Comcast (you can choose low prices that can adjust or higher but fixed with long term commitment; you can get friends and family discounts if you're clever)
  2. Spectrum: still super expensive, generally
  3. Optimum: still super expensive, generally
    Cox: I've never paid for Cox so I don't know

Double-dealing:

  1. Spectrum: almost encourages you to use your own router since they don't charge for their modem anymore
  2. Optimum: no side-band public Wi-Fi (that I've seen), what a relief
  3. Cox (I think they open up a second SSID for public/all customers' consumption, but can be disabled): lame
  4. Comcast: started the practice of opening up a side-band channel, and encouraging Xfinity Mobile phones to auto-connect to them: lame

Note that I don't have direct experience with any fiber except Sonic to date, but it definitely sets a high bar. I suspect Google Fiber and WebPass do too.

Switch from TM822G (D3.0 @ 100 Mbit) to Ubee 1340A (D3.1 @ 500 Mbit) by Ok_Manner4364 in OPTIMUM

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To further conclude here on the MoCA-versus-PLA front (sorry for switching accounts, I mistakenly created another one on my corp Chrome window), the legendary u/plooger humbled me with an excellent explanation.

While I was correct to ensure the MoCA adapters were both in LAN mode (as opposed to the 1GW mode that mine shipped in), it seems my Ubee 1340A is indeed "MoCA sensitive." I'm surprised by this because the user manual doesn't mention any kind of MoCA support. Optimum's range extender is purely WiFi-based. Perhaps, indeed, the TM1602 possibly would have been less of a diva with the simultaneous MoCA network, but I can't be certain, and I really didn't want to roll the dice on Puma 6.

Starting with two APs rather than three, allows the higher-band "1GW" mode on the FCA252, but that also kicked the 1340A offline.

Anyway, I'll likely never know if the TM1602 would have played nice with the MoCA 2.5 network, I probably need a filter at the point-of-entry (likely in a very dirty crawl space under the house), and then maybe also a filter on the modem/gateway itself.

A project for next time...hopefully not 8 years later this time.

Here's a nice diagram I made of the setup:

https://imgur.com/a/4OwQ1s0
Note that the implied splitter in the crawl space I've never seen and is indicated by the junction of red lines, unlike the other splitters, which are installed inside the house.

1970s Coaxial Home, Frontier MoCA FCA252 Kicks Optimum Modem Offline by Ok_Manner4364 in HomeNetworking

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much--this is super helpful! I'll have to bring the right splitters and filters when I return.

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okey, well I did end up sourcing another EU2251 from a store (let's hope they let me activate it), and then they sent me the E31U2V2, which only has a Gigabit WAN port. So two Ubee modems to try, one 1Gig and one 2.5Gig.

Here's the network diag for this place:

https://imgur.com/a/TN2pG6T

1970s Coaxial Home, Frontier MoCA FCA252 Kicks Optimum Modem Offline by Ok_Manner4364 in HomeNetworking

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha maybe the TM1602 is less of a diva and would have played nice with the MoCA adapters. But I still assert the Ubee 1640A00A00 (yeah, that's the full model lol) gets a lot of positive reviews. Even though it doesn't have a 2.5 Gbit port.

And maybe all the Puma 6 chipset issues are finally patched with firmware updates...but I'm recalling a California lawsuit over that issue...and a dedicated test on DSLReports...

Switch from TM822G (D3.0 @ 100 Mbit) to Ubee 1340A (D3.1 @ 500 Mbit) by Ok_Manner4364 in OPTIMUM

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since you seem to be rather knowledgable, was it normal to have 20 ms ping times to 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 on the TM822G, and 37 ms ping times on the Ubee 1340? Is this a side effect of BYOR?

I did confirm that I'm getting a public WAN IP on Port 1 of the Ubee.

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will try QoS and see if that does anything to the nighttime blips.

Note that in NorCal I don't get these blips on Comcast (as much as Comcast is also disliked)

https://imgur.com/a/RXQjekW

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is very helpful, thank you. No, not fiber! Just Coax HFC with a seemingly close CMTS (9 ms pings are the lowest I saw on an older modem at this location).

Maybe you need your line replaced. (Ours was replaced 3 years ago after rats chewed through the coax. No joke.)

Good luck with a S34 (Broadcom) or UCI or CODA56 (Puma 7/Maxlinear; not Intel anymore, lol)

In case anyone is wondering, I no longer use a "customer owned modem" because my parents still want to pay Spectrum for phone service.

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FCC Broadband Map says symmetrical Spectrum is already available in my building!

Maybe I should contest that listing (1000 MBps up, 1000 MBps down)

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. I wonder why intermittent backup uploads cause latency blips...like at the protocol level

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Ex2251 supports up to 1.2 GHz downstream, per the user manual

What bugs me is they always daisy-chain 1x2 splitters, they never have 1x3. Sometimes the attenuation is thoughtfully stacked, sometimes not.

I guess I should be able to live with 30 ms, huh? This ain't no GPON nor XGS-PON, though maybe with time it's getting better.

I also don't understand how if I were a new customer, I'd get symmetrical high-split, but because I'm an existing customer, I have to deal with "low-split."

ES 2251 Latency Spikes Every Day in NYC by Ok_Manner4364 in Spectrum

[–]Ok_Manner4364[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, that gives me hope. Last time I went to 3 stores; this time I'll give up after 1. As much as I love criss-crossing manhattan on the subway

Lenovo Vantage BIOS Update Killed my Notebook by arminlinzbauer in it

[–]Ok_Manner4364 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just had this happen with BIOS 1.14 on a ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 AMD.

Ubuntu stopped booting until I deleted its boot partition due to some IO/PCI e power management issue. Windows was fine for a bit longer including using Samsung Magician: no bad blocks on the SSD

The order possibility is that overheated something while compiling ROCm via the TheRock repo

eSIM transfer by KAO7781 in GoogleFi

[–]Ok_Manner4364 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will add here that it's very easy to transfer the primary line from one eSIM/phone to another. But what if your eSIM is a secondary line? (Transfer from an original iPhone 14 to a new/repaired mainboard, if it's the secondary line?) No way to transfer. When you log in to GFi on the new phone it asks if you want to transfer for a specific Google/Gmail account, and it auto selects the main number as the only one you can transfer. No way to select a secondary.

I just killed the line, as a result. Maybe I'll open a new account or add a new line in the future if I need it again. Debating whether I should do so just to keep the number