Docsis 3.0 modems from another country

[gbell]

Hey guys, Let me ask some questions. This is my first thread...😳
It starts from TWC charging monthly modem rental fee last month.
I got angry about this bullshit, and tried to buy my own modem which costs $100~150, DOCSIS 3.0 while TWC charges me $4 a month.
BTW, I'm originally from south Korea, one of the few countries where has real high speed network infrastructures.
I then contacted my friend back in Korea who's worked for some IT company that sometimes collects used modems which are docsis 3.0; Korea's adjusted
it since 2007.
So, he will send me that used 3.0 modem for me to install under TWC line. Technically, there will be no problem in my opinion. But do you guys think TWC will allow this modem used in another country?
And, these are pretty cheap that I could bring them here and supply it as like...$25, would you guys buy those used 3.0 modem if I could?

Well, thank you very much to read my crap english.
Cheers

 

[s44]

They won't activate it if it's not on their list.

But the Moto 6121 is only $80 anyway.

 

[gbell]

They won't activate it if it's not on their list.

But the Moto 6121 is only $80 anyway.

s44, thanks for your reply.
Really? They won't activate it because it's not on their contract list of the modem manufacturers? I wonder if there are terms and conditions mentioning about this when we get a service. But it is not surprising if they do so...
Yes, I saw sb6121 sold around $80, and plus tax or shipping. Man,,, that will be 2years investment.
BTW, It is a shame we have very limited options.🙁

 

[Cabletek]

Hey guys, Let me ask some questions. This is my first thread...😳
It starts from TWC charging monthly modem rental fee last month.
I got angry about this bullshit, and tried to buy my own modem which costs $100~150, DOCSIS 3.0 while TWC charges me $4 a month.
BTW, I'm originally from south Korea, one of the few countries where has real high speed network infrastructures.
I then contacted my friend back in Korea who's worked for some IT company that sometimes collects used modems which are docsis 3.0; Korea's adjusted
it since 2007.
So, he will send me that used 3.0 modem for me to install under TWC line. Technically, there will be no problem in my opinion. But do you guys think TWC will allow this modem used in another country?
And, these are pretty cheap that I could bring them here and supply it as like...$25, would you guys buy those used 3.0 modem if I could?

Well, thank you very much to read my crap english.
Cheers

In regards to TWC, they claim they only support a few select modems though each time I search I get a different page. Previous thread had an old page that listed just 2 this one lists a few more.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/support/topics/internet/buy-your-modem.html

As far as DOCSIS [1.x, 2.0 or 3.0] there are 2 separate and distinct standards, there is DOCSIS and then EuroDOCSIS, I am not familiar with korean cable but which one they implement, and the modems support, is going to be important. The big difference I remember is US docsis use 6Mhz channels euro docsis uses 8Mhz channels for downstream do not recall upstream specs.

Your English is better than my Korean, I assure you.

The other potential technical issue is if the modems are not sold in the US, then there may not be cmts firmware available for them. Certain software/firmware must be pushed to the modem based on the cmts being used [arris versus cisco versus motorola, etc..] so that it can communicate correctly with the cmts that cable system has in place [to further complicate things each area may have a different modem cmts in place for instance I work for comcast some areas use arris, some cisco, some moto, some thompson/rca, and some I have never heard of]. So if its a normal modem that is sold in the us, then a sb6121 is an sb6121, but if its some brand we do not carry here, then there may not be a way to get compatible firmware written for it and thus it's an unsupportable device.


BOTTOM LINE:
I think without a lot more technical knowledge of cable in Korea and particularly modems, its not possible or plausible to answer your query.

 

[gbell]

In regards to TWC, they claim they only support a few select modems though each time I search I get a different page. Previous thread had an old page that listed just 2 this one lists a few more.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/support/topics/internet/buy-your-modem.html

As far as DOCSIS [1.x, 2.0 or 3.0] there are 2 separate and distinct standards, there is DOCSIS and then EuroDOCSIS, I am not familiar with korean cable but which one they implement, and the modems support, is going to be important. The big difference I remember is US docsis use 6Mhz channels euro docsis uses 8Mhz channels for downstream do not recall upstream specs.

Your English is better than my Korean, I assure you.

The other potential technical issue is if the modems are not sold in the US, then there may not be cmts firmware available for them. Certain software/firmware must be pushed to the modem based on the cmts being used [arris versus cisco versus motorola, etc..] so that it can communicate correctly with the cmts that cable system has in place [to further complicate things each area may have a different modem cmts in place for instance I work for comcast some areas use arris, some cisco, some moto, some thompson/rca, and some I have never heard of]. So if its a normal modem that is sold in the us, then a sb6121 is an sb6121, but if its some brand we do not carry here, then there may not be a way to get compatible firmware written for it and thus it's an unsupportable device.


BOTTOM LINE:
I think without a lot more technical knowledge of cable in Korea and particularly modems, its not possible or plausible to answer your query.

Hey, cabletek. Your answer is super informative. Thank you so much.
As far as I know, Korea uses the same channel as here. However, there must be a problem of CMTS compatibility in the us market like you said. Hmmmm...
I don't know how my friend's company exports those relatively unknown modems out of Korea. That might be a sort of a deal between small/mid size ISPs and them. Then, everything makes sense.
Well, I've got to call my friend to get some info and maybe I will give it a shot coz who knows...🙄
I will update the result. Thanks

 

[Cabletek]

Hey, cabletek. Your answer is super informative. Thank you so much.
As far as I know, Korea uses the same channel as here. However, there must be a problem of CMTS compatibility in the us market like you said. Hmmmm...
I don't know how my friend's company exports those relatively unknown modems out of Korea. That might be a sort of a deal between small/mid size ISPs and them. Then, everything makes sense.
Well, I've got to call my friend to get some info and maybe I will give it a shot coz who knows...🙄
I will update the result. Thanks

Its not compatability so much as it is support, if the modems are not sold here, no one has written the software, and thus, until that has been done they cannot be used. Standard implies you just plug it in and it works but that's not the way things work in the end it just ensures what is controllable like max throughput, number of channels to bond, etc... Its sort of like back in the dial up days when there were three 56K protocols, but they all were 56K stanadard, however unless your dioal up center supported your protocol you were getting 14.4K [or was it 28.8 I can't remember where compression took over on speed increases anymore] and you'd just have to deal with that.

It is possible they are supported, I just said that may be an issue. You must have firmware updated and a bootfile pushed to the modem, names like Motorola, zoom, arris, all have that readily available and are listed on the comcast approved modem website, I do not know about your particular model, and I am unfamiliar with your friend or korea, he may just be exporting them to other asian countries who all have the same popular brands, so its no big deal. He may be selling them to people who are not able to use them though I suspect he'd know about it by now. The usual way is the company offers their support to the cable providers in order to sell the products. In the end someone completely different makes the actual chip sets they run off of, so they may only have drivers based on chipset for all I know.

However you have a greater issue with TWC, they only support a small subset of the available modems out there, so you'd be better off to stick with that list for right now.