When you have cable internet, then you definitely’re utilizing DOCSIS expertise. DOCSIS, which stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications, is an ordinary that defines how your modem relays cable web alerts going to and from your property. When you have cable web, whether or not from Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity or one in all many regional cable web suppliers like Armstrong, you are utilizing a DOCSIS-compliant modem.
The DOCSIS 4.0 cable modem is right because it produces quicker add speeds. However whereas specs for DOCSIS 4.0 have been launched, DOCSIS 4.0 modems aren’t but extensively obtainable for retail buy. In order that signifies that when you’re looking for a brand new cable web modem, you’ll seemingly solely have the selection of DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1. Because the numbers recommend, the 2 modem variations are related, however we suggest choosing DOCSIS 3.1 whilst you anticipate a brand new 4.0 modem.
Trendy cable modems are compliant with DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1, with increasingly web service suppliers recommending DOCSIS 3.1 modems.
DOCSIS 3.0 vs. 3.1 vs. 4.0: What are the variations?
DOCSIS is the usual cable modems use to maneuver information.
Regardless of the easy one-tenth distinction in variations, DOCSIS 3.0 and three.1 modems range considerably in efficiency, pricing and availability. DOCSIS 4.0 would indicate an even bigger leap in efficiency, however the enchancment largely has to do with upstream capability. This is a fast have a look at the benefits of every.
DOCSIS 3.0 modem benefits
- Value: DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems are usually cheaper than their 3.1 counterparts.
- Availability: You are prone to have extra choices, together with used or refurbished units, when looking for a DOCSIS 3.0 modem.
DOCSIS 3.1 modem benefits
- Pace: DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems help quicker speeds than DOCSIS 3.0 modems and are thus higher fitted to high-speed plans, particularly these with gig speeds or larger.
- Safety: DOCSIS 3.1 modems could supply higher on-line safety than 3.0 fashions, particularly if you buy a modem-router combo machine.
DOCSIS 4.0 modem benefits
- Add speeds: DOCSIS 4.0 is designed to “considerably improve upstream capability,” based on CableLabs, the group that units and assessments DOCSIS specs.
- Future proof: DOCSIS 3.1 is the present normal, however 3.0 remains to be in use, practically 20 years after its introduction in 2006. It’s secure to imagine that 4.0 modems shall be helpful for a few years to come back.
DOCSIS 3.0, 3.1 and 4.0 specs
| Machine | Max obtain pace | Max add pace | Value vary | Specification issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOCSIS 3.0 | 1Gbps | 100Mbps | $50-$150 | 2006 |
| DOCSIS 3.1 | 10Gbps | 1Gbps | $150-$250 | 2013 |
| DOCSIS 4.0 | 10Gbps | 6Gbps | N/A | 2019 |
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Essentially the most vital distinction between DOCSIS 3.0 and three.1 is that the latter can help obtain speeds 10 occasions quicker than DOCSIS 3.0, as much as 10Gbps. DOCSIS 4.0 additionally helps downloads as much as 10Gbps however is able to considerably quicker uploads, as much as 6Gbps. The symmetrical, or shut, obtain and add pace capability brings cable web nearer to matching the pace potential of fiber-optic internet service.
DOCSIS 4.0 may pave the best way for quicker cable plans with quicker add speeds
Most cable suppliers already supply a gigabit plan with most speeds of round 940 or 1,000 megabits per second. Astound, Cox, Xfinity and choose different cable suppliers supply obtain speeds above 1,000Mbps. With DOCSIS 4.0 expertise, cable suppliers can supply even quicker speeds utilizing their present cable/fiber hybrid infrastructure.
The DOCSIS 4.0 modem notably permits for much quicker upload speeds, which cable suppliers sorely lack. Add speeds are extra necessary than you assume. Many US households are seeing a rising trend in upstream data or upload speeds. Sure actions, comparable to utilizing smart home devices and importing photographs and movies to social media, make the most of your upstream information. Based on CableLabs, DOCSIS 4.0 permits for “a rise in upstream capability and extra choices for operators to extend downstream capacities.”
Nonetheless, DOCSIS 3.1 is the present normal for high-speed cable web
For those who select speeds above 1 gig and lease your tools, you may obtain a modem-router combo that comes with DOCSIS 3.1 built-in, so you do not have to fret about your modem’s specs. In any other case, when you select to make use of your individual tools, you may need to spend a little bit further for a DOCSIS 3.1 modem to take full benefit of the plan’s pace potential.
What if I do not want gig and multi-gigabit speeds?
The pace potential of DOCSIS 3.1 and 4.0 is spectacular, however except you’ve got received a high-speed plan, that will not matter. Suppose your chosen plan comes with speeds as much as 200Mbps. For those who lease out of your supplier, the modem included along with your tools could also be a DOCSIS 3.0 mannequin, which may help your web connection simply positive.
For those who use your individual modem, you most likely will not see a lot of a efficiency enchancment, if any, by buying a DOCSIS 3.1 machine over a DOCSIS 3.0 one. Contemplating the worth distinction and obtainable choices between the 2, you would be higher off choosing DOCSIS 3.0 on lower-tiered web plans.
A standalone cable modem sits atop a a lot bigger SURFboard eXtreme combo machine.
DOCSIS 3.0 has extra, cheaper choices
DOCSIS 3.0 is the cheaper possibility when looking for a modem or modem-router combo. New DOCSIS 3.0 modems can value between $50 and $150 relying on the machine you select and the supply you purchase from, however you might be able to rating a used machine for lower than $50. Then again, DOCSIS 3.1 modems can simply value $150 to $250 or larger.
Producers like Arris, Asus, Netgear and Motorola have made DOCSIS 3.0 modems for years. These producers make DOCSIS 3.1 modems as properly, however you may seemingly have fewer choices than you’d when you had been looking for a DOCSIS 3.0 modem.
Is DOCSIS 3.0 outdated?
By way of the most recent expertise shaping how we get on-line, sure, DOCSIS 3.0 is sorely outdated. With increasingly ISPs rolling out multi-gig plans and the general development of heavier web utilization lately, based on Open Vault, a DOCSIS 3.0 modem won’t help the quicker speeds many web customers are turning to. If you do not have a necessity for pace, you may most definitely be positive with a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, particularly when you’re making an attempt to save cash by avoiding an improve.
Nonetheless, practically all ISPs help DOCSIS 3.1 and infrequently suggest DOCSIS 3.1 to get essentially the most out of your web connection.
DOCSIS 3.1 is safer and higher for long-term use
Any main web protocol replace, just like the transition from DOCSIS 3.0 to three.1, will embrace improved safety features. This sometimes comes with enhanced encryption, so a DOCSIS 3.1 modem will presumably be higher outfitted to safe your info. Moreover, the best router and modem combos outfitted with DOCSIS 3.1 can even embrace WPA3, a extra superior router safety characteristic than older modem routers that will include DOCSIS 3.0 and WPA2.
DOCSIS 3.0 was launched in 2006, and DOCSIS 3.1 arrived in 2013, which is a very long time within the tech world — lengthy sufficient for preliminary safety measures to turn out to be outdated. Modem producers and ISPs launch common safety updates to maintain your tools secure. Nonetheless, I’d suggest extra security software or a good VPN to assist increase your on-line safety, particularly when utilizing a DOCSIS 3.0 modem.
Contemplating the rise in residence web speeds and the necessity for up-to-date safety, DOCSIS 3.1 is properly on its option to absolutely changing DOCSIS 3.0. It hasn’t solely completed so, primarily as a result of slower, cheaper cable web plans can nonetheless get by with DOCSIS 3.0 expertise.
Coming to a house close to you: DOCSIS 4.0
DOCSIS 4.0 expertise is on the verge of bettering cable web service, however it’s not right here simply but. Since 2023, Xfinity is the one main cable web supplier to have begun rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 within the nation, beginning with choose service areas in Atlanta, Georgia; Colorado Springs, Colorado and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sadly, if you wish to get forward of the sport and buy a DOCSIS 4.0 modem, you are out of luck. There are presently no DOCSIS 4.0 modems obtainable for retail buy, no less than none I may discover from a trusted supply. According to a press release from Comcast, Xfinity will proceed deploying the 4.0 modem to new areas over the subsequent few years.
Backside line: DOCSIS 3.1 will deliver you quicker speeds
Since DOCSIS 4.0 modems aren’t extensively obtainable but, your alternative of a brand new or used machine will come down to three.0 or 3.1 variations. For those who join quicker speeds, particularly these approaching or surpassing 1Gbps, or just need a machine you recognize you need to use for years, a DOCSIS 3.1 modem is the best way to go.
For those who’re content material with a low- or mid-tier cable web plan, a DOCSIS 3.0 modem will seemingly meet all of your wants and are available at a lower cost than a DOCSIS 3.1 machine. However likelihood is you are additionally paying a premium for these quicker speeds, so that you would possibly as properly equip your property with a tool to allow you to take pleasure in them.
DOCSIS 3.0, 3.1, 4.0 Modem FAQs
What does DOCSIS stand for?
DOCSIS stands for data over cable service interface specifications. This telecommunications normal permits your modem to ship web out of your cable supplier to your property. There are three totally different variations of DOCSIS: 3.0, 3.1 and 4.0.
Is DOCSIS 3.1 the most effective cable modem?
Most cable modems adjust to DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1 expertise for the reason that 4.0 modems usually are not but obtainable for buy all through the nation. That mentioned, most cable web customers will seemingly have the choice between 3.0 and three.1. We suggest going with the three.1 normal because it helps high-speed web plans like gigabit and multi-gigabit tiers. In comparison with the three.0 normal, the three.1 modem will supply higher on-line safety.
The place is the DOCSIS 4.0 cable modem obtainable?
At current, Comcast’s Xfinity is the one main cable web supplier that has began rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 within the nation. Nonetheless, this modem is just obtainable to pick out areas in Atlanta, Colorado Springs and Philadelphia. Comcast writes in a press release that Xfinity will proceed deploying this model to new areas over the subsequent few years. For essentially the most half, DOCSIS 3.0 and three.1 will supply the most effective availability.
