The dual purpose does explain why the gateways are so big relative to what the incumbent phone companies provide. It is great redundancy. My telco DSL Internet went down and I hopped onto free wireless cable service that I am entitled since most of properties have cable Internet. -R. ________________________________ From: NANOG <nanog-bounces+rod.beck=unitedcablecompany.com@nanog.org> on behalf of Jay Hennigan <jay@west.net> Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2020 9:48 PM To: nanog@nanog.org <nanog@nanog.org> Subject: Re: Cable Company Hotspots On 11/22/20 11:50, J. Hellenthal via NANOG wrote:
Sad that in some cases the extra WiFi usage results in higher electric bills for the consumer.... and cannot be opted out of.
Power consumption is going to be miniscule, especially if the consumer opts to use the cable company's built-in wi-fi themselves. If someone is really that concerned about their electric bill they can unplug it when not in use. Not practical if there's an ATA in it used for landline or you have devices requiring Internet access 24/7 like security systems or IoT. Of more practical concern is RF interference. Typically the cable company puts their box in a convenient location for access, either near where the cable comes in to the house or maybe behind the TV. This often isn't the best place for radio coverage but can create strong interference near the box. If the customer doesn't use the cable box's wi-fi and installs their own access point(s), there is no convenient way for them to turn off this functionality. Many customers don't even know it exists. Most front-line cable support techs don't either. -- Jay Hennigan - jay@west.net Network Engineering - CCIE #7880 503 897-8550 - WB6RDV