What Is DOCSIS?
DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification.
It’s a telecommunications standard developed in the 1990s by CableLabs, a non-profit cable research consortium.
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It aimed to provide high-speed data transfer using the existing coaxial cable infrastructure (CATV).
DOCSIS 1.0 offered theoretical download and upload speeds of 40Mbps and 10Mbps, respectively.
This meant a significant improvement for connections like VoIP calling or just about anything that used a bidirectional connection.
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DOCSIS 3.0 launched in 2006 and offered much higher potential speeds of 1Gbps download and 200Mbps upload.
It also implemented 128-bit AES encryption to previously insecure 56-bit encryption in older DOCSIS formats.
The next version, DOCSIS 3.1, launched in 2013 and improved power management and data pipe stability.
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Data transfer speeds also increased to 10Gbps download and 1.5Gbps upload.
It retains the same download speed, but uploads can go up to 6Gbps.
DOCSIS 3.1 vs. DOCSIS 3
DOCSIS 3 and 3.1 are the two most popular iterations currently.
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Here’s a quick summary of the differences between them.
As mentioned before, DOCSIS 3.0 allowed modems to use multiple channels for uploads or downloads for higher speeds.
Compatible modems are required to use at least four channels for both downstream and upstream connections.
However, a lot of modems can support up to 32 channels for downloads and eight for uploads.
This means even the slower DOCSIS 3.1 modems are faster than the flagship DOCSIS 3.0 modems.
The channel system has also been structured in DOCSIS 3.1, contributing to the higher data transfer speed.
Do You Need DOCSIS 3.1?
If you have a 500Mbps download and 30Mbps upload connection, a 16x4 DOCSIS 3.0 modem would suffice.
Which One Should You Choose?
Depending on your internet speed, a DOCSIS 3.0 modem will probably last you another few years.
However, a DOCSIS 3.1 modem is a must-have if you have a gigabit internet connection.
