Cable Boxes with 802.11

foniksonik writes "'Cable providers are upping the ante in the competition for broadband subscribers. By combining cable TV, broadband service, and wireless connectivity in one set-top box, cable companies could soon offer consumers value that DSL firms won't be able to match.' 802.11a/b/g and what happens to Tivo? The most interesting part is the potential for 'network neighborhoods'." I'd suspect the cable boxes will end up using a variety of proprietary crud.

Comments

Let me get this straight...

[mgrochmal]

the San Diego-based startup raised a $40 million second round from investors including AOL Time Warner ... In addition, with such a combination, a neighborhood with many 802.11-equipped cable boxes could become one large wireless network in which each house serves as a node. Theoretically, then, one could surf the Net and receive cable TV just by being within the confines of the network.

Time-Warner Cable recently sent out cease/desist notices to people sharing bandwidth with WiFi, but they're working on putting WiFi in their own devices?

Part of me understands that the potential for revenue is there with a company-sponsored(controlled) wireless network. Another part is confused by said company's act of stopping other people doing something similar on their own.

I would be interested in it if I already didn't put down the money to make my own 802.11b network. I ahven't received a letter yet because I made an effort to secure it. I just hope that, if TWC implements this network, it doesn't require or force users to use their proprietary network. I'd hate to have the time and money I put into my network to be unusable with RoadRunner.

The only catch

[gusnz]

Funny, I always thought cable companies were opposed to WiFi connection sharing?

If they do go ahead with this, you can't help but wonder what WiFi encryption and authorisation routines will be used here. Given that big businesses have had such trouble securing their own networks (leading to practises like warchalking), the average home user will probably have a lot more trouble unless decent encryption is in place out of the box. It could well become the script kiddy sport of the future, watching the neighbourhood from their basement.

However the most interesting bit of the article is this:

a neighborhood with many 802.11-equipped cable boxes could become one large wireless network in which each house serves as a node.

If set up right, this could provide neighbourhoods with sufficient 802.11 densities to make the often-mooted idea of a peer-to-peer ISP feasible. Provided, of course, the DMCA isn't used to prevent customisation of the cable boxes, the cable companies could be contributing to the demise of commerical ISPs as we know them...

It'll be more than that

[Trepidity]

With Time-Warner it's already $35/mo for "extended basic" cable (i.e. you get local channels, CNN, MTV, CSPAN, etc., but no movie channels or premium channels or sports channels) and $40-$45/mo for standard cablemodem service. That's already $75-$80/mo currently. You can bet if they add some newfangled wireless service to it you'll be paying at least $100 total.

Re:network neighborhoods

[0x0d0a]

You just automatically get charged per MAC. They control the WAP now. :-)

Re:w00t!

[dattaway]

Changing the MAC address is trivial and can be done through the command line in a linux shell. All a person has to do is wait until the victim powers off their computer, leaving the airwaves open for attack. Or overpower the poor victim with a much stronger signal and DOSing him too.

Best security would be mandatory strong encryption. The kind our Ex-President Clinton signed an executive order to ban from everyone. Only then will we be safe from terrorist haxors.

Mommy, what's fact checking?

[Guppy06]

"cable companies could soon offer consumers value that DSL firms won't be able to match."

I go to 2Wire's website, I look at their home gateway products, and what do I see? Why, it's their HomePortal 1000W, which not only has a DSL modem and an integrated WAP, but also supports ethernet and phoneline networking.

*sigh*

Saw the Motorola Box

[jratcliffe]

I saw the Motorola cable modem + integrated WiFi at the most recent Society of Cable Television Engineers show in San Antonio last month. I was interested to find out how they're handling the issue of multiple devices behind a router that's keeping the cable operators from charging per PC, as they'd like to. Turns out, the Motorola box will transmit the MAC addressses of anything on the home side of the box up to the cable company's management system, so that the cable company knows what's behind the box, unlike with the 3rd party router/firewall combos a la Netgear or D-Link. Very ingenious.