Customer Reviews

Next-Generation Modems: A Professional Guide to DSL and Cable Modems

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Adequate resource for those who need to brush up on their technical knowledge of DSL and cable modems in a hurry, but not something you will want to use as a reference.

The book starts off with a review of the basics of wired transmission and modems, followed by an examination of the various DSL flavours available, with special attention devoted to G.lite, due to its viability for widespread commercial implementation. A review of the CTV infrastructure then serves as an introduction to cable modems, with emphasis on the DOCSIS standard. The book is rounded off with a short chapter on the current competition in the US between the two technologies.

It is helpful that examples of commercial products implementing technologies described are given wherever possible. I feel that the information in the chapter on DSL can be consolidated, as it seems certain that some DSL technologies will not see commercial use, and there is much in common amongst the various flavours which merit shared treatment. There is adequate coverage of the coding and modulation techniques adopted, but topics which are more technically involved e.g. adaptive echo cancellation are glossed over, perhaps because of the target audience.

One section which I found useful is the one on testing the cable modem connection; it is simple but intuitive.