Quote:
Originally Posted by adduxi
@ qasdfdsaq - I've had this same discussion with BenMcr over on the VM forums, and it was explained there is a Commercial implication with this as well. If VM can get thier hardware base down to a single product, i.e. the 'Super'hub(sic), then the cost savings on training Helpdesk etc. are huge.
At present, there are various CM's and users own routers to be 'assisted', and this must be a big overhead in support costs, and like any other business VM are always striving to cut costs.
VM was never going to be happy supplying both CM and Router to customers, as to the average joe, it's too complicated. By sending a single plug and go unit, they save a lot of grief, get good Customer feedback, and easier an Helpdesk life.
Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing better than a good quality stand alone modem, and dump the Shub. However reading between the lines in various forum threads, I think, this will never happen. The firmware bridge mode is just an attempt to placate the 'few people' who want to supply their own hardware on the LAN side.
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I don't disagree with this, I work in support as well and we have various different "supported" systems as well as a "managed desktop" which we maintain on behalf of all users. It saves a lot of headaches, but there's a reason we're rolling out Windows 7 to the supported desktop this summer rather than 2 years ago - it takes time to get stuff right and some of us want to ensure things are as close to perfect as possible *before* release rather than after.
There are many benefits to VM and the customer about having a single integrated unit, there's a reason almost all DSL providers do it too. The issue is VM releasing said unit onto the masses before it was ready, and giving them no choice about the matter.
I was actually quite supportive of the Superhub to begin with, and still acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of feedback was positive for the first few weeks after release, then it turned sour... I still don't have one myself, but all I see these days are complaints about it. Clearly it's not doing something right, since again, competitor products of the same class and the old DIR-615 VM handed out didn't have these problems.
(And apparantly they're still sending out DIR-615's to some people, whether or not this is in error I don't know, but clearly there is no reason why they cannot give customers a choice)
---------- Post added at 14:35 ---------- Previous post was at 14:32 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidthornton
I've got 50Mbit with the original standalone modem that was supplied when 50Mbit came out. What's it capable of, speedwise? I wonder because I discussed whether I'd have to ditch it for a Superhub when 100Mbit comes to my area and he thought that it'd still be okay to use. I said that I'd heard that everyone was being moved over to the Superhub, however if the original 50Mbit modem is capable of 100Mbit+ could I keep it?
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It's capable of 200mbps, but VM are unlikely to ever allow it in this configuration.
It's also capable of 100mbps in the same configuration the Superhub uses, so there's no technical reason VM wouldn't allow it, saying you "need" a Superhub for 100mb is only correct insofar as it's the way VM say they want it to work but it would perform exactly the same (and generate the same strains on the network) as the 50mb standalone modem.
---------- Post added at 14:37 ---------- Previous post was at 14:35 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenMcr
It depends what you mean 'capable'. The 50Mbit modem can do 100Mbit, however it is limited for some channel bonding - which means it's not actually capable to do Virgin's 100Mbit product based on how they want to deliver it on the network
That's why all 100Mbit installs come with the SuperHub
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This is incorrect.
100mb is currently delivered down 4 bonded downstream channels and 1 unbonded upstream channel. This is exactly the same as the 50mb and 30mb services, and the 50mb modem is perfectly capable of this configuration.
This may not always remain true, and could change in the future. But at this point in time the 50mb modem is not at all limited as far as how VM want to deliver 100mb is concerned. The Superhub does indeed have more bonding capability (8 DS) but this is unused.