Cable Company Hotspots

Sun Nov 22 20:48:48 UTC 2020

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 at west.net
Network Engineering - CCIE #7880
503 897-8550 - WB6RDV