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What
is a cable modem?
A "cable modem" is a communication
device that converts digital information (e.g., from a PC)
into modulated RF signals (upstream) and RF signals back to
digital information (downstream) across cable TV (hybrid fiber/coax)
networks. A cable modem has two connections, one to the cable
wall outlet (coaxial cable) and the other to the computer
(e.g., via Ethernet, i.e., 10BaseT). Because cable operates
at a much higher bandwidth than the phone line, Internet access
over cable can be 50-100 times faster than dialup. As anyone
who has ever surfed the Internet using a 56K modem knows,
connections are painfully slow, especially when downloading
photographs, graphics or video images. Unlike a 56K modem,
the cable Internet connection is always on. There is no dialup
or use of your phone line. You are ready to go as soon as
you can load your browser.
How
does a cable modem work?
Cable Internet access operates as its
own cable channel and, therefore, co-exists with the video/audio
channels offered by the cable company. Unmodulated digital
signals are represented as being high (1) or low (0). How
fast these levels can switch during transmission is determined
by the "bandwidth" of the system. A cable modem
Modulates and Demodulates electrical signals in the same sense
that the telephone modem does. However, since coaxial cable
can carry much higher wave frequencies, cable modems are far
more sophisticated.
How
fast is a cable modem?
Cable modem speeds vary widely, as determined
by your cable company. In general, download speeds are up
to 100 times faster than a 56K modem, while upload speeds
are between 300K-768K. Check with your cable company for specific
speeds. But, either way, be assured that Toshiba DOCSIS modems
support maximum DOCSIS transfer rates.
Today's cable modem deployments are asymmetric. In an asymmetric
scheme, the downstream channel has a much higher bandwidth
allocation (faster data rate) than the upstream. One reason
is that current Internet applications tend to be asymmetric
in nature. Activities such as World Wide Web (http) navigating
and newsgroup reading (nntp) send much more data down to the
computer than to the network. Mouse clicks (URL requests)
and e-mail messages are not bandwidth intensive in the upstream
direction. Image files and streaming media (audio and video)
are very bandwidth intensive in the downstream direction.
How
to connect a cable modem to the PC?
Connect the 10BaseT Ethernet cable from
your computer's network card to the 10BaseT connector on the
cable modem's rear panel. To connect more than one computer,
place a hub in between the cable modem and the computers.
If your hub has an uplink port, connect the cable modem's
uplink port (Ethernet port) to the hub using a straight 10BaseT
Ethernet cable. If your hub does not have an uplink port,
use an Ethernet crossover cable to connect the cable modem
to one of the hub's ports. If you have an Ethernet hub, please
refer to the instructions supplied with that product for more
information. For the PCX1100U, a USB connection can be utilized.
Simply connect the USB cable to you modem, and then to your
PC, and run the driver CD included with your modem. For specific
instructions, check out our Download
Page.
What
services do I get with a cable modem connection?
The most popular service today is high-speed
Internet access. Because cable operates at speeds many times
faster than a dialup phone line, it is now possible to view
streaming video clips real-time, download multi-megabyte software
programs in seconds, videoconference with friends and family
and play video games on-line. These capabilities were not
practical nor, in some cases, even possible with 56K dialup.
In addition, cable Internet subscribers can be fully connected,
24 hours a day, to both remote and local services without
interfering with their cable television service or tying up
a phone line.
Where
can I get it?
Currently there are no Toshiba cable modems available for retail sale.
I
understand that Toshiba's PCX Cable Modems are DOCSIS modems.
What does that mean?
DOCSIS stands for 'Data Over Cable Service
Interface Specification' and is the industry's new specification
for cable-based Internet access services. Because it is a
standard, companies such as Toshiba are able to offer DOCSIS
cable modem products that are fully interoperable with any
cable company who has implemented a DOCSIS cable network.
Prior to DOCSIS, cable companies were limited in that they
had to purchase all cable Internet access hardware from the
same company. Today, DOCSIS deployments are growing so rapidly
that DOCSIS has become the dominant cable Internet access
platform in North America.
Why
is it important that my cable modem be CableLabs® Certified™?
Only those cable modems that have been
DOCSIS certified by CableLabs® are guaranteed to meet
the rigorous interoperability requirements of DOCSIS-based
cable networks. Modems that
do not have the "stamp of approval" may not function correctly.
Will
it work with my cable company's Internet service?
Since Toshiba's PCX Cable Modems are DOCSIS
cable modems, you will have to contact your cable provider
to determine if they support DOCSIS or have plans to do so
in the near future. If so, any PCX DOCSIS Cable Modem will
work with their system.
Can I buy
a Toshiba cable modem and, if so, where?
Toshiba Cable modems are not currently available to purchase.
How long
is the limited warranty on my modem good for?
Retail Warranties are as follows:
PCX2200 has a 5 year Limited Warranty.
PCX2600 has a 2 year Limited Warranty.
PCX5000 has a 3 year Limited Warranty.
Where can I find the external range extender for the PCX5000 ?
This item can be purchased from the following location:
http://www.proxim.com/products/wifi/accessories/rea/index.html
Toshiba cannot offer support for this product.
How
do you connect a PCX DOCSIS cable modem to a hub or router?
The PCX DOCSIS cable modems work with
a 10BaseT or 10/100 Ethernet hub. Connect the cable modem
on the uplink port of the hub using a straight CAT5 10BaseT
Ethernet cable. If the hub doesn't have an uplink port, connect
the cable modem to any port of the hub using a crossover 10BaseT
cable. Also, make sure that the auto-sensing feature is on
if you are using a 10/100 Ethernet hub. This configuration may require the purchase off extra IP addresses for each computer connected to the hub / switch.
Please consult your Hub's Users Manual for more details.
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Can I connect two computers to my usb/ethernet cable modem and why when I connect a different computer to the ethernet connection on the modem do I not get an IP address?
You can connect two computers to the PCX1100U, PCX2000, PCX2200, PCX2500 and PCX2600 connected to the ethernet and usb ports simultaneously. This can only be done IF you have more than one IP address provided by the cable company. If you only have one IP address which is normal, when switching computers on the ethernet port or changing from USB to ethernet you will need to power off the modem for 2 minutes, connect the new computer and then power back on. This is because the modem caches the adapter address (Media Access Layer or MAC address) of the computer's ethernet adapter.
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Do I
need a driver for my PCX DOCSIS cable modem?
For a PCX DOCSIS cable modem, just make
sure that the TCP/IP stack is installed in your computer.
Please consult your computer manuals for more details on TCP/IP
installation. If you are using the USB
port, drivers are available at our download
page. If you use the Ethernet port ,
no drivers are necessary for the modem. Just follow the instructions
above.
How
to read the PCX DOCSIS cable modem LED lights.
(Use this guide when contacting your Cable Provider for technical
support.)
| FUNCTION |
COLOR |
DEFINITION |
| Power |
Green |
DARK for power off
SOLID for power on |
| Cable |
Green |
DARK for no
downstream RF carrier present or power off
FLASHING SLOWLY for downstream RF carrier
present and ranging in progress
FLASHING FAST for registration in progress
SOLID for the Cable Modem registered
and ready to transfer data |
| PC |
Green |
DARK for no
Ethernet carrier present or power off
SOLID for Ethernet carrier present |
| Data |
Green |
DARK
for no user data going through the Cable Modem or power off
FLASHING for user data going through
the Cable Modem |
| Test |
Amber |
DARK for initial
self-test of the Cable Modem OK or power off
FLASHING for self-test of the Cable Modem
in progress or software downloading of the Cable Modem
in progress
SOLID for self-test failure of the Cable
Modem |
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When
I run the Installation CD that came with my retail-purchased
modem (version "CD2") it doesn't correctly report
the speed of my computer and won't let me continue the installation.
What can I do?
This is a known issue with this older
version of the Self-Installation Wizard CD found in retail
packages and Windows ME, which was released well after this
software was produced. You can still successfully install
the cable modem without using the Self-Installation Wizard.
If you are using the Ethernet interface on your computer,
no additional drivers are needed. Just contact your cable
Internet provider for configuration instructions. If you are
using the USB interface, follow the instructions found by
clicking
here using the installation CD. Remember, the Self-Installation
Wizard is simply designed to make the installation easier,
and is not required for successful installation of the modem.
Your cable Internet provider is always your best source for
configuration instructions.
I just purchased a new PCX
cable modem, brought it home and hooked it up, and it doesn't
seem to be working. What do I have to do to get my modem to
work?
Anytime you replace one cable modem with
another, or hook one up for the first time, you need to contact
your Cable Internet Provider so that they can provision (set-up)
your new modem to work on the cable network. This will require you to give them the MAC address of your new cable modem.
When will Windows
XP USB drivers be available for the PCX2000?
Only release candidate drivers for XP are available for this modem. There are no known issues.
Ethernet functionality does not require
any drivers so if you have this option you will not need to use drivers. Simply connect the modem using the ethernet cable provided between the PC/MAC and the 10baseT connection on the modem.
I have
a Macintosh computer and want to buy Toshiba's PCX cable modem.
Why can't I get a Mac version of Symantec's Norton Internet
Security? I saw on the box that it only includes a PC version!
Symantec does not currently make the Macintosh
version available for any OEM bundles, such as the one included
with the PCX cable modem, and does not intend to in the near
future.
I
have recently upgraded to Windows XP, and it says that my
Norton Internet Security 2000/2001 is not compatible. What do I do?
Also, when will the Norton Internet Security 2002 be available
with the modems in retail stores?
Symantec is recommending a patch to resolve
these issues with Norton Internet Security 2001 only. The
patch can be found at this address. It is the file
"sevinst.exe" with the September 2001 release date.
Toshiba does not warrant the use of this patch, but provides
the link as a courtesy. We recommend upgrading to the 2002
version of the product. The latest version of the Norton Internet
Security 2002 is currently included in Toshiba's installation CD beginning with version "CD5".
I
read about the PCX2000, PCX2500 and the PCX1100U. What is
the difference between these models?
From a basic functionality aspect, there
is no apparent difference between these models. All are data-only
cable modems, with both USB and Ethernet ports for connecting
to the PC. In addition, all are CableLabs Certified, meaning
that they will function with your cable companies DOCSIS cable
modem network. The two new models, the PCX2000 and PCX2500,
have a ifferent internal component design. This design contains
some production component advantages that allows Toshiba to
more efficiently produce the modems. In addition, the PCX2500
is the only production version modem currently certified for
DOCSIS 1.1.
I
keep reading about DOCSIS 1.1. What does it mean to consumers?
DOCSIS 1.1 is a certification for
cable modems, which implements improvements in bandwidth management
and security for cable modem operators. When these modems
become available in early 2002, cable operators will have
a greater choice of services to offer their customers, including
varied levels of bandwidth at varied prices.
Will my cable modem work with the new Microsoft Windows Vista OS?
All Toshiba PCX cable modems should operate using the USB interface in Microsoft Vista 32bit (x86) using the Windows XP drivers which are currently available. Microsoft Vista 64bit users using PCX modems will need to use the ethernet interface. USB is not supported with this version of Windows.
What
operating systems are supported for USB?
The only operating systems that currently
support USB networking are Windows 98SE , Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP 32bit and Windows Vista 32bit also supports USB networking (see
other FAQ). Operating systems not supporting USB Networking
include:
- Windows 98 First Edition
- Windows 95 or any earlier version of
Microsoft Windows or DOS OS's
- Macintosh
- Unix/Linux
- IBM OS/2
- Windows Vista 64bit
- Windows XP 64bit
Technical
Support
Please email your questions to: Technical
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