Two-way Broadband CATV-HFC Networks: State-of-the-Art and Future Trends
Cable modems allow two way digital data transmission between households and a central neighborhood server. In this overview we briefly describe some of the common characteristics of the Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) operation as presented by several standards bodies (both completed standards and works in progress). This includes a description and comparison of the media access control and physical layer operations of several competing proposals. Our desire is to give a concise but complete picture of the cable modem problem and the proposed solutions. References are provided for readers interested in further investigation.