Broadband Linkup

The format of the media we consume is continually evolving. The devices that deliver it change, too. On this episode of the Broadband Linkup podcast, Alexander Podarevsky, Senior Systems Engineer for Promptlink, sat down with host Sean Heath to discuss the move towards content over data connection.

The outside of a set-top box has remained the roughly the same for over 25 years, although they have shrunken to smaller and smaller footprints. But according to Podarevsky, it’s dramatically different on the inside.

“All the televisions started as analog television to deliver motion pictures to the customers’ homes and after that (the content) gets just simply bigger and bigger and the amount of services and the quality of services grows dramatically since the establishing of this industry," he said.

The initial system of transmission over airwaves has almost been completely replaced by content over data lines. This shift from analog video signals to digital content delivery is shifting how video is consumed and how OTT video has changed the topography of home entertainment.

“In the future… I think everything will be tied to just a data pipe and it doesn’t matter what data pipe you have; everything will be delivered to your TV set," he said.

For veteran tradeshow attendees, sometimes it's difficult to inspire a real wow-worthy moment on the show floor. On today's episode of Broadband Linkup by Promptlink Communications, host Sean Heath caught up with Promptlink Communications' Foad Towfiq and Chris Boring at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2019 in New Orleans to discuss the launch of Network NoiseHawk and share impressions from the pre-eminent cable telecommunications event.

SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2019 has become the standard for the latest technology rollouts. This year, Promptlink Communications rolled out its Network NoiseHawk, a patent-pending algorithm to analyze data, accurately pinpoint network noise, and easily display it on a map for cable operators and their technicians to quickly correct noise issues.

Towfiq and Boring say the reception has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic for Network NoiseHawk.

"They're just out of control amazed," Boring said, who has been attending this staple of Cable TV tradeshows for 20 years and hasn't seen anything like it.

For Promptlink Communication's on-site demo, they set up a sound environment with live equipment and live modems, and linked them into their software.

"We have noise generators set up in different points in the network, so customers can move the noise around," Boring said. "When they move the noise, our tool can pinpoint exactly where that noise is."

Chris Boring loves a good trade show, especially those in New Orleans, and as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Promptlink Communications (a leading provider of software applications for the management and testing of broadband networks and equipment) he's been part of the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo for 20 years. This staple of Cable TV tradeshows has become the standard for the latest technology rollouts and for this show a lot of it is related to network infrastructure and how the industry will push out key components closer to the consumers themselves.

Boring says, "SCTE is the chance to show whatever is out there or talk about it in a workshop; it's the key place for everyone to get together." Boring invites attendees to the Promptlink booth, number 2007 where they’ll be able to see the Americas launch of Network NoiseHawk, utilizing a patent-pending algorithm to analyze data, accurately pinpoint network noise, and easily display it on a map for cable operators and their technicians to quickly correct noise issues. The hands-on demonstration of this innovative new process is not to be missed, since it will have a physical cable node at the show where noise will be inserted in different points.

Boring is enthusiastic about the continued advancements of CableLabs®️ Common Collection Framework. It will make the efforts of Promptlink and others much more accessible across multiple platforms. Common Collection “allows software tools that run on the network a standardized data collection process that all software tools can use." Boring says "with Common Collection Framework, it doesn't matter what tools are already in the network – it's all standardized and we (all) just access it."

Be sure to visit Chris and his team at the Promptlink booth #2007. He's got great advice on everything broadband as well as a few tips on New Orleans that you don’t want to miss.

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In today’s world of instant communication, it is crucial for businesses to have fast, effective lines of data transmission in order to keep pace with the global economy. In many cases, companies are using the pre-existing lines of cable laid for cable television to transmit data at high-bandwidth. But this application, known as DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification), has a major issue—noise. Cable networks are vulnerable to noise and related issues that can cause big problems when it comes to quality of service.

On this episode of Broadband Linkup, a Promptlink Communications podcast, we discuss pin-pointing and troubleshooting the noise transmitted through cable modems with Foad Towfiq, President and CEO of Promptlink Communications.

“The detection of noise is very challenging," said Towfiq. “There’s not a single indicator imbedded in the cable modems or CMTS or other network elements that can show you where the noise is coming from. So this is the basic challenge that we have.”

But he divulged what tools he’s excited about that are helping remedy this common issue. These tools are helping probe, collect, and analyze data over time, assisting technicians in finding impairments before they develop into costly problems.

“How the noise is evolving, coming and going, is very important,” said Towfiq, explaining how algorithms and data are helping find problem areas before they progress.

“When you have a lot of data and analyzing this data, you can find pattern,” he said. Previously, without these tools, technicians would often need hours, even days, to troubleshoot and pin-point the source of noise in complex system.

Towfiq thinks companies will be “pleasantly surprised,” to discover a tool to assist in noise detection and localization and will be eager to try new methods to help keep business running smoothly.

Here’s a hypothetical for you: At home, would you rather have electricity or Wi-Fi internet? It’s not necessarily a "chicken or the egg" scenario with today’s advanced wireless solutions. On this episode of Broadband Linkup by Promptlink Communications, host Sean Heath sat down with Chris Boring, Promptlink’s vice president of sales and marketing, to discuss all things Wi-Fi.

The scope of services is evolving for internet service providers, who have gone from basic “utility” companies to offering full-service, white-glove assistance for its customers upon request.

“If they’re providing internet and the internet is slow, they’ll get blamed even if the real problem is the wi-fi router that the customer bought from Best Buy,” Boring said. “So they figure, why not go all in, provide wi-fi services, and connect all those devices in the home?”

ISP offerings range from leased Wi-Fi routers, to in-home Wi-Fi surveys, to complete suites of Wi-Fi devices that link together to create a managed service. This helps alleviate the pain points for both consumers and ISPs, Boring said.

Another pain point for service providers is managing device qualification in the home and ensuring device connectivity each and every time. While providers have devices tested and certified to work in laboratories, routers with possibly different versions of firmware can cause unexpected incompatibility when produced en masse and then deployed to homes.

“When customers try to connect to Wi-Fi from so many different devices and each of those devices has its own characteristics, that’s a challenge,” Boring said. In fact, the average home has over nine connected devices via Wi-Fi.

With these challenges, white glove services are helpful for less-technologically adept customers and represent some of the many ways Wi-Fi is integrating into our lives more every day.

"Internet is now the key to this business because everything flows through it. Whether it's the phone or video or internet," Chris Boring, vice president of sales and marketing at Promptlink Communications, said.

This standard for speed has made broadband companies more all-encompassing but also forced them to provide new offerings to customers to stay competitive.

"What it's changed is, from an operator's standpoint, it has completely changed their business model because as they've gone from what in 1995 we were, which was a pure video solution, to an internet provider and phone provider," Boring said. "Without these innovations for the cable side of the business in DOCSIS, this never could happen. It's completely transformed how people access content in their homes and how operators have to design their networks and their day-to-day activities."

Boring has been involved in broadband for close to 25 years and spoke to MarketScale about the effect of technology-led change to broadband business, some of the standard issues he has experienced over the years and how he would guide the industry to improve it.

David Mosquera, director de ventas de Promptlink Communications para el mercado latinoamericano, nos habla sobre el crecimiento de la tecnología de telecomunicaciones en Latinoamérica y cómo los hogares y oficinas de hoy en día dependen de una conexión de wifi estable.

Esta dependencia en wifi no es necesariamente algo malo; estas redes han creado hogares más seguros y oficinas más eficientes. Pero la confianza en wifi significa que cuando no funciona, el impacto es tremendo, y por eso se necesitan tecnologías confiables para diagnosticar los modems y las redes de wifi.

Mosquera nos da su perspectiva sobre cómo realizar un diagnostico de red proactivo y apropiado, las dificultades que traen dispositivos del internet de objetos, y como la tecnología de Promptlink puede resolver estos problemas.