TWC provides customers of above the lowest level Road Runner internet plans a short burst of higher speeds through a technology licensed from Comcast called PowerBoost. To understand PowerBoost and what it does in more detail I did some research. First thing I came up with was the acronym DOCSIS. DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification - from Wikipedia "it is a telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-speed data transfer to an existing cable TV (CATV) system. It is employed by many cable television operators to provide Internet access over existing coaxial infrastructure". There are DOCSIS 1.X, DOCSIS 2.0 and DOCSIS 3.0 versions. DOCSIS 3.0 is the most recent and each successive version realized faster speeds. TWC in New York is DOCSIS 3.0 capable. The TWC Wideband Internet package achieves its high speed due to DOCSIS 3.0.
What does this DOCSIS thing have to do with PowerBoost? Engineers at Georgia Tech undertook a detailed analysis of performance of broadband adhering the DOCSIS standard (studied concept of "Traffic Shaping"). I believe Comcast initially funded this and PowerBoost came from this review and is now a tool that cable companies have deployed to let high-speed Internet customers dynamically tap into excess capacity in the DOCSIS network (I guess Comcast licenses PowerBoost to TWC?). A subscriber to a specific speed-tier can attain higher speeds for periods of time when excess network capacity is available. PowerBoost can significantly increase a customer's speed performance; at least 56% higher according to testing.
I spoke with TWC support and they verified the 50% higher performance number. With PowerBoost I could expect to see 15Mbps down and 768Kbps up for Broadband Standard package. They did say PowerBoost speeds would vary according to network capacity. I think I have seen the effects of PowerBoost as at times my download rate exceeds 20Mbps. I have never seen an upload speed exceed 512Kbps however so I'm a bit skeptical.
How can I be sure I'm getting the benefits of PowerBoost? The TWC press release on PowerBoost says it is compatible with DOCSIS 1.1 cable modems and above. I'm happy overall with performance but I decided to check out my modem to see if it adhered to the latest specs (i.e. DOCSIS 1.1+). If it did then I can assume I'd get the maximum benefits of PowerBoost. From "MyServices" at timewarnercable.com I know that this is my cable modem: RCA Modem Model #: AHRCA5. Looking at the Product Features on the Amazon site it says "Certified for DOCSIS 1". Is that version 1.0 of the DOCSIS spec or 1.X? I was hoping to see it as a DOCSIS 3.0 supported cable modem (TWC will probably only give a DOCSIS 3.0 compliant cable modem when you sign up for Wideband Internet), or DOCSIS 1.1 at least so I'd know I'd have support for PowerBoost.
So I searched Google to see what info is out there in regard to this cable modem. Does this model have good throughput so I can experience those higher speeds? Is it DOCSIS 1.X+ capable? I did a search for "RCA Modem AHRCA5". I get 5 hits. 5. On Google. Really? Looks like I've hit the end of the road in terms of info on this modem available online.
In talking to TWC support they say my modem supports DOCSIS 2.0 (TWC hardware is all at a min level of 2.0) and that I am getting the PowerBoost benefit. The modem does support DOCSIS 3.0 but requires me to take it to a TWC support center for a firmware upgrade. Upgrading the firmware for DOCSIS 3.0 compatibility would not boost my performance further with the Broadband Standard package I have so it would be pointless to do so.
UPDATE: On the MyServices/My Account/View Current Services & Equipment page at timewarnercable.com a link to a user guide should now appear for your cable modem. My modem's user guide states "DOCSIS models are capable of receiving data at rates of up to 30Mbps (30 Megabits per second)". My cable modem should be able to handle the PowerBoost just fine.
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