Troubleshooting DOCSIS Archives

1 04, 2026

75 ohm in coaxial cable

PONisNext2026-04-01T13:16:04-04:00April 1st, 2026|

Why did the cable industry choose 75-ohm coaxial cable — and not 50 ohms? The answer is rooted in physics, engineering tradeoffs, and decisions made decades ago that still define every HFC network running DOCSIS today. Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac break down one of the most fundamental design choices in cable network history: why 75-ohm characteristic impedance became the standard for outside plant, Why did the cable industry choose 75-ohm coaxial cable — and not 50 ohms? The answer is rooted in physics, engineering tradeoffs, and decisions

23 07, 2025

Echo Cavity in Cable Plant

DOCSIS Rocks2025-07-24T13:29:48-04:00July 23rd, 2025|

The “Fun-house Mirrors” of a Cable Plant What’s an echo cavity, really? Clap your hands and you hear one echo if the sound hits one wall and bounces back. Now clap between two mirrors facing each other— the sound keeps ping-ponging. In a cable network, the signal (instead of sound) bounces between two bad spots in the coax (loose connector, corroded splice, bad tap port). The distance between those two bad spots is the echo cavity. Those bouncing signals smear the data and cause pixelation, slow speeds, or

20 06, 2024

Broadband Insights

DOCSIS Rocks2024-11-19T08:49:45-05:00June 20th, 2024|

Hosted by Brady Volpe, Founder of VolpeFirm and Chief Product Officer at OpenVault, and featuring John Downey, DOCSIS Sr. Industry Consultant, this livestream will focuses on cable / broadband hot topics such as: 👉 Reddit Rants and Raves: We'll dive into recent user feedback on Starlink and Google Fiber, straight from Reddit. 👉 CommScope's Big Move: What does their acquisition of Casa's vCMTS mean for the future of our networks? Link to CommScope article: https://www.lightreading.com/cable-technology/commscope-will-ride-one-vcmts-in-wake-of-casa-deal 👉 Low Latency DOCSIS: How this technology is revolutionizing real-time applications and boosting

7 05, 2024

Upgrading Your HFC Plant For The Next 5 Years

DOCSIS Rocks2024-11-12T14:32:59-05:00May 7th, 2024|

Upgrading Your HFC Plant For The Next 5 Years - the how, the why and the when - listen to uur latest episode of Get Your Tech On! Hosted by Brady Volpe, Founder of VolpeFirm and Chief Product Officer at OpenVault, and featuring John Downey, DOCSIS Sr. Industry Consultant, this livestream focuses on the technical aspects you should consider when looking to upgrade your HFC plant to last for the next five years. 85 MHz or 204 MHz or even higher? DAA? And more. We are going to

6 05, 2024

Pillars of Network Maintenance

DOCSIS Rocks2024-05-06T15:40:20-04:00May 6th, 2024|

Join network maintenance experts Brady Volpe, Founder of VolpeFirm and CPO OpenVault, and Mike O'Dell, Distinguished Engineer at Comcast, as they reveal the 5 critical pillars of network maintenance. In this insightful livestream, you'll discover: 👉 Proactive strategies to prevent HFC network problems 👉 Effective plant maintenance techniques to minimize downtime 👉 Best practices for identifying and fixing common issues 👉 How to transform your reactive maintenance approach into a proactive one Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and take your network maintenance skills to

27 03, 2024

DOCSIS 3.1 understanding capacity calculator

DOCSIS Rocks2024-03-27T09:05:53-04:00March 27th, 2024|

Embark on an enlightening journey with our latest episode of Get Your Tech On! Hosted by Brady Volpe, Founder of VolpeFirm and Chief Product Officer at OpenVault, and featuring John Downey, DOCSIS Industry Technical Expert, this livestream is a treasure trove for cable and telecom enthusiasts. In this captivating episode, we unravel the complexities of DOCSIS 3.1 capacity issues and explore the best strategies to comprehend and maximize them: Topic Highlights: Estimating OFDM Capacity in DOCSIS 3.1 / 4.0: Discover the intricacies of estimating data capacity on an

26 02, 2024

DOCSIS 3.1 Deep Dive: OFDM vs. SC-QAM, Upstream Bonding, and Troubleshooting Tips

DOCSIS Rocks2024-04-26T11:12:26-04:00February 26th, 2024|

DOCSIS 3.1 extended with an eye on DOCSIS 4.0 :: Watch Brady Volpe – the founder of The Volpe Firm and the Chief Product Officer at OpenVault. By his side, the legendary John "Data Dynamo" Downey, a CMTS Guru whose knowledge of cable systems bends the very fabric of the internet. Together, they're diving deep into the cutting-edge tactics vendors are deploying to supercharge DOCSIS 3.1, tackling the Herculean task of managing the avalanche of data our subscribers send surging through DOCSIS networks. We'll shine a spotlight on

12 02, 2024

DOCSIS 3.1 Deep Dive: OFDM vs. SC-QAM, Upstream Bonding, and Troubleshooting Tips

DOCSIS Rocks2024-03-27T08:41:29-04:00February 12th, 2024|

Join us in this insightful episode of Get Your Tech On, where we delve deep into the intricacies of DOCSIS 3.1. Hosted by Brady Volpe, founder of VolpeFirm and Chief Product Officer at OpenVault, and featuring John Downey, Industry Technical Expert on DOCSIS, this livestream is a must-watch for anyone in the cable and telecommunications industry. In today's episode, we tackle some of the most pressing questions about DOCSIS 3.1: OFDM vs. SC-QAM Performance and Deployment: We start by exploring the key differences between OFDM and SC-QAM channels

20 11, 2023

DOCSIS 4 or stay with Docsis 3.1?

DOCSIS Rocks2023-11-29T15:01:09-05:00November 20th, 2023|

Step right into the electrifying next episode of "Get Your Tech On"! Get ready for a turbocharged livestream where we're diving headfirst into the magical world of DOCSIS 4.0 wizardry and the latest updates. Our fearless host, Brady Volpe, the tech maestro behind The Volpe Firm and now also Chief Product Sorcerer at OpenVault, is teaming up with the one and only John "Cable Cruncher" Downey, CMTS Jedi Master at Cisco Systems. Together, they're on a mission to unlock mind-bending strategies for conquering challenges that make others tremble.

8 08, 2023

Managing DOCSIS 3.1 Channel Bonding: Ensuring Optimal Performance

DOCSIS Rocks2023-08-08T16:50:41-04:00August 8th, 2023|

Welcome to another thrilling episode of "Get Your Tech On"! In this highly informative livestream, we delve into the realm of managing DOCSIS 3.1 channel bonding to ensure optimal performance in your HFC network. Join host Brady Volpe, founder of The Volpe Firm and Chief Product Officer of OpenVault, as he teams up with the brilliant John Downey, CMTS Technical Leader at Cisco Systems, to explore ingenious strategies for overcoming challenges with modems not bonding to OFDM / OFDMA channels and offloading traffic from SC-QAM channels. Discover the