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Just to reiterate what @gp-se indicated above:
1. The modem will update the firmware itself, no user interaction is required; and
2. You cannot purchase a modem or any modem which you would like to run on the Rogers network. Rogers only rents modems to its customers. As @AngryChicken indicates above, the primary reason it probably support. Rogers tests every modem that runs on its network, so, that takes time and manpower to accomplish, ergo, the requirement to keep that list to a minimum.
The modems are updated. Are they updated fast enough to keep up with security issues when they arise? Probably not, but, Rogers isn't the only ISP in this situation.
If you're looking for security updates for a modem, your best bet is to run the modem in Bridge mode with a router that is routinely updated, both for security updates, but also for component updates. I draw your attention to the Changelog for the latest Merlin Asuswrt version. If you look at the updated components, Tor, curl, nano, dnsmasq, openssl, inadyn, getdns, stubby, that is typical of what you see with Merlin updates:
https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/changelog-382
So, if component updates, which provides a degree of security on their own is what you're looking for, then you need to look around at the various router manufactures to determine which ones provide routine security updates. What you find will probably disappoint you.
In terms of the latest and greatest modems, that's a matter of opinion. The CODA-4582 has been described above as long in the tooth. Well, at the present time there are basically two dominant modem chipsets on the North American market which are the Intel Puma 7 and Broadcom BCM-3390. There might be some smaller companies around as well, but the two main companies are what you typically see running in North American ISPs.
The CODA-4582 was released by Rogers in Dec 2016 and initially received numerous updates to resolve firmware issues. That modem was probably released before it was ready, but, the Puma 6 debacle was still being resolved by Arris and Intel at the time and for many months thereafter. Rogers chose to skip the wait and release the CODA-4582 (Puma 7), which although slightly painful, was probably the smarter choice given the ongoing Puma 6 situation. At the present time, the Puma 7 chipset appears to be the reigning modem from Intel. Yup, its a little over three years old, but, there doesn't appear to be a replacement on the horizon so its the latest and greatest
Just to note, Intel sold the Home Connected division to MaxLinear a couple of weeks ago. That division would include the Puma design group, so, where that modem goes from here is anyone's guess. MaxLinear manufactures the front end cable tuner for the Puma chipset modems, so, now they own the whole ball of wax. Who knows where Maxlinear will go from here.
Arris, which uses the Puma 7 chipsets in its latest and greatest modems has been sold or sold itself to Commscope. Ruckus is also owned by Commscope. So, where Arris goes with any future modem design is a rather interesting question. Rogers currently uses the Arris TG-3482ER (Puma 7 XB6) for its new Ignite TV Service. That is the latest and greatest modem from Arris. Is Commscope going to stay in the modem business?? Who knows....
The Broadcom BCM-3390 chipset is the basis of the Technicolor CGM-4141ROG (XB6) which Rogers uses for the new Ignite TV Service. That is the latest and greatest modem from Arris as well, this time with a Broadcom chipset. Externally the two XB6 versions look the same. That is also the latest and greatest for TPIA use, this time in the form of the Technicolor TC-4400. In reality that modem has been around for at least two years, although initially in test versions.
So, in reality, the modem world doesn't move that fast, and updates for the modem don't move as fast at they probably should. Intel took months before it acknowledged the DOS issues with the Puma 5, 6, and 7 modems, and weeks or months before updates were released to resolve the issues. Are those issues resolved?? No one knows because all of the companies from Intel to the manufacturers to the ISPs are radio silent on the results of the updates. Once again its up to the users to prove or disprove the performance of Intel Puma chipset modems.
Not sure of Broadcom's practices, but their probably pretty close to Intel's software development practices. The Intel modem firmware is developed from Intel's Software Development Kit, which covers a specific range of modem models. So you would see an SDK for Puma 6 modems and an SDK for Puma 7 modems. The manufacturers can only do what the SDKs allow, and the ISPs can only do what is included or allowed by the modem's firmware that arrives from the manufacturer. So, if there is a major issue, requiring a big firmware change, then most likely it requires Intel, now Maxlinear to to back to the drawing board and come up with the necessary updates that can be distributed to the manufacturers in the form of an updated SDK and then distributed by the manufacturers to the ISPSs in the form of an updated firmware version for the various modem models that the ISP might be using. In short, firmware updates can take a very long time. To Rogers and Hitron's credit, they both moved very quickly in the early days to fix numerous problems. Is the firmware perfect, probably not, but, its a long way from where it started.
At the present time, for the CODA-4582, the production version firmware is V2.0.10.36T6. A new version is on the verge of release, which is V7.1.1.30. That new version contains a new kernel, which is unusual to say the least. It would appear that once a modem or router is released, its remains on its release kernel forever, despite any future updates to the kernel. There are updates to the secondary files that can be applied, if a manufacturer wishes to apply them, but, you're on your own to determine who does it best. In this case, V7.1.1.30 is required to support OFDMA upstream, which will hopefully greatly reduce latency. So, at the present time, it would appear that the three year old Puma 7 modem with V7.1.1.30 is the latest and greatest modem that you will see. The XB6 versions might be an equivalent match if they can support OFDMA upstream.
End story, finding the latest and greatest modem isn't easy. Its a combination of hardware and firmware and which functions that an ISP chooses to support. Both the Puma 7 and BCM-3390 gateway modems have vastly improved wifi capability built, but, I suspect that Rogers has disabled a good majority of those capabilities to keep the test cost and support cost down. Too bad, which is what brings one back to the argument of buying your own capable router so that you can update the router when updates become available and so that you can use the various features that are built into the router to improve your network performance.
Hope that answers the question ........
So, the follow on question is, what’s next?
In the near term, possibly more than one downstream OFDM channel which will result in higher downstream data rates. The XB6 modems already have space in the user interface for another OFDM channel. Maybe it’s just a question of when Rogers implements a second downstream OFDM channel.
The CODA-4582 will probably receive V7.1.1.30 or close successor which will enable OFDMA upstream. So the waveform type that is used for OFDM downstream will also be applied to the upstream data. That will be an interesting development as it should drop upstream latency by a considerable amount and it should also enable Rogers to offer much higher upstream data rates. The question is, will Rogers actually offer higher upstream data rates??
Roger’s techs are now installing a new generation of splitters which run up to 1218 Mhz. The current splitters, which have been in use forever run up to 1002 Mhz. It looks like Rogers is getting ready for the day when it will implement the first DOCSIS 3.1 frequency extension up to 1218 Mhz. Here’s the Antronix CMC 4000 series splitters:
https://www.antronix.com/products/results.aspx?cid=1&filters=17
In terms of consumer grade modem developments, modem manufactures have, or are nearing Cablelabs qualifications for a new generation of modems which will enable higher Ethernet and Wifi data rates. While modems such as Bells Home Hub 3000 are already running above 1 Gb/s, the problem is, there’s no way to run those higher data rates over a single Ethernet port (1 Gb/s max) or wifi. Those higher data rates that will be available thru upcoming modems are the result of:
- Inclusion of the 802.3bz standard into Ethernet ports which will enable 2.5 and 5 Gb/s over Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling that is typically found in today's homes. That standard is about 3 & ½ years old now and we’re just now seeing their inclusion in modems. There are motherboards and switches out now that have 802.3bz ports onboard, and, you can buy add on Aquantia Ethernet cards with 802.3bz onboard.
- Inclusion of fibre SFP ports on modems and routers. Arris has already introduced a modem with a fibre SFP or SFP + port included at the 2018 or 2019 Consumer Electronics show. I haven’t seen that modem mentioned anywhere but at the CES, so I don’t know if it’s progressed beyond the qualification stage. By including fibre ports, that will greatly simplify high speed networking out of the modem and allow consumers to use switches and routers with SFP ports already built in and ready to go. Asus has a router out now with Dual 10G ports, one 10GBase-T and one 10G SFP+ port: https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Networking/RT-AX89X/
- Inclusion of Wifi 6, or 802.11ax in modems. That is basically OFDMA technology applied to wifi. That should result in much higher wifi rates, but, as usual, that requires both modem/router and device with 802.11ax capability built in. That is already available in routers and is just now making its debut in modems. Just to note, 802.11ax is not ratified and isn’t scheduled for ratification until Nov 2020. Now with Covid 19 on the loose, I wonder if that is going to be pushed back??
- Inclusion of Wifi 6E following regulatory changes to run wifi in the 6 Ghz band. The problem with wifi is its success. Everyone and his, or her dog, wants to run devices via wifi. There’s only so much wifi bandwidth available which results in poor performance for everyone. Wifi designers and manufacturers have been pushing for more bandwidth, in this case in the 6 Ghz band. So, that is happening as regulatory changes occur around the world: https://www.wi-fi.org/news-events/newsroom/wi-fi-alliance-brings-wi-fi-6-into-6-ghz
I haven’t kept track of the approval process in Canada, so I don’t know if or when Wifi 6E will be approved for Canadian use.
To keep track of upcoming modems you can go to the CableLabs site, https://www.cablelabs.com/specs/certification and use the link for Certified and Qualified Devices to download the current excel approval spreadsheet. That shows previous and new qualifications by CableLabs. That qualification is for interoperability only. CableLabs does not concern itself in any way, shape or form, with the consumer usability of the modem. That’s how ISPs worldwide ended up with the Puma 6 debacle. The modem could be an absolute failure on the Ethernet and wifi side, but as long as a cable operator can talk to the modem via the CMTS and command it to do what needs to be done on the cable side, CableLabs appears to be happy enough to stick its certification on the modem. That’s a very unfortunate situation which doesn’t appear to have a solution anywhere on the horizon.
If you look at that spreadsheet you can look for item such as:
108-1218MHz/258-1218MHz: which indicates that the modem is capable of running the DOCSIS 3.1 frequency extension above 1002 Mhz. That will allow space for an additional OFDM downstream channel and higher overall downstream data rates.
10/100/1000/2500 Base-T That’s the application of 802.3bz for higher Ethernet data rates out of the modem (yay).
5-45MHz/5-204MHz That indicates a high split for upstream data, which will allow for much higher upstream data rates. The current upstream max frequency these days is typically 45 Mhz. There are frequency extensions for DOCSIS 3.1 and 4.0 to run up to 85 or 204 Mhz. That will provide a great deal more upstream bandwidth and much higher upstream data rates.
So, there are some very interesting changes coming up in the modem world, as well as changes for routers and devices. The CableLabs newly certified modems don’t appear to be in production just yet, but they should be starting very soon and will probably see public introduction over the next 6 to 12 months. Thats about a 4 to 5 year upgrade timeline. Then there’s the question of how long those changes will take to arrive in Canada?
Last but not least, is the newly approved DOCSIS 4.0 spec. The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, DOCSIS for short is a continually evolving document. That evolution is driven by consumer demand for higher data rates and technological development, allowing systems to run higher data rates. That is a combination of updates to ISP systems, down to the cable modems, and changes to the cable modems themselves which involve faster processors and advanced signal processing application. DOCSIS 3.1 which is currently in effect supports capabilities up to 10 Gb/s downstream and 1 Gb/s upstream. DOCSIS 4.0 supports up to 10 Gb/s downstream and 6 Gb/s upstream. Of course, those higher data rates have to be supported by changes in equipment by the ISPs and changes in network layouts, pushing the fibre component of the ISP hybrid fibre/coax systems much closer to the end customers. That is happening as Rogers pushes fibre installations further downstream closer to the customers. Unfortunately that’s not an overnight change and certainly isn’t happening as fast as the customer base wishes.
Hope that provides some useful reading. There are some really interesting changes coming up that will push higher data rates. The one downside is the end cost to the consumer. Running faster data rates in the home won’t be cheap 😞
Hello, @falcios.
It's always good to be running the latest firmware; I appreciate your query. What firmware version is your modem running? If it is on 2.0.10.36T6, then that is the last version deployed network-wide. We do have a newer version, 7.1.1.30, it's deployment being done in small batches. We don't have estimated time, but all the CODA-4582s will eventually get the 7 dot version.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Cheers,
RogersMoin
You're most welcome, @falcios. At the moment, we can't install the 7 dot version on request. It will get automatically deployed. I appreciate you reaching out to us in private messages; we can troubleshoot the dropped connection issue there.
Cheers,
RogersMoin
@Alex4161 wrote:
(This post has been merged to this thread)
XB6 Modem Firmware Thread
I recall seeing a firmware thread for the new modem and can't seem to find it now. Did it get moved? Perhaps we can make it into a sticky so that people can find this easily.
BTW, what is the latest firmware version for this modem and when did it get rolled out?
Thanks
For the XB6, there is this thread in the Ignite TV section. @RogersGordon said that they will be rolling out a new version of firmware for the Techniocolor XB6 over the next few weeks but I don't know what that version number is.
Is there any particular problem that you are expecting a fix for?
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