Asianet DOCSIS 3 Broadband Plus Review

[Arun 795]

Broadband just got broader for me, thanks to the new DOCSIS 3 Cable Modem internet service from Asianet Satellite Communications, available now in Trivandrum and Kochi. Asianet Satellite Communications (not to be confused with Asianet the channel which is under a different management) has been providing broadband internet services since 2000 in Kerala through their Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable network along with Cable TV services.

DOCSIS 3.0

Asianet provides internet service using Cable Modem and uses the DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) standard. They have been using DOCSIS 2.0 for many years now and they have recently implemented DOCSIS 3.0 which allows a much higher maximum throughput. DOCSIS 3.0 achieves that by using multi-channel bonding (using multiple channels simultaneously for download/upload) while DOCSIS 2 cable modems uses single channel only. So a DOCSIS 3 cable modem with 4 bonded channels can provide 4 times the bandwidth of a DOCSIS 2 modem. Along with the DOCSIS 3 modem you need to have the DOCSIS 3 based package subscription also.

The service should be available in most parts of Trivandrum and Kochi now. Since they already have the DOCSIS 3 compliant HFC cable across all parts of the city, availability is not much of a problem unlike DSL ISPs who cannot expand here now due to restrictions for laying fibre. For plans above 8 mbps the DSL ISPs have to use fibre-to-home which is available in very few areas only; so Asianet has an advantage here.

Packages

UPDATE: The new and current packages are listed here: http://www.asianetdataline.com/brdplus.aspx

<old package details>The current packages are costlier and that might be the reason why Asianet hasn't even announced the availability of the DOCSIS 3 service and is probably running like a trial now. Their website isn't updated about the DOCSIS 3 service or packages either. Since the current packages will soon be replaced by new cheaper packages, I will post the upcoming new packages for the DOCSIS 3 service:





Please note that these new packages are not available yet and it is not known when it will be launched, but might happen within a month or so. The data limits are on the lower side; but with the combo offer (i.e. with Cable TV package) the data limits are reasonable. I would opt for the Xtream 1625 package at Rs.1625 per month with 50 GB data limit per month once the new packages are available. The cable modem cost will be Rs.3500, which when compared to DSL providers is a bit more expensive.

The current packages are costlier where I now have 20 mbps speed plan with 25 GB data limit at Rs.2500 per month. However the cable modem was cheaper at Rs.2500.</old package details>

Modem

The cable modem is a Cisco DPC3825 8x4 DOCSIS 3.0 Wireless Residential Gateway which has WiFi support:

The modem configuration page has lots of configurable options and is accessible in browser using the modem IP. For the login details you may have to contact the person who came to install your modem as the default login does not work.

Performance / Speed / Reliability

Asianet's cable modem internet service (DOCSIS 2.0) does not have a good opinion in general as far as stability is concerned with varying speeds and packet loss. The new DOSCSIS 3 plans might be able to change that perception as the performance has been "good" at least for the 1 week that I have used. The speed has been consistent and for Indian servers I have been able to get almost 20 mbps download all the time. For international (UK, US) servers I was able to get around 16 - 17 mbps download speed most of the time. For upload speed I was able to get 3 - 5 mbps for Indian servers and around 2-3 mbps for international servers.







ICMP commands are disabled at Asianet's end and hence ping, trace route, etc. will not work. They will not enable it and the only way to have it enabled is by opting for a static IP address (discussed later). So I have to rely on the results from speedtest.net and pingtest.net to know the ping times:

30 ms - Bangalore
180 ms - Gloucester, UK
250 ms - New York, US




Asianet has a web based login process to start the internet session. The web portal also shows you the exact data usage when you login so that you can know the limit left. The "My Account" portal also has detailed usage information. The web based login is not required if you have a static IP address for Rs.2500 per year. I might apply for the static IP for the ICMP support and the loginless connection. However you have to apply with a photo ID proof, etc. which is weird when you have already given those details for the connection!

One you are logged in, there is a session check every 10 minutes; which means if there are no PC's or devices connected, it will get logged off automatically. So if you shut down your device for more than 10 minutes you will have to re-login. This is a problem when you are connected to VPN because the network layer changes in your PC to the VPN's network and the session check will not get an acknowledgement. When I contacted Customer Care about it I was told that they will make a change at their side for my connection so that the session will continue to work as long as there is data activity every 20 minutes. VPN worked fine uninterruptedly after this was changed.

I accidently found out that using remote DNS (like Google DNS, OpenDNS, etc.) decreases the speed of the connection. When I changed back to Asianet's DNS, the speed was better (by at least 1 - 2 mbps) and the difference was like day and night when testing on PS3 where the download speed when using Google DNS was around 3 mbps and when I changed to Asianet's DNS it jumped to 15 mbps. I don't have a clue on how DNS can make such a difference in the download speed.

As far as stability is concerned, it doesn't score well as there were multiple connection dropouts in the past week. The cable modem appears to be very sensitive that it hangs and requires a reboot sometimes. After googling I found that this issue was reported by many (cable modem is popular in US with many providers there) and the reasons could be a problem in the cable modem itself or voltage fluctuation or a problem in the line. I am not yet sure what the problem could be but for the past couple of days there were no connection drops. There were a couple (or 3) outages where the technical support personnel told me that there was an issue in the line and it was rectified within a few minutes whenever I called. So the uptime reliability remains to be a concern and I hope they improve on it as its early days for DOCSIS 3.

There are no toll free numbers for customer care, but the local customer support is good enough as you get connected directly to someone when you call and the first person of contact does seem to be able to check most issues. For some issues they will call back and usually does so within a few minutes.



Verdict

One week usage is not enough to make a verdict especially when DOCSIS 3 was implemented by them recently. Maybe I will be able to give an update after a month or so. But for now the speed is great for what they promise, good responsive customer support and "not bad" uptime reliability (99.5% for the past week). Usually speeds on cable modem (at least for DOCSIS 2.0 with Asianet) can vary a lot when there are too many users at a time. So once the existing DOCSIS 2 users upgrade to DOCSIS 3, it remains to be seen if the same level of service can be maintained by them in the future.

[krimen 0]

I have the old asianet broadband service. I use Linux( Ubuntu ) and I could not get connected to the net if I used either Google's DNS or Opendns. I had to use Asianet's dns.

So I was wondering how, with the 'log in' system that Asianet has, one can use a dns other than Asianet's. Could you please tell me?

Thanks.

[Arun 795]

You can add a DNS entry with the IP address for the login page URL in your PC's host file. For e.g. my login page URL is at mwcp-tvm-01.adlkerala.com (check in your browser's address bar) and its IP (check by pinging it) is 10.128.0.31

So I would add the DNS entry as:

mwcp-tvm-01.adlkerala.com 10.128.0.31

(the IP will vary according to your login URL)

Also add a DNS entry for :

images.adlkerala.com 202.88.238.209

Now you can open the login page using the full URL with the port number, i.e.: https://mwcp-tvm-01.adlkerala.com:8001

[KTD 60]

This is so awesome ... our dumb chennai please wake up and do something like this ...

[Deepak Shankar 79]

Sreejith as long as Air Hell and BSNL continue to operate such services and plans shall only be a dream Air Hell charges more for limited service and BSNL charges ok for poor service.I hope such services become a distant reality in Chennai too

[Arun 795]

Just wanted to update that the new plans are available now and Asianet is advertising about the DOCSIS 3 service on its local channels now.

After my modem was replaced I haven't seen any connection drops yet. Not sure it was fixed in the modem or in their line.

[ipkonfig 10]

Good review.

I have some questions.

1) The cable modem price is 3500/-. Is there any minimum hire period for the service? What if I am not satisfied with the quality of the connection - and would like to disconnect it? If at all such a situation occurs, will Asianet refund the said amount (or at least a reasonable portion of it)?

2) If I take Dart 1999, will I have to pay just 1999 or 1999 + taxes?

I am not familiar with the policies of this particular ISP since I have not used it earlier. Hence, these queries popped up in my mind. BTW, how is the connection now? Are you facing the same set of issues?

[ipkonfig 10]

Got in touch with some Asianet officials today.

They have increased the price of the cable modem to 3950/-. (they term this as the installation charge)

The modem will always be the property of Asianet.

If we decide to terminate the connection within six months, they will ask us to pay 750 + taxes. (they term this also as the installation charge)

Even after paying the hefty amount, we wont get the modem for ourselves (for future use with other similar ISPs)!

The Dart 1999 plan will require me to pay 1999/- and additional taxes.

[Arun 795]

BTW, how is the connection now? Are you facing the same set of issues?

Ever since the modem was changed, the connection has been very stable. I don't know if it was the modem or whether they did something in the line to fix the stability issues. I am now able to keep the modem switched on for days without any issue.

I have now taken a static IP for Rs.2000 and I don't have to login anymore and ICMP commands like ping, trace route, etc. are working now. I noticed a dip in speed after taking the static IP. Support fixed some routing issue and then the speed was back to normal.

Their billing system is horrible that when there are plan changes, etc. it may have wrong charges. My last bill had around Rs.6000 worth of wrong charges (combo offer not applied, modem cost charged again). They will fix the bill after you contact them though, so just have to go through the bill carefully when you receive it.

[Arun 795]

Someone asked me about Torrent download speed which Asianet throttles for the slower DOCSIS 2.0 connection. The throttling/traffic shaping for torrent downloads applies for the new DOCSIS 3 connection as well even on a static IP connection. So if torrent downloads are important for you then you may have to look at other providers unless you use a seedbox or VPN to bypass the restriction.

[Root 0]

Well explained review by Arun

.

Joined this community because of this topic. Sorry guys, I'm not a subscriber of RIM.

I have been subscribed for ADL for the last 5 years and contrary to the some of the statements stated above, I have felt and would still state ADL's customer service in my area is very much satisfactory. The person in change of ADL have patience and know what's what with ADL. But, despite some of their staff's best effort to provide better service to their subscribers ASCL still fail in the essential thing – “providing disruption free service”. I have learned from my experience that rather than listening to the per-scripted replies of customer support guys at their support center, it's better to deal with guys in their branch office. There would be someone who know how stuff works?

Even though they are the only DOCSIS v 2.0 enabled ISP in Kerala, their uplink bandwidth still don’t cross the 512 kbps border even for the SME data plans and even with static public IP. For Xpress 520 plans and below the upload data transfer rate just reaches 256 kbps. I'm struggling with attained upload data transfer rate of around 500 kbps with Xpress 1085 plan. Even if you are ready to spend more by customizing the Asianet Dataline broadband Internet service, they won't make you happy on up-link rate.

With respect to their home segment VoIP service, the service seems to be okay with free initial credit of Rs.50/-. However, their calling rates are not transparent at all. ASCL displayed rate is not what is getting deducted from your VoIP prepaid account. Upon enquiry with upper management, the reply I received was their intermediary service provider at different geographical locations other than India, hiked their service charge and the rates also fluctuated and they can't even update the calling rates published on their website, which is cheating customer's and require immediate legal action.

As informed by ADL about throttling of peer to peer traffic, I have been experiencing good download data transfer rate with static public IP using Bittorrent. I wonder how? ADL is providing free to use modem to annual payment subscribers and they have the option to avail the modem on lease for monthly payment schemes. However, modem warranty is strictly for one year on both the cases, which is odd.

Even with all this cons, Asianet Dataline cable Internet service have it's edge over ADSL providers by providing more data transfer speeds and extra data transfer for ADTV subscribers and to more far places.

If you guys are in need for symmetrical up-link and down-link bandwidth and are ready to spend more, you can avail BSNL GPON Internet service which will quench your quest for speed. But don't expect much in terms of customer support.

Finally they rolled out their upgraded DOCSIS 3.0 service. Good to hear from Arun that D3 plans are rocking. I still have to wait as the service is currently not available in my area. Let's hope with their new technical advancement the reliability of the service also increases.

Arun, How's your experience with Cisco DPC3825 modem's Wi-Fi range? Does they can be operated simultaneously in 2.4Ghz and 5.0 Ghz and how's the configuration options of the device? More over could you please share the MTU set by them?

How's the data transfer rate enabling VPN and any points to note while enabling personal or enterprise VPN access?

Thank you.

[Ajith R 0]

Hello Arun and others

Stumbled upon this page thanks to google. Just got myself into Asianet broadband and took up the dart 1470 plan. Been a VSNL/Tata Indicom user for more than 7 years and had enough of their service downtime and lack of response.

Anyways my query is a bit weird.

My desktop, laptops and even my tablets pick up the wifi and log-in flawlessly but neither my htc one nor my wife's lenovo gets logged on to this. It just goes on an "obtaining ip address" loop. Any help in this would be appreciated.

And thanks a ton for the detailed review. Was clueless about the option for static ip. that login procedure everytime is a pain

How to find out if the DNS is remote or Asianet?

Thanks for everything

[Root 0]

Hi Ajith,

You can lease a static public IP from ASCL for INR 2000/- for plans Xpress 1085 and above to avoid manual login through Mettle Wire server. You can still access your account and usage details. The IP is mapped to your MAC of modem/router and assigned for 24 hours.

The DNS servers ADL assigns are

202.88.231.2

202.88.231.10

202.88.238.3

For Linux, you can make use of the dig command and in Windows nslookup to query the DNS records.

[Ajith R 0]

Yes after much chaos and confusion i manage to get a static ip from them. Still beats me why they want a network diagram which i drew in MS Paint Last few days went through hell with their customer support. Out of the 5mbps i was supposed to get, i was consistently getting just 1.9mbps down and 3.1mbps up on speedtest check! They just kept saying its all fine at our end and blah blah.

Finally got someone to come check. he came he checked called someone and it was back to normal. He said it was a server issue! Go figure

[Arun 795]

Arun, How's your experience with Cisco DPC3825 modem's Wi-Fi range? Does they can be operated simultaneously in 2.4Ghz and 5.0 Ghz and how's the configuration options of the device? More over could you please share the MTU set by them?

How's the data transfer rate enabling VPN and any points to note while enabling personal or enterprise VPN access?

WiFi range is less than the other Netgear and Cisco WiFi routers I have used for ADSL connections. So if you have a very big house then you might struggle. Only 2.4 GHz is available. There are a lot of configuration options in the modem settings page and allows you to control most things you would normally need. The MTU set in the configuration page is 1472.

The DNS servers ADL assigns are

202.88.231.2

202.88.231.10

202.88.238.3

Mine shows: 202.88.238.3 and 202.88.238.5

Yes after much chaos and confusion i manage to get a static ip from them. Still beats me why they want a network diagram which i drew in MS Paint Last few days went through hell with their customer support. Out of the 5mbps i was supposed to get, i was consistently getting just 1.9mbps down and 3.1mbps up on speedtest check! They just kept saying its all fine at our end and blah blah.

Finally got someone to come check. he came he checked called someone and it was back to normal. He said it was a server issue! Go figure

Lol, I made the diagram using MS Word The explanation they gave is that it is some requirement from the telecom regulator when a static IP is leased.

BTW speedtest.net has now added Trivandrum as a test server location and it is provided by Asianet

[Ajith R 0]

Yes even strange that gas connection bill was accepted by them as address proof for new connection but not for static ip. Strange

[unni 0]

Posting my expirience with asianet DOCSIS3 broadband connection. First I applied over internet by sending an email as suggested by their advertisement. There was no response. So I called them over phone.The next day a guy came to inspect my residence. I stay in the Palarivattom area of Kochi where they have this facility.

The next day itself the cable was laid. Though I had asianet digital TV cable they said they will draw a separate cable for internet otherwise speed may be affected.

The modem was installed 3 days later . I opted for the combo plan Xtream 810 with monthly payment of Rs 810 + taxes which gives 12 Mbps speed and 12GB usage + 4GB usage extra as I am already aasianet Cable TV customer.( Combo-Plan).

To get the comboplan activated ( and get the extra usage) you should have both internet and TV connection in the same premises under the same name.

First I sent the reqiured email to asianet for activating combo plan. I got a reply saying I have dues in my cable TV account and hence this could not be activated. I had already paid 1 year advance for cable TV. It took a personal visit to the cable TV office of asianet to correct the descrepancy . The guys at the cable TV office were very helpful and corrected the mistake in the accounts ( I went with reciepts). then I called up asianet broadband and they said that the combo plan is already activated.

The whole process took 1 week .

I am migrating from BSNL broadband . The difference is that you should always have one computer logged in to the asianet broadband login page to remain connected . I am using an old laptop to remain continously logged in.

I am getting a speed of 7-10 Mbps . there is no modem issues or connection drops till now. I am using the connection for the last 3 days.

Maybe I will go in for a static IP later on to override the login issue.

[Adityanair 0]

Has anyone tried a few games on this? I'm planning to get the Xtream 1999 plan (20 mbps and 75+10GB data limit). I never expected to get such great speeds here.

[Ajith R 0]

Hey Aditya, I play Diablo 3 online with my dart 1470 connection. It is ok but then i lag out at times which could either be my wifi or asianet. It's ok i guess.

[Adityanair 0]

How are the game downloads? Getting the speed offered? And are you able to stream full HD without buffering?

Edited February 22, 2014 by Adityanair

[Ajith R 0]

Not sure what you mean by game downloads. But regular downloads are at 500-600KBps which is great for me. Though i keep wishing tata docomo broadband had feasibility in my area their plans are amazing.

[Bipin J Nath 0]

Hello all... I am from Tvpm.. I am using Asianet Broadband dart 1999 plan... and Same modem.....DOCSIS 3. Till last month my connection was good and was getting good MS.. now... when checking it shows good... speedtest.net. Ms is good.. But from this month starting they made some changes and all went down for me.. MS is very important to me as I am a game tester. I was getting an ms for 90 to 150 till last month.. now it is more than 200 to infinity... 999 is last... I have given complaint and they tried lot of things.. but the problem is not getting solved.. I have Bsnl and Idea net setters.. when I am using those.. connection is perfect and i get at least under 150. As a result of this my job is under issues.. and MS is one big important thing for a game tester.. I am attaching the ping potter screenshot that I have done. Help will be highly appreciated.. Thanks in advance.

http://i.imgur.com/DC8cua5.png

http://i.imgur.com/SkvC16m.png

http://i.imgur.com/5U3ToMV.png

http://i.imgur.com/uTXfCWy.png

http://i.imgur.com/KRRUR65.png

http://i.imgur.com/SxYiVWQ.png

[Arun 795]

Can you run an MTR test to these IPs and paste the result? If you are on Windows then get WinMTR here: http://winmtr.net/download-winmtr/

202.88.238.4

125.17.228.53

4.2.2.2

174.37.199.170

[Bipin Nath 0]

Please check your pm.. I have send u the result. I don't know how to attach here...

[Arun 795]

Asianet has upgraded the top 2 plans to 50 mbps now. See the new plans here: http://asianetdataline.com/brdplus.aspx

I'm on the Xtream 2499 plan with 180 GB limit per month at Rs.2499 + tax:

This was their announcement with Cisco after implementing DOSCSIS 3.0: http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?articleId=1402538

"to offer speeds of up to 50 Mbps per subscriber in the state, in the first phase, followed by 100 Mbps service in phase 2"