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Home > Cable Internet > What Is Comcast PowerBoost?

What Is Comcast PowerBoost?

In June 2006, Comcast introduced PowerBoost to their existing Cable Internet subscribers and potential new customers. Comcast PowerBoost is a “temporary turbocharge” that is supposed to give Comcast's broadband Internet subscribers extra fast download and upload speeds for extra large bandwidth files.

Currently, Comcast PowerBoost is available to those paying for the 6, 8, 12, 16 or 22 Mbps residential Comcast High Speed Internet plans. It is not available for those with the 4 Mbps download plan. People paying for these plans should notice a decrease in the amount of time it takes to upload or download larger files.

How Does Comcast PowerBoost Work?

Comcast PowerBoost works for a short time at the beginning of an download or upload with the download speeds sometimes reaching as high as 30 Mbps and upload speeds reaching up to 10 Mbps. The actual PowerBoost speeds depend on many factors, including which plan you pay for, how much traffic is on the line, what you are downloading or uploading, and a few other factors.

The service works for the first 20 MB of a download and the first 10 MB of an upload. After the download or upload reaches these limits, your cable Internet speeds return to that of the plan you pay for. To see the increased speeds from PowerBoost, customers must use specific modems as determined by their cable Internet provider. Check with your cable Internet company to determine if you have the proper modem. All new customers, however, are issued PowerBoost compatible modems (such as the Arris Touchstone modem shown to the right) and do not have to worry as it is an automatic service.

The Comcast PowerBoost technology is compatible with all DOCSIS 1.1 and newer cable modems, as well as Comcast's eMTA, which is a voice and modem combination device. Cable Internet customers who have older cable modems and haven't switched to the newer modems can switch to a new compatible cable modem from Comcast and pay a leasing fee each month, unless, of course you want to purchase a Comcast PowerBoost compatible modem on your own.

Several other cable Internet providers, such as Time Warner Road Runner, Cox Internet, Charter Internet, also offer Comcast's patent pending PowerBoost service.

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Comcast PowerBoost certainly gives Cable Internet providers another advantage over DSL, and it allows broadband cable to compete with Verizon FiOS and AT&T Uverse.