Bright House Networks is now offering residential subscribers in its Central Florida and Tampa Bay areas a new service that was designed to eliminate Wi-Fi “dead zones” in homes.
The service, which is called “Echo,” is able to expand Wi-Fi into areas of a home that previously had trouble receiving the signals.
Bright House Networks said that Echo was designed to provide a more consistent bandwidth for gaming, streaming and multiple devices on customer’s wired networks, as well as deliver a blanket of Wi-Fi for mobile devices, providing a stronger wireless signal away from the main modem. Echo turns a subscriber’s existing coaxial cable network into the equivalent of an Ethernet network.
The Echo service features two DOCIS 3.0 wireless gateways, DG1670 and TG16782, which are both made by Arris. The new service consists of an Echo modem that delivers increased range and signal as well as access points anywhere there is a cable outlet that has a Wi-Fi antennae and wired Ethernet ports that allow customers to connect devices such as smart TVs, video game systems or desktop computers directly to the Internet.
Bright House Networks said pricing for Echo varied by region, but a user on DSL Forums wrote that installation was $29, plus $6 per month and $3 for each access point.
Comcast, Cablevision and Cox Business have also deployed gateways that integrate a cable modem with a wireless gateway.
