Class action lawsuit launched over Intel Puma 6 cable modem chipset
The Intel Puma 6 chipset used in almost all cable modems of recent vintage suffers from a design defect that causes random bursts of high latency. Intel has tried to provide a partial fix in firmware, but manufacturers using the chipset (such as Cisco, Hitron, and Arris) have been slow to roll it out. Now Arris is being hit with a class action lawsuit over it:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/11 ... a_6_arris/
While it's easy to spot the defect with a simple test (e.g., see http://www.dslreports.com/tools/puma6), it actually doesn't affect routine internet surfing and downloading very much. It has more effect on applications sensitive to latency, such as gaming and voip communications. Nevertheless customers have been irritated at cable companies like Rogers and Shaw over their lack of urgency addressing the issue. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. lawsuit turns out.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/11 ... a_6_arris/
While it's easy to spot the defect with a simple test (e.g., see http://www.dslreports.com/tools/puma6), it actually doesn't affect routine internet surfing and downloading very much. It has more effect on applications sensitive to latency, such as gaming and voip communications. Nevertheless customers have been irritated at cable companies like Rogers and Shaw over their lack of urgency addressing the issue. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. lawsuit turns out.