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Time
Warner's Road Runner service is up and, well, running in
the area
By
Ray Barrington
Dot Com Magazine
It seems
to be the perfect wedding of technology and bird.
When Time Warner Cable wanted a name for its cable Internet
service, what better name than Road Runner?
The name speaks of extreme, high-velocity, fun, coyote-bashing
speed. Well, maybe you don't use your computer to get away
from coyotes, but you get the idea.
The
folks at Time Warner's main office in Kimberly emphasize
that in their advertising and mailings.
The
idea is simple - use the cable that brings TV into a house
to bring in computer traffic as well.
In
the case of Time Warner, after a system-wide upgrade in
eastern Wisconsin, that ability is here. Now, the company
is trying to sell the idea.
Cable
Internet access does use that cable much as your phone lines
bring in computer traffic. The main difference is speed;
Time Warner claims up to 100 times faster than a 56K modem.
The
speed not only allows quick page downloads, but opens up
areas, such as broadband video and music, that are time-consuming
for dial-up users.
The
other advantage is the always-on aspect of the cable hookup.
No dial-in, no tying up the phone (or getting a second line.)
"In
my office at home," quipped Time Warner marketing coordinator
Cindy McCabe, "I have a TV, I have a phone, and I have Roadrunner.
I've got to get out more often."
Cable
is one of two high-speed access methods available to at-home
users. The other is DSL, a digital subscriber phone line.
Both
have advantages and disadvantages. In the case of cable,
there are two major concerns.
One
is security. Since computers connected to the Internet are
always hooked up, there is the chance hackers could enter
the computer from outside.
"It's
no less safe than any dial-up," said Barbara Pandolfo, public
relations director for the Green Bay division of Time Warner.
"You're still sharing when you're on the telephone line."
The
other is the shared aspect of the system. All cable Internet
users in a given area share the same cable; if all are on
and downloading heavily, speed can drop.
"Our
job is to make sure that doesn't happen, that the speed
doesn't diminish," said Pandolfo.
"If the number of subscribers jumps or there's some heavy
downloading, our job is to stay ahead of that curve and
decide it's time to split that architecture.
"Our
target range is 1.5-to-2 megabytes downstream to the desktop,"
said Pandolfo. "Upstream, going out, we're targeting about
250K."
The
speed is also monitored overall at the regional and national
center level, she said.
For
the home user, cable hookup can be simple. Time Warner sells
a home installation software kit for $9.95, a tenth of the
cost of a visit to install the system.
There
are two ways to hook the cable into the computer. One is
the use of a NIC (Network Interface Card) with an Ethernet
connection; such cards are available at most computer sellers.
The
other is the use of a (provided) cable modem, which connects
into a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port on the computer.
Pandolfo said hookup should take no more than 15 minutes.
(Cable modems are available at some stores and off the Internet.)
The
company suggests no more than 15 feet between the cable
outlet and the computer.
With
both types of hookup, it's possible to hook multiple computers
to the same connection.
Road Runner's system connects to the Internet from a regional
center in Detroit, then goes through a regional network
to the Time Warner system in Appleton. From there, it goes
to the cable system.
"We've
got three paths with the cable coming to your neighborhood,
so if there's a cut, the cable (signal) is still coming
in from two other directions," Pandolfo said. Demand has
been high - 2,000 subscribers in the first three weeks,
Pandolfo said.
The
company is pricing service at $39.95 for Time Warner cable
TV subscribers; $10 more for non-subscribers.
The
service is available in all but the northernmost areas of
Time Warner service.
The company has emphasized service to consumers, rather
than businesses, Pandolfo said.
"Actually,
many businesses are not wired for cable, so there are additional
construction costs," she said.
"There's
a possibility of using wireless so we don't have to dig
up a parking lot."
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