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Getting Connected FAQs

Clicking a question will scroll this page to the relevant answer.

    How does a cable modem work?

    Cable Modems offer a very high-speed connection to the Internet. In the right environment a Cable Modem can manage a total capacity of up to 10Megabits per second (well over a hundred times the speed of a 56k dialup modem). Technically speaking, though, a cable modem is not a modem at all, but a broadband network tree spanning bridge. Instead of using the narrow bandwidth available on a phone line (narrowband), it uses a much wider channel on the hybrid fibre/coax Cable TV Network to send and receive data (broadband).

    What is a proxy server?

    A proxy server speeds up your access to the World Wide Web. Optus Internet uses transparent proxies to provide you with the best possible online experience and to ensure that the Web pages you view contain the most up-to-date content.
    Transparent proxies improve the quality of service for you by delivering content at higher bandwidth and reducing transmission latency. If we didn't use proxies, customers would be traversing the Internet, contending with peak traffic in other countries and under-performing servers and network links. If someone else has already dragged a file down or viewed a page, it's far quicker to serve from the Optus Internet infrastructure than to go and retrieve it again from the World Wide Web.

    Why is my Internet Connection suddenly going slowly?

    Most likely, you have exceeded your monthly data quota. Check Datamonitor for details. Maybe you need to upgrade to a plan with a higher data allowance.

    Which is faster, a USB or an Ethernet Connection?

    USB 1.1 has a 11MB/sec transfer rate, and 10/100 Ethernet has an up to 100MB/sec transfer rate. Both of these formats are faster than the maximum throughput of the Cable Modem, so from a speed perspective, it doesn't matter which one you use. Ethernet is definitely easier to setup, as it uses no additional drivers.

    Where can I find USB drivers for my Cable Modem?

    All of the drivers for Optus Internet supplied Cable Modems are contained on the Optus Cable Internet CD. You can also find them at the Cable Modem manufacturer's website.

    Will Optus Internet provide support for non English language operating systems?

    No, Optus Internet cannot provide support for non-English language Operating Systems.

    Can I connect my Mac to my Cable Modem using the USB connection?

    No, Optus Cable Internet only supports Macs using an Ethernet connection.