Those with a cable modem at home raise your hands. That should be about half of you with a high speed connection to the Internet. Usually these modems will remain the black (or white or...) boxes sitting on the shelf between your cable and PC or home network. Those wanting to do more should take a look at this book.
This is a "how" as well as a "how to" book. It examines the technology employed by the cable industry as well as details for specific products. The list of cable modems presented is extensive but, because this is a static book, obviously not exhaustive. Still, the collection is impressive, as is the detail allotted to each.
Cable modems sometimes provide a web server interface for configuration purposes. This book looks under the hood even if there is no user-configurable interface. It presents the procedures for doing this as well as tweaks and tricks that can be used to change a modem's configuration and capabilities. Your mileage will vary and it is possible to "brick" (turn your modem into the equivalent usefulness of a real brick) your modem. Still, it makes the job much easier if you plan on trying to "adjust" your modem.
The book is also useful as a practical example of reverse engineering. Few books attempt to do this. This book does so by example and a rather practical one at that. Developers needing to interface to other black boxes in their design may be able to take some of the tips and tricks and apply them in other circumstances.
