I forget who mentioned lizard brain, but now every time a customer is making an Internet purchasing decision, I picture them as a lizard.
You pick Internet plans with your gut, not your brain. Your gut wants 8 Gbps. In honor of Scott Adams, didn’t he have a theme where guys would get sucked into hardware stores to buy guy things? Lizard brain. On the other hand, I have things I may never use, just in case. We probably all do. I have more portable generators than I have ever used, but in the event I need them, I want them, and there’s no point shopping for generators the day of a big storm. I have complete sets of SAE and metric wrenches, even though I only use 4 or 5 sizes on a regular basis. My dad always had tire chains in the trunk of the car, just in case. Not sure he ever used them. From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Adam Moffett Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 3:34 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> Subject: [AFMUG] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: Calix question Wow that's fantastic. This is similar, we had to document tests showing 8Gbps at every OLT at the request of management. From certain sites I was consistently getting numbers that were something like 7% lower than expected. The common thread turned out to be a particular switch chipset, and it was due to the fact we have LAG to every OLT and there was a default setting for the hashing algorithm that led to out of order packet delivery. The issue must have been there for years and we never noticed it until someone wanted proof of this stupid number being achievable. On Tue, Jan 13, 2026 at 7:03 AM Mark Radabaugh <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Our 5Gb plan was just a reaction to Frontier running a bunch of advertising for 7Gb. Sure, we can do 7 or 8 as well, but 5 seemed good enough. Take rate on the plan - a paltry 0.2% of the fiber customers. I won’t say it was all bad - it did expose some problems we didn’t know existed when we initially deployed it. Seems you can’t put 5Gbps into RADIUS in bits per second - the numbers overflow and wrap right back around. 2Gbps comes out the other side. That let to some head scratching. A new addition to the RADIUS dictionary was needed to allow specifying a rate unit - kbps, mbps, Oops. Mark On Jan 9, 2026, at 10:41 AM, Adam Moffett <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Similar here. Our highest plan on XGS-PON is 8Gbps. We also use a Veex (I forget what model) to qualify it. We also offer a router we know can do it (as a monthly managed router service). I don't know if we have them sign anything, but I know this topic is discussed. It's kind of annoying, honestly, because there's almost no use case and almost nobody buys it. Offering plans over a gig is more of a marketing play to make nerds swoon when you flex your big ol' fiber optic muscles. And then on the tech side there's this extra effort put in to support the flex. I'm curious if anyone studied how often a customer makes a purchase choice because they're so impressed by the speed of the other plans they didn't buy. It might trigger some lizard brain impression of the company being better or faster, but can they quantify how much that matters? -Adam _____ From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > on behalf of Mark Radabaugh <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 2:30 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question Heh… we offer a 5G service and include a WiFi 7 router with it just so that we have a 10G port. They don’t have to take the WiFi router if they don’t want. We make the customer sign a document that spells out that you can NOT get a 10G speed test to work over WiFi (despite what the WiFi router may claim), and that you have to have a 10G network switch and adapter in your recent model computer with decent hardware if you want to see a 5G Speedtest result. We have a Veex FX120 that we show them a 5G speed test when we do the install. It seems to help. Mark On Dec 16, 2025, at 9:53 AM, Ken Hohhof <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: It must be a challenge if you offer multigigabit service. I see a GigaSpire 7u10txg on their website and can just imagine what that must cost. Plus maybe having to dedicate a strand and an ONU port to that customer. Presumably 2-10 gigabit plans would be like the Corvette in the Chevy dealership showroom, you need one to draw customers, who look at it and then buy a Malibu or Silverado. Do you price 5 Gbps just $20/mo more than 1 Gbps knowing the customer won’t use the extra bandwidth? But then do you incur a bunch of extra hardware costs, and do you not worry about it because it’s one time not recurring cost? And what about mesh extenders, because I assume the multigig people often have large homes, and the magic of WiFi7 won’t necessarily work 5 rooms and 2 floors away. And I believe the FCC requires that you let the customer use their own router, but does the customer realize how difficult it will be to actually get those 5 Gbps speedtests they crave while using the WiFi router they chose and bought from Amazon or Best Buy? From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf Of Josh Luthman Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 7:40 AM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question Are you using the u6x? I've had an unfair amount of issues with them when upgrading. Handful of DOAs. As long as I don't touch them (upgrade EXOS or AXOS), they stay running. On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 5:52 PM <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: We are as small as they come and have been 100% Calix from the beginning. From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf Of Josh Luthman Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 12:50 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question I know myself and others are pretty small - at least I would think we are. On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 12:02 PM Mike Hammett <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: I'd imagine anyone building smaller systems would be in a similar boat. -- Mike Hammett ----- Original Message ----- From: "Josh Luthman" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: "AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 10:53:10 AM Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question That one :P On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 11:26 AM Mike Hammett < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Which half? I know someone else has complained about the Adtran purchase process. Every time you go to your distributor, they have to get a fresh quote from Adtran about what *YOUR* price is for the qty of SKU you want. -- Mike Hammett ----- Original Message ----- From: "Josh Luthman" < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: "AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group" < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 8:44:37 AM Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question I feel like Mike is the only one with that complaint. On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 8:47 AM Mike Hammett < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: The Adtran purchase process is dreadful. Their training isn't as easy to come across. -- Mike Hammett ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jason McKemie" < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: "AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group" < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2025 6:32:38 PM Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question I have some Calix active gear in the field, and I was using some Gigaspire routers. I've since switched to Ubiquiti GPON and it has been very solid since I started using it, which was several years ago. Adtran supposedly has a good product line-up and I'm told it is more reasonable than Calix, although I was never able to get pricing. The Calix stuff works well, but is best when you're spending OPM. On Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 11:40 AM Ken Hohhof < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Good info all of you. I started thinking about this when I saw a Reddit post by an ISP customer who went to the Calix website and said it was “creepy as hell”. But the post was 6 years ago, and you have to take stuff people post on the Internet with a grain of salt. https://www.reddit.com/r/privacytoolsIO/comments/gd46zy/my_isp_will_require_the_calix_gigacenter_in_my/ I do remember talking to Calix at a WISPAmerica show, I think the last one I went to was St. Louis in 2015 so it must have been at least 10 years ago. The guy was very helpful and I think even lived near me, but after following up decided my company wasn’t nearly big enough to use them. Had to create an account, send people to training, buy direct not through distribution, just to kick the tires and do a lab eval of the WiFi performance. My impression was they were for ISPs that would buy equipment by the truckload, and also they were kind of a no sex before marriage company, not even a kiss. Take the plunge and commit. But that was 10 years ago. Another thing someone else has mentioned to me is ISP customers look at their router and assume their ISP is named something like GigaSpire BLAST, and that’s who to call for support. Reminds me of the old days when lots of people said their Internet provider was named Linksys. I’m sure many of us had prospective customers say Internet is free, they use that free provider Linksys, and question why we wanted to charge them. From: AF < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf Of Chuck Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2025 8:17 AM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Calix question I have built 3 different companies using Calix and have had no problems like you describe below. Xgs in an E7 shelf is pretty high density. And you dont have to pay monthly if you dont want their managed router solution. Never had a problem getting equipment. Sent from my iPhone On Dec 14, 2025, at 5:55 AM, Mark Radabaugh < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Calix lost me when I needed higher density hardware and all they ever wanted to talk about was how they were a cloud service company and look at all our shiny toys you can pay us monthly for. Yeah - what about actually hooking up customers? Oh, if you give us a two year forecast of what you want to buy we will hook you up - just don’t count on them actually having the equipment when you need it. Mark On Dec 13, 2025, at 7:27 PM, Mark - Myakka Technologies via AF < [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Ken, We use them. First of all their HW just works and works well. They may seem to be expensive on the MRC, but they bring a bunch of other services to the table. They will help with marketing, network engineering, etc. The support is VERY responsive and the amount of data collected in the service cloud is unbelievable. This is all they do, managed routers and fiber distribution. They have to be top notch to survive. They fit into our business model, but each business if different. I would say give them a chance to give you a proposal. See what they bring to the table. Maybe it is a fit, maybe not. -- Best regards, Mark mailto: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Myakka Communications www.Myakka.com <http://www.myakka.com/> ------ Saturday, December 13, 2025, 1:51:56 PM, you wrote: I assume some of the folks on this list who are doing fiber use Calix ONTs and routers? If I go to the Calix website, maybe as a provider thinking of using them as a vendor, I am totally confused. It is not clear what products they sell or how I would use them. It all seems to be glossy marketing stuff about their agentic AI cloud and market insights. I don’t see a single picture of a piece of hardware. Is this how a lot of ISPs are making money despite charging low prices? Do they have an “agentic workforce” monitoring how their customers use the Internet, cross referencing it to demographics, and mining that data for ads, upselling, etc.? It seems they have special cloud features for MDU managers as well. It seems a lot of cable companies use Amazon’s eero, I wonder if service provider eero is like Calix, or if it’s just the retail eero with a few remote management features added. -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
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