What is CPE and Why Does It Matter?
CPE is an acronym for Customer Premise(s) Equipment, which refers to any piece of connected equipment that is used for accessing the Internet or generally accessing services on a provider network, whether directly or indirectly connected to that network. CPE can be provided by the telecommunications provider, such as a cable operator, telephone company or satellite provider. These companies either rent this equipment to the customer, provide it at no charge as part of the service, or allow a customer to purchase and provide their own equipment. As the name indicates, CPE will sit on the customer side of the network and can be a demarcation point between the provider network (WAN) and the customer’s home network or (LAN).
