ARRIS/SURFboard → Motorola mfg. warranty for brown box?

My last moto 5xxx from ebay had thermal issues I am looking at buying new to get the mfg. warranty. The goal is to buy a DOCSIS 3 modem that will be trouble-free, and not be obsolete after a few years.

My modem rental from COX is $7/mo. While the SB6141 is a top pick, $100 @ Amazon means 14 mo just to break even.

The SB6141 warranty says it only applies to the first purchaser from an authorized dealer. If moto is strict about their warranty terms even a "new" ebay modem has no warranty as far as moto is concerned.

1. What is your experience w/ moto being strict with brown-box or ebay "new" warranty claims?

2. Any better suggestions than SB6141 for a future-proof & reliable modem? We don't play online games, but do stream a lot after dropping to "internet only" cable. Our service tier doesn't need the 8x4 bonding capabilities of the SB6141.

If you're concerned about the warranty, you can now get the SB6141 in retail packaging from Amazon, but it will be a few dollars more expensive:

»www.amazon.com/Motorola- ··· s=sb6141

The retail version is in a white case... other than that it is basically the same as the plain brown box version typically distributed to cable companies.

I have the SB6180; I bought it from Cox, so I assume that they will handle any warranty issues. Nothing has gone wrong (so far), so I have not been able to verify how Cox would respond to a failure.

I bought a brown box from a dealer on Ebay, and there was a warranty card in the box to send in. (SB6141)