dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
4951
rconaway8
join:2005-11-10
Phoenix, AZ

rconaway8

Member

Smallest Physical Modem for Mediacom

What is the smallest physical modem is Mediacom compatible.

MediacomChad
Mediacom Social Media Relations Team
Premium Member
join:2010-01-20
Gulf Breeze, FL

MediacomChad

Premium Member

Most modems are compatible with Mediacom service. So if you were looking to get a modem with smaller dimensions you could. However, we may not be able to update the firmware depending on the model.
rconaway8
join:2005-11-10
Phoenix, AZ

rconaway8

Member

So what is the smallest modem you would recommend that is supported by your firmware upgrade?

MediacomChad
Mediacom Social Media Relations Team
Premium Member
join:2010-01-20
Gulf Breeze, FL

MediacomChad

Premium Member

There is no list readily available. All DOCSIS 2.0 modems will work on our networks. Most of your DOCSIS 3.0 modems should have no troubles either, but we fully support the following:

Cisco DPC3825/ 3925/ 3000/ 3208
Motorola SB6120
Netgear CG3000D
RCA DHG574

Motorola SB6121 has also been known to work on our network, though we do not have manufacturer-provided firmware revisions to fully support it.
rconaway8
join:2005-11-10
Phoenix, AZ

rconaway8

Member

thanks.

Lazy Senior
join:2012-01-10
Cobden, IL

Lazy Senior to MediacomChad

Member

to MediacomChad
said by MediacomChad:

we fully support the following:
Motorola SB6120

Motorola SB6121 has also been known to work on our network, though we do not have manufacturer-provided firmware revisions to fully support it.

Chad I just gotta ask this question because so many ask about the Moto SB 6121.

It is well known and easily proved by doing a little searching that the Motorola SB6120 and SB6121 share the SAME firmware image. Please Reference the PDF document right here on Broadbandreports

» ··· CM03.pdf

On the very first page it Says: "The SB6120 and SB6121 take the same Firmware image"

I have also read that the only differences are cosmetic between the 6120 and 6121 ie: different light arrangement and a little different case.

So here is the BIG question: Since the Moto SB6120 and the SB6121 have the SAME firmware why does Mediacom not support the SB6121? For all practical purposes from what I have researched on the net they are the same modem, just different cosmetics.

MediacomChad
Mediacom Social Media Relations Team
Premium Member
join:2010-01-20
Gulf Breeze, FL

MediacomChad

Premium Member

We have not built our own firmware for the modem as of yet. I do not have any further information regarding availability for it at this time.

Lazy Senior
join:2012-01-10
Cobden, IL

Lazy Senior

Member

said by MediacomChad:

We have not built our own firmware for the modem as of yet. I do not have any further information regarding availability for it at this time.

I guess what I wanted to know if I was not clear: Why will the 6120 Firmware not work on the 6121? According to Motorola both modems use the same firmware. Somehow this just not make sense that both modems use the same firmware yet MC will not support the later (same firmware) model 6121.

MediacomChad
Mediacom Social Media Relations Team
Premium Member
join:2010-01-20
Gulf Breeze, FL

MediacomChad

Premium Member

The 6121 will not be supported until we create our own firmware for it.

At this time, there is no estimated date as to when/if this will be done.
poolShark
join:2002-11-21
Marshall, IL

poolShark

Member

said by MediacomChad:

The 6121 will not be supported until we create our own firmware for it.

At this time, there is no estimated date as to when/if this will be done.

So, why does Mediacom need to create their own firmware for modems? Why not just use the manufacturers supplied firmware? Creating/modifying firmware makes me think of how computer companies like HP, Toshiba, Dell, etc mess up the computers they sell by adding junk to a plain Windows installation.

IowaMan
Premium Member
join:2008-08-21
Grinnell, IA

IowaMan

Premium Member

Actually, Be glad they can't/ don't want to push firmware to it. Because they would i'm sure "lock it down" to prevent the less then tech savy customer know what is going on with there services

Lazy Senior
join:2012-01-10
Cobden, IL

Lazy Senior

Member

said by IowaMan:

Actually, Be glad they can't/ don't want to push firmware to it. Because they would i'm sure "lock it down" to prevent the less then tech savy customer know what is going on with there services

This begs the question: Of what Benefit is Mediacom pushed Firmware??

I have a Moto 6121 which has worked flawlessly for 1 year. I can not see ANY benefit of having MediaCom supplied firmware. None.

Maybe the MC firmware, would as you suggest, benefit Mediacom by having control of MY modem which I purchased. No thanks.

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke to rconaway8

Premium Member

to rconaway8
I could care less about Mediacom pushing firmware, but why can't Mediacom at least test the mainstream devices and publish a list of supported modems??? They used to.

Lazy Senior
join:2012-01-10
Cobden, IL

Lazy Senior

Member

said by tsduke:

I could care less about Mediacom pushing firmware, but why can't Mediacom at least test the mainstream devices and publish a list of supported modems??? They used to.

Somehow I have gotten the feeling that MC wants you to rent one of their outdated modems.

Docsis 2.0 and Docsis 3.0 are Standards. IMO if MC adheres to the Standard ALL modems presently on the market should work just fine. They just do not want to say that publicly. They put doubt in customers minds by saying "we do not support this modem"

That way the average Joe who does not read this forum gets a rented modem......

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke

Premium Member

And end up with a piece of junk modem.
rconaway8
join:2005-11-10
Phoenix, AZ

rconaway8

Member

Good points. In this case, the reason I was interested was because the customer takes over the contract in a year and we are out of it so in this case, it was good information. But I'm glad to hear what you guys are talking about.

BAINCH
MVM
join:2003-04-02
Blooming Grove, NY

BAINCH to poolShark

MVM

to poolShark
said by poolShark:

said by MediacomChad:

The 6121 will not be supported until we create our own firmware for it.

At this time, there is no estimated date as to when/if this will be done.

So, why does Mediacom need to create their own firmware for modems? Why not just use the manufacturers supplied firmware? Creating/modifying firmware makes me think of how computer companies like HP, Toshiba, Dell, etc mess up the computers they sell by adding junk to a plain Windows installation.

We don't change the manufacturer's supplied firmware. The modem requires the firmware include a supported secure key to prevent tampering. Each company keeps their own key. When we get the code from the manufacturer we have to add our key before it can go on the modem.
BAINCH

BAINCH to Lazy Senior

MVM

to Lazy Senior
said by Lazy Senior:

said by tsduke:

I could care less about Mediacom pushing firmware, but why can't Mediacom at least test the mainstream devices and publish a list of supported modems??? They used to.

Somehow I have gotten the feeling that MC wants you to rent one of their outdated modems.

Docsis 2.0 and Docsis 3.0 are Standards. IMO if MC adheres to the Standard ALL modems presently on the market should work just fine. They just do not want to say that publicly. They put doubt in customers minds by saying "we do not support this modem"

That way the average Joe who does not read this forum gets a rented modem......

We don't test every make and model of DOCSIS device in our lab. As such we can't guarantee that it will work as advertised and won't create an issue. Those devices most likely will work but we can't guarantee that. So we can't SAY we officially support it or we invite any person who has such a device and experiences a problem from attempting to hold Mediacom responsible. It is not a conspiracy to get customers to lease our modem.
BAINCH

BAINCH to Lazy Senior

MVM

to Lazy Senior
said by Lazy Senior:

said by MediacomChad:

We have not built our own firmware for the modem as of yet. I do not have any further information regarding availability for it at this time.

I guess what I wanted to know if I was not clear: Why will the 6120 Firmware not work on the 6121? According to Motorola both modems use the same firmware. Somehow this just not make sense that both modems use the same firmware yet MC will not support the later (same firmware) model 6121.

This is a excellent point, it is the same firmware. When multiple models use the same firmware the management tool has to be updated with that info so that it understands that SB6121s can be given the same firmware file as the SB6120s (which was most likely not done.) I will check on that.
BAINCH

BAINCH to rconaway8

MVM

to rconaway8
said by rconaway8:

What is the smallest physical modem is Mediacom compatible.

I'm not sure anyone answered this original question. I think the answer is:

Smallest overall: Technicolor DCM425 (for 20meg or slow tiers)
Docsis 3.0: Cisco DPC3008

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke to BAINCH

Premium Member

to BAINCH
I realize you can't test every modem, but the canned response anymore is that there is no supported modem list at all. This is mostly likely what leads people to the conspiracy that Mediacom is quietly trying to force modem rental. Whether it's true or not.

I'm curious which option is actually more cost effective for the cable companies(customer own vs rental). They surely spend a ton on these devices used for rental, but on the other side you have the issue of not supporting many devices customers purchase.

BAINCH
MVM
join:2003-04-02
Blooming Grove, NY

BAINCH

MVM

said by tsduke:

I realize you can't test every modem, but the canned response anymore is that there is no supported modem list at all. This is mostly likely what leads people to the conspiracy that Mediacom is quietly trying to force modem rental. Whether it's true or not.

I'm curious which option is actually more cost effective for the cable companies(customer own vs rental). They surely spend a ton on these devices used for rental, but on the other side you have the issue of not supporting many devices customers purchase.

We can publish a list of "supported" modems but it is always going to be what we provide to our customers.
rconaway8
join:2005-11-10
Phoenix, AZ

rconaway8 to BAINCH

Member

to BAINCH
Thank you for the information. I've ordered 50Mbps circuit though.
poolShark
join:2002-11-21
Marshall, IL

poolShark to BAINCH

Member

to BAINCH
said by BAINCH:

We don't test every make and model of DOCSIS device in our lab. As such we can't guarantee that it will work as advertised and won't create an issue. Those devices most likely will work but we can't guarantee that. So we can't SAY we officially support it or we invite any person who has such a device and experiences a problem from attempting to hold Mediacom responsible.

Yes, but that may also leave the customer in a bind when using their own modem, which has been working for a long time without an issue, and all of a sudden there is a problem with the service, but Mediacom can blame the customer's modem, because it isn't officially supported. Thus, Mediacom may be less willing to troubleshoot a problem with their network/equipment, because they instantly blame the customer's equipment.

This happened to me many years ago when I was having a weak signal issue and I was using my own SB4200. That modem was even on the approved list, but the techs wanted to blame the modem and there was nothing wrong with it. At the time, Mediacom was not charging a fee for their modems, so I let them swap it for a Mediacom modem. That fixed the issue for about a day or two and then they had to come back and that's when they decided to troubleshoot and fixed the weak signal issue.

BAINCH
MVM
join:2003-04-02
Blooming Grove, NY

BAINCH

MVM

said by poolShark:

Yes, but that may also leave the customer in a bind when using their own modem, which has been working for a long time without an issue, and all of a sudden there is a problem with the service, but Mediacom can blame the customer's modem, because it isn't officially supported. Thus, Mediacom may be less willing to troubleshoot a problem with their network/equipment, because they instantly blame the customer's equipment.

This happened to me many years ago when I was having a weak signal issue and I was using my own SB4200. That modem was even on the approved list, but the techs wanted to blame the modem and there was nothing wrong with it. At the time, Mediacom was not charging a fee for their modems, so I let them swap it for a Mediacom modem. That fixed the issue for about a day or two and then they had to come back and that's when they decided to troubleshoot and fixed the weak signal issue.

So I have a couple of thoughts on this.

1. Whether the customer is leasing or owns a modem, it is possible that a problem is caused by the device itself. It is therefore appropriate for customer service to address that as a potential issue when troubleshooting a problem. In your example the person troubleshooting the problem was apparently wrong (it was a signal level issue.) Obviously we want to prevent any inaccurate troubleshooting and would appreciate feedback here or in our customer support forums to help address that.

2. We would expect our customer service to attempt to troubleshoot any reported issue the same regardless of whether the modem in question is on the supported list or not. The challenge is we generally have less information to work with on unsupported modems. We may have less support material on hand from the vendor and we've had issues in the past with some make/models not working properly with our monitoring systems, preventing us from seeing things like signal level / quality at the device. Together it means our chances of accurately diagnosing the issue are reduced.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER to rconaway8

Member

to rconaway8
the problem is mediacom does not support a residential modem you can buy at a store. That needs to change. You should at the least support the latest moto hardware. which can be purchased at any store these days. I know the 6120 is but you can't buy it anymore.

bulletsam
join:2008-04-08
Charleston, IL

bulletsam

Member

"I know the 6120 is but you can't buy it anymore."

Sure you can. Just keep an eye on Amazon, they show up often.
rconaway8
join:2005-11-10
Phoenix, AZ

rconaway8 to GLIMMER

Member

to GLIMMER
I've had it the other way though. Over the years, I've had 2 modems go bad and replacing them worked. It's kind of a catch 22 for Mediacom or in my case, Cox.

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88 to tsduke

Premium Member

to tsduke
Bainch mediacom should have 2 options

1 Buy modem from Mediacom or
2 Rent modem from Mediacom

I think this would "simplify" the service, that way people don't have to worry what modem to use or have people mention word 'conspiracy'.

BAINCH
MVM
join:2003-04-02
Blooming Grove, NY

1 edit

BAINCH to GLIMMER

MVM

to GLIMMER
said by GLIMMER:

the problem is mediacom does not support a residential modem you can buy at a store. That needs to change. You should at the least support the latest moto hardware. which can be purchased at any store these days. I know the 6120 is but you can't buy it anymore.

We support the Cisco/Linksys DPC3008 for example.

»www.amazon.com/Linksys-D ··· 06IJHK96

Includes free shipping.