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adfernan
join:2014-05-07

1 recommendation

adfernan

Member

Buy a modem vs renting it. This whole modem business scares me

I've been thinking of getting rid of that modem rental fee that TWC charges but I'm not so sure. A modem breaking and having to pay for it scares me. One modem broke on my already a while ago and TWC fixed it for free but that rental fee is also annoying.

From the modems listed on the TWC site, I narrowed it down to this one »www.amazon.com/Motorola- ··· duct_top since I think it has the best price/review ration but those 400+ 1-star ratings also scare me.

I also thought about buying a cheaper modem with no WIFI and a separate router but at the same time I thought that only 1 device will say on electricity.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

1 recommendation

Mele20

Premium Member

Run away fast from a combo! Buy the Surfboard 6141 and a separate router.
etaadmin
join:2002-01-17
united state

1 recommendation

etaadmin to adfernan

Member

to adfernan
IMHO now it is not a good time to buy a modem.
1. Comcast will likely buy TWC
2. 16x4 is or will be the new standard.
3. Who knows maybe Comcast will push DOCSIS3.1 sooner than we think.

I would wait a few months and see what happens.

AMDUSER
Premium Member
join:2003-05-28
Earth,
ARRIS CM8200
ARRIS SB6183

AMDUSER to adfernan

Premium Member

to adfernan
I would get this one: Motorola SB6180: »www.amazon.com/Motorola- ··· &sr=1-18

It is the same modem [same FCC ID] as the SBG6850 you linked to... minus the wireless.

I have this modem, and it works great... and it is cheaper the the modem combo you linked to.
Mystic95Z
join:2005-05-10
Orlando, FL

Mystic95Z to adfernan

Member

to adfernan
I would wait on getting a modem as said, top speeds will require a 16x4 modem which there are very few out now and the only 16x4 moto one isn't yet "publicly" available. And yeah don't get a modem/router combo.... You'd be far better off getting a router than can run a custom firmware like tomato.
bookertdub
join:2012-10-08
San Diego, CA
·Charter

1 recommendation

bookertdub to adfernan

Member

to adfernan
As other posters have mentioned, avoid getting the combo modem/router and buy a separate modem and a separate wifi router. I would get the Motorola SB 6141 Docsis 3.0 modem which will run you about $80. Which at $5.99/mo which will have paid itself off in 14 months. When Comcast takes over Time Warner Cable (pending regulatory approval), that modem fee will increase to $8/mo. And from reading online, it doesn't sound like Docsis 3.1 will get implemented at the earliest until about 2016, so at the very least you'd be able to use the Docsis 3.0 modem for a couple of years and still save some money. The good thing about the Motorola SB 6141 modem is it is compatible on both Time Warner Cable and Comcast, so you'll be good on that end and that particular modem works on nearly all tiers of service, except perhaps maybe the highest tier. The first 2 links are approved modem lists from Time Warner Cable & Comcast.

»www.timewarnercable.com/ ··· dem.html

»mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/

The last link talks about how Docsis 3.1 won't come out until about 2016.

»www.lightreading.com/cab ··· d/708425

Hope this info helps.

antdude
Matrix Ant
Premium Member
join:2001-03-25
US

antdude to adfernan

Premium Member

to adfernan
Can Motorola SB 6141's firmware be upgraded to support DOCSIS 3.1? I am thinking of dumping my leased cable modem and its phone service.

Chris 313
Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
·AT&T FTTP
·Comcast XFINITY

Chris 313

Premium Member

said by antdude:

Can Motorola SB 6141's firmware be upgraded to support DOCSIS 3.1? I am thinking of dumping my leased cable modem and its phone service.

No way. D3.1 is a new beast. The best you could hope for about D3 compatibility would be to buy one of those hybrid D3/D3.1 modems that'll come out in the beginning of D3.1 sometime in 2016 and will work with both D3 as things are now and D3.1 specs.

From what I read, the hybrid unit, on the D3 side will support 24-32x8 channels.

Until then, just sit back and wait. The 6141 has at least 1-2 upgrades left in it and would do at least the Maxx 200 before TWC says ok, time to upgrade to a newer model.

If you buy before D3.1 comes out, I'd recommend looking for a 24-32x8 unit. Let's hope ARRIS comes out with a Surfboard that does that before year's end.

antdude
Matrix Ant
Premium Member
join:2001-03-25
US

antdude

Premium Member

Hmm, I was thinking buy one later this summer. I only have standard Internet package. Will getting 3.1 really make that much difference?
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer

Premium Member

said by antdude:

Will getting 3.1 really make that much difference?

No. And D1 modems will still work -- 'tho they would love for you to stop using them.

Chris 313
Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
·AT&T FTTP
·Comcast XFINITY

Chris 313 to antdude

Premium Member

to antdude
said by antdude:

Hmm, I was thinking buy one later this summer. I only have standard Internet package. Will getting 3.1 really make that much difference?

What is the standard for you? Cause if the Comcast merge goes through, the standard will be at least 50-100, if not more.

What modem do you have now?

antdude
Matrix Ant
Premium Member
join:2001-03-25
US

1 recommendation

antdude to cramer

Premium Member

to cramer
said by cramer:

said by antdude:

Will getting 3.1 really make that much difference?

No. And D1 modems will still work -- 'tho they would love for you to stop using them.

Wow, DOCSIS1? I thought that was dropped many years ago.
antdude

antdude to Chris 313

Premium Member

to Chris 313
said by Chris 313:

said by antdude:

Hmm, I was thinking buy one later this summer. I only have standard Internet package. Will getting 3.1 really make that much difference?

What is the standard for you? Cause if the Comcast merge goes through, the standard will be at least 50-100, if not more.

What modem do you have now?

Really? Did Comcast really say they will give 50-100 for TWC's current standard Internet package? IIRC, current TWC's standard is 15/1. Cable modem is currently: ARRIS TM502G.

Chris 313
Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
·AT&T FTTP
·Comcast XFINITY

Chris 313

Premium Member

said by antdude:

said by Chris 313:

said by antdude:

Hmm, I was thinking buy one later this summer. I only have standard Internet package. Will getting 3.1 really make that much difference?

What is the standard for you? Cause if the Comcast merge goes through, the standard will be at least 50-100, if not more.

What modem do you have now?

Really? Did Comcast really say they will give 50-100 for TWC's current standard Internet package? IIRC, current TWC's standard is 15/1. Cable modem is currently: ARRIS TM502G.

Yes. And jeez, you really haven't upgraded, have you? I've not had a 502G for almost 2 years.
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer to antdude

Premium Member

to antdude
I know of a few SB4100's still out there. (Ok, they're D1.1, but whatever.) And yes, they've been sent letters asking them to replace them. When they stop working, they'll be motivated to change.

(I just replaced the SB5100 I'd been using for 12 years.)

antdude
Matrix Ant
Premium Member
join:2001-03-25
US

antdude

Premium Member

said by cramer:

I know of a few SB4100's still out there. (Ok, they're D1.1, but whatever.) And yes, they've been sent letters asking them to replace them. When they stop working, they'll be motivated to change.

(I just replaced the SB5100 I'd been using for 12 years.)

Weird. Others and I never got the letters about our old cable modems including Ambit/Ubee U10C018 (beat that!). I do remember getting a letter when my old city's Adelphia went to DOCSIS -- Terayon TeraPro to a COM21 DP1110XB-N (DOXport) back in 7/6/2002. That was a forced one.
antdude

antdude to Chris 313

Premium Member

to Chris 313
said by Chris 313:

Yes. And jeez, you really haven't upgraded, have you? I've not had a 502G for almost 2 years.

You swap/upgrade stuff that often? I still use a lot of old stuff like my VCR, CRT TV, etc. I only swap/upgrade when they have major problems or break.

Chris 313
Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
·AT&T FTTP
·Comcast XFINITY

1 recommendation

Chris 313

Premium Member

said by antdude:

said by Chris 313:

Yes. And jeez, you really haven't upgraded, have you? I've not had a 502G for almost 2 years.

You swap/upgrade stuff that often? I still use a lot of old stuff like my VCR, CRT TV, etc. I only swap/upgrade when they have major problems or break.

Things are a lot different in Comcast land.

antdude
Matrix Ant
Premium Member
join:2001-03-25
US

antdude

Premium Member

said by Chris 313:

said by antdude:

said by Chris 313:

Yes. And jeez, you really haven't upgraded, have you? I've not had a 502G for almost 2 years.

You swap/upgrade stuff that often? I still use a lot of old stuff like my VCR, CRT TV, etc. I only swap/upgrade when they have major problems or break.

Things are a lot different in Comcast land.

I'm not sure if Comcast would be a good thing though, but we're OT in this forum thread. :P

maartena
Elmo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA

1 recommendation

maartena to adfernan

Premium Member

to adfernan
There are pros and cons to each:

Of course the biggest pro would be the cost savings, you don't pay a monthly fee anymore so as long as the modem outlasts the amount of time it would take to reach the total cost of the modem counting up the monthly fees. Another pro would be you own the modem and thus get to decide what you do with it. This is a bit deceiving however, as you can still only control the client side, which you also do with a rental modem.

The downside of renting a modem is that when it breaks, you need to immediately come up with the money to replace it. To give you an idea, I had TWC between 2002 and 2010, so 8 years, and in those 8 years I had 2 modem failures, so I was on my THIRD modem, when they upgraded to DOCSIS 2.0, and to get the 15 Mbps speed I could get in 2008 or so, they needed to swap my 1.1 modem for a 2.0, so I used up a total of FOUR modems, or one every 2 years.

I am lucky that I have a TWC office within 2 miles, and I can pick up a modem at any time that is already activated and ready to go, I have done that every time the modem broke in the past, or when I needed to go pickup the upgraded DOCSIS 2.0 modem.

One thing I do not know is software/firmware updates to the modems. Does a purchased yet "supported" modem mean they push upgrades out to the modem, or do you need to do the software updates yourself? I don't know as I never owned a modem.

If you do buy a modem, I would go with a separate modem and router, so if the modem does break, all you have to do is replace the modem and move on again with all the same wireless/dhcp/firewall etc settings.

Based on my personal experience with modems breaking, and the potential that a newer speed tier (1 Gbps DOCSIS 4.0? Who knows really when it will come?) will require a newer modem to get that speed, my recommendation would be to go with a rented modem. And with that I am also taking into account that most electronics these days are manufactured cheaper and cheaper in China, and that the quality of even the brands that were supposed to be top notch 5, 10 years ago, aren't all that top notch anymore.

A modem can last 5 years. It may last only 2. My personal experience is a new modem every 2 years or so, even my AT&T gateway - I had U-Verse for 4 years - was replaced right around the 2 year mark.

So my vote goes to rented. Owning a modem isn't everything I think.
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer

Premium Member

said by maartena:

Does a purchased yet "supported" modem mean they push upgrades out to the modem, or do you need to do the software updates yourself?

Yes. My modem was updated the instant it was plugged in, and it wasn't even in the system yet. (all you can access is the "self activation portal", which is a page with a phone number on it. LAME.)

DOCSIS specifications mandate NO USER UPGRADABILITY! (even if you could get the new firmware, it would require soldering to install it -- or your own CMTS...)

I had the same modem (SB5100) for over a decade. My sister, on the other hand, has had three of the puppies fried by lightning. (once even frying the router and the builtin nic in her computer.)
adfernan
join:2014-05-07

adfernan to Chris 313

Member

to Chris 313
50-75 is much more than plenty speed. I don't think I'd need any DOCSIS 3.1 or anything.
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC

cramer to Chris 313

Premium Member

to Chris 313
Looking at www.comcast.com, their "standard" tier appears to be 25/5 currently. Until TWC does upstream bonding (everywhere), 5 up is not sustainable.

swintec
Premium Member
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME

2 recommendations

swintec to adfernan

Premium Member

to adfernan
said by adfernan:

A modem breaking and having to pay for it scares me.

it is like $75 on the line at the start and gets lower month after month. You will practically break even after just a year. You are putting to much thought into it.
adfernan
join:2014-05-07

adfernan to cramer

Member

to cramer
Isnt TWC Stardard 50/5 now with maxx?
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer

Premium Member

MAXX isn't available everywhere -- or put another way, MAXX isn't deployed to many places.

Here in Raleigh, I'm only seeing 6 channels down and 1 up. Even the 35/5 business connection in Cary is 1 up. (or was when they replaced the PoS Arris. Customers have no access to the Ubee.)

mackey
Premium Member
join:2007-08-20

mackey to maartena

Premium Member

to maartena
said by maartena:

The downside of renting a modem is that when it breaks, you need to immediately come up with the money to replace it. To give you an idea, I had TWC between 2002 and 2010, so 8 years, and in those 8 years I had 2 modem failures, so I was on my THIRD modem, when they upgraded to DOCSIS 2.0, and to get the 15 Mbps speed I could get in 2008 or so, they needed to swap my 1.1 modem for a 2.0, so I used up a total of FOUR modems, or one every 2 years

A high end 6141 will run you about $80 new full retail (it will be cheaper used or on sale). At Comcast's rental rate of $8/mo you will have paid for the modem after 10 months, meaning the next 14 months ($112) is cash in the bank.

/M

unknvoip
RIP goose
Premium Member
join:2006-07-25
Rochester, NY

unknvoip

Premium Member

said by mackey:

A high end 6141 will run you about $80 new full retail (it will be cheaper used or on sale). At Comcast's rental rate of $8/mo you will have paid for the modem after 10 months, meaning the next 14 months ($112) is cash in the bank.

This is how I look at it. If life expectancy is two years, I will still be way ahead. But I realistically expect to get at least 4 years out of the DOCSIS 3.0 modem I bought in November for $70. I am more than half paid off now and consider my risk exposure very minimal.
adfernan
join:2014-05-07

adfernan

Member

So you guys are saying I should get the SB6141? What about the SB6121? Will that work for the standard maxx plan (50/5)? It only has 4 down channels.

the 6121 is much cheaper has has many many more positive reviews on amazon.

I tend to freak over bad reviews of products.

Racerbob
Premium Member
join:2001-06-24
Webster, NY

Racerbob

Premium Member

SB6141. I have never seen a thread such as this here. Well maybe I have. The 6141 can be had for around $80 or even less. Buy it. adfernan, are you this paranoid about everything ?