Hey Neocodex,
As Datalink posted, don't throw in the towel just yet. It could be a signal problem or the two issues are completely unrelated. Feel free to show us your signal stats. You can also post over in »
/fo ··· avdirect and one of us will investigate.
Should it turn out to be a modem problem, here are my thoughts. Keep in mind I'm not sure what vendor you're using, so some of these options might not be relevant for you. I'm just going to take a guess and say you're in rCable land in Ontario.
Professional experience - To be honest, I haven't noticed any huge difference in the current generation of modems, they're all pretty solid. None of them stand out as troublemakers (there are some in the past that... weren't my favourite). We do get more DCM476 modems with issues compared to others, but that's because we sell them so they're the most common ones.
Let's start with bridge modems.
I find that the DCM 475/476 have the advantage of a physical reset switch. They're also the easiest to navigate with, just three different screens, copy paste them all to us and we can say if everything on the modem's A-OK or not. Huawei comes up rarely, so I haven't really formed an opinion on them, but the people that do use them seem very happy. The Motorola SB6141 is solid, but keep an eye on the firmware version if you buy one. I've unfortunately seen a good chunk with incorrect firmware... not for the 6141 specifically, mostly the slightly older cousins.
Onwards to the modem/router combos:
If possible I always suggest a bridge modem as stand alone routers are usually much much better at the router business, but you may have a different preference than I! So, the SBG6580 does not come up often. Whether this is just because it's rare (it is) or because it's both rare and amazingly stable (possibly?), I'm not sure. Still, the feedback I have heard on it has been pretty good.
And then there's the fabled DCW775. I've only ever ran into this modem once, there was suspicion that there was a problem with it and then... the problem just disappeared the next day. Kind of anti climactic. I know people who have been working here for a long time and only ever heard of it hushed whispers.
Personal experience - DCM476 is pretty phenomenal. Just kinda does its thing without any heat or instability issues. Doesn't cause me any issues and I game/download/upload far too much for my own good. Set it up with a good router and you're basically golden.
