Topic 'Re: [Equip] current best cable modems' in forum 'Comcast XFINITY' - dslreports.com

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 18:57:02 EDT

Sunny posted : Just a nudge, topic title is: [Equip] current best cable modems

As always, if you want to talk about something else related to the forum purpose, please use the New Topic button top of forum, on the right. Thanks. :)
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Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 18:53:18 EDT

B4Knight posted : Agreed! They just replaced some old Netgear ProSAFE AP's at my work with Ubiquiti Uni-Fi AP's. So far they are working great with our handheld ordering machines. They were installed in a triangular setup and we aren't having problems with connection dropouts anymore in the store. Even in a smaller home an AP may be desired over a standard wireless router, especially if one likes to run pfSense, A Mikrotik router, or a Ubiquiti Edgerouter, etc.
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Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 18:46:25 EDT

Mike Wolf posted : When designing a network in a large home I like to take the approach one would take in a commercial environment with dedicated access points placed X feet away from each other, probably from Cisco or Netgear ProSAFE.
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I'm always up for a good chat and helping with tech problems.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 18:37:04 EDT

Mike Wolf posted : I always like blind studies. I bet if we put those three modems in a separate locked room or their internals in generic identical cases, the user wouldn't know the difference.
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I'm always up for a good chat and helping with tech problems.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 18:32:04 EDT

Mike Wolf posted : Yeah I had 8x3 on my 6183 for awhile, seeing 126/12Mbps. Recently got upgraded to 15x3, and see a slight increase in performance.
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I'm always up for a good chat and helping with tech problems.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 14:22:35 EDT

B4Knight posted : I agree with you.

However, I personally am not a fan of gateway devices as it becomes a central point of failure. They're harder to troubleshoot and my guess is that they probably don't last as long as their separate counterparts. I have no data to back that up, but I imagine that they probably don't. The wireless on these gateway devices tends to be subpar compared to that of a good wireless router. However, like you said for some it may it be just fine, but for others especially those with larger homes you're better off with a good long range wireless router or placing a couple AP's in strategic places throughout the house.
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"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Mon, 18 May 2015 13:07:51 EDT

bleagh posted : Speaking of the 16x4 channel modem only devices (SMC D3CM1604, Netgear CM500, Arris SB6183) there is really no evidence that any one is really better or worse than another. They all use the same chipset, the same basic firmware, and receive pretty much the same feedback.

When you move from the modem only devices to the gateway devices, then things become quite a bit more complicated. For example, a modem/gateway device won't have wireless near as capable as a good wireless router, and usually will have a less capable CPU also. That being said, it may be good enough for many, and cheaper.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 19:41:34 EDT

tshirt posted : sounds like a winner, have it on Justin's desk by Monday :D

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:47:07 EDT

tshirt posted :

said by Mike Wolf:

If Comcast wanted to be jerks...

It isn't going to happen, the D3/3.1 coexistence is so they have time (years) to transition without dumping the 15 million (guess) modems they own, or the thousands of d3 cmts racks, and other equipment in the garbage at once.
They worked hard to gain market share/territory and they won't risk damage that over a short term gain.
this is a long view, 5-10 year type plan, a follow on to the whole DOCSIS program

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:31:20 EDT

tshirt posted :

said by IluvMoney:

but in my area all they provisionTODAY> max is 8/3 channels.

They will continue to work toward more channels EVERYWHERE. I'm guessing your area has/had LOTS of OTA channels taking space on the plant.
Once digital and they lose/stop providing the legacy feeds, more space becomes available for broadband.
Here I know 16/4 is available.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:28:57 EDT

telcodad posted :

said by Mike Wolf:

I think we're already seeing some ISP's phasing out 4x4 modems and having 8x4 modems take it's place with the same service level.

Yes, while the placement of 4x4 D3 modems on Comcast's EOL Device list will most likely not happen for a while yet (»Re: [Equip] Re: As a new customer, can I use an End of Life modem? ), as some HSI subscribers with 4x4 devices have received the recent download speed doubling upgrades to the 105 and 150 Mbps tiers, I think they may have received letters and calls from Comcast saying they should/need to upgrade their equipment for that.

Also, you can see that there are no longer any 4x4 D3 modems listed as "Recommended Devices" on Comcast's "My New Modem" page »mynewmodem.comcast.net/ now.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:22:01 EDT

IluvMoney posted : And even though you have a 16/4 cable modem like the SB6183, that does NOT mean that is how many bonded channels you will get in your area. I have an SB6183, but in my area all they provision max is 8/3 channels. But even in prime time that number of bonded channels is more than sufficient to keep my speeds at 120/12 mbps on a service advertised for 105/10 mbps. I guess if the number of subscribers increases in my area, they will provide more bonded channels as needed.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:15:04 EDT

tshirt posted :

said by madbavarian:

To be honest this is making me wary of the Moto/Arris 16x4 offering.

sadley the path from Motorola to arris meant some recent products haven't had/finished the debug phase. I'm HOPING arris (which also has a fairly good rep ) will maintain the Motorola quality as they absorb the moto designs into their lineup.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:13:57 EDT

Mike Wolf posted : It's really up to Comcast (or other ISP's in their own markets) on how long a certain modem would be usable. If Comcast wanted to be jerks and cause everyone to hate them more, they could make it mandatory that all modems are D3.1 and set all current D3.0 modems to end of life status. Or they could just say D3.0 modems can continue to be used for service up to X speed, and D3.1 modems can be used for faster service beyond that. (This reminds me of some ISP's that are/where still using D2.0 modems and segregating their slower service from their faster D3.0 service). I think we're already seeing some ISP's phasing out 4x4 modems and having 8x4 modems take it's place with the same service level.
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Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:09:25 EDT

tshirt posted : I think we'll see some by 2016 probably quite a few before 2017....
would I be an early adopter? As a beta test yes, on my own dime I'll wait and see for a year or 2 to see what works.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 14:06:26 EDT

Mike Wolf posted : I look at it as the modem should be in operation for at least a certain number of years for it to be judged properly. Like reviewing a new phone, you can't play with it for a day and say it's better then last years modem because you have no idea how it will hold up during daily usage over an extended period of time. The battery could crap out three months in or the finish wears off with light usage. Some of it is a leap of faith, but not entirely.

Regarding the blue light issue on certain modems, as I've said in the past, it shouldn't matter because the modem should normally be in a place that is out of sight anyway if it's working properly.
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I'm always up for a good chat and helping with tech problems.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 13:59:10 EDT

Mike Wolf posted :

said by justin:

That's a good poll but the most popular ones might be the worst ones? Or are the most popular ones the best because people do their homework?

said by justin:

I'd like to setup a page that lists best of class equipment, with checkmarks for the different big providers.

It's a nice thought but honestly I think it's just going to cause problems with people arguing over what they think is the best and it, like the modem polls, turn into a popularity contest. The SB6141 is a good example, a ton of people have it because it's been out for a few years but there was an issue with some Comcast users having slower then normal speeds that a firmware upgrade fixed. Not all Comcast users experienced the speed issue using the same firmware version. Other users on different ISP's may not have experienced that speed issue at all either. What works for one person may not work for someone else, it's fickle.

Also not all ISP's support the same modems or use the same firmware versions which in some instances either improves performance or degrades performance. The SBG6580 is a good example. Some users experienced problems with performance on the newer firmware that brought the new UI, while others did not.
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I'm always up for a good chat and helping with tech problems.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 13:48:53 EDT

IluvMoney posted :

said by tshirt:

I still use a SB6120 that works great and while I'm interested in a 16x4, I'm aware D3.1 will require a whole new upgrade cycle and is just around the corner.
and d3.0 will probably coexist for 5-10 years, so the new modem rush will likely leave 16/4's as a low price choice (which for some of us is an important part of BEST)

If by just around the corner, you mean a rollout in 2 or 3 yrs, you are right.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 13:43:01 EDT

madbavarian posted : It needs a works well in a multi-computer environment question too. Amazon reviews also mentions an unforeseen problem of someone comparing the 8x4 Motorola and Zoom modems. Seems the Motorola had a bug where it got really slow when lots of computers behind a corporate NAT box had active connections open. I'm not sure how they managed that, but if true that would impact anyone in a household where lots of computers are active at once. To be honest this is making me wary of the Moto/Arris 16x4 offering. They may be re-using much of the old firmware.

search "By Dinko Perkovic on January 2, 2012" »www.amazon.com/Zoom-DOCS ··· 063K4NN6

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 12:57:41 EDT

tshirt posted : each modem needs its own grid
<>what fuctions/attributes the modem is capable of>
^
which ISP's allow that function
v
and perhaps a third dimension assigning a value to the function (again subjective)
ie I like as much log/signals/firmware info in the config page, but many typical users go for years not knowing they exist, or what they mean.
for other plug and play simplicity (which cable HSI SHOULD be) is most important
durability
initial price and availability
ISP and MFG support (firmware and bug fixes)
channels down and up
signal "forgiveness"/noise tolerance
size and location of the PSU (mid cord beats the plug blocking wallwart
and other design/build quality >like Ethernet and power plugs well laid out, and not wiggly
reset button well marked and functional

AND a simple "getting started" instruction written in ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE (passwords, conventions, config addresses, faq for functions, etc.)

the list goes on

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 12:32:34 EDT

Johkal posted :

said by camper:

"how long will the modem be usable"

Usable is determined by the level of service with upgrades over the years.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 12:16:12 EDT

camper posted :

said by tshirt:

...ts and problems so the poll also represents the ones people ended up using on a regular basis, some of the earlier popular models are now far down the list, yet still function fine within their specs.
I still use a SB6120 that works great...

Ditto for my SB6121. No problems with it whatsoever. It just works.

So maybe that means that there needs to be a "how long will the modem be usable" criterion in evaluating the "best" modems? What sort of relative weighting should that criterion receive?

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 11:50:10 EDT

tshirt posted :

said by telcodad:

...Johkal See Profile has been posting this annual poll for several years now, and it has been interesting to see the changes over time, from D2 devices to D3 4x4 to now 8x4 and 16x4 ones.

That and (if you've been watching the Comcast forum over the years) some of the same regular posters have had a number of the listed modems as each new one came out, and reported their results and problems so the poll also represents the ones people ended up using on a regular basis, some of the earlier popular models are now far down the list, yet still function fine within their specs.
I still use a SB6120 that works great and while I'm interested in a 16x4, I'm aware D3.1 will require a whole new upgrade cycle and is just around the corner.
and d3.0 will probably coexist for 5-10 years, so the new modem rush will likely leave 16/4's as a low price choice (which for some of us is an important part of BEST)

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 11:21:07 EDT

telcodad posted :

said by JJ Johnson:

No, the poll is mostly worthless and was apparently set up only as a joke. You only have to read the comments to realize that.

I would like to address this comment.

As I had stated before, it is an unscientific poll that gives us an idea of which devices are currently most commonly used among registered users of this forum. It can also be skewed by a number of factors, such as the fact that only a few of those models are ones supplied/rented by Comcast, which would not necessarily indicate a "choice" made by many posters.

Johkal has been posting this annual poll for several years now, and it has been interesting to see the changes over time, from D2 devices to D3 4x4 to now 8x4 and 16x4 ones.

As far as those "comments" are concerned, many referred to a lighthearted, semi-private "bet" made between Johkal and I over whether a Motorola (now ARRIS) modem model would yet again come out on top, or if the ever-popular Zoom 5431J finally would.

My frequent observations/comments in that regard also served to keep the (unstickied) poll thread near the top of the page, in an attempt to be noticed by occasional readers/posters and increase participation in it.

I'm sorry then, if these posts of mine gave you (and any others) the impression that the poll was "set up only as a joke."

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 11:20:31 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : I got tired of the monthly "modem rental fee" so I turned in the equipment we had and got an SB6141 (modem only, no integrated router). I believe we pay for 50 down/~10 up but we regularly see 115-125 Mbps downstream with the 6141, so it gets high marks from me.
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Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 11:18:08 EDT

camper posted :

said by Johkal:

Take the top 3 modems in the Poll

Are the Top 3 for Comcast the same as the Top 3 for TWC, or Optimum, or...

Maybe a grid with the ISPs across the top and the modems down the side. In the intersection box, the number in the popularity poll. Make the background of the box light green if the number is 3 or less (indicating a Top 3 choice), yellow for numbers 4 through 8, and red for popularity ratings 9 or lesser.

That would be one way to visualize the popularity of the various modems across the various ISPs.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 11:17:22 EDT

rolfp posted : Speaking from the peanut gallery of BBR Trailer Park Trash, I'm now on 50/6 upgraded Performance and my Arris WBM760A has been a solid performer since 20130815. The tech who installed it in place of my problematic Ubee said it was one of his favorites and it has provided me with a rich, trouble-free HSI experience. :)

[att=1]

Good for the peasants ;)

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 10:49:08 EDT

camper posted :

said by Johkal:

Actually the most popular ones in that Poll are the best.

Serendipity.

I would prefer to have a more technical basis for quality than the popularity of a modem [accidentally] being an indicator of quality.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 10:36:12 EDT

tshirt posted :

said by Johkal:

.Take the top 3 modems in the Poll which are the SB6141, SB6183 & 5341J ...

That is a pretty fair assessment, those modem have been around long enough to earn best as in durable, few if any remaining bugs (which change with firmware version) and consistently good user experience.
Best overall is pretty subjective, some like the idea of an All-in-one/gateway, where many of us know it is unlikely that each of the components are best in class, wi-fi antenna placement will be a compromise, and in some the inability to control access some things at the modem/router interface makes diagnosing problems difficult to impossible.
Also frimwares and configs vary between providers and a modem that is favored at Comcast, but still has an older firmware at another cableco may not be a first choice on that system.

I do like the idea of an ongoing list of tested modems something like small network builder has done for routers »www.smallnetbuilder.com/ ··· ter/view.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 09:08:18 EDT

Johkal posted : Take the top 3 modems in the Poll which are the SB6141, SB6183 & 5341J and which would be the recommended stand-alone modems for Comcast customers. Other 16/4 modems don't have enough history to get the recommendations. You can either use what is presently the preferred "top dogs" or wait for a couple months to see how the other 16/4s shake out.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 06:53:27 EDT

justin posted : Let me put it another way then, is there anything in that poll that got some votes, that is really not to be recommended?

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 06:33:49 EDT

telcodad posted :

said by Johkal:

Actually the most popular ones in that Poll are the best.

said by JJ Johnson:

said by justin:

That's a good poll but the most popular ones might be the worst ones? Or are the most popular ones the best because people do their homework?

No, the poll is mostly worthless and was apparently set up only as a joke. You only have to read the comments to realize that.

As Johkal stated in the first post of the poll:

said by Johkal:

Please choose what modem you lease or own.
:
**This Poll is intended to give members information about what modems Comcast customers are using.

It's not intended to debate which is best. :)

It is an (unscientific) poll that gives us an idea of which devices are most commonly used among registered users of this forum.

One question though is - how do you define "best?" Is it the fastest? Highest quality? Most reliable? The one that gives "the most bang bang for the buck?"

I took justin 's "best" to mean the most state-of-the-art and fastest.

When Johkal said that the models that received the most votes in that poll (the Zoom 5341J 8x4, Motorola SB6141 8x4 and ARRIS SB6183 16x4 modems) were the "best," I think he may have meant that the most popular ones did happen to provide a combo of quality and speed.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 06:12:32 EDT

Mele20 posted : For Oceanic TWC, ONLY two Gateway modems are currently being leased. If you want a stand alone modem you must buy your own. NO stand alone modems will be leased in the future I was recently told at our office but you can keep your current leased stand alone modem as long as you are not moving to MAXX speeds.

As you commented, used to TWC was giving out Surfboards which have always been very popular but now they are giving out two unpopular gateways. They are giving out gateways (at least in Hawaii) only because users get too confused if they have to set up modem and router. Plus, troubleshooting is much easier if the user has a gateway.

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Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 06:08:02 EDT

NathanO posted : Most devices are based on the same 2 or 3 chipsets for that particular config (at least on the DOCSIS side). I believe most are Intel Puma or Broadcom something or another. On the integrated gateway side there's more room for differentiation with combinations of wifi / docsis / cpu chipsets.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 05:49:32 EDT

justin posted : that was kind of why i asked because it used to be that the most popular one was the one you got in your self install kit.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 05:22:53 EDT

FureverFurry posted :

said by justin:

I was enquiring whether or not the popularity roughly matched the quality of the equipment, and received the answer, but thanks for your extra contribution anyway.

I'm wondering if the "popularity" could be redefined as customer-owned versus leased. It seems to me that in some areas Comcast might be dishing out a particular modem like candy. As such, that would really skew things.

For the popularity bit on owned equipment, perhaps things like price, reliability etc ??? Just my opinion; I've been up since 2am.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:45:39 EDT

justin posted : Ok fine, instead of making cryptic posts how about you just state what it is you want to say? I don't really have time to tease the information out of you.

Honestly I thought it a straightforward request. Can I get some pointers to a set of current preferred modems, I'm prepared to do my own research I just want something to get going with. If someone has their own opinion, and takes the time to state it, I'll read that as well.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:43:50 EDT

JJ Johnson posted :

said by justin:

I'd like to setup a page that lists best of class equipment, with checkmarks for the different big providers.

Define "best". Fastest? Most dependable? Best value?

In this forum bigger is always better.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:40:19 EDT

JJ Johnson posted :

said by justin:

I was enquiring whether or not the popularity roughly matched the quality of the equipment, and received the answer

You received an opinion. Not "the" answer. Not even "an" answer.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:13:39 EDT

justin posted : I was enquiring whether or not the popularity roughly matched the quality of the equipment, and received the answer, but thanks for your extra contribution anyway.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:08:11 EDT

Mele20 posted :

said by Johkal:

Actually the most popular ones in that Poll are the best.

I question the validity of that statement. Some on that list are new so how many have them? The Surfboard 6183 was the first and only modem for some time (at least approved one by TWC - maybe Comcast had a bigger choice but from what I read there were practically none when NYC and LA were being upgraded to MAXX) with 16 downstream channels so, of course, it will have a lot more votes than the new Netgear CM500-100NAS. TWC just approved the Netgear about a month ago. Before that a TWC subscriber had ONE CHOICE only - the SB 6183 assuming you needed/wanted more than 8 downstream channels. Now TWC gives us two choices if we want a modem only with 16 downstream channels capable of 200 and 300mbps. Even with a 100 down speed, it is foolish to stay with an 8 channel only modem. I can't speak for Comcast, but for TWC the MAXX speeds are new (for all except LA and NYC that got them last year) so folks are just now getting one of the two modems.

The feedback for both modems is excellent and the Netgear is $30 cheaper. Bright blue lights are the norm on the SB 6143 I currently lease and my Netgear WNR3500L router. I cover them with electrical tape.
--
When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Thomas Jefferson

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:05:18 EDT

JJ Johnson posted :

said by justin:

That's a good poll but the most popular ones might be the worst ones? Or are the most popular ones the best because people do their homework?

No, the poll is mostly worthless and was apparently set up only as a joke. You only have to read the comments to realize that.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sun, 17 May 2015 02:04:09 EDT

Brendan posted : The Arris SB6183 is a great modem. However, the LEDs are extremely bright; the thing is a nightlight.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sat, 16 May 2015 23:10:23 EDT

Johkal posted : Actually the most popular ones in that Poll are the best.

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sat, 16 May 2015 23:09:10 EDT

justin posted : That's a good poll but the most popular ones might be the worst ones? Or are the most popular ones the best because people do their homework?

Re: [Equip] current best cable modems

Sat, 16 May 2015 22:57:19 EDT

Johkal posted : »[Equip] 2015 Xfinity/Comcast Modem Poll