What is the best cable modem?

[john9527]

there was another reason - the WebGUI had a cross site scripting vuln that would send the the command - and that didn't need ipv6

The function behind that vulnerability was actually somewhat important to me. I went through a period of about a month where my ISP was doing physical 'upgrades' that would result in aborted channels, impacting performance. So I put a script/cron job on the router that pulled the modem stats and if it detected a problem would automatically reboot the modem to get the channels back. Hence, why I was disappointed in their 'removal' fix vs properly securing the access.

 

[Manny]

Look for sales....I picked up the CM600 for only $10 more than a 6183 from Amazon when I was looking.

Also, stay away from the 6190....Puma chipset which has been having problems.

Hi all,

I did buy 6190. and it has problems with the firmware don't buy this...

http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/Upload-Speed-Issues-SB6190/td-p/2882669

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31122204-SB6190-Puma6-TCP-UDP-Network-Latency-Issue-Discussion

And the hits just keep coming in... lol

 

[Manny]

I just realized this is an old thread. The SB8200 was not available one year ago. It is real new.

I am looking at this one now

 

[Just Checking]

99.9 % of cable modems only have one port. So whats the issue ? You would likely want to put a router behind the modem.

Having two Ethernet ports is great if you want to have a modem capable of link aggregation. Comcast offers Gigabit Pro in certain areas now. That service is 2Gbps Down, 2Gbps Up. The representative that I talked to said it was very expensive and not available in my area at this time (September 2017). In order to take advantage of that service you need a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem with two Ethernet ports capable of Link Aggregation. At this time, the Arris 8200 is the only "consumer grade" modem with two Ethernet ports. On that model, the two ports are not enabled for Link Aggregation. The Arris 8200 will have that capability enabled in the future.

 

[jim769]

That is why i said 99.9 %. And yes i am well versed in what comcast has to offer including docsis 3.1

 

[Just Checking]

I like the NetGear CM600 24X8 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem for services under 1Gbps and no telephony enabled. It uses a Broadcom chipset and the reviews are extremely good with very few problems reported (purchase a new one with the latest firmware ver 1.0.1.4 which addresses some security issues). I purchased one new online for just under US$100 (MSRP is US$129).

For DOCSIS 3.1 modems, I like the Netgear CM1000 or the Arris 8200 32X8 cable modems. Both these modems use the same Broadcom chipset (3390 I believe). If the price is equal, I would buy the Arris 8200 because of the dual Ethernet ports. It may take several years to utilize the Link Aggregation capability and, by then, modem technology will improve as the price goes down. As of September 2017, the price of these modems was US$189 at the major on-line sellers and BestBuy. Not worth it to me since I cannot utilize the capabilities of either of these modems.

 

[Knxwledge]

I like the NetGear CM600 24X8 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem for services under 1Gbps and no telephony enabled. It uses a Broadcom chipset and the reviews are extremely good with very few problems reported (purchase a new one with the latest firmware ver 1.0.1.4 which addresses some security issues). I purchased one new online for just under US$100 (MSRP is US$129).

For DOCSIS 3.1 modems, I like the Netgear CM1000 or the Arris 8200 32X8 cable modems. Both these modems use the same Broadcom chipset (3390 I believe). If the price is equal, I would buy the Arris 8200 because of the dual Ethernet ports. It may take several years to utilize the Link Aggregation capability and, by then, modem technology will improve as the price goes down. As of September 2017, the price of these modems was US$189 at the major on-line sellers and BestBuy. Not worth it to me since I cannot utilize the capabilities of either of these modems.

Where did you purchase your CM600?

 

[Just Checking]

www.seaportshop.com
The price was US$99.98 with free shipping and no tax as of 21 September 2017. I was somewhat leery of them but paid securely to minimize risk. I placed the order on a Thursday and received the modem on Sunday (must have used Amazon to fulfill the order). I also took a copy of the site pricing into BestBuy. One store would not match the price, saying Seaport Shop was not on their approved list. Another BestBuy did match the price and even paid the sales tax (BestBuy has this policy for matching on-line orders).

 

[uberAC]

Motorola has a new modem with 4 ethernet ports. I guess it's made by "Zoom". I just bought one to replace a failing Arris/Motorola.

This Motorola, called MB8600, is on Comcast's approved list and is DOCSIS 3.1

 

[System Error Message]

no such thing as the best cable modems as cable ISPs especially in the US are terrible. As with any modems they can differ quite a lot as performance depends on your ISP's hardware too.
I once tested 3 different modems on my ISP which used VDSL, i only got a maximum of a few Mb/s out of 76Mb/s max between the 3.

As long as the modem has decent performance and signalling, compatible with your ISP and doesnt freeze it is good.

 

[Samir]

My SB6190 has worked perfectly from day one and I've had it for quite some time. I have Comcast as my provider


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here. We've had the 6190 for almost a year now. The dslreports puma test shows clean as well when there's no traffic on the network (the way the test is supposed to be run. It will show the modem to fail if you have something running background 'checks' and whatnot.)

Interesting to hear about the mb8600. I'll have to check it out.

 

[Just Checking]

Motorola has a new modem with 4 ethernet ports. I guess it's made by "Zoom". I just bought one to replace a failing Arris/Motorola.

This Motorola, called MB8600, is on Comcast's approved list and is DOCSIS 3.1

I found a refurbished Motorola MB8600 for US$114 (through Amazon). The MSRP is US$158. The unit I got was in the original box and looked new. It was just missing the ethernet cable and cable wrench (neither of which I use anyway).
I bought it because of the low price for a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem compared to the Arris SB8200 (MSRP US$189) and NetGear CM1000 (MSRP US$179). I needed a backup cable modem and the small difference in price for the refurbished Motorola MB8600 with the ability to handle Gbps speeds made the purchase decision pretty straight forward.

I have Comcast as my cable ISP with 250Mbps Down/25Mbps UP. I have been evaluating CM's that are supposed to be able to give me the speeds. I evaluated the Motorola MB7420 16X4 (US$69.99 on sale), and NetGear CM600 24X8 (US$99.98 on sale) cable modems against this Motorola MB8600 cable modem.

The ISP has a lot of input for the performance of the modem. Each ISP has a profile software package that they upload to the modem when it is first synced to their network. That profile dictates the number of bonded channels for the download and upload side as well as the channel frequencies available to be bonded. If the ISP has a restrictive profile for the model of modem, it can severely inhibit the modem performance. Here are the results that I measured when switching from one modem to another within a short period of time.

- Motorola MB7420 16X4 DOCSIS 3.0: 12 bonded channels Down/4 bonded channels Up - max download speed 220Mbps/max upload speed 28Mbps.
- NetGear CM600 24X8 DOCSIS 3.0: 20 bonded channels Down/4 bonded channels Up - max download speed 297Mbps/max upload speed 30Mbps.
-Motorola MB8600 32X8 DOCSIS 3.1: 25 bonded channels Down (1 channel OFPM)/4 bonded channels Up - max download speed 310Mbps/max upload speed 30Mbps.

The Motorola MB8600 was the only modem I tested that self activated to the Comcast ISP. I had to call into Comcast and give them the account information, the modem MAC address, and the device serial number to be able to connect the Motorola MB7420 and NetGear CM600. The Motorola MB8600 gave the most bonded channels (including one bonded OFPM channel at 705MHz) and the fastest download speed (maybe - this could also be within the measurement variation). For my level of internet service speeds, there is really no distinguishable difference between the NetGear CM600 and the Motorola MB8600.

I returned the Motorola MB7420 since it was never able to achieve the download speeds I was paying for. If the ISP had a profile that enabled all 16 downstream channels, the device probably would have been capable of providing the full 250Mbps download speed. Since I was not able to get the Comcast Tech Support people to change the profile (they can do this under "special circumstances" - when customers repeatedly complain) and they could not guarantee that, even if they did change the profile, the changes would not reset to the default at the next update, there was no reason to keep this modem as a backup.

I ran the NetGear CM600 for approximately 2 weeks. After some initial problems with getting more than one (1) upstream channel to bond (gave me a maximum of 21Mbps Up), the modem was very stable and gave reproducible speeds both Down and Up for any given test server. I have this as my backup modem in case of failure for the primary Motorola MB8600 cable modem.

I ran the Motorola MB8600 for the last three days since receipt. So far, the modem has been trouble free. The only negative comments I can state about this modem are that A. it is the most expensive modem I ever purchased; B. that the footpad is a little small for the size of the modem causing it to be more prone to tipping over compared to the NetGear CM600; and C. The styling of the Motorola MB8600 is not quite as nice (IMO) as the NetGear CM600. Of these concerns, only the second one (small footpad) has any real validity. The MB8600 is a larger physical size than either the Motorola MB7420 (smallest) or the NetGear CM600. The CM600 has a larger footpad so it would actually take up more area if placed on a desktop. None of the units I evaluated were wall mountable since that could cause airflow and overheating problems.

The GUI on both the NetGear CM 600 and Motorola MB8600 are "minimalist". The only parameters that are user changeable are the user name, password, and starting frequency for the download channels. The MB8600 has a select-able Link Aggregation feature that the CM600 does not because the MB8600 has 4 Ethernet ports where the CM600 only has one. The user/owner is not allowed to alter the firmware or change features/parameters. Only the ISP has the ability to push firmware updates or parameter changes.

The indicator lights on the MB8600 are clear and understandable. The indicator lights on the CM600 are not as bright and are lower contrast because of the size and face plate design. In a brightly lit room it was somewhat difficult to see the indicator lights on the CM600. Some people may view this as a positive. I like the brighter, clearer lights on the MB8600 because I can read the indicators at a glance from farther away.

The Motorola MB8600 is made by Zoom under license. The warranty on the NetGear CM600 is two years (new purchase). The warranty on the Motorola is also two years for a new purchase. My refurb unit has a 30 day return policy and 90 day warranty. If it lasts the 30 days, it will probably last quite a bit longer.

Comcast rates the NetGear CM600 as good for up to about 650Mbps service. The Motorola MB8600 is theoretically capable of handling 3.8Gbps with link aggregation on all 4 ports. It should be capable of handling the Comcast Gigabit Pro service (2Gbps Down/2Gbps Up) which is only available in a few test markets now. Currently (and for the foreseeable future), the fastest service I can obtain is 1Gbps Down/35Mbps Up. The Motorola MB8600 is capable of handling my needs for years to come. Do I need it now - NO. Will I need it 3 years from now - Maybe (if Comcast will offer Gbps Upload speeds).

From what I have read, there are only two, or three, ISP's that offer DOCSIS 3.1 capability now. DOCSIS 3.1 is backward compatible to DOCSIS 3.0 so, theoretically, the MB8600 should work even if the ISP is not ready for DOCSIS 3.1. In reality, if the ISP does not have the proper profile for the firmware push, the modem may not work or will be unreliable. Comcast and TWC are the only two ISP's that I have found in research to be ready for the DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems.

NOTE: even though the Arris SB8200 and Motorola MB8600 have multiple Ethernet ports for Link Aggregation, this feature needs to be enabled by the ISP to make it work. Just plugging multiple Ethernet cables into the ports on the MB8600 will not work. There is no router functionality. I tried plugging multiple routers into the MB8600 and got error messages of "no internet connection", and "your device is operating properly, no DNS server connection". Enabling the Link Aggregation feature of an Asus RT-AC68R router and the Link Aggregation feature of the MB8600 did allow connection to the internet but, no increased connection speeds were found. There was no reason to expect a different outcome than this, I was just hoping the Comcast might have made an error and enabled 2X the speed.

 

[coxhaus]

I think if you want multiple Ethernet ports on your modem it is going to require you to pay for extra IP addresses. I run a SB8200 at my house using 1 Ethernet port and it works well.

 

[Just Checking]

Yes, I expected that. I was just checking out the possibility that Comcast might not have disabled that feature because so few non-commercial cable modems have multiple Ethernet ports. I had multiple IP addresses on my DSL service for several years because CenturyLink did not disable that feature on my "home" account.

You never know if you got it if you never try it.