Need a new cable modem

[canderson]

I'm a longtime hate of Comcast but I essentially have no alternative internet option since Sprint is killing Clear and my speeds now are hovering around .5 mb down. Thus I need a new modem and know nothing about them.

I'm looking for a DOCSIS 3.0 modem that is stable and pretty easy to use/has a simple interface. I'll hook it to probably an AirPort Extreme router, which will feed an iMac, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, a laptop, a PS3, DirecTV and a Vizio smart TV. I might get another router but I think I'll get the AirPort Extreme since we're all Macs anyway.

I know nothing about best brands now. http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net is a listing of authorized modems. Any suggestions?

 

[derekson]

I'm a longtime hate of Comcast but I essentially have no alternative internet option since Sprint is killing Clear and my speeds now are hovering around .5 mb down. Thus I need a new modem and know nothing about them.

I'm looking for a DOCSIS 3.0 modem that is stable and pretty easy to use/has a simple interface. I'll hook it to probably an AirPort Extreme router, which will feed an iMac, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, a laptop, a PS3, DirecTV and a Vizio smart TV. I might get another router but I think I'll get the AirPort Extreme since we're all Macs anyway.

I know nothing about best brands now. http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net is a listing of authorized modems. Any suggestions?

 
I just recently found a great one at Best Buy actually, it's some brand I hadn't heard of called Zoom, but it's not only DOCSIS 3.0 and IPv6 capable, but it supports the full 8 channel DOCSIS 3.0 mode which most of the Motorola and Linksys models don't seem to. It was like $70 too. The Motorola one with the 8 channel support was like $100 or $150 IIRC. Surprisingly Best Buy's price seemed about equal to the best I saw online as well, which was good since I didn't really want to wait a few days on shipping either.
 
edit: grabbed the link to it http://www.bestbuy.com/site/zoom-docsis-3-0-high-speed-cable-modem/2847634.p;jsessionid=3E0BC2566EE140E1BC659C4325E89E30.bbolsp-app04-115?id=1218356319567&skuId=2847634&st=zoom%20docsis&cp=1&lp=1

 

[Couperin47]

Moto (now really Arris) 6141...most popular, dead reliable, refurbs can be had at Amazon under $70, new can be found for $85 on sales. Nothing is faster in real world thruput.

 

[derekson]

Moto (now really Arris) 6141...most popular, dead reliable, refurbs can be had at Amazon under $70, new can be found for $85 on sales. Nothing is faster in real world thruput.

 
My mother-in-law had 2 Motorola Surfboards (not that model, they were a model with built-in N wifi) die within about 18 months. First time it was replaced under warranty, second time I replaced it for her with an Airport Extreme and a Linksys modem.
 
Looks like the 6141 is the model Best Buy carried from Motorola that I was comparing against the Zoom when I bought it. I believe it was $100 at the time, though apparently it's now on sale for $90.

 

[canderson]

I just recently found a great one at Best Buy actually, it's some brand I hadn't heard of called Zoom, but it's not only DOCSIS 3.0 and IPv6 capable, but it supports the full 8 channel DOCSIS 3.0 mode which most of the Motorola and Linksys models don't seem to. It was like $70 too. The Motorola one with the 8 channel support was like $100 or $150 IIRC. Surprisingly Best Buy's price seemed about equal to the best I saw online as well, which was good since I didn't really want to wait a few days on shipping either.
 
edit: grabbed the link to it http://www.bestbuy.com/site/zoom-docsis-3-0-high-speed-cable-modem/2847634.p;jsessionid=3E0BC2566EE140E1BC659C4325E89E30.bbolsp-app04-115?id=1218356319567&skuId=2847634&st=zoom%20docsis&cp=1&lp=1

Thanks, this is $63 through Amazon and has great reviews.

As does the 6141-I'll try out this zoom as it's cheaper.

Thanks. I have to get Comcast to run lines into the house. It'll suck.

 

[JerBear]

I got the 6141 on sale ($80) and its great.  Only thing I had to do was change my local subnet because I happened to be using the same one that Motorola uses (192.168.100.X).

 

[Corsi]

I'm moving at the end of the month and am upgrading to the 105 Mbps internet from Comcast.  Rather than paying the $8/month to rent their modem, I figure it's time to just buy my own modem/router.
 
What's the best combo I can buy that will maximize the 105 Mbps.  Ideally would like to pay ~$100 for the modem and router.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I got the 6141 on sale ($80) and its great.  Only thing I had to do was change my local subnet because I happened to be using the same one that Motorola uses (192.168.100.X).

 
I just bought the 6141 about 2 weeks ago and it's fantastic.
 
Don't get a modem with a built-in wifi router, I've been told they're extremely unreliable and don't function well as either a modem or a wi-fi router.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I'm moving at the end of the month and am upgrading to the 105 Mbps internet from Comcast.  Rather than paying the $8/month to rent their modem, I figure it's time to just buy my own modem/router.
 
What's the best combo I can buy that will maximize the 105 Mbps.  Ideally would like to pay ~$100 for the modem and router.

 
I just upgraded to the 105 Mbps from Comcast with that 6141 I just mentioned and it's been great. That's just the modem, though. I have a Netgear wireless router (NV3700, something like that) which works very well.

 

[JerBear]

 
I just upgraded to the 105 Mbps from Comcast with that 6141 I just mentioned and it's been great. That's just the modem, though. I have a Netgear wireless router (NV3700, something like that) which works very well.

Newegg has been running deals where they bundle in a WiFi router with the 6141 if you're willing to wait for the next one to pop up.  The one running right now has the router OOS unfortunately.

 

[Corsi]

Newegg has been running deals where they bundle in a WiFi router with the 6141 if you're willing to wait for the next one to pop up.  The one running right now has the router OOS unfortunately.

 
I actually have the router they were running with that deal, so I picked up a manufacturer refurb 6141 for $65 shipped on ebay.

 

[Couperin47]

These days the best of breed at almost all speeds/pricepoints for your wireless router/switch combo are the ASUS units.  For maximum thruput you want something like the RT-AC66U and remember, with a Gigabit switch you need your wired connections to use Cat5e or preferably Cat 6 or even better 6a connects. Newegg & Amazon both routinely have refurbs of these too.

 

[cgori]

These days the best of breed at almost all speeds/pricepoints for your wireless router/switch combo are the ASUS units.  For maximum thruput you want something like the RT-AC66U and remember, with a Gigabit switch you need your wired connections to use Cat5e or preferably Cat 6 or even better 6a connects. Newegg & Amazon both routinely have refurbs of these too.

 
Cat6 for 1000T is more than fine.  6A only matters for 10GBase-T, unless you are burying it in the walls, don't waste the money.
 
Your 5E cables will be fine with 1000T as well, so if you've got lots of them already, don't trash/replace them.  It's not going to run any faster, except in cases where you've damaged a cable (either by bending too much or messing up the crimps), then a replacement will show some improvement.  The NEXT/FEXT handling and pre-EQ in the 1000T spec is quite good, especially for short cable runs with only 1 connector on each end.

 

[Couperin47]

 
Cat6 for 1000T is more than fine.  6A only matters for 10GBase-T, unless you are burying it in the walls, don't waste the money.
 
Your 5E cables will be fine with 1000T as well, so if you've got lots of them already, don't trash/replace them.  It's not going to run any faster, except in cases where you've damaged a cable (either by bending too much or messing up the crimps), then a replacement will show some improvement.  The NEXT/FEXT handling and pre-EQ in the 1000T spec is quite good, especially for short cable runs with only 1 connector on each end.

 
I wasn't suggesting reruns unless you have something below Cat5, in fact Gig connections are nice between puters in your home, but pretty much none of us are getting close to that via cable or even FIOS. When buying, however, 5E and 6 are generally virtually the same price so nobody should be buying anything less than Cat6 these days.

 

[cgori]

Yea, just pointing out to everyone else that 6 is more than enough, and not to have a panic.  Our joke when I was designing switches many years ago is that "no one buys 1.3Gig ethernet" - having super-cables won't magically make it go faster.  We didn't get any bonus points for making it go faster on the silicon either...
 
I will say that if you have a media server (NAS or whatever) in your house, having GigE between the computers and that (or even the Roku/WD/whatever) is quite nice, keeps your Wifi clear, and you can stream the hell out of things on a GigE connection.