Reddit reviews Motorola Surfboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 High-Speed Cable Modem- Black (OEM Brown Box)

I have this and love it.

https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4

I bought this modem years ago to knock the $10 a month rental off my bill. Pays for itself quickly.

Motorola Surfboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 High-Speed Cable Modem- Black (OEM Brown Box) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IMPMW4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_AWIVDbSGFRCKX

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4

Either the SB6141 or the SB6121

From http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/ both are fully compatible. I don't think the star rating means much, the definitions are very vague, and I have heard that the 6141 is quite nice.

You'll need to call Comcast and give them the MAC address (HFC MAC - it's the MAC address for the copper cable input). Supposedly, supported device auto-register, but I've never had any luck with that.

Modems that have a router. And Modems that require a separate router.


Separate is best. Search various other answers to this question, but, combo units make too many compromises.

For modem: Motorola 6141 seems to be the gold standard:

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4

Link for info only, shop around.


I also have other people in the house that would need to connect via Wi-Fi. Would it be a better idea to go with modem/router combo?


Best wifi is probably a higher end Asus unit.

This

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31841-asus-rt-ac66u-80211ac-dual-band-wireless-ac1750-gigabit-router-reviewed

This is a little cheaper

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31687-asus-rt-n66u-dark-knight-dual-band-wireless-n900-gigabit-router-reviewed

IF you have a smaller place, this might be OK

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31436-asus-rt-n56u-black-diamond-dual-band-gigabit-wireless-n-router-reviewed

But the N66 or AC66 are better.

In summary:

Separate units best
Motorola Modem
Asus wireless router.

It's pretty easy to do and I recommend it, because this is a purchase you will recoup quickly. You can check a list of compatible modems here:

• Time Warner / Spectrum Approved DOCSIS 3.0 and 2.0 Cable Modems
  
• Lease a Modem from TWC or Buy Your Own Modem
  
• twc-compatible-modems.pdf
  
  Pick the model that matches your budget and the speed of the contract you have with TWC (provided that they are honest about it, and you now know they aren't). Once you have a good candidate or two, buy the one with the best Amazon reviews -- I ordered the Motorola SB6141 SB6141 Modem for example, 4 years ago.
  
  Bring back the TWC modem you are leasing to one of their offices (say, at Colonie Center), then connect your own, and give them a call -- they will walk you through the process of activating it.
  
  Important:
  
  
• DO CHECK that you are no longer being charged for leasing the modem that you returned,
  
• DO CHECK AGAIN 6 months later -- they brought back the charge on my bill "accidentally" later on (because of course they did).
  

Comcast is the only provider here that you can get any decent speeds with.. ATT has crappy service compared to comcast in most areas. You can get a decent connection for about $30 a month for the first year (50% discount your first year), and it goes up after to regular price. Some people I know have just called after the first year, and sometimes can get the discount renewed, so that's something to keep in mind, though I have not done it myself. I recommend buying your own router and modem, as the stuff comcast provides is trash.

Get something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-AC1750-Smart-Router/dp/B00BUSDVBQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527283056&sr=1-1&keywords=archer+c7

Getting these will last you several years at a minimum (so long as you aren't worried about things like DDWRT/open WRT... if you don't know what the heck these are don't worry, for more enthusiast users) the modem/router I posted are like the best mid-range options. Comcast usually rents their equipment, and their equipment is... well... garbage, so please invest in your own hardware.

Hope this helps.

Motorola SB6141. Its DOCSIS 3.0 and advertises it can handle 300mbps.

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4

Its on their list of approved devices.

They all suck equally in many aspects, but my preference Cox, TW, att. If you can buy a modem separately, like this one http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4/ref=pd_cp_pc_2 for a good price, do it and you might get some more speed over the shitty refurbs they give you.

I'd do separate modem and router...that way if one fails the other doesn't (and usually when they're separate they do their one function better.)

The SB6141 is the recommended modem these days. I personally have a CM820 provided by my cable company (included with my internet) and it seems to be reliable as well.

Asus has been making some good routers lately, though I personally use a Netgear R6100 and it works good as well.

I don't know what plans they have in your area, but you can find screaming deals for their six-month promotional sign-ups if you look around.

I use Comcast HSI stand-alone with no cable. I pay for 20mbps down but I see 55mbps down and 10mbps up. I also purchased my own modem which is significantly faster than the one they supplied me with ( Motorola SB6141) so I don't have to pay the equipment rental fee.

Another thing you may want to look into is setting up QoS on your router so one device doesn't hog all the bandwidth.

It's only $66.49 on amazon. What router are you using?

I would go with this Motorola if I were buying today. https://motorolanetwork.com/cable-modem/mb8600.html
My motorola modem is a few years old, but it has been very reliable. In fact I may need to get one. There is nothing wrong with mine and it delivers the 260 mbps I get now really well. I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4. It is a few years old and won't be up to the task of the next speed upgrade that Comcast does.

ARRIS SURFboard SB6141 should do just fine. I have this modem and it works great for my 200 Mbps plan. Just be sure to wear a welding mask when looking at the lights; they are blindingly bright.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IMPMW4/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_euIZDbGFA0R2C

The Motorola Surfboard 6141. I swear by this like of modems.

chs: http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4 or

According to this [NOPE] (https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4). I'd upgrade to newer.

I think it's this one, maybe this one, but I'll have to check when I get home. Definitely a Motorola Surfboard series docsis modem at the very least though.

Now that you mention it, I also had Rocket League issues on Comcast with that modem back in new mexico so it could very well be a modem issue. Looking up the surfboard chipset, it seems like it is likely a puma 6 chipset so that would make sense. Could be the wifi router too, idk, haven't messed with that myself.

OP: I have Time Warner Cable 50mbps package, and I can tell you that I definitely get the advertised speeds after a couple changes. The router/modem 2 in one that they ship out recently is total crap that overheats and doesn't know how to internet. Buy yourself a nice standalone modem and a dual band gigabit router. Also, if you're in a populated area, as stated before, make sure that your wifi channel is less used so that there is less interference. Since I have done that I have almost always gotten 50 megabits per second when I run speedtest.

Try seeing if it is your modem/router combo by pushing the reset pin, letting it cool down for a bit, then connecting to it again... they tend to go over time for some reason.

Like this?

Edit: This is what I have now. it's Docsis 3.0 compliant and it's the one I've had for a couple years now (originally had 15/1)

Do you have a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem? I had the same problem and upgrading doubled my speeds to 55. It combines 8 cable channels instead of 4.

http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/

I got this one and the setup was automated, and it's fast.

You know that Time Warner charges you for renting the modem, right? You can buy your own modem and save that extra 5 bux. Here's the modem you want - http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-High-Speed/dp/B007IMPMW4

I have THIS ONE I think it's pretty much the same time, but the one you want is a newer version.

It's been great and I would highly recommend it. :)