(Part 2) Top products from r/Comcast

The Netgear I linked to is just a modem. It will only have one port (no wireless) which needs to be connected to a router.

If you do a lot of online gaming on the Xbox and don't have to have wired downstairs, it would probably be best to have the modem in the same room to use a wired connection.

I doubt the two floor townhome would be big enough to have significant concerns over wireless performance. But I will point out a couple options you may not be aware of. First you can set up a wireless bridge which is essentially a wireless cable. The device acting as the bridge would normally have 4 or 5 wired ports to plug into. This of course still depends on a good wireless connection between the router and bridge device. But the advantage is that the bridge can have stronger wireless antennas and is better able to communicate with the router than the built in wifi on devices like game consoles or laptops.

The other option is powerline adapters which actually provides networking over powerlines. Simple plug one into the wall near the router and connect a cable to it, and then plug in one or more into other electrical outlets. Powerline performance can vary greatly though. In some homes they work nearly as well as running an ethernet cable, but in some homes they are completely unreliable. In most cases they will at least work well enough for streaming and anything else other than gaming. Gaming over powerline is certainly possible if they end up working well in the townhome.

In a two bedroom townhome these probably aren't necessary, but something to keep in mind if the xbox isn't wired and the connection isn't stable.

For the router/wireless..

Personally I am a big fan of Ubiquiti products, but they are a lot more advanced than routers designed for home use. Their routers do not have wireless built in, but rather they sell separate wireless access points (Unifi). I use an Edgerouter X which costs about $50 and a single Unifi AC wireless access point. I have the Unifi AC Pro which is $130, but there are also the Unifi AC Long Range ($100) and Unifi AC Lite ($80) and any of them should be fine. The Pro is capable of a bit higher speeds, but the extra speed would likely only be beneficial if you are sending files between your devices (Plex media server for example). Just make sure you don't get the older non AC models.

While they are more advanced they really aren't very difficult to set up. With the Edgerouter you basically just need to login to it and select a wizard (specifically the one named WAN+2LAN2 which will set it to act like most any home router). Then for QoS (quality of service) to prevent streaming, etc to cause a lot of spiking while gaming, you go to the QoS tab to enable Smart Queue and then simply enter the Download/Upload speeds of your Comcast plan.

Unifi wirelss access points are a little different in that you can't directly access them to manage. Instead you install Unifi controller software on your computer to configure all Unifi devices on your network. There are a lot of advanced options for Unifi but basically all you need to do is go to settings and add one or more wireless network, being sure to set the security to WPA Personal with a security key (password).

Aside from Ubiquiti I have had the best experience with ASUS Routers. Probably just about any of the ASUS dual band wireless AC routers would be fine (such as https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-AC1750-4-Port-Gigabit-RT-AC66U_B1/dp/B01N08LPPP/). Not sure how well their QoS features work since haven't used them, but I imagine. Netgear Nighthawk AC routers also have a great reputation although I never used them personally. https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-AC1750-Smart-Router/dp/B00R2AZLD2/

So recommend one of the following:

1. Unifi Edgerouter X ($50) plus one of their Unifi AC wireless access points ($80-130)
   
   
2. ASUS dual band AC router such as the RT-AC66U (around $100)
   
   
3. Netgear Nighthawk dual band AC router such as the R6700 (around $90-100)
   
   Along with the Netgear modem

I work for Comcast and take part in pushing these new wireless gateways on our poor customers who have perfectly good, stable modems in place. My advice is to steer clear. If everything is working fine then why mess with it? Comcast has us pushing them so hard because they want to build their Xfinity Wifi public hotspot network. Not really that big of a deal considering that the bandwidth for strangers connecting to the hotspot is so limited that it has negligible performance impact to your actual in-home network and there really isn't any additional security risk at all. The problem is that our wireless gateways are built cheap and have a much higher failure rate than any modem we've leased in the past. There was even an alert sent out to employees a couple weeks back about a design flaw where the coax cable can become loose from the back of the modem and cause an ingress signal leakage which severely harms both upstream and downstream bandwidth and the solution offered by Comcast is to advise that "tightening the coax connection a quarter turn should resolve the issue."

As far as purchasing your own modem, I say go for it. At $10/month for your Comcast rental, it'll pay for itself in time. The SURFboard SB6141 you posted is a fine choice, though I personally prefer the Arris CM820 or if you have phone service with Comcast then the Arris TG862G (you'll notice the modems with phone ports are quite a bit more expensive but what can you do?) The only reason I prefer these over the SURFboard models is that they're built like fucking tanks. I guarantee either of those two would keep working until they've become obsolete and then even some time after that. I picked up the Arris TM722 new off Amazon more than 5 years ago and haven't had an issue with it yet. One other thing to note is that if you do pick up a modem that has built in wifi, expect to disable the wifi on it because I can almost guarantee that your dedicated wireless router will have a stronger signal strength anyway.

Lastly, this may not happen to you, but when I made the switch to my own, purchased modem and called in to Comcast customer support to have it added on and activated on my account, it took four or five calls before getting a rep that was competent enough to know how to even enter the serial number onto my account. More than one agent told me after trying for some time that they don't support that model, but it's the same fucking model they were actively leasing to their customers at the time and is even on the list of Comcast supported internet modems so don't get discouraged if you hit some static while going through that process. You will eventually find an agent that knows what they're doing. Anyways, best of luck with your ongoing relationship with Comcast :)

Depends what you want. From Comcast's perspective, all you need at a minimum is a compatible cable modem. It's easier if it's on their approved list. Any would likely work, but you'll have less issues if anything goes wrong if you choose one from here. Here's their link:

https://mydeviceinfo.xfinity.com/

The cable modem connects to your cable line, outputs an ethernet connection that you can then use with the rest of your equipment. At that point, you probably need a wireless router, unless you're just plugging a single computer into the modem itself. The router plugs into your cable modem, and expands your network from being just a single ethernet port, to any wireless devices you want to connect to it. It also might have additional ethernet ports on it if you want to connect directly (wired will be better performance than wireless).

Most people recommend keeping the cable modem and wireless routers separate, as you then can upgrade/replace separately if needed. But there are options where they are combined all in one single device, which might be helpful for simple networks. To find those combined devices, just check "built-in wifi" on the xfinity device page, and it will show you those compatible models.

A separate Wifi router that plugs into the cable modem can be just about anything you like, from the cheapest setup up to a whole house mesh with several different access points. They are all "compatible" with Xfinity, as all of them will just plug right into the cable modem to connect up to the network.

If you do end up going with a separate cable modem / wireless router setup, it is sometimes useful to put the cable modem in "bridging" mode. This means that the cable modem sometimes functions as a router as well by default, even if it's just a modem. Then by putting another router behind it, it can sometimes cause issues, especially if you have people on your network with game consoles and some other similar uses. Bridge mode turns off most/all routing from the modem, and the wireless router behind the modem is the only device performing routing - it receives the external IP address as far as Xfinity is concerned, not the cable modem's ethernet port.

My recommendation, for what it's worth, would be the Motorola MB8600 (~$150), with the Google Wifi setup ($100 for one, $260 for 3), 1 puck for each 1500 sq ft of house.

Hey, I was talking with a user in another thread and he mentioned something about a puma 6 chipset which some models use which apparently have problems. They may have partially fixed it with a firmware update but I don't think it's fully fixed. There may be lag issues with that model modem you are getting (SB6190).

If they haven't shipped it yet I would cancel the order. It MAY work okay but honestly I would just return it so you don't have any headache.

It seems like the better choices are the model below it, which I actually just bought used for $34, or the new model with DOCSIS 3.1 which is a bit expensive but is very future proof and about $160 after coupon right now on amazon.

I thought I'd alert you before you set up that modem! It's crazy they're still selling it like hotcakes. Maybe the issue isnt that bad but I personally wouldn't use it. It should be an easy return because its amazon.

edit: If you want a model in between the model below it and the very new model, this $99 Netgear is about the same price and is comparable to the one you bought (though a few less channels) and doesn't have any of the puma 6 problems.

This router has worked great for me. Even giving me speeds higher than I pay for.

I didn't buy it on Amazon I bought it at best buy and asked for a price match to get it right away. Also did this for the Modem.

I use this one. But it may be overkill unless you need all the features. It's the best modem/router combo I've ever used and waaay better than Comcast's gateway (despite them both being made by the same company).

That said, any basic docsis 3 modem should do fine. The Moto seem to be most popular.

We will be getting the Blast 75Mbps data plan with Comcast
I am quite literally studying for the Network+ exam so I can do all this myself in the future, heh.

Anyway, so, I looked under their supported modems, and I have chosen this modem.

For the WiFi router I have looked at this particular one. Does it appear that this WiFi router will support my needs? 4-7 laptops all connected to the internet at one time, some streaming video, some doing schoolwork, some playing online games, ect.

If it all looks in order, I will definitely place my order tonight, as Comcast is supposed to send me my 'setup kit' Thursday so I can do it myself.

edit: some of the reviews for this specific wireless router are sketchy. Perhaps I should shell out the extra 50$ for a better, more reliable wireless router?

That's typical enough that almost anything will do - it's actually pretty hard to buy a really BAD router these days :)

I've used and like Asus and Linksys routers before, so one of those ought to do pretty well. Unless your house is large enough that you can't cover it all with one AP, something like one of these should work fine:

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Dual-Band-AC1750-Gigabit-RT-AC66U-B1/dp/B01N08LPPP/

https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-EA6350-Wireless-Dual-Band-Anywhere/dp/B00JZWQW4C/

If you scroll down and go to the new and used option, it is at $72 now. When I got mine, it was at 60. The modem was basically new, it had the original plastic on it. If you want to save money, you have nothing to lose. Just return it if it dont work and ask for a new one.
Modem has been working great for me.


.
ARRIS SURFboard SBG6700AC DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem/ Wi-Fi AC1600 Router - Retail Packaging - White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QQ7SG48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_Ro7C29TPe1o2E

What you want to look at is the physical layer data rate or PHY link speed. That's the maximum speed you could ever get with that router under perfect conditions (and that will NEVER happen), so your going to get some fraction of that speed.

The Comcast gateway is using a chip that is better than anything in any available routers currently, it has an 8.6Gbps link speed: http://www.quantenna.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/QSR10GTV1.0.pdf

It also has 8 streams, so it can be sending/receiving data on 8 'lanes' at once. Your wireless card supports 4 steams/lanes. Ideally 4 of those 8 stream would be talking to your card to get the maximum speed, and the other 4 would be talking to your other devices. Your current router supports 3 streams, which already shows you one of the problems with it. It can only utilize 75% of the capability of your wireless card, and that's only if your wireless card is the only wireless device talking to it.

Let's look at the PHY link speed of your router, it's 1300 (it's called an AC1750, but that's because they add the 2.4 (450) and the 5ghz (1300) together). Your PHY link speed on 5ghz is 1300mbps, or about 1/6th of the Comcast gateway.

So, if you want something close to the Comcast gateway in terms of performance, you want something with 8 streams (though 4 is fine, IF your computer will be the only thing that uses wi-fi) and the highest PHY link rate you can find. Let's look around...

The closest I could find is this: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-RT-AC5300-AiProtection-Compatible-Accelerator/dp/B0167HG1V6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ac5300&qid=1566910918&s=gateway&sr=8-2&th=1

But it's not very close in reality. For starters, they inflate the numbers, it's not really AC5300, it's 2167+2167+1000. So it's PHY link speed is really 2167. It's 4x4 not 8x8.

It seems router manufacturers are not terribly interested in pushing 802.11ac to it's limits. They probably figure if people want gigabit+ wireless speeds they should move to 802.11ad and buy their new 802.11ad routers. Which may be an option for you, but you'd need a new wireless card, and be aware that 802.11ad doesn't have as good of range as 802.11ac.

Since it's a desktop (I assume based on the PCIe adapter) and probably doesn't move anyway, best solution is probably to look at Ethernet/powerline/MoCa for some sort of wired connection.

I really don't understand why people pay for home phone anymore. Just get an OBi, connect it to Google Voice, get free home phone service with call waiting, transcribed voicemails, ability to send/receive SMS/MMS from the number, have that number also ring up to 5 other numbers, etc.

If you want 911 service that's like $3/mo.

Actually, I don't know why people even want a home phone anymore...

Edit: Here is some more info

If you only have the 75 Mbps plan, this is completely sufficient: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010Q29YF8?psc=1

I set it up for my brother and it's fine. I also set up the following motorola one at my parent's place and it also works fine. No need to get a super fast one if you only have a 75 Mbps plan (both modems can go much faster than that too).

I have personally tested both on Comcast, the TP on a 75 Mbps and the Motorola on a 150 Mbps plan. Both get speeds over the plan's advertised ones. Course you still only get about 12 Mbps up because Comcast is lame, but if you need upload go look at their business class I guess. Either way, both of these modems are great and will saturate your connection both ways if you need to.

http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B00AJHDZSI/

Edit: Added a sentence.

Looks like the Netgear CM500 I saw on Amazon has that puma chip. Supposedly Motorola modems don't have that chip. Does this modem seem good? Right now I don't have access to the account so I can't see the Comcast modems page.


[Motorola MB7420] (https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Certified-Comcast-Spectrum-BrightHouse/dp/B01A1E6BA2/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1517889047&sr=1-9&keywords=cable+modem)


Also any wireless router would work? How is this?


[TP Link AC1900] (https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-AC1900-Smart-Router/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)

Well there's a few things that might have happened:

1. More noise on the line or signal strength drop
   
2. Something bad in the modem itself
   
3. Buggy firmware on modem recently updated from Comcast
   
   Who knows?
   
   Regarding the cost, $115 is way, way too much for a modem.
   
   Here's the one I had (but had to upgrade when I went to 300Mbps package):
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001UI2FPE/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
   
   It should suit you fine for 75MBps.
   
   EDIT: And it was certified with Comcast but they don't show it now since its a few years old and probably doesn't support 150Mbps or greater internet speeds. The Motorola page says this modem can support up to 150Mbps only.

This is my modem: http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SB6120-SURFboard-eXtreme-Broadband/dp/B001UI2FPE

Pretty sure it should work fine.

There's multiple options for using your in-wall coaxial for wired networking. The specific option you would use usually depends on what TV provider you are using over that coax

• If you have cable, you can get MOCA adapters which will send the network traffic over your coaxial cable in a way that does not conflict with your cable TV service.
  
• If you have DirecTV, you can get DECA adapters, which are essentially the same thing as MOCA but compatible with the DTV signal on the same cable.
  
• If you have an IPTV service like Uverse, you can get HPNA adapters.
  
  I'll assume you have cable here since we're in the Comcast sub. Setup for each of them is essentially the same though. A MOCA adapter usually has one Ethernet port and two coaxial ports (one to the wall, and one to the TV). If you want to plug in more than one device in your room, you will need to use a switch in that room. Having two coax ports means you can use the wall coax for both TV and networking simultaneously.
  
  You need at least two MOCA adapters, one in each area you are trying to network. I would expect you would put one in the room where your existing router is, and the other in your room. I have a set of Actiontec bonded MOCA 2.0 adapters that do gigabit over coax, but there are also cheaper older versions that do about 300 mbps. MOCA supports mesh networking too, so if you want to add any additional rooms to your network, just add another adapter to that room, and it will be able to see the other two (or more) rooms.
  
  Once everything is plugged in, it should just work. There was no configuration I had to do on mine, they just immediately saw each other.

I had that same modem a few months ago and I upgraded because it was garbage. From what I read about it, it uses older technology and the modem is just outdated. Heres a link to the modem I replaced it with. I bought it used from amazon for 60 instead of paying the full price and it works a lot better than that other modem. Our situations coule be different so I don't wanna promise anything, but I think it would be a better upgrade for you.

ARRIS SURFboard SBG6700AC DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem/ Wi-Fi AC1600 Router - Retail Packaging - White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QQ7SG48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_hFcKSnyMq2MJi

Would this one work with comcast as well??

Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/Arris-WBM760A-Touchstone-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B006UK3K06/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1409255470&sr=1-6&keywords=DOCSIS+3.0

Yeah.

Edit: Good router for the price. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-RT-AC1200-802-11ac-Wireless-Router/dp/B01ATNHG36/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468272746&sr=8-2&keywords=Asus+AC+Router

I bought the Arris TM822R from Amazon Warehouse deals, used for $118. It was the cheapest I could find a modem that should work with Comcast (R model), and that I could return for free if it didn't work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06XD6VQ1J/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

So this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0113JAN8K/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_T3ktDbSNFQPBT

Should work just fine? for both utilizing the new 4k Signal that Comcast offers as well as the 1gig modem?

I would recommend staying away from any of the modem/router combos. Mainly if one of the components goes bad you'll need to replace the whole thing.

I'm going on the assumption that you do not have the Comcast Voice (telephone) service, you can't go wrong with the SURFboard SB6183, SURFboard SB6190, or if you want to go cheap the Zoom 5341J is a good modem.

As for WiFi.. depends on your needs.. how many users, how big your house is, how much coverage is needed.. You can get something relatively low cost such as the TP-LINK TL-WDR3500 or you can spend a ton of cash on something like this monster ASUS RT-AC5300.

Wired devices will definitely show an increase in speed. Wireless devices may see an increase in speed.

You could keep your current router, the RT-N66U and connect a wireless access point with ethernet, such as the Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC Lite, while disabling the RT-N66U's wireless so it won't interfere. Either way you do need to get that new modem first.

You can accomplish this with MoCA. I use these in my home and they’re indistinguishable from being plugged directly in the switch, they’re incredibly fast.

Yea. A emta like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XD6VQ1J/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502387354&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=emta+modem&dpPl=1&dpID=41nB%2BoJ-NQL&ref=plSrch

If you already have WiFi routers (and I'd suggest you have separate WiFi and modem so they can be replaced individually) then all you need is this TP Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010Q29YF8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages01

It supports most speeds that people use, and it only takes 5-6 months before it's pays for itself.

http://www.amazon.com/SURFboard-SBG6782AC-DOCSIS-AC1750-Router/dp/B00GJ7Y7MU/ref=dp_ob_title_home

Most on here would recommend purchasing your modem and router separately however.

Hmm.. Well I have Amazon prime and can return it, so I'll give it a shot. I'll do anything to get my full speeds in my room at this point. Would this work? It says "ethernet over coax" but most things in the description allude to using it with a TV.

Your link is the exact modem I was talking about. This is the router.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_-9KEAb4ZRN28B

The code takes off $10 and the coupon take off $10. Bringing the router down to $79. The modem has a $10 coupon too.

I can just use simple splitter and I'll work?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0113JAN8K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480342435&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=coax+splitter&dpPl=1&dpID=51Yd857QwGL&ref=plSrch

The 6141 can't use moca connections for data. You can use a MoCA adapter to do what you're looking to do:
http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Ethernet-Adapter-without-Routers/dp/B008EQ4BQG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449590086&sr=8-3

Can also go with: https://www.amazon.com/Google-Wifi-system-single-point/dp/B01MDJ0HVG/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492452575&sr=1-2&keywords=google+wifi

This is a combo that would work for 100 Mbps:

https://www.amazon.com/MOTOROLA-MG7540-AC1600-Gigabit-Maximum/dp/B01MSTB5KW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=modem+router+combo&qid=1571509460&sr=8-3

I'm gonna take a guess in that you have the 200/10 package. It's my understanding that anything over the 150/20 requires a modem that has a minimum of 16d/4u channels. As such you would be looking at this https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-High-Speed-Certified-Spectrum-MG7540/dp/B01MSTB5KW/ref=pd_sim_147_13?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MSTB5KW&pd_rd_r=WXNF74BCY0W4NS62PBX0&pd_rd_w=q2c8M&pd_rd_wg=0wwZm&psc=1&refRID=WXNF74BCY0W4NS62PBX0 .

Arris WBM760A Touchstone DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006UK3K06/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_p3tyub1SD92Z1

I got 2 refurbished ones (primary and a spare) from the "amazon warehouse deals" seller for around $30 each with prime shipping. Zero problems with either of them.

Router/Modem combos are horrible. Router/Wireless AP combos are almost as bad. These are the router and WAP I use:
http://amzn.to/2qzR4G1
http://amzn.to/2rzLWAh

The edgerouter is an enterprise device, so is much more powerful/complex to set up compared to traditional consumer devices. My uptime on my router is > 9 months though (as opposed to consumer routers which I had to manually reboot all the time).

My throughput on wired and wireless is phenomenal with this combo.