Q's about purchasing a cable modem

[moto211]

so, i'm tired of paying a monthly fee to comcast for a crappy cable modem that only works half the time. i've decided that i'm going to purchase my own modem and i've heard really good things about motorola surfboard modems. the egg has the SB5120 for $40 shipped and the SB5101 for $45 + shipping. they appear to be the same and the motorola site even groups them together when comparing their modem offerings. i did notice that some of the reviewers on the egg claim that the 5101 is better than the 5120 but i'm not sure why its better or what sets them apart. does it really matter, or should i just get the cheaper one?

here's the modems that i'm considering:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2052810018+50001566+4025&name=$25+-+$50

 

[deadlysyn]

From what I have seen, most of the reviews on the Egg should be taken with a grain of salt. Have you tried looking at Motorola's website to see what different features they have, if any? Just a quick look almost makes me think they are pretty much the same model, except for maybe a few small unnoticeable differences. Maybe someone with some more experience in cable modems will be by to chime in.

 

[moto211]

here's the motorola product page:

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/cable_modems.asp

if you look at the product comparison table, the two are grouped together and i looked at the individual product pages and couldn't figure out what the difference is.

*edit*
i noticed one thing the 5120 has that the 5101 doesn't:

"Enhanced with TurboDOX™ Bandwidth Optimization Software: can further boost download speeds by up to 20 times*"

i don't know if this is for real, or a gimmick. some of the reviews on the egg mentioned more dropped packets on Comcast with the 5120 while downloading from BitTorrent and while gaming. i know that people that post reviews on the egg usually don't know what they are talking about. also, i know the dropped packets while downloading from BitTorrent is due to Comcast's packet filtering and not caused by the modem. but what about gaming? does anyone here have this modem? how is the online gaming connection?

 

[Enablingwolf]

I am going off memory here.

I think the Surfboards are just different in power draw off the wall. Then the amount of users per modem. I had an old 5100 and it was awesome possum. It is nice to push the button on top and pause the WAN.

Your provider may push new firmware, so just get the modem that is not a total turd and prone to failure.

 

[moto211]

thanx wolf.

i went back and ckecked and the 5120 can support up to 32 users while the 5101 can support up to 63 users. what about this TurboDOX thing? and what about the supposed dropped packets?

 

[Enablingwolf]

I know Roadrunner dropped the Surfboard and uses the newer one that has VOIP. Since they supply the modem for free, I haven't wondered about it or cared. (I use two modems actually 1 for phone / 1 for internet) As for other providers, I have to say I dunno.

Now if I was to guess. It is probably packet shaping inside the modem. Like QoS but a hardware version. Given a nifty name. As for dropped packets.. It might screw with a ISPs shaping technology and freak it out. This is a guess though.

Here is the chipset info on it:

Texas Instruments’ TurboDOX bandwidth-optimization software is an upgrade to TI’s standard DOCSIS® and Euro-DOCSIS software that significantly increases the download broadband speed of popular Internet applications such as FTP downloads, HTTP web browsing and MP3 downloads.
This DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0-compliant software is completely self-contained on the user’s cable modem and is compatible with existing networks and cable modem termination systems (CMTS).
Additionally, TurboDOX-powered modems can coexist with modems that are not TurboDOX-enabled without degrading performance or impairing legacy modems. TurboDOX is supported on all TI cable modem reference platforms.

 

[gangaskan]

i'm starting to look at other modems myself this websurf modem just SUCKS

i get disconnected randomly during the day alot ... this never happened with my Linksys modem at my dads house while i was still living there

 

[Enablingwolf]

I got two Webstar modems. I forced my provider to give me them. After the first time The CSa disconnected( VOIP) me for a modem reboot... Gah 50 minute hold times then 10 minutes later they cut you off..

If they supply free modems. Try and sweet talk the local office for older modems. They do get them in as folks turn in stuff.... If not, do a lot of research what the ISP used to use or works good with your WAN.

 

[gangaskan]

I got two Webstar modems. I forced my provider to give me them. After the first time The CSa disconnected( VOIP) me for a modem reboot... Gah 50 minute hold times then 10 minutes later they cut you off..

If they supply free modems. Try and sweet talk the local office for older modems. They do get them in as folks turn in stuff.... If not, do a lot of research what the ISP used to use or works good with your WAN.

yeah i should have asked, but i know with my WAN any docisis 2.0 modem will work fine.

 

[VinnyTAMU]

I just purchased the motorola surfboard SB5120 for $40 off of newegg 2 months ago and my random disconnect issue has disappeared. I love this cable modem!

 

[moto211]

@VinnyTAMU:
do you play any online gaming that utilizes a lot of bandwidth? do you notice many slowdowns (laggy gameplay)?

the main reason that i'm getting my own modem is because of frequent dropped connections from the Comcast provided unit. its a Comcast branded unit made by Scientific-Antlantic and it sucks. i know that the SB5120 will probably solve the disconnect issue but i want to make sure its not going to cause bad online gameplay.

 

[Enablingwolf]

I just purchased the motorola surfboard SB5120 for $40 off of newegg 2 months ago and my random disconnect issue has disappeared. I love this cable modem!

My old 5100 I turned off once in 3 years. Just because I left town on vacation. Otherwise I just left it be. I did have power outages and moved it, but it is not the same as a power cycle. I liked my Surfboard.

 

[VinnyTAMU]

@vinnyTAMU:
do you play any online gaming that utilizes a lot of bandwidth? do you notice many slowdowns (laggy gameplay)?

the main reason that i'm getting my own modem is because of frequent dropped connections from the Comcast provided unit. its a Comcast branded unit made by Scientific-Antlantic and it sucks. i know that the SB5120 will probably solve the disconnect issue but i want to make sure its not going to cause bad online gameplay.

First off from my understanding on-line gaming does not utilize alot of bandwidth (at least for cable modem customers). However if you are running a server that might be a different story. And yes I play CS:S almost every night and have had zero issues with disconnects from servers. Also I open a SSH session into my home computer ever day from work, and my SSH session was only disconnected once in the last two months.

 

[FudgeNuggets]

I just purchased the motorola surfboard SB5120 for $40 off of newegg 2 months ago and my random disconnect issue has disappeared. I love this cable modem!

I have this issue too. I thought it was my router because it seemed to be a lot more stable once I went to direct cat-5 but now it is happening again. I may try a new modem next. Going from the one provided by the cable company to your own..... what kind of configuration did it require? Did you have to register it with the cable company?

 

[Enablingwolf]

To use your own modem. All you do is call up the ISP (tell them you have your own modem) and they will provision it for you. Pretty simple as they ask the questions they need. Once your talking to a CS it goes pretty fast. Just have the modem ready and listen to instructions.

 

[meionm]

I had no problems with motorolla 5100. The only problem I have once a while is with service provider, comcast, when they have outage in the area.

 

[VinnyTAMU]

To use your own modem. All you do is call up the ISP (tell them you have your own modem) and they will provision it for you. Pretty simple as they ask the questions they need. Once your talking to a CS it goes pretty fast. Just have the modem ready and listen to instructions.

Yep all they should need from you is the MAC address and possibly the S/N of the cable modem. I am fairly sure they asked me for the serial number off of my cable modem, however I am not sure why they needed it?

 

[Enablingwolf]

Yep all they should need from you is the MAC address and possibly the S/N of the cable modem. I am fairly sure they asked me for the serial number off of my cable modem, however I am not sure why they needed it?

My first thought is that they are cross referring the s/n to make sure it is not one of theirs.

 

[FudgeNuggets]

Heh, I spoke to the cable company tonight and asked them if I could swap mine for another and they said "no problem, bring it in"..... surely it won't be this easy this weekend when I actually do.....

 

[Enablingwolf]

It is easier to do your own modem then having them do it. The big black mark, they can get poopie when they know it is your stuff and not theirs. i.e. - it could be your stuff and no free home checks to make sure the modem is functioning right. Most will come out to check the line though[hint for later]. No free replacements, unless you go back.

Otherwise, it is that easy. Seriously! When you get back home it should work great. Long as you hook it up right.. duh.. simple simple simple...