Reddit mentions of ARRIS CM820A Cable Modem DOCSIS 3.0 (Latest Version - 1 Step Activation)

sure, i just figured people ought to know since the last time we offered a NIB White SB6141 at $70 here it got a lot of attention. I'm actually waiting for a different docsis3 modem to get cheaper again at $50 before i upgrade my owned docsis2, since that Arris has been added to TWCable upgrade support list;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GG78FU

buying a used modem cheaper is always a gamble. i got my lightly used/refurb docsis2 sb5101u for $25 knowing it could fail at any time - so far (6 months) it's holding up well.

$60 new would be possible on the sb6121, not the sb6141 which is an improved model not seen NIB under $70.

I bought this one. and for $6 I bought a 2-yr warranty to go along with it. I got the $50 for 155mbps deal. It's fantastic.

This is my modem, it’s. DOCSYS 3 modem I bought in 2015. It should be able to handle 1000 mbps speeds, but I pay for 200

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.

you could eliminate the rental charge by getting your own modem, https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-Touchstone-Cable-Modem-DOCSIS/dp/B008GG78FU/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=do09b-20&creativeASIN=B008GG78FU this model for example is one of their highest recommended at the moment and is only $70. (I actually just switched to this model for RCN) Would pay for itself in less than 10 months.

Arris is the company that makes all of Motorola's modems. This one is actually slightly better than the comparable spec they make for Motorola and $20 cheaper than the comparable (and comcast ranks it higher as well than the comparable motorola: http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/ ); it's a tad better in that it has a MoCa filter built-in which is good if you have a Tivo.

Generally I recommend against Combo Devices. While they are convinent and may save a bit of space/power, they don't deliver the same content quality as an aftermarket router will.

Separate devices will certainly work better than any combo device and with the wide avilibility out there I don't see why more people go to get their own than they do.

But, when you get your own device there are several things to consider.

Your device, while it is provided by TWC, is covered for replacement with few restrictions. The modems can be replaced with a service call (generally no charge to the customer) and can be handled efficiently by a well trained tech.

If you buy your own, there is no guarantee it will work any "better" or "worse" than an existing modem you have installed, but getting a newer device may give better lifespan than your existing modem.

TWC, as advertised on their website, modem fees are between $3.95 and $5.99 depending on where you live. Over the course of a year, this is between $48-$120/year. Definitely worth getting your own device, even if you buy a new one every 2 years. (also, most store bought modems come with a 1 year warranty anyway and you can get an extended warranty for usually an extra $5-$10)

Recommended devices: Regardless where you live:

• Motorola 6180
  
• Motorola 6141
  
• Arris CM820
  
  
  AVOID THIS MODEM
  Netgear CM31T This is a blacklisted device from several large MSOs because of its firmware issues and compabaility. It will "connect" but you will be plagued with problems.

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 :)

That Motorola model sporadically rebooted on me, sometimes 10x a day. Maybe I got a dud, but I get solid service with this Arris. Edit: Also, [Comcast's approved modems] (http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/).

I bought this one this week actually. It's been working great and has some specs that make it better than the Comcast provided on at holding a good connection. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GG78FU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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?

I highly recommend this router. It'll no doubt support whatever speeds you're getting and it broadcasts both 2.4GHz Signals and newer 5GHz signals for devices that use those.

I've got Time Warner Cable and not ATT, but I've used multiple ARRIS Modems and they've all been very reliable. Like this one, but don't buy it for that price, they can be found on eBay used for $20-30.

It is indeed a DOCSIS 3.0, more specifically it's this one.

And the router is this lil lady but I'm not running wirelessly on my pc.

It's a whole subreddit of people needing things explained like they are 5. Explain it like they're 5 or just shake your head and move on.

http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-Touchstone-Cable-Modem-DOCSIS/dp/B008GG78FU