Comcast Cable Modem

That said, if you are about to move soon, renting for a couple of months might make more sense instead of buying. As the modem you buy might not work in your next location. Also, if you rent a modem, Comcast offers tech support and free replacements.

comcast cable modem

Super informative article! I have a 1400 square foot townhome. Cutting cable and going to buy either modem router combo, or separate devices. Have Xfinity. All we do is watch/stream TV, and have 2 cell phones, and one tablet. Not gamers, nothing special. What is your recommendation for Xfinity internet plan/speed?Thank you!

Thank you very much Andreas for sharing your knowledge. After little research I found only very good reviews about MB8611. I got a MB8611, speed is indeed faster about 20mbps than with my old modem. It also helped to make up my mind faster. )Thank you.

View the numerous Comcast XFINITY approved modems, but it is easier to look at the list below for the top recommended modems. Three categories (value, WiFi, and DOCSIS 3.1) help to sort the many options for Comcast XFINITY internet services.

Internet providers have begun removing some DOCSIS 3.0 modems from their networks. To maximize the years of use from a modem, it is strongly recommended to purchase a DOCSIS 3.1 device (the latest standard).

If your cable internet provider charges you an expensive modem rental fee every month, consider buying your own modem instead. A modem generally pays for itself in the first year of ownership, and most will give you speedy internet for years to come. After researching nearly 100 cable modems over the past six years, we recommend the Motorola MB7621 as the best cable modem for use with most internet service providers (ISPs) and internet plans.

If you have a gigabit or multi-gig internet plan and your ISP allows you to use your own modem, the Motorola MB8611 is the best of the DOCSIS 3.1 modems that are widely available right now, thanks to its relatively low price and two-year warranty. You need a DOCSIS 3.1 modem to guarantee gigabit speeds from most cable ISPs, and some ISPs like Sparklight recommend DOCSIS 3.1 modems for new cable modem activations.

The first two versions of DOCSIS used only one downstream channel (for downloading data) and one upstream channel (for uploading data). DOCSIS 3.0 allows modems to bond multiple channels into a single data stream, giving you 38 Mbps per channel. Since those channels can combine, you can theoretically get up to 600 Mbps with a 16-channel modem and up to 1.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) with a 32-channel modem. A DOCSIS 3.1 will go further, up into the multi-gig capacity (above 1.2 Gbps), but note that wired Ethernet is limited to 1 Gbps on most current desktop PCs, laptops, and streaming boxes.

The MB8611 supports gigabit internet plans (up to 1000 Mbps or 1 Gbps) as well as multi-gig plans (between 1.2 and 2.5 Gbps). It supports those faster speeds using a 2.5 GbE (2.5 gigabit Ethernet) port on its back panel, just above the usual coaxial (round Cable TV-style) cable. The modem's port will connect to older routers with 1 gigabit Ethernet ports up to single gigabit speeds, and newer routers and mesh networks with 2.5 GbE ports at 1.2 to 2.5 gigabit speeds.

Comcast says that the Sochi Olympics generated $257 million of revenue in Q1 2014. Make no mistake about it, cable modem rentals are an important revenue stream for Comcast. It provides more revenue than the Sochi Olympics and it happens each and every quarter.

If the payments of $96 per year for 3 years where packaged into a bond, and the bond were priced to yield 10% a year, the bond would sell for $239. In short, every time Comcast rents out a cable modem it increases its market value by $199 ($239 - $40).

In their latest earnings announcement Comcast said they had 21.3 million broadband customers and 11.0 million voice customers. This means, there are somewhere between 21.3 million and 32.3 million customers who need a cable modem. Based on our estimate that 90% are renting, there are between 19 million and 29 million renters.

Usually, a business that is this profitable has to have some gigantic barriers to entry in order to keep customers locked in. Mobile phone companies lock you in with 2 year contracts. Pharmaceutical companies use their patents to prevent competition. In this case, however, there is nothing preventing people from buying their own modems.

In the large picture saving $8 a month is not a big deal for a lot of people especially if it means that when you have a problem, you are on your own. Another way to look at it is to consider how much of your time it is going to take to figure out which modem to buy, install it, and deal with any problems that come up. Is it worth $8 a month to avoid that?

ARRIS S33 is the best Xfinity-approved modem to work with any download speed. But if you have a slower plan like Performance Starter or Performance Select, your internet will work fine with a cheap modem like NETGEAR CM400.

While plenty of Xfinity-supported modems are out there, these five are well-suited to specific plans. Find the one that matches your package for a fantastic Xfinity experience without the monthly modem lease fees.

But if you want to control your modem from the Xfinity mobile app, an Xfinity modem like the xFi Gateway is the right way to go. The xFi Gateway is available by directly renting from Xfinity for $14 per month.

I picked these modems after ongoing long-term experiences via my personal use and those of friends, family members, or business partners. All are excellent in their own right and are still working today.

Thanks Dong for the continued (and helpful) content. I would love to switch out my Xfinity modem, but I am not sure if Xfinity Home will work without their XB7 modem / router. Calls to them and searches have come up short of finding an answer.

Get the best cable modem, and you no longer have to worry about hidden fees popping up on your internet bill. That's because supplying your own modem gets rid of the equipment rental fee your internet service provider could be charging you if you're using the ISP-supplied modem they gave you with when setting up your service.

You'll need to find a modem that works with your internet service, but that's not a huge challenge. All of the best cable modem contenders we've assessed work with major ISPs in the U.S. So really, all you need to do is find a modem that's easy to hook up and comes with a generous warranty. Here's what we'd recommend based on testing assorted cable modems over the years.

If you have gigabit or even a multi-gig internet plan, you're going to need a DOCSIS 3.1 compatible modem to take full advantage of the speeds you're paying for. The ARRIS SURFboard S33 is one such modem that's compatible with Comcast, Spectrum Cox and most other major U.S. cable internet providers.

The ARRIS SURFboard S33 is a bit more expensive than the other cable modems in this guide with a list price of $219 though it's usually available for around $200. For the price, you get a future-proof device that's well suited for high-speed internet plans thanks to its gigabit and multi-gig Ethernet ports. In fact, this device can reach a top speed of 2,500 Mbps.

The Motorola MB7420 is the best cable modem for most homes. In fact, managing editor at Tom's Guide Philip Michaels has been using the MB7420 for nearly two years without a single complaint. If you can find the MB7420 for $60 or less, it's hard to track down a better value.

The blue and green lights on the MB7420 are bright enough to read at a distance without turning a dark room into a laser light show at night. We also found the modem easy to set up with a coaxial connector sticking out of the modem's backside at a comfortable distance from its lone ethernet port.

There's not much separating the Motorola MB7420 from the Netgear CM500 as both performed dependably when we tested each modem. But the edge goes to Motorola because it offers a two-year warranty to Netgear's one-year of coverage. That means better protection for your investment, as the best cable modems tend to last for several years.

The Netgear CM500 remains one of the best cable modems available, and you can usually find it for a $5 to $10 less than the Motorola MB7420 most of the time. Anytime you can find a new CM500 for around $50, that's a good buy.

The Netgear CM500 works with the biggest cable providers and supports speeds of up to 300 Mbps, which should be enough for the vast majority of Internet users out there. (If you've got a high-speed plan, look for a faster modem.)

There's actually very little performance difference among the best cable modems in our testing, so it's seemingly slight distinctions that separate these devices. Opt for Netgear's CM500, and you'll get a modem that's just as capable as the Motorola MB7420 or the Arris SB6183. However, Netgear only offers a one-year warranty, compared with two years for those rival modems.

Netgear's 16 x 4 modem enjoys wide compatibility with internet-service providers, and its design makes setup a breeze. At 7.3 inches, the CM500 is a little taller than the SB6183, and we ound its indicator lights difficult to see, although at night, you may appreciate the lack of a light show.

While most homes opt for internet plans that promise speeds of around 100 to 300 Mbps, some people prefer higher-speed service. If your plan promises download speeds that top 300 Mbps, you'll want a cable modem that can take advantage of that greater performance. Netgear's CM600 is the best cable modem for those higher speeds, though you'll pay a little bit more than you would for the CM500.

Netgear's modem doesn't use the Intel Puma 6 chipset that's been blamed for latency issues with some other high-speed modems, such as the Arris Surfboard SB6190. (There's a firmware update that resolves this issue, though ISPs roll out such updates on their own schedule.) Because of that, you can expect reliable performance from the Netgear CM600 without the lags reported by users with Puma-6-powered modems. 041b061a72