Buy guide for cable modems

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 11:33 am

Is there any good article available that provides a guide to buying a cable modem -- what to pay attention to and the differences between various products?

Thanks.
FP

blebs · Post by **blebs** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 5:47 pm

First and foremost thing is to contact your ISP and see what modem brands their system will support. In most cases, if not all, you can't just go buy one and put it on their system. Once you know that, just go to the different modem manufacturers sites and check into them that way. If possible, get one that has an internal diagnostics page to view.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 6:52 pm

I already have the ISP list and it's quite long. I need to know what the pros and cons of the various products are and I do not want to get that from the vendors, but rather from a neutral party with no interest in the product.

What I am looking for is what to look for in a modem and what to avoid. THEN I can go to the vendors and check their specs against that.

Regards,
FP

blebs · Post by **blebs** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 6:41 am

Some modems are prone to troubles. Could you possibly post the list you have and then we can help filter out the troubled ones?

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 9:58 am

The list is at
http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp1/FA ... l_450.html

I am currently renting a RCA DCM235 from Comcast for $3/month.
RCA has a new model DCM245 -- DK what the differences are, if any. It might be possible to get one cheap on eBay.

Question is, should I get the RCA or is any one on the list better?

Thanks.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:20 am

All cable modems are DOCSIS compliant now, I would suggest a Motorola or Toshiba.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:49 am

Why Motorola or Toshiba? And what model and why?

I want to UNDERSTAND what I am buying, not just have somebody tell me what to buy.

That is why I started by asking where I could find some information on what to look for and what to avoid in modems.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:53 am

Because they are better quality, these 2 models:

Motorola SB5100

Toshiba PCX2200

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:02 am

What does better quality translate into for the user -- performance, longer life?

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:04 am

Come on your killin' me here, you don't understand what better quality means? You get what you pay for, you buy something cheap and it's not going to last or give you optimum perfromance.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:13 am

That is not necessarily always true.

1st, there are many instances where the basic quality is more or less at the same level and there is no need to pay more.

2nd, there are instances where you pay more for some name brand, without getting better quality.

3rd, there are instances where you pay more and get worse quality.

When somebody tells me "better quality, worth paying more", I don't accept it blindly, without understanding what they mean.
If I pay more, I want to make sure I understand what I am getting for the higher price.

Which brings me back to my initial question: where do I find information about cable modems that I can use to compare them?

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:20 am

I have given you my recommendation take it or leave it.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:30 am

Well, your reply explains why I do not take advice like that blindly.
Does not sound like you are willing or can explain WHY you recommend those modems-- you just do. Your recommendations might well be right, but since I have no way of knowing why, I'll leave them until I can figure them out.

Thanks.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:32 am

Originally posted by mnosteele52
Because they are better quality

UMM I did explain.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:01 pm

You did not explain what does "better quality" means, in terms of what exactly does the user get for the higher price relative to the other modem.

Just saying "better quality" without saying what that means is not very useful. Besides, I do not know you -- how can I tell on what basis do you say that?

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:16 pm

Better quality means better quality, I don't think that needs explaining.

Main Entry: 1bet·ter
Pronunciation: 'be-t&r
Function: adjective, comparative of GOOD
Etymology: Middle English bettre, from Old English betera; akin to Old English bOt remedy, Sanskrit bhadra fortunate
Date: before 12th century
1 : greater than half
2 : improved in health or mental attitude
3 : more attractive, favorable, or commendable
4 : more advantageous or effective
5 : improved in accuracy or performance

Main Entry: 2quality
Function: adjective
Date: 1936
: being of high quality

There is Websters definition.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:20 pm

Do you believe anybody who tells you "better quality" without explaining why? I don't.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:29 pm

Yes I do, they wouldn't say "just because". I have been posting here for many years and own my own pc business, I know from experience what products are better quality.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:37 pm

You stated above:

"......but rather from a neutral party with no interest in the product"

We are giving you advice from a neutral party and you don't believe it.

All cable modems have to be DOCSIS certified so that's a given, so the only con is buying a cheap quality product. A major company like Motorola or Toshiba will have much better support for their products and have firmware updates when needed as compared to smaller "fly by night" companies. The modems I posted above and by reputable companies that offer excellent support and updates and have a higher quality standard and are known to offer excellent performance.

TeenInternetAddict · Post by **TeenInternetAddict** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 1:26 pm

I looked on your ISP cable modem list, sgeneris, and they have the Terayon TJ715x as a cable modem that works on their service. I'm renting the Terayon TJ715x and it works well for me. I'm reaching toward my caps with this cable modem. YMMV. The cable modem is blue on the top and black on the bottom. Has five LED's(Power, Cable, PC, Data, Test). This cable modem has both USB and Ethernet connections so if you could get 2 IPs from Comcast, you can use Ethernet on one PC and USB on another PC. It's available for $98.99 at Lightningserve but Mnosteele52 is also right that the SB5100 and PCX2200 are very good cable modems too. And I might buy the SB5100 when I find a job. I'm currently renting the TJ715x for $15 per month and $15 per month can add up in a year or so. I also had the SB3100 and that cable modem was ok, but couldn't reach toward the caps with it. Maybe the modem was too old or something. You can't find the SB3100 anywhere anymore except for on Ebay. Good luck!

Sincerely,

-TeenInternetAddict

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 1:52 pm

Thanks for the info.

The current modem I am renting for $3/month is also "working well", except I DK whether better is possible or not. Which is why I am looking for some expalantions on what to look for in modems.

At the above renatl price, $100 is not justifiable. I can get modems cheaper on eBay, but before I do, I want to understand the differences between them.

Regards,
FP

blebs · Post by **blebs** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 8:18 pm

With the new systems in place by the ISP's, the best or top of the line most often used modems are either Motorola or Toshiba. I know you want to know the difference in quality and what have you. The only thing I can tell you is that they are major players when it comes to the headends of the cable ISP's. The names have been around for a very long time which means they aren't going to disappear tomorrow.

What I'm trying to say is that no matter what modem, whether it be a top o the line or whatever, is only going to be as good as the system that it's run under, which is your ISP's equipment. If there a doggie ISP, your high quality modem is going to be the same. I hope you understand what I'm saying. It's really really difficult to compare modems.

sgeneris · Post by **sgeneris** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 8:29 pm

That's what I figured, which is why I am not prepared to fork a lot of money for "top of the line" "best quality" modem, because it's not clear how much of a difference it will make.

That was my point.

blebs · Post by **blebs** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 9:00 pm

Just make sure that whatever you get, it has a way to view the diagnostic page. It's not necessary, but it sure is nice to know what your signal levels are because trying to get that info out of the ISP is well, like giving child birth or some other ridiculous thing you can think of.

Ghosthunter · Post by **Ghosthunter** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 11:03 am

Just to let you know I am on Time Warner Road Runner

and have a SB5100, I got it for $59.99 from Best Buy

I have no problems with the modem itself, runs great

I do have issues with Time Warner service but it dont matter what modem I have I would still have issues

Tech2 · Post by **Tech2** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 1:56 am

As a cable tech I can tell you that all modems will work the same. I can also say that I have a Motorola SB4200 in my house. The difference between the RCA's is the power supply. You would see no difference in speed between the two. I install RCA, Motorola, Scientific Atlanta, and Netgear modems and they all give the same speeds.

Mr_D · Post by **Mr_D** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 10:13 pm

Reviews:

http://www.epinions.com/content_75736780420

http://www.epinions.com/content_87017492100

I have a toshiba PCX2200 myself and I have had no trouble with it. The installation was very simple indeed. Mines came with packed with Norton Security 2003, a ethernet cable, a usb cable, manuals, and a stand. I am very happy with it. By the way, it looks very nice sitting on my desk.

wee96 · Post by **wee96** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 8:57 pm

The RCA you have right now is a horrible choice, as that model and the 215, 225 series have a manufacterer defect in the power source/connection causing 90% of them to lose power/connectivity when barely moved or touched. The Motorola modems are one of the best, and I WILL give my reasons

First off, Motorola is a trustworthy company and creates its electronics (from my experience) with alittle more quality than most. The Surfboard series also tends to have alot of online and isp support, meaning its basically the most common and has its own internal webpage to show config/signal/error logs(other modems have this too btw). RCA has made a new model, the 315, which is unlike any of their previous models and is actually a pretty good modem from my experience in the field so far. Hope that somewhat helps.

carage · Post by **carage** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:25 am

My SB5100 is not behaving the way it should, but it actually benefits me as of now. For some unknown reason, the modem still kept the 384 kbps upload cap of the Comcast Pro configuration...