I need a new modem
0Cox cable company said that I need a new modem. I’ve been using this one for about 5 years and it was not connecting this morning and when Cox connected it for me, it has been running real slow.
The Cox guy said that there are no problems on my line, so that I should probably get a new modem. I know nothing about them. Please help me. I don’t know what to buy.
The only thing I run on my internet is my computer, nothing else, if that info helps.
- 9 comments, 17 replies
- Comment
Comcast used Arris modems around here for quite a while, with good results. I have lately come to despise anything made by Netgear, for reasons of early failure and general misbehavior. I have also had problems with Motorola, and with networking stuff from Asus.
@werehatrack I’m using Netgear right now. It’s okay, I guess. It hasn’t caused me any problems until now. Before then I had Arris. For some reason or another I was thinking that Arris is Motorola. But I really don’t know.
I do know that I am not going to rent a modem from Cox like the guy suggested. Nope, I’m not that stupid.
@Barney The last four Netgear routers I’ve had all failed early. One of them became functionally useless after they introduced their “Armor” crapware via a firmware upgrade, and then they made it worse over three more updates until I retrograded it back to the version before Armor - and then it went south via hardware issues less than a year after that. People I know have had similar issues with Netgear cable modems, so until I hear that Netgear has changed dramatically, they’re the Chevy Vegas of electronics for me. I bought a Motorola cable modem that was next to DOA and it was swapped under warranty for one that could not stay stable for 72 hours; I returned it for a refund and resigned myself to the Comcast-supplied unit with an external router. If I were going to buy a modem now, it would likely be an Arris.
@Barney @werehatrack Same thing here. I had two fail. Now I have an Asus router.
@werehatrack I used to own a Chevy Vega, so I’ll stay far away from Netgear.
@lisaviolet I recognize the Asus name. I once had an Asus laptop that I really liked.
My advice is go with a refurb and save a few bucks on something that will sit on a table forever. I’m going to assume you have a cable hook-up and not fiber. If you want to be able to use the modem for a while without I becoming obsolete, get something that uses DOCSIS 4.0; that will support up to 10 Gbps, so whenever your cable company catches up with the higher speeds you won’t have to get a new one.
You can get a modem/router combo to simplify things and ensure you are getting the higher speeds, but I like to keep my router separate. However that means that I need to have a router capable of 10 Gbps, too. So that’s a second purchase.
Edit: I just re-read your post and saw that you only run a computer on it, so if you just use an Ethernet cable to connect to the modem, you can skip the router part altogether.
@Willijs3 I should have said that I only use a laptop, so I do need a router. (I just upgraded my router about 18 months ago.) I have the cheapest, slowest internet connection from Cox and I’m not planning on upgrading. Will I still need DOCSIS 4.0?
@Barney That’s a tough question to answer. I have
the cheapest option from Spectrum and they recently forced me to upgrade my modem. They didn’t support anything that didn’t at least have DOCSIS 3.0 and I had to get a new one. I picked up a refurb Arris surfboard with DOCSIS 3.1. It’s capable of up to 1Gbps, but I know that Spectrum will only ever give me 500Mbps max.
If you get something that has 3.0 or 3.1, it might become obsolete quicker than you thought, but it all depends on your cable company and how fast they’re advancing.
@Willijs3 Maybe I should buy a fortune teller’s crystal ball first before making any decisions.
@Barney @Willijs3 Yeah, it’s a common problem. The service manager of one of the dealerships once asked me what it would take to have everything in stock that the service department really needed, and I told him that I could give him a 99% fill rate or better, if he could tell me what repairs would be coming in, with model, year, and parts list specified, 45 days in advance. He didn’t gripe as much after that.
I’m surprised Cox isn’t providing the modem to you as a part of the service. That’s how Spectrum works here in central Florida; in fact, we were just told we’re due for a modem upgrade for faster service speeds. The router is also optionally covered for a fee, but I chose (wisely) to pick out my own router.
@PooltoyWolf The customer service guy said if I wanted theirs, I would have to rent it. Cox tries to squeeze every penny they can out of their customers.
Look on Facebook marketplace. I’m seeing used modems (DOCSIS 3) for $40-80.
@OldCatLady So I’m guessing I need a Facebook account. I guess I could check Amazon for their used ones.
Here is the list of ‘officially’ supported modems from Cox.
@chienfou Thank you for this list. I wonder why cable guy didn’t tell me that they had a list I could look at.
Cable companies are the worst. When I used to have cable (Suddenlink) I got a Cisco modem that was on their supported list, but they blamed any problem on my modem. But that’s when I found out a secret. One of the techs that came out said he would just sell me a used modern but he didn’t have any on his truck. This would be the same modems (Motorola I think at the time) they rented out for $10/mo that they pulled from service. I asked him how much and he said oh, they’re a dollar. So you might check with your tech if you have one out, they might also do truck deals.
Barring that, pick one up from ebay or FB marketplace or craigslist or whatever. Arris or Motorola, at least docsis 3.0, and you should be okay for not too much money.
@djslack That’s a good idea about asking the cable tech. I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
@Barney I have an refurbished Arris Surfboard SB6183 I could send you. I don’t think I ever used it when I had Cox. I either bought it as a cheap backup or got it in a bag of crap.
@medz Hey, thanks for the offer! I’ll pay you for it and for shipping. But I’ve got a question. Looking at the Cox list, it says that if this model is one of theirs, they want to upgrade it. Should I just go ahead and buy a newer modem so that I don’t have to mess with doing all of this again for a few years?
I find all of this so stressful.
@Barney I saw that too. I figure they want the modems they directly support to be newer (more consistent, fewer variations) and capable of supporting faster plans so they can try to sell you upgrades.
Whisper me you shipping info and I’ll send it out. The real pain will be registering it with Cox… I think you have to get them the MAC address from the sticker on bottom somehow. Not sure if that takes a phone call or what.
If it were me, I’d probably buy a newer one. I had good luck with Motorola/Arris. Always bought my own instead of renting and always had a separate router. Only one modem got smoked by lightening strike and one other, after years of use, started failing randomly and had to be replaced. Your results may vary especially with an older refurb. I make no guarantees!
Come to think of it, I think I also have a cable modem/router combo somewhere…you said you had a router already, but let me know if I should look for it.
@medz Yeah, I do remember having to deal with Cox when I registered the modem I’m using now. What a pain in the butt. I think they make it as difficult as possible so that you give up and end up renting their modem.
Seriously, I really don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to computer stuff. All I know is that my internet is starting to go in and out and Cox says there is no problem on my line – that I need a new modem, so I figure that it is time for a new one.
Maybe I should go ahead and buy a new one? Yeah, probably so and it will save you from having to make a trip to the post office.
Thank you so much for the offer, medz.
Edit: I see that Amazon has the Motorola MB7621 for a fairly cheap price. That should work just fine with what I have, I think.
@barney https://www.woot.com/plus/arris-cable-modems-1
@medz saw these but I wasn’t sure about them. These are factory reconditioned and while I do buy reconditioned items, I’m not sure how well these would hold up compared to a new one (plus I’m not sure which one to get anyway).
I’m still looking at this from Amazon and it’s new:
https://www.amazon.com/MOTOROLA-MB7621-Approved-Spectrum-Downloads/dp/B077BL65HS/ref=rvi_sccl_3/145-0045481-8939043?pd_rd_w=fp6So&content-id=amzn1.sym.f5690a4d-f2bb-45d9-9d1b-736fee412437&pf_rd_p=f5690a4d-f2bb-45d9-9d1b-736fee412437&pf_rd_r=J5QPND59M3TZWTNW5WY6&pd_rd_wg=YJcyD&pd_rd_r=205e4ab4-dedd-4cab-906e-e195d3558b27&pd_rd_i=B077BL65HS&psc=1
As I’ve said I have the most basic wifi from Cox and I figure that this one will work just fine. My modem is still working okay and I’m dreading having to deal with Cox and setting up a new one, so I keep putting this purchase off. I guess I should do something.
Thanks for thinking of me, medz!