ARRIS (SB6190) - Cable Modem - Fast DOCSIS 3.0 32x8 Gigabit Cable Modem, For Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum and more, 1 Gbps Port, 800 Mbps Max Internet Speed, 2 Year Warranty - (No Built-in Wifi)

As advertised, good value.

I just upgraded from the Motorola SB6141 to the new modem which still works but wanted to be future proof for a few years. DOCSIS 3.1 modems are due to be released this year but at this point not even sure if Comcast can support it in my area. Also said to be much more expensive than the 3.0 versions. Figured for $149 can't go wrong with it.Now I've read through the comments of some issues with Comcast of not getting an IP after the modem is hooked up. For me I was able to successfully activate this modem online without issues. It took awhile for the modem to get the configuration file and firmware updates from Comcast. Then I opened up Firefox to be greeted with Comcast activation page. Then the modem rebooted which is expected to get the final configuration file.After that everything worked perfectly. Same speeds as SB6141 but wanted updated hardware and much better WebGUI. There are a a few things I have noticed with this new modem. I will list those in PROS and CONS:PRO:Same size as the old modem. Can't complainThey moved the activity light to the back directly onto the network port. Love it. Had to use electrical tape on the old modem because the bright flashing light is too distracting.Much improved WebGUI that it no longer looks like website from the 1990s. Not that it really matters once the modem works you rarely ever see it.CONS:The boot up process takes alot longer than the old modem. I suspect is due to number of channels it has to go through and start bonding them. Once it's up and running it should stay up without issues.It will run hot. Right now it's winter in Northern California so it's pretty cold in my house. Before I disconnected the old modem the heat feels the same as the new one. So it will get hot during the summer same as my old unit. I don't think it's going to be an issue but beware to give it plenty of space around the modem to breathe.Not a fan of white case but it works.This is my forth Motorola modem over the years. Had SB4100 all the way up to this new one and none of them gave me a problem. Even though Arris now owns Motorola with Arris label it is still a Motorola to me which is a good thing.I do need to mention for those with IP problems during the initial setup is the the router connected to the modem needs to be set to DHCP on the WAN so Comcast can send special DNS server IPs for the activation. Once that is done and modem reboots it'll revert back to 75.75.75.75 DNS address. From there you can use Google DNS 8.8.8.8, OpenDNS or even Comcast's.If you can't change the router DNS to use DHCP WAN then best just plug your computer directly into the modem until it's fully activated and updated. Then from then on you can use it normally. Hope this helps to save you some grief.

Edit: I've gotten some performance numbers and some consistency testing done. My service is 75 down and 5 up. I get 91 down and 6 up with this modem. I've also performed extensive testing and have gotten the same results +/- a few percentage points even at peak usage times. In practical use I'd occasionally get delays/echo in voip calls and streaming video would occasionally lose quality for a few seconds to a minute, especially between 7 and 9 in the evening. No longer a problem.-----------------------------------Original review:This cable modem offers 32 downstream 'channels' and 8 upstream channels. Your download info gets spread over 32 'lanes' and your upload data gets spread over 8. Like lanes in a road, not enough of them coupled with heavy traffic can result in erratic performance and loss of quality of service.You share your local loop / node with other people in your neighborhood, and perhaps other neighborhoods if you live in a rural area. What this means is that your data and everyone else's is on a single shared medium, split up into these 'channels'. Your cable company will 'provision' or tell your modem which ones to use. 32 is realistically as high as they're going to go with this technology. Many areas already support 16 or 32. All will go to 32 before too much longer.Most customer owned/retail modems support 4x4 or at best 8x4. That means that you're cut out of using 28 or 24 download 'lanes' and up to 4 upload lanes. The modem doesn't jump around if your lane gets clogged up, you're stuck with the ones originally provisioned to the modem when it boots.The technology used has an acronym called "docsis" which handles modem/network management, encoding of your data, and channel handling among other things. Docsis 2.0 is an old end-of-life technology that has minimal management ability, cant use lots of channels and it takes separate resources for the cable company to provide you service, which makes their costs higher, which makes your costs higher. Docsis 3.0 is the current tech and what this modem supports. It allows the cable company to remotely identify problems with your equipment and correct it, and allows them to look at whats happening when you call them. It supports bazoodles of channels and offers excellent speeds and smooth quality of service.Modems are rated for total speed which is based on channels, however this 'ideal performance' figure is rarely ever seen even in standard lab conditions, let alone on the 25 year old cable in your house and to the connection at the street. These speeds also presume a completely uncongested network with nobody else using it and the full complement of channels the modem supports. You won't be getting any of that.Will this make your 50Mb/s connection go faster? I wouldn't count on it but many people report getting higher than their paid-for rate with a higher channel modem when their area is provisioned for high channel counts. What it'll do is give you a better shot at always having 50Mb/s and keeping your 'ping' times, gaming response times and netflix video quality consistent.The Arris modem is also the stock rental modem most ISP's use, so they're familiar with it. You can save a few bucks with different brands, but be prepared for more problems on activation and during problem situations.Many ISP's have "end of life"d modems with docsis 2.0 and 4/8 download channel modems although they're allowing retail/owned modems to continue being used, even though it creates problems for them and those customers aren't getting always getting the most out of their service.Docsis 3.1 will eventually show up next year and offer even better speeds, performance and manageability but these high tier docsis 3.0 modems will continue to remain in service for quite some time, perhaps 4 or even 5 years. When you're looking at renting a modem for $70-100+ a year, its a no-brainer to buy one. Unless you're subscribing to extremely high bandwidth services (400+Mb/s) you can get away with an SB6183 for a little less but I'm not sure that's a favorable economy since you'll be saving less than a buck a month over the life of the modem.I looked hard at the Netgear CM600 and the SB6183 and decided to go with the 6190. I bought an SB6141 a little over 3 years ago and its still offering me fine service. However my area (which is a little rural on the edge of the suburbs) has been set up for 32/8 channel support and I'm seeing my speeds and quality getting a bit rough especially in the evenings. One of my friends just upped their service to a high tier and got an SB6190, so now I have modem envy.I'm looking forward to the same experience as when I went from a 6121 (4x4) to the 6141 (8x4), which was an immediately measurable and noticeable improvement in consistency and quality of service.This modem, like many others, was a little mature upon its initial release late last year and it takes ISP's a while to process firmware updates and make them available. So while earlier reviews have had some legitimate complaints, the modem is now pretty solid on Comcast and most other providers.I'll update the review with some numbers once I have it installed. I thought I'd give the benefit of my research on this to save others time. Frequently modem choices get limited to "but what I have now works" (similar argument made for horses when cars came out) or "but I only have 75Mb/s service and my 5 year old modem will do 120 under ideal conditions" (my steam engine will get my car to 70MPH eventually"). Its a little more involved than that.

I've been using this modem for at least 5 years now and I have never encounter a single issue. I've been through multiple ISPs and moved houses. This is very solid and stable. Most of the issues I had was with the ISP. I didn't need a 1GB speed. So this works out perfectly just fine for me.