# Router and Modem Upgrades



## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

I'm a little slow to upgrade when I have something that is dependable and works. Have had the same Chevy almost 30 years and a Buick for 18, both are dependable, have a lot of miles and cost very little to maintain. So when Comcast called a couple of years ago about my outdated Linksys WCG200 gateway I just thought they were looking to get me to upgrade to one of their modems and add a few bucks to the bottom line. What do I need a new modem/router for? This one works fine with an average wireless speed of 4 mbps up and 10 mbps down, has been rock solid (maybe reboot 5-6 times a year). 

Fast forward a couple of years and a nice tax return has given me the urge to upgrade... That and the old Linksys seemed to get confused with some of the newer protocols and it acted like it was getting thousands of DoS attacks which really slowed things down.... 

Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem & ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router. Much easier to connect wireless devices, quite a bit faster even though nothing else changed from my provider I now average 4 mbps up which is the same but I'm now getting an average of 25 mbps down which is quite an improvement. 

The Asus "Black Knight" and Motorola SurfBoard is quite the combination!!! and I'm pretty well tickled with this upgrade.


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## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

You are getting your money out of those cars in spades!


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## redsandvb (Dec 2, 2009)

I'm jealous... Been wanting an RT-N66U for a while but can't justify the purchase because there's only one 5GHz device in the house. Actually two, but one is my laptop which is wired to my current router, the Asus RT-N16. The other is a family member's iPhone, but they don't care much about 5GHz. The RT-N16 is running along just fine with Shibby's build of Tomato firmware.


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Congrats on your upgrade. I just upgraded too. I went from a Linksys WCG200 to a Motorola SBG6580 SURFboard® eXtreme Wireless Cable Modem Gateway and noticed the improvement immediately. Sure does help streaming movies on Netflix and running the Appletv.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Yes, the cars have been great.

The router is probably overkill for me as well but if it lasts as long as the old one did and with the improvements I've seen; it has/will be money well spent.

How is the SBG6580? I had been mulling that one over for a month or more but there were so many mediocre reviews on it that I decided to go with separate modem and router this time.


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## Sevenfeet (Feb 2, 2009)

Once you go DOCSIS 3.0 with your cable modem connections, there is no turning back (unless you live in Kansas City or Chattanooga and have gigabit connections). And there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to network speed. Only increased possibilities.


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

nova said:


> Yes, the cars have been great.
> 
> The router is probably overkill for me as well but if it lasts as long as the old one did and with the improvements I've seen; it has/will be money well spent.
> 
> How is the SBG6580? I had been mulling that one over for a month or more but there were so many mediocre reviews on it that I decided to go with separate modem and router this time.


So far so good on the SBG6580. It fits what I need; two hardwired computers, a network printer, a network backup drive and wireless for laptops, iPad, AppleTV and smartTV's. With DOCSIS 3.0, my limiting factor is my cable company.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

I recently got rid of a Netgear Wireless G router-modem combo which was just horrible. It would require frequent reboots due to it disconnecting and slowing down after a few minutes of use.

I've used just about every modem in existence Ericsson, RCA, lots of Motorolas, and too many others to recall off hand. The two that have worked the best and overcome poor line conditions are ARRIS (rock solid) and Motorola. ARRIS dropped my ping quite a bit over the Motorola and almost never disconnects. It's probably my favorite modem so far.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Arris would have been a great choice too. I also hear Arris is going to purchase Motorola's Home Business, should give then quite an advantage in the modem arena.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

Comcast has taken a $150 million stake in Arris, after Arris bought Motorola's home cable division from Google. I just cringe every time I think of Comcast and what may come of this.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/15/comcast-invests-150-million-arris/


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## ericzim (Jun 24, 2012)

Time for me to upgrade some of my network devices here as well. I have a mix of 8 port home/office switches and an old Linksys 4 port wireless G router setup that I have to reboot every couple of weeks. I have 2 unused ProCurve 24 port switches in the basement unused I will have to utilize eventually after a wireless router upgrade. Time Warner just upgraded my cable modem/digital phone a while back. Now the only bottleneck is the old router and switches.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

I am still pleased with the Motorola/Asus combo, have yet to have any issues with them. I even have IPv6 up and going. Arris also has some good stuff. Let us know what you decide to go with.


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