Arris Modem Guide

[Maricel Fergason]

These monthly rental fees from your ISP may seem small at first but they quickly add up over time. For instance, some companies charge as much as $14 a month to rent their networking equipment. Over a whole year, this adds up to more than $150 which you could have saved if you had used your own cable modem and Wi-Fi router. As the best cable modems cost around $100 and can run for years without any issues, investing in one makes a great deal of financial sense. Our current top pick is the ARRIS SURFboard S33 which is ideal for both gigabit and multi-gig internet.

The best cable modems work with all major ISPs but the tricky part is finding one that matches your internet speeds. Fortunately, we can help with that and here are the cable modems we recommend after testing a number of models from popular brands 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.

Besides its compact design, we really like that the ARRIS SURFboard S33 has a rounded front and back and plenty of vents for cooling at the top. A single, large status light located right under the SURFboard logo changes depending on the device's connection status. It turns solid blue when its connected and running in DOCSIS 3.1 mode, solid green in DOCSIS 3.0 mode and amber when it's disconnected.

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.

Capable of supporting speeds available to a majority of home internet plans, the MB7420 is ideal for internet plans that top out at 300 Mbps. With the MB7420 at home, Phil has enjoyed steady connectivity, and that's with multiple people stuck inside, all trying to hit the internet at once.

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 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.

The Arris Surfboard SB6183 was once our pick for the best cable modem thanks to its solid performance that will satisfy most home internet customers who don't pay for high-speed service. Like the CM600, some retailers are charging more for this harder-to-track-down modem, but if you can find the SB6183 for around $60, then it's worth getting.

At 5.2 x 5 x 2.1 inches, the all-white SB6183 can be tucked unobtrusively next to a router, cable box and whatever other hardware you have on hand. The coaxial-cable connector is a little too close to the power connector for my taste, but you're likely to have to deal with that only when setting up the modem.

The SB6183 favors a simple row of vertical indicator lights that are easy enough to spot, though the yellow lighting can be a little hard to see if your modem's in direct sunlight. Still, it's pretty easy to glance at the SB6183 to see if there's any issue with your internet connectivity.

We focus on DOCSIS 3.0 modems, though you'll also find DOCSIS 3.1 modems rolling out that are capable of delivering speeds that top 1Gbps; if you're receiving DOCSIS 3.1 service, look for a device that can take advantage of those faster speeds. If you don't get speeds greater than 1 Gbps with your internet service, you can still go with a DOCSIS 3.0 device like many of the ones we've described in detail above.

We haven't tested that many DOCSIS 3.1 modems yet, but we can point to a few models with strong word of mouth. Netgear's CM1000 is backward-compatible with DOCSIS 3.0 for internet users who want to upgrade early. The modem has been certified by Comcast for use with its internet service. Arris bills the Surfboard SB8200 as a future-facing modem, capable of handling 4K streams and high-performance gaming with its 32 download and eight upload channels. Motorola's MB8600 modem also has 32 download and eight upload channels with Active Queue Management for speeding up page loads and gaming.

DOCSIS 3.1 modems are more expensive than the DOCSIS 3.0 devices, though we've started to see some price drops. Typically priced around $180, you may be able to find a good DOCSIS 3.1 modem for less; as of this writing, DOCSIS 3.1 modem prices are around $140, which is the lowest they've been since we started tracking this category.

A 16 x 4 cable modem delivers enough speed to effectively serve the majority of cable customers. That kind of modem typically costs $70 or less, and if you keep an eye out for deals, you might be able to find a top-rated modem for $50 to $60. Modems that support the emerging DOCSIS 3.1 standard start typically cost $180, though sales may let you get these modems for less.

These days, makers of home networking gear seem to favor modem-router combinations over standalone cable modems. It may be tempting to buy one of these hybrid networking devices instead of a separate modem and router, as you can take care of two tasks with one device. We'd advise against modem-router combos, though.

So why keep the two networking devices separate? If any part of a hybrid device fails, you're out both a modem and a router. It's also easier to upgrade individual networking devices, as routers add support for new networking features at a more rapid pace. Modems evolve more slowly, as you can see from the number of older models still available.

If you're thinking of upgrading to a multi-gig internet plan, you're going to need the right cable modem to make the most of your new plan. While cable modems with DOCSIS 3.0 top out at 1 Gbps, devices with DOCSIS 3.1 can reach all the way up to 10 Gbps. Although these newer cable modems may be more expensive, they're also future-proof since you won't need to replace your modem when moving from a gigabit plan up to a multi-gig one.

While most of the devices in this guide are compatible with DOCSIS 3.0, we're in the process of testing out cable modems that support this new telecommunications industry standard. At the same time though, DOCSIS 4.0 is currently in development but it will be a few years until cable modems that support it are released.

We test each cable modem on Comcast's Performance Pro home internet service. After running speed tests to make sure the modems are delivering their promised download speeds, we use the modems as part of regular networking setup to gauge dependability.

We hook up each modem we review in our reviewer's home, using it as part of our networking setup. That allows us to verify a modem's compatibility as well as to get a sense of its dependability. Since price is also an important consideration when modem shopping, we also monitor retail sites for the best deals on the modems we've tested.

In addition to using the modems in a home with multiple connected laptops, smartphones and tablets, we also evaluate the indicator lights on each modem to see that they're visible. We look at how easy the modems are to set up. And because the primary reason to get your own cable modem is to save on monthly rental fees for ISP-supplied modems, we heavily weight the length of a modem's warranty.

Chances are, your cable internet provider charges you a hefty modem-rental fee every month, a price that can increase on an annual basis. But if you buy your own modem, it should pay for itself in the first year or two of ownership, even if you also have to buy a wireless router too, and the two devices together should give you speedy internet for years to come.

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