Cable modem recommendations (06/*/2016)

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Okay, moving into my new apartment in about 3 weeks.
A small snafu with the previous occupant LOCKING (instead of closing) their account is going to delay me a couple days.
Was looking at a business connection. But they currently want $200 for a 75 Mbit connection.
Luckily, in that market, they have no bandwidth caps. So I'm going to "settle" for a 150 Mbit residential connection (for now).

Now comes the hard part. I haven't had to deal with cablemodems for my own personal for about 10 years.

Provider is: Comcast

Right now, what I'm looking at is either:

The Arris SB1690. 32x8 channels.

The Netgear CM600. 24x8 channels

The Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 (C7000-100NAS). 24x8 channels.

I know that more channels means more potential speed. Likely, at 150 (which is the highest available in the area), I'm not going to see a horrendous difference between the three in terms of wired network speeds.

I already have wifi APs coming out of my *AHEM*. So I'm not terribly concerned whether the device delivers wifi on its own.

What I'm looking for is recommendations from anyone who's had experience with either (or even both) of these devices.

Again, my actual move-in-date is the end of June (I have possession of the place now and am looking at an install date around 06/22 (getting back from Origins Game Fair, and crashing for about a day).

So if anyone can give some decent feedback on this, I'd be most appreciative.
 
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As someone who works in for a cable mso, motorola/arris surfboard modems are great. I have the Arris SB6183 modem. it is 16x4 and works quite well. Right now most Cable MSO's only offer downstream bonding up to 16 channels at this time and it will most likely be a while before any MSO will launch Docsis 3.1. Though, the price point of 144 at amazon, the ARRIS SURFboard SB6190 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem may be the best bet as the Surfboard modems are generally bullet proof. I have seen some bad things with the netgear modems from experience but I think that is due to firmware issues and compatibility issues with CMTS's.
 
Same some cash and just get sb6183. More mature firmware and is proven to work. That modem is good for 300mbps service on twc and other providers
 
I love my zoom 5370 on Comcast. I've had 0 problems and it just plain works. Good price too.

I highly recommend a standalone modem and separate, dedicated router. Easier upgradability in the future.
 
I've always used the motorola/arris modems.

Never had one die on me since the first time I got cable service about 12-14 years ago.

I currently have the SB6182. Max speed is 343Mb down and 134Mb up.

The 6183 looks to be about double that, and the 6190 looks to be about double the 6183.

You can get a 6182 off of eBay for around $25 shipped.

The 6183 is about triple that.
 
Another vote for Arris SB6183 or SB6190 (what I'm using.)
 
I'd go with the Arris if you want to spend that much. One thing to keep in mind is that Comcast is already testing DOCSIS 3.1 in small markets and it will require a modem upgrade when they turn your market up. If you are insistent on purchasing your own device, you may want to stick with something that will do your current paid speed but maybe not be the highest end device available. It will possibly save you money since you have to purchase a new device for DOCSIS 3.1. My understanding is that after about 6-8mo testing they will be turning up the new standard slowly across footprint. I do not think it's to far off to say that within the next 24-30 months most major markets will have the new standard implemented and available.
 
Get a separate modem or a gateway that actually does bridge mode, it'll be much more useful in the end.
 
When 3.1 services are available in a market, 3.0 devices will continue to work for the forseeable future.
 
Yeah, I've pretty much settled on a SB6190 (should hold up for the foreseeable future without requiring an upgrade to get max speed, as 150 is max in my area).
I already have a nice, dependable router.

The hardest part turned out to be getting service turned on.
Apparently the previous occupant of my new place locked and left an open account.
After multiple calls, and several visits, I FINALLY got someone at Comcast to actually flag that account and get my service started.
Now I just need to wait a week or so (until I get back from Origins Game Fair) and rest up for a day or so before I get the CM and get it registered.
 
You're missing one of the best: Amazon.com: Zoom Cable Modem, 8X4, Model 5341J, 343 Mbps DOCSIS 3.0 Certified by Comcast XFINITY, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Bright House, Cable One and More: Computers & Accessories

It's the ONLY cable modem that correctly and completely resets the connection if things go wrong.

So if you have issues that require you to unplug or completely power cycle the cable modem, this make/model is the ONLY good choice.

Looks like the newer Zoom 5370 also has the same feature: Amazon.com: Zoom 16x4 Cable Modem, 686 Mbps DOCSIS 3.0, Model 5370, Certified by Comcast XFINITY, Time Warner Cable and Other Service Providers: Computers & Accessories
 
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No way I would buy an old modem like the 5341J now. I went from a 6141 to a Motorola 7420 (same major internals as the Zoom 5370) and my ping times dropped <8ms across the board and I've had zero times the connection shit out during prime time. While thing could be fluke and only applies to my neighborhood, however I think the newer modem chipsets simply work better even on slow connections (I only have 50/5).
 
i really like my Netgear cm600 the firmware has been great so far
 
I vote the Arris. I have an SB6183.

I'm a big fan of having a separate/dedicated firewall, switch, access point, NAS.
 
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