If that’s something you’d like to try, you should probably just buy the ARRIS SURFboard SB6190 or, if you pay for a higher speed connection, the ARRIS SURFboard SB8200. Before buying, make sure your ISP is listed on the product page (most of the ISPs are represented so you are likely good to go). It’s small enough to be tucked away just about anywhere, and is also certified by all the major cable providers, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting it running with your internet service provider of choice. DOCSIS Standard: 3.0 | Channels: 32x8 | Speed: 1.2Gbps / 216Mbps | Voice Support: No | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 1 DOCSIS Standard: 3.1 | Channels: 2x2 / 32x8 | Speed: 2.5Gbps / 800Mbps | Voice Support: No | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 1 (2.5Gbps Ethernet) Now, the same caveats apply: You need a really fast connection and a router capable of sending that fast connection to the devices on your network. DOCSIS Standard: 3.1 | Channels: 2x2 / 32x8 | Speed: 2.5Gbps / 800Mbps | Voice Support: No | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 1 (2.5Gbps Ethernet) That’s pretty neat, although we don’t know anyone who might need such a feature. The price of the Arris Surfboard S33 is also quite good, considering its bevy of features. DOCSIS Standard: 3.1 | Channels: 2x2 / 32x8 | Speed: 2.5Gbps / 800Mbps | Voice Support: No | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 2 (2.5 Gbps / 1 Gbps Ethernet) It’s just as fast as the fast ones on this list, but for a lot less money. It’s your money, so spend it how you wish, but we know we wouldn’t spend more for something that isn’t demonstrably better. DOCSIS Standard: 3.1 | Channels: 2x2 / 32x8 | Speed: 2Gbps / 800Mbps | Voice Support: No | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 2 The good news is this modem does voice, high-speed connections, and allows you to have two independent networks. For what you get, it’s a lot. But you need this only if you are doing telephone service. DOCSIS Standard: 3.1 | Channels: 2x2 / 32x8 | Speed: 2Gbps / 800Mbps | Voice Support: Yes | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 4 (Ethernet) / 2 (Telephone) Now, before the word “modest” scares you away, you can still stream in 4K, use the internet like normal, and do plenty of video calls. It should meet all your needs without having to spend a lot of money. DOCSIS Standard: 3.0 | Channels: 16x8 | Speed: 606Mbps / 108Mbps | Voice Support: No | MOCA: No | Wired Ports: 1 Download and upload channels are expressed as two numbers separated by an “x”, where the first number is the number of download channels and the second number the number of upload channels. So, for example, a 16x4 modem has 16 download channels and four upload channels. It’s important to note, however, that just because you have a modem that theoretically supports up to 688Mbps (on a modem with 16 downstream channels), that doesn’t mean that you’ll achieve that speed. You might only be subscribed to a data plan from your ISP that offers up to 100Mbps, in which case that’s the maximum you’ll get from your modem—if you even reach that. There are also other factors to consider like communication overhead and shared bandwidth with other users in your neighbourhood. As a rule, you’ll find that most ISPs provide considerably slower speeds for any given channel configuration. Always check to see what a modem is “certified for” by a given provider to get an idea of what speeds to expect.
Streaming speeds are therefore measured using the same numbers as your internet speed, and even a full 4K UHD stream on Netflix only requires a 25Mbps connection to maintain. Of course, if you have multiple users streaming in 4K in different rooms, they’ll each need their own 25Mbps slice of your bandwidth, not to mention other activities like surfing, gaming, downloading, and video calling which all use various amounts of bandwidth. This can add up quickly if you have a large family or a lot of roommates sharing your internet connection. There are two main components to a home internet network: a modem and a router. The modem is what converts a cable signal from your internet service provider (ISP) into something that a digital device like a computer can understand. The router then takes that signal and distributes it to the computers and other connected devices in your home, either via wired Ethernet connections or by beaming it out over Wi-Fi, which is how you get wireless internet connectivity in your home. Of course, there are a ton of things to consider when buying a modem. You don’t always need to buy a modem, as you can typically rent one directly from your ISP, although if you do the math you’ll likely find it makes more financial sense to buy your own. Then, you’ll need to think about whether you want a modem/router combo and what features you want from your modem—including what modern connection protocols it supports, the number of channels that it offers, and how quickly it can upload and download files. Whether you think you know everything you need to or you’re starting from scratch, here are all the features you should keep in mind while buying a modem.
When Should You Rent Your Cable Modem?
Before diving into the features to consider when buying a modem, it’s worth considering the possibility that you could simply rent one from your ISP. The modems on offer by ISPs are generally decent in quality (though not as good as the modems you can buy), plus going with a rental saves you from doing the legwork of finding one on your own. Further, in the unlikely event that anything goes wrong with your cable modem, your ISP will take responsibility for fixing or replacing it, often even sending a technician to your home to take care of everything for you. Generally, though, we recommend against renting a modem from your ISP. Since the rental often comes out to between $10 and $15 per month, you can save quite a bit of money by purchasing your own. For example, if you bought a modem/router combo for just $75, you can easily recoup your costs in less than a year. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t situations in which you should rent a modem. For starters, if you’re not very tech-savvy or don’t like having to troubleshoot problems, then renting a modem may be the way to go, as you’ll often get full repair services from your ISP. For most, we recommend buying your own modem. You’ll get much more control over your home network, and after a few years, you’ll have recouped the cost of the devices that you would have otherwise had to rent. There’s no need to worry about hardware problems either, since not only are they pretty rare among the more well-known brands, but they all come with a standard warranty too.
Compatibility with Your ISP
There are other advantages to buying your own modem. For starters, the modems that you can rent from your ISP are usually on the older side, and may not offer as fast or as stable of a connection as you could get with something more modern. Most of the time, ISP modems lack features, and they prevent you from getting much control over your home network, which might be important if you want to tweak your network’s settings. Before buying a modem, it’s worth double-checking that the modem you’re interested in is compatible with your ISP. Unfortunately, not all modems are supported by every ISP. Most ISPs will have a list of compatible modems on their website, or, at the very least, you should be able to contact customer service to find out. If you subscribe to voice services from your ISP, such as Xfinity from Comcast Internet with Voice, you’ll also need to make sure that the cable modem you purchase supports your provider’s voice services. While it’s theoretically possible to run your old voice-capable cable modem in parallel with a newer, high-performance modem, this can get messy and it’s not supported in every case. Besides, the main point of buying a cable modem is so you don’t have to keep paying rental fees for the old one.
About Our Trusted Experts
Jesse Hollington is a freelance writer with over 10 years of experience writing about technology and three decades of experience in information technology and networking. He’s installed, tested, and configured just about every type and brand of router, firewall, wireless access point, and network extender in places ranging from single-family dwellings to office buildings.
