Comcast Modem Help, Please.

[mcintire123]

No service issues or complaints, just wondering whether a new modem would be a waste of money.

If you don't have to pay your rental fee I wouldn't worry about it, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I wonder who ever came up with that saying.

And I know that wikipedia isn't much of a place for facts, but here is what it has to say on the DOCSIS side...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOCSIS

IMHO DOCSIS 3 is more for future use than what the average person deals with right now.

[Pork Chop]

FWIW, the verdict is in, sort of...

When it comes to your gateway being a DOCSIS 2.0 that is fine when your not running it at high speeds. DOCSIS 3.0 only matters when you start pushing over 39MB/s (I think, may be wrong).

I took this as meaning a new router would not make a difference, which is basically the question I was asking. I also did a bit of research on the web. Some of the comments on this forum had differing opinions on the usefullness of upgrading to D3 at lower speed tiers:


Should I try to get a docsis 3.0 modem from comcast - Comcast HSI | DSLReports Forums

My gut feeling was that I would probably not see a big, if any difference. But I caved into tempation and bought a SBSB6121. After installing, here is what I have observed in the 1st few hours:

- Speedtest: 12.76 down- actually lower than last time, but still 2X what I am paying for - 39.5 up - that's almost 20X faster than before (#'s were similar for modem to PC vs. modem to router to PC).
- VOIP (Ooma): voice delay issue MAYBE slightly better- not bad to start with
- Netflix streaming via Wireless N: Loaded the episode much quicker than before, and MAYBE a slightly better picture quality.
- LEDs on the modem show bonded up and down channel connections (apparently a good thing for avoiding traffic during peak usage times)

If nothing else, I feel that I have accomplished a couple of things that make the investment worthwhile- future-proofed my setup, own my own modem (in case I lose my job/reimbursed internet costs), and peace of mind that I have lowered the risk of having less than optimal performance and stability from my modem.

If anybody reading this has similar concerns, I would say it is worth it to upgrade.

Thanks again for the feedback in helping me to decide.

[dan188]

in your download test you could be seeing the speedbost speed. I have a 15 mbs speed and when I test speedboost kicks in and gives me a 30mbs rating

[The Insider]

Just so we are clear. Running a speed test when your provider offers a "powerboost / speedboost / turboboost / insert marketing name here" type of offering such as time warner, comcast, bright house etc is not an effective way to measure your connection. As a speed test is a short burst and with the "power boost" you will see much faster speeds for those few seconds then you would for a sustained download. To truly test your connection you need to simply download a large file from maybe microsoft or download.com or other sites you know to be fast. That will be a better judge on your connection speed. The larger the file the better.

[dan188]

Just so we are clear. Running a speed test when your provider offers a "powerboost / speedboost / turboboost / insert marketing name here" type of offering such as time warner, comcast, bright house etc is not an effective way to measure your connection. As a speed test is a short burst and with the "power boost" you will see much faster speeds for those few seconds then you would for a sustained download. To truly test your connection you need to simply download a large file from maybe microsoft or download.com or other sites you know to be fast. That will be a better judge on your connection speed. The larger the file the better.

thats what I was tring to say about these powerboost etc. thanks.

[dan323]

There is an old suing the is Very true. ( if it ain't broke don't fix it ). You may end up with something you don't like. I am going through that right now with Dish. Good luck.

[BlueEos]

There is an old suing the is Very true. ( if it ain't broke don't fix it ). You may end up with something you don't like. I am going through that right now with Dish. Good luck.

In the Air Force, we said DFWIIIAB!