Does it matter which cable modem I buy?

V8TOYTRUCK

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 31, 2001
Messages
1,793
Location
San Gabriel Valley + Burbank
Com21 DP1110XB
D-Link DCM200
Linksys BEFCMU10 ver.2
Motorola SB3100
Motorola SB4100
Motorola SB4101
Motorola SB4200
Motorola SB4220
RCA DCM245R
Scientific Atlanta DPX100
Terayon TJ615
Toshiba PCX1100U
Toshiba PCX2200
Zoom 5041
Zyxel P944
Zyxel P946

These are the modems that my cable provider says will work with their system. Is there that much difference between these? If you had to pick one of the above which one would u pick and why?
 

K A

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
336
Location
Kansas
I cant believe there are areas which still dont use DOCSIS.. sheesh... anyway..

I started off with a Surfboard 2100 rental and then bought a Surfboard 4100 when the rental price went up to $15/month (used to be $5/month). Only thing I liked about the 2100 was that it had a physical on/off switch, whereas my 4100 does not. I have only used the 2 models above, so cant say about the others. The Surfboards have always had a good rep.

The Surfboard models also have an internal diagnostic webpage that you can access to view signal levels/error logs. Handy at times. Though I believe it is possible for the cable company to disable this interface, not sure though. Nothing you can do with the info anyway.

If you dont already.. get a network card to use to attach to the cable modem. You can use USB if you want, but that is usually flaky (YMMV).
 

Stingray

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Nov 21, 2002
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Chicago
I've had good luck with the Surfboards too, haven't tried any of the others. My current 3100 works much better with my D-Link router than it does with my Linksys router though, for whatever that's worth.
 

Tomas

Banned
Joined
Jun 19, 2002
Messages
2,128
Location
Seattle, WA area
Hmmmm ... The RCA DCM245R is a DOCSIS modem isn't it???

I hooked up with AT&T (now Comcast) last month and I went for price: I got the RCA DCM305R (a newer version of the 245, I understand) at Radio Shack for $70.

The AT&T/Comcast installers liked it.

I like it.

tomsig03.gif


-= MICROSOFT FREE ZONE =-
 

Saaby

Flashaholic
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Jun 17, 2002
Messages
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Utah
We've got a Toshiba...I could run grab the number but I'm not going to.

It's worked in tandem with our SMC Barricade flawlessly for probably at least a year now. 98% Up time and the 2% Down time was mostly AT&T (When @Home died and attbi came online) and a 7 hour streak in there where I screwed up the router. 0% of the downtime was the modem's fault. We just leave it on always, hooked to the router (Also always on)

I've seen some RCA modems and it looks exactly the same only in a black case. I'll post model no and try to find a pic tomorrow (So that maybe we can see if others have this same one)
 

highlandsun

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Aug 11, 2002
Messages
607
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Geeze, I signed up as soon as it was announced in my neighborhood, got an old LANcity modem. Built like a tank, and it always worked fine. But a couple months ago AT&T sent me a Motorola, saying I needed to upgrade. SB4200. Piece of poop. Every 30 hours or so it locks up - stops transmitting packets. Running tcpdump shows that the network is still alive, I still see all the transmissions from their router, but their router stops listening to the modem. Have to power cycle the thing to get it back. Either the modem is fuct or AT&T is purposefully throttling my line, but they've never told me that I'm exceeding any bandwidth limits.
 

Quickbeam

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Jun 19, 2001
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FlashlightReviews.com
Am I missing something here - I'm on TW cable Road Runner and they provide the modem. I don't have to buy a thing. Any problems and I call them and b!tch about it and it's their problem. Some services require you to buy your own?
 

K A

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
336
Location
Kansas
No some services dont require you to buy your own (to my knowledge at least). But they do charge you a monthly rental fee on the modem, like my area which costs you $15/month for modem rental alone. With the rental you do like you just mentioned.. have a problem with the modem and you can have them replace it.

If you buy your own modem you can usually save money by not having to pay the rental fee. Though some places vary and my not reduce your bill for having your own modem. You will simply need to check with your provider.

As to Highlandsun's problems with the 4200. Your not alone in that respect, try searching google. Lots of people appear to be having problems with the 4200 and 4220. These models use a different chipset in them than the earlier models of SurfBoards.
 

Charles Bradshaw

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Joined
Sep 14, 2002
Messages
2,495
Location
Mansfield, OH
I am also on Roadrunner and they handed me a Toshiba PCX-1100U, with a crappy little usb ethernet adapter, that of course, doesn't work in linux. Had to download the USB driver from Toshiba, until I figured out that it is better to NOT install the roadrunner software: refuses to install if ethernet card is sharing an IRQ. Medic is garbage anyways, and the automatic upgrade locked up my system.

Absolutely no problems with the cable modem, and rarely any with RR.
 

tkl

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Aug 24, 2002
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Tx
v8toyota, awesome avitar! LMAO /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

Stingray

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Nov 21, 2002
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Chicago
My cable modem company, Advanced Cable, includes a Surfboard 3100 CAT 5 modem in the monthly service. There is no discount if you buy your own, same price either way. That said, I'm getting ready to switch to DSL anyway I think. I'm gonna try both for a few months and see which one is better in my area.
 

NightStorm

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Joined
Jun 16, 2002
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1,090
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Between a rock & a hard place.
RCA DCM305 via Cat 5 to a Farallon high-speed ethernet NIC. Not a recommendation, its just what AT&T set me up with a couple of years ago. As a matter of fact, the original RCA died a couple of weeks ago and they replaced it at no charge. I guess that is one advantage to leasing the modem.

On the side, has anybody noticed that portions of the Internet seem to be running way slow today (not just individual sites)? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Dan...
 

IlluminatingBikr

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Messages
2,320
I have a Toshiba PCX2200 that works perfectly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif I know people who have other ones that work fine too. I think it doesn't matter too much, but the Toshiba PCX2200 has no flaws, has good ventilation, good display (LED!!) lights, is small, and can be put vertically, or horizontally (it comes with a stand for the vertical position). Good luck. Nothing beats cable! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
 

FC.

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 23, 2001
Messages
1,301
Location
Pittsburgh
Cat 5 ? You mean 100baseT ethernet? Category 5 is just a cable grade, just like Cat3,4,5e,6. Ethernet Cat5 is obsolete, everything is Cat5E, Cat6, or 10/100baseFX(fiber). Also it has two pin configs - TIA/EIA 568A and 568B.


Just venting my brain....
 

Saaby

Flashaholic
Joined
Jun 17, 2002
Messages
7,447
Location
Utah
Much like Kleenex usually means facial tissue, Cat5 usually means 100base T
 
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