ARRIS SURFboard SB6141

[virtualy]

I would like to get a new cable modem to replace the Comcast rental unit.  However, I don't want to mess up the OBi100/Google Voice setup I currently use.  Has anyone had success or failure with the Arris modems?

Thanks ahead.

--P

[BigJim_McD]

I would like to get a new cable modem to replace the Comcast rental unit.  However, I don't want to mess up the OBi100/Google Voice setup I currently use.  Has anyone had success or failure with the Arris modems?

Thanks ahead.

--P

virtualy,
I've used an ARRIS / Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem bought from Amazon.com for 10 months now with a Netgear R7000 AC1900 WiFi Router.  I have two OBi202's, an OBi200, OBi110 and OBi100 and a MagicJack all working without any issues connected by Ethernet cable to Switches connected to the Netgear R7000. The ARRIS SB6141 has worked great for me and I haven't had any issues with the OBi devices.

I have had a few Comcast service outages, most around 1:00 AM in the morning wich I suspect to be from Comcast maintenance activity.

FYI:  When I setup the ARRIS SB6141 with the Netgear Router,
I "disabled" "SIP ALG" on the Netgear R7000.

When I first setup the ARRIS SB6141 with Comcast, I was on the phone for rather a long time before the Modem started trying to come online. It took the SB6141 over two hours before it was stable and fully functional.  The SB6141 has been rock solid ever since.

A caution on Comcast Billing.  I did call Comcast  two or three times before the SB6141 became stable.  I returned the leased Cable Modem/WiFi Router a couple of days later and requested an adjustment on my bill.  At some point, Comcast added TV Service and a Cable TV Box to my account.  It took three months and numerous additional calls before my original special offer for Internet service (without Cable TV) was restored.  During those three months, my bill was all over the place, changing each month (after each call) until I finally got someone that could "correctly" correct the billing after demanding to talk to their supervisor.  The service and billing has been good and correct every since.

[Lavarock7]

I just bought the Arris 6141 (refurbished) on Walmart.com (cheaper than Amazon).

I also just posted on another thread the issue I had. My cable company increased speed and thus the switch from the 6121 to the 6141.

I had the Obi202 directly between the modem and my other router and never got above 24 mbs. Pulling the Obi out and having the modem feed my router and hanging the Obi off a router port gave me my 96 mbs. Thus I no longer need to play with some of the port forwarding I had to do twice to get ports open and no longer have to worry about having the Obi right next to the modem to do QOS.

[MurrayB]

I am currently using an Arris SBG6580 that I purchased and put into service about 18 months ago to replace the rented Comcast gateway. I have the Obi202 plugged directly into it as were the forerunner Obi110s. I do not use the router function of the Obi202. The operation has been flawless other than the expected occasional cable outage. I have the Obi202 and the modem on separate UPS systems.

Good Luck!

[SteveInWA]

The brand and model of cable modem in use has no effect at all on OBi devices.  Like other devices on your local network, they have no idea where or how the internet is getting to them.  The only (unrelated to OBi) issue is whether or not the modem is on your cable provider's approved list, which includes the ARRIS products.

[restamp]

Steve is usually right on the money, but in this case I beg to differ:  When I upgraded from a Docsis 2.0 to a Docsis 3.0 modem (a Moto/Arris SB6141), jitter was reduced and call quality improved -- not greatly, but enough to be noticed.

Also be aware that some modems, like the SBG6580, come with built-in router and wi-fi.  It is unlikely the modem by itself will cause connectivity problems.  However, the router portion, like any external router, may have to be tweaked to make it work reliably with VoIP.

YMMV.

[MurrayB]

I have had zero issues with the router in the SBG6580 with VOIP or any other service. I do not use the WIFI in the unit.

[lrosenman]

I have a Arris/Moto SB6183 Docsis 3 modem, hooked to a Asus RT-AC68U.   Works great, no issues.

[nsne]

I'm using an ARRIS / Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem as well (along with a DrayTek Vigor 2130Vn router) and it's been great. The Obi has comfortably replaced the "V" (read: VoIP) functionality in the router, so I can shave off a feature when it comes time to upgrade to an 802.11ac router.

[SteveInWA]

Steve is usually right on the money, but in this case I beg to differ:  When I upgraded from a Docsis 2.0 to a Docsis 3.0 modem (a Moto/Arris SB6141), jitter was reduced and call quality improved -- not greatly, but enough to be noticed.

Also be aware that some modems, like the SBG6580, come with built-in router and wi-fi.  It is unlikely the modem by itself will cause connectivity problems.  However, the router portion, like any external router, may have to be tweaked to make it work reliably with VoIP.

YMMV.

What I meant was:  the OBi (and for that matter, anything plugged into your router) has no idea where the bits are coming from, or how they are getting there.  There are no inherent compatibility issues from one cable modem to another, unless the cable company is intentionally blocking VoIP traffic (which, AFAIK is illegal in the USA).  TCP/IP is TCP/IP, per the standard.

There are many factors that can adversely impact the quality of a broadband internet connection.  Cable providers, in particular, are plagued with issues caused by electrical impairments on the coax cables, caused by corrosion, moisture, animals or construction equipment crushing or biting into the cable, etc.  Individual cable modems can certainly fail or degrade -- several years ago, there was a batch of Motorola (now ARRIS) cable modems that were failing after a couple of years. 

In your case, perhaps the new DOCSIS 3.0 modem technology is better able to work over a marginal cable connection.  The new standard supports channel bonding, in which multiple frequencies on your cable run each carry part of the traffic, to combine to provide the much-faster speeds than a few years ago.  This more-robust technology may also be contributing to a more reliable and less "jittery" experience.

I'm lucky enough to have a end-to-end fiber-optic connection via FiOS, which is immune to the coax cable woes.

[virtualy]

Thanks to all for your replies.  I will purchase a 6141 to replace the Comcast rental, with the groups blessing.

--P