Feel like an idiot and could use some help

433 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by grmnasasin0227, Oct 13, 2011

grmnasasin0227

Discussion Starter · Oct 12, 2011

Hey guys,

networking and setting up networks really isn't my strong point at all. I bought a Motorola SBG901 for Comcast cable so that I wouldn't have to rent their own modem/router. This thing has been a hunk of junk. Speeds are bad (paying Comcast for 12MB/s, getting 200-300KB/s commonly), and it also likes to reset/reboot itself at least once a day.

A Comcast tech guy just left my apartment telling me that he reads that Comcast's speeds reaching my SGB901 are comparable to what I'm paying for, and that many Motorola products have an affinity for rebooting themselves a lot--that he's seen it before. He recommended getting a separate modem and router for wired/wireless Internet.

What do you guys think?

What products can you recommend?

Save

1 - 13 of 13 Posts

CTRLurself

· #2 · Oct 12, 2011

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825122011&Tpk=N82E16825122011
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122326

I've used this modem on connections up to 25/15 no problem. And this router is fantastic, I had coverage at my neighbors house from the center of our 2600sq ft home on a 1/4 acre lot. Never had issues for over a year with either device.

Save

Reactions: 1

dseg

· #3 · Oct 12, 2011

Dont rent their modems, they suck. Buy your own modem, my speeds doubled after I bought one.

Save

Thorn-Blade

· #4 · Oct 12, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTRLurself [Knyte Custom];15279557
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122326

Glad to hear good things about that router as I just ordered one off Ebay this past weekend. My understanding is the UPNP works as designed with this model to run multiple Xbox consoles behind it.

Save

grmnasasin0227

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 12, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTRLurself [Knyte Custom];15279557
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825122011&Tpk=N82E16825122011
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122326

I've used this modem on connections up to 25/15 no problem. And this router is fantastic, I had coverage at my neighbors house from the center of our 2600sq ft home on a 1/4 acre lot. Never had issues for over a year with either device.

So you're taking the cable into the modem, running an ethernet to the router, and using wireless on the router? Does the router have any ethernet ports for wired Internet?

Thanks

See less See more

Save

CTRLurself

· #6 · Oct 12, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by grmnasasin0227

So you're taking the cable into the modem, running an ethernet to the router, and using wireless on the router? Does the router have any ethernet ports for wired Internet?

Thanks

That's correct.

The router has four Ethernet to hard-wire into, all gigabit. Also has a USB port to connect a hard drive or printer to for network sharing.

See less See more

Save

grmnasasin0227

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTRLurself [Knyte Custom];15281726
That's correct.

The router has four Ethernet to hard-wire into, all gigabit. Also has a USB port to connect a hard drive or printer to for network sharing.

Cool, I appreciate the response. Here's the thing though, both of those together are a bit out of my budget at the moment. Is it possible to use my modem/router as just a modem and buy that router, and still get the great speeds? In other words, do you think my SBG901's modem section is bad, or the router?

Save

CTRLurself

· #8 · Oct 13, 2011

If you don't get the desired speed from either wired or wireless out of the modem/router you have now then it's a bad modem. If you do get the correct speed from the wired connections on your modem/router, then yes you can do exactly what you described. If not you need to get a new modem.

Save

beers

· #9 · Oct 13, 2011

Speeds are bad (paying Comcast for 12MB/s, getting 200-300KB/s commonly)

Keep in mind the units for a provided WAN connection may differ from the units used in download speed (bits vs bytes). 12 mbit would be equivalent to 1.5 MB/sec. Also keep in mind that Comcast connections use PowerBoost (which doubles your transfer rate for the first 10 MB of a file, therefore you would generally have ~6 mbps of sustainable bandwidth).

Save

Psykhotic

· #10 · Oct 13, 2011

My Comcast usually hits 2.6 Meg's down. Anyone got a rec for a VoIP modem? Paying them $7 a month makes me cry.

Save

beers

· #11 · Oct 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psykhotic;15290687
Anyone got a rec for a VoIP modem?

What kind of service do you have set up?

Anything with SIP registration can easily traverse NAT. My CallManager Express setup is behind a standard DD-WRT router.

Save

Psykhotic

· #12 · Oct 13, 2011

It's Comcast triple play.

Save

grmnasasin0227

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by beers

The only thing about the 901, while it looks like the same casing used for the 6120 DOCSIS 3 modem, it pairs a previous gen DOCSIS 2 modem with a substandard wireless access point. It should not be constantly rebooting.

Keep in mind the units for a provided WAN connection may differ from the units used in download speed (bits vs bytes). 12 mbit would be equivalent to 1.5 MB/sec. Also keep in mind that Comcast connections use PowerBoost (which doubles your transfer rate for the first 10 MB of a file, therefore you would generally have ~6 mbps of sustainable bandwidth).

So your recommendation is to ditch the 901? Do you agree with the Motorola modem CTRL suggested, or do you have another opinion?

See less See more

Save

1 - 13 of 13 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month