3.1 Modem Reliability

[Revving2Redline]

Don’t believe everything you read would be my first piece of advice. Any widely used device will have people with complaints if you look for it.
People love to knock Arris after all it’s the most popular brand out there. They are reliable.

With that said your Internet provider should have a list of recommended modems. Why this is to your benefit is they will push updates to it.

If you choose something other than what they recommend that will not happen and very possible if you ever need troubleshooting online that may not happen either

Ive had the 8300 Arris 3.1 for a minute.
I get over 500 down and 50+ up running cat6
Had the best buy four year extension, havent had any issues at all. Will probably outlast the four years lol. Using it to play PS5 and Netflix. I dont have a computer

 

[97prizm]

Researching 3.1 Modems ($200 max) leads me to MANY complaints of Arris products overheating, dropping signal, and other malfunctions. Customer service is questionable as well. Can anyone suggest a brand they own and use that has proven reliable? I've had Motorola, then Arris, for longer than I can remember, and they've all worked properly. My internet speed was recently upgraded, and the trusty Arris 3.0 modem is a bottleneck. I'm all ears...

What about either TP Link or Netgear. Years ago my dad had a Cisco brand I think and it was rock solid.

 

[ripcord]

We've had a Motorola MB8600 running for a few years with no complaints.

 

[Skippy722]

I ordered the SB8200, which is the first one I researched. It seems hit-or-miss, as it runs very hot, but I'll give it a shot. Thank you and all who responded. Fingers crossed...

I have a SB8200, have had it for 2 years now. My 9 year old sb6141 was replaced as I jumped from 300 to 500 download and the old one couldn't keep up with the higher speeds. Neither ever gave me issues though.

Yes the SB8200 runs warm, but mine lives quite happily on top of my fridge next to my NVR and router. Prior to moving it up there, it lived in the lower stair case/crawl space access of my tri level house sitting on the carpet.

I finally got fiber and am switching to that however. Comcast can kiss my behind.

 

[RTexasF]

Don’t believe everything you read would be my first piece of advice. Any widely used device will have people with complaints if you look for it.
People love to knock Arris after all it’s the most popular brand out there. They are reliable.

With that said your Internet provider should have a list of recommended modems. Why this is to your benefit is they will push updates to it.

If you choose something other than what they recommend that will not happen and very possible if you ever need troubleshooting online that may not happen either

They DO NOT have a recommended list, as I have mentioned above in a previous post.

 

[alarmguy]

They DO NOT have a recommended list, as I have mentioned above in a previous post.

Oh,,, I see it now, I had to look over the thread a few times. You didnt post it directly but answered a question that someone asked when it was mentioned.
"No, but I have cleared those I have considered with them."

 

[RTexasF]

The Arris SB8200 came the very next day. The "App" they provide was totally useless; it wouldn't even work for my model. The setup took a bit longer than expected with the ISP (30 minutes +/-), but eventually hooked up. The positive difference was immediate. The built-in Pluto TV app (LG television) was an exercise in futility prior; I had to use Firestick Max 4K for it to work at all. Now? Using only the TV app, it works properly. Internet speeds at the TV were in the mid 80's to low 90's; now it's a full 100 Mbps even during peak usage times. I'm well pleased so far. Thank you all for the advice and comments. Time will tell as far as longevity.

 

[dogememe]

I recently installed a newer Arris G34 all in one at a family member’s house. It wasn’t my first choice but the best option based on what Best Buy had in stock.

The web interface was trash and honestly it’s the ugliest device ever (look up the picture and see what I mean) But Comcast got it activated in five minutes and it works great. Granted he has one hardwired desktop, his Chromebook, a smart TV, and his phone, in a small apartment, so not exactly a demanding use case.

We replaced a 10 year old Arris modem and TP-Link router. With the savings compared to renting this makes far more sense for him.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

The Arris SB8200 came the very next day. The "App" they provide was totally useless; it wouldn't even work for my model. The setup took a bit longer than expected with the ISP (30 minutes +/-), but eventually hooked up. The positive difference was immediate. The built-in Pluto TV app (LG television) was an exercise in futility prior; I had to use Firestick Max 4K for it to work at all. Now? Using only the TV app, it works properly. Internet speeds at the TV were in the mid 80's to low 90's; now it's a full 100 Mbps even during peak usage times. I'm well pleased so far. Thank you all for the advice and comments. Time will tell as far as longevity.

App from Arris or your ISP? The latter I assume?

Sorry for the trouble but I'm glad it's working for you now. I had the opposite experience with the S33 I had initially. Cox support couldn't get it working after two hours of troubleshooting, but they had the SB8200 I replaced it with working in literally five minutes. Probably too many variables involved to figure out why things go this way.

 

[RTexasF]

App from Arris or your ISP? The latter I assume?

Sorry for the trouble but I'm glad it's working for you now. I had the opposite experience with the S33 I had initially. Cox support couldn't get it working after two hours of troubleshooting, but they had the SB8200 I replaced it with working in literally five minutes. Probably too many variables involved to figure out why things go this way.

The App was from Arris. It was a QR code scanned by my phone.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Looks like that 'SURFboard Central' app is for managing your home network if you're using one of their modem/router combo devices, so that makes sense if it didn't work with the SB8200 modem as there's nothing to manage.

 

[andrew_j]

I am at year 3 maybe with the Hitron and no issues. I upgraded because of increase in uploads from 10->100 Mbps was getting choked by older arris.

 

[PandaBear]

About cable modem. I think they all got the main firmware out of the ISP's download during boot and each of them will run their own version of firmware for the same chipset on their network. So in theory the same chipset running on your ISP in different brand and model modem would just behave the same as long as the analog of the design and cooling is good.

This is also why the Intel Puma modem's bug is now "fixed", because the fix is in the ISP either on their version of firmware or their routing got a flow control to throttle these modems just enough to not get into problem.

If you want to see what works well in your ISP look for online review from people on the same ISP, or overall in general which companies have the best modem reliability. I am perfectly happy with my Arris / Motorola / any brand modem on Comcast even refurbished ones. The only time I change modem is when the ISP side have cable problem and I have to prove to them it is not my modem but theirs, by renting a modem from them for 1 month to prove them, call them out on it to get a free tech out to fix the line, then cancel the modem rental. Afterward my old modem is typically end of life and they would refuse to let me use it, so I have to upgrade. This is why I only buy refurb modem because even new one gets forced upgrade if they decide to upgrade their network.

 

[RTexasF]

Update: Arris SB8200 has been rock steady so far, no excessive heat or glitches. I do notice better (quicker) performance and faster speeds in all clients. The most notable positive change is with my aging LG smart TV. Internet channels load considerably faster than with the old modem and stay locked in with no spinning circle or interruptions. The free speed upgrade from my ISP and the upgrade to this modem to effectively benefit from the speed increase have both been beneficial for me.