ARRIS(SB6183) -Cable Modem - Fast DOCSIS 3.0 16x4 Gigabit Cable Modem, For Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum and more, 1 Gbps Port, 400 Mbps Max Internet Speed, 2 Year Warranty

This Surfboard SB6 183 has not had a single problem in the time I've owned it (several months).We use it with MAC OS X, Android and whatever Roku uses.We consistently get our plan's rated speed from the cable provider (30 mBps down & 5 mBps up). Once in a while, we get over the speed we pay for (when the cable company goofs) and this modem is more than happy to oblige.Al channels bond all the time, so that's a good thing for maintaining speed. Actually this modem does a better job of maintaining speed in the evening (when the "Netfilx Effect" slows our cable) than the ISP's rental modem. We can still get 30 mBps.) I've never speed checked & got lower than what we pay for. (Good marks for Wowway and Arris)We can surf the innner-tube-web-net while both of our televisions are streaming educational documentaries on PBS. (OK- Chick flicks & monster movies) This modem doesn't even break a sweat- even in the evening.Tech support is excellent. When i first got it, it would not register on Arris' warranty registration page. Apparently it was already registered to someone else & they must have returned it. My call to tech support was answered by a real, live English speaking person in 1 minute. The technician fixed the problem in less than 2 minutes and offered to stay on the phone while I connected it, just in case I had a problem. Cool, huh? Cheerful guy, too.Connecting it was simple. All I had to do was call the ISP and they did the rest. They could see that it was registered to someone else and Arris fixed it. Once I reached a person at the ISP (20 minutes), provisioning it took about 3 minutes. Simple! The provider is Wide Open West (Also called "Wow" or "Wowway")I did have a problem with setting the Energy Saving feature. The manual's procedure didn't match what the screen said. I wrote to tech support. About an hour later I got a reply. One has to unhook it from the ISP to set this feature. The manual skipped that part. Oh well!Later, I wanted to re-boot it for a test in case the power ever goes out. It would not re-boot, following the manual's procedure. I called tech support. One minute later, a person came on the phone. He said to unhook it from the ISP cable to re-boot it. (Again- Excellent tech support. Crummy manual, however).Note that when we have had power failures, it does re-connect to the ISP with no intervention on my part. I gusee you only have to unhook the ISP cable if you are doing a software re-boot.The actual device runs cool. Very cool actually. This is probably because of two things: The venting pattern and the fact that the power supply is not inside the device. This is good & helps the circuitry run cooler. Actually, since the power supply is a (little) brick- and the brick is outside, it runs cooler too. (And can be replaced wth a generic if needed.)It plays well with my TP-Link Archer C7-AC 1750 router. There are no family feuds between them.Report Card:Performance = A+Reliability = A+Easy Of Connecting = B (Only because of the registration problem)Temperature = A+Compatibility = A+Tech Support By Phone = A+Tech Support By E-Mail = A+User Manual = It's Off To Summer School for Those Writers.Personally, if this ever needs replacing, I will buy Arris again. And, I will buy it on Amazon.Why Amazon? They helped me out when the first one I bought (from a private seller on Amazon) turned out to be second hand and, per Arris, possibly bootleg. (So much for cheaping-out & not buying from Amazon...)So, I do highly recommend this device.If it ever messes up & Arris can't help out, I'll update this review.

I purchased this modem to replace another modem of a different brand. I did so because my high speed Internet connection was exhibiting connections problems. That is connecting and disconnecting. One suggestion I got was that the particular modem I was using was a sort of a problem child. However, others advised me that the modem wasn’t the problem, rather the ISP was. Just to play safe, I decided to get a modem that even the ISP said was overkill. That was the Arris SB6183. But the disconnections continued. In the end it was discovered that indeed my original modem was innocent. The real issue was a partially severed cable. Rather than send the Arris back and return to using my perfectly fine original, I kept the Arris as my preferred choice.Big deal, why tell you all this? Mainly so those complaining about slow speeds and other performance should consider the likely chance that the modem isn’t at fault.OK now about the Arris SB6183. Is it worth the approximately $130? Yes and No. Let’s do NO first. There is no ISP now that can provide the maximum speed the modem can operate at right now. In effect, buying it, even if you subscribe to highest speed an ISP offers, even with FIOS you’re just hauling a 155mm Howitzer to a darts game. It will be a long time before ISPs can provide the kind of maximum speed of even standard DOCSIS 3 modems, not to mention what this modem is capable. So buying one is overkill and will remain so for quite a while.Now, the YES part. It’s worth it if you want to future proof your modem. Speeds will increase and the SB6183 is more than ready to handle that and still not have its true capacity challenged for a long time. And when those speeds climb forcing you to shell out for a new modem, this one will cost a lot more than it does now.What I don’t like about the Arris SB6183:1. It’s white. I prefer a black modem to match my black Netgear NightHawk router.2. The blue lights are BRIGHT! Bright enough to be night lights in a room.3. It’s an upright rather than flat model, but I’m just being picky here. (More later)4. It has no power button or switch.5. The plastic wrap is so clear I nearly missed removing the piece in front which would have blocked the front vents. It should peeled off with the rest of the wrap.What I like about the Arris SB6183:1. It’s all but totally covered with vent holes so cooling air flows through nicely.2. The upright position with vent holes on both sides aids the cooling.3. I’m actually seeing Mbps speeds 2.14 down and 1.46 up faster than what it’s supposed to be.And that’s after doing multiple tests on various online speed meters unrelated to my ISP’swebsite to avoid possible fake reports.4. The modem gets warm but never hot. My old modem got hot to the touch. (More later)5. It hasn’t whimpered or whined since the cable replacement. In other words, trouble-free.A word on hot modems. Knowing some modems get hot, when I bought my original modem, I also bought a wire mesh stand. Flat lying modems on a flat surface can block the vents beneath it. The footpads often don’t raise it enough to allow air to free flow beneath it. That’s like putting your hand over someone’s mouth and nose. They can’t breathe very well if at all. I also use canned air every 1-2 months to remove dust. But do this with the modem unplugged and allowed a few minutes to cool. Canned air sometimes condenses and you could damage the circuit board if it’s hot and gets sudden very chilled vapor.