#1:ARRIS (S34) - Cable Modem - Fast DOCSIS 3.1 Multi-Gigabit WiFi, for Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum & More, 2.5 Gbps Max Internet Speeds, Next-Generation Upload Optimized, 2 Year Warranty
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Customer reviews
Arris SBG8300 - Excellent Gateway, No Problems after 1 Week.
I purchased this ARRIS SBG8300 gateway new from Amazon for $177 in May 2024 to switch from AT&T DSL2+ (copper landline) to Sparklight cable internet service (100 MBps down/ 10 MBps up). I decided to purchase and own it myself, rather than pay rental fees- it should pay for itself in about one year. I wanted an established DOCSIS 3.1 design (3.1 is required by Sparklight) that could handle possible future cable bandwidth upgrades, and this gateway seemed good for that. It has 32 x 8 channels for DOCSIS 3.0 and 2 x 2 channels for DOCSIS 3.1, and can theoretically handle up to 4 Gbps download speeds, so this is probably way more gateway than I need now.
The Sparklight installation tech told me that this was the first time he had encountered a new customer who provided their own gateway in my rural MS town. This turned out to be a minor problem, as he had always been given the gateways pre-configured. Initially, he was unable to get it up and running, and he had to run off to perform other installations (Uh-oh!). But the Sparklight phone support people were very good, and saw that the gateway was simply waiting for a firmware update. Apparently, firmware updates are something that only the cable company can do. Sparklight was able to push the update remotely, and I was off and running.
Configuration was pretty straightforward. I should warn potential buyers that the gateway's firewall is set to WEAK by default. I decided to switch the firewall to MEDIUM, and discovered that I could no longer access the gateway configuration page directly using the http:// browser connection. After going to MEDIUM, it only allowed https:// browser connections. So, you have to go through a few extra clicks (accepting the risk, etc.) in the browser to reconnect to the gateway's configuration page. With all of the warnings, etc., it is easy to believe that your new gateway may have been hacked, so be prepared for that. Make sure that you turn off UPnP for added security unless you need that. It is also a good idea to do a port scan to make sure there are no unnecessary open ports that could present good targets for hackers.
Performance has been excellent, delivering over the purchased speeds (usually, I get 110 Mbps download and 20 MBps upload via speedtest.net). I have not had a single problem after about 1 week of service, have never needed to do a reset, and the gateway seems to be running cool, just above room temperature.
I think that most problems that people experience with cable modems/gateways in general are due to 1) poor line signal quality and 2) WiFi crowding/interference issues. The SBG8300 provides line quality information in the homepage, so you can troubleshoot signal issues yourself and perhaps avoid extra service fees if the problem is inside your home. I did not try the gateway configuration app for wireless devices- all of my tweaking was through a hard Ethernet connection and web browser. FYI the gateway homepage did complain about my Firefox version 126 (some warning about needing at least v 63) , but it worked OK.
I guess that the only features that I wanted, but couldn't have using this gateway, are:
1) WiFi 6 - this gateway has the older WiFi 5 (802.11ac) standard . But our current wireless devices can't use WiFi 6 anyway, so no biggie.
2) No USB port on the gateway. This is very handy if you want to do network printing via USB, or set up a large USB stick as a network drive (NAS).
Overall, I really like the performance of this gateway. Time will tell if the hardware is as reliable as it appears to be.
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7/24 Update- No problems after ~ 60 days, very pleased. After doing a little more research, it turns out that there are some interesting reasons some cable modems fail. It all goes back to the original cable concept as a distribution system for ONE-WAY analog TV signals. Cable modems must both receive and send digital signals. If the DOWNLOAD line signal quality is poor, you will get disconnect/reconnect issues- everyone knows that. But the more serious issue is with the UPSTREAM signal. The cable modems will try to overcome poor line quality conditions by BOOSTING the UPLOAD signal. This leads to greater continuous heat generation inside the modem, and sometimes failure due to overheating. So, the reason some folks need to replace their cable modems regularly is due to the poor line signal quality, not necessarily the modem itself. You can fix this with a special amplifier called an active return cable modem amplifier (Amazon sells these), but the permanent fix is to get the cable company to change out the cabling and components to get a good baseline signal.
Reliable, but range is a bit of a disappointment
I bought this to replace a seven year old Motorola unit. It was easy to install and use. It is very reliable so far. It is easy to use and to monitor from the onboard application which allows you to access from the URL. My only disappointment is that the range does not seem to be as far as the old unit. I would say it is short by a few feet which causes a bit of a problem when we are on the patio. Aside from that, it is a definitely a good unit.
Read if you have a ring camera, furbo or other cameras
I am hoping I can save someone the trouble that I went through setting this up. I tried to set up the modem/router on my own and it ended up being much easier to have help from Xfinity. I typically try to do things on my own without customer service because usually I can get things done faster but, I will say they made setup a breeze. Xfinity is my carrier, you would need to call your internet carrier if you have a different one. HERE IS WHERE I HAD TROUBLE. Once I set up my televisions I COULD NOT set up my cameras (Furbo or Ring camera). After some research I read others having this problem and someone was even told this modem/router doesn't work with cameras. When I read that I was ready to return it. My devices said to make sure my security on the modem was set to WPA2 and not WPA3 however, that was still not the issue. The issue ended up being that I needed to be on the 2.4 GHz network and not the 5 GHz. This is the guest network and I tried the password I setup for my 5 GHz and it didn't work, because I needed to use the password on the modem. IT WORKED after hours of trying to figure it out. I hope this saves someone else their precious time. Otherwise this Modem/router is excellent. We run several televisions, streaming services, cable, phones and computers with no issues and our plan with Xfinity is 400 mps.
Big Improvement Over the SB6190 it Replaced
If you pay for anything over around 600 Mbps, you need a modem that allows you to tap all of that available bandwidth. I had a reliable SB6190 for many years, and during that time, Comcast/Xfinity slowly increased my bandwidth. My current plan is for 800 Mbps, and though the SB6190 is rated for gigabit, it struggled to deliver near my full quota. As soon as I replaced the old modem with the S34, I was getting well over 900 Mpbs on the gigabit port. Activating the new modem has come a long way, and I was able to do it in the Xfinity app in just a few minutes. Nice. I'm used to having lights to help diagnose any connectivity issues, but realistically, they don't really help much anyway. With a bridged modem, you basically just reboot it if there is a problem anyway. The simple colored LED works just fine and it looks nice. Internal logging is minimal, but could provide useful information if necessary. I'm pleased with the upgrade and accomplished my goal of getting the maximum bandwidth I've been provisioned. The S34 also has the 2.5 Gbps port if I ever decide I need more, so it is future-proofed. My router is also capable of 2.5 Gbps, as is my computer's NIC, but I don't realistically need that much Internet bandwidth at this point. It's nice to know I've got the hardware if that changes.
Not Reliable - DON'T BUY (or SB8200 model) - Unless willing to keep cycling every few days or less
First of all let me say I am a Systems Engineer with good experience on this subject. And from my perspective and tests I've done so far, I can tell this is not a reliable product.
At the begging I had a good experience with the Support, good people very respectful that look to care about your problem will answer you in a reazonable way. But after few interactions, tests, and changing my modem twice for the same model (SB8200) and finally to this model (SBG8300), they pointed me to the signals out of range, after looking at the modem QAM table on the GUI interface. Then asked me to contact Comcast to solve this problem (signals outside standard parameters).
I've contacted Comcast and they openned a ticket to change all the connectors and cables (including cables burried under ground on the street) for my installation, and after some adjusts on the their equipment all the signals were with the specs requested.
After a week then, boom... Again the modem freeze (no access to GUI anymore), and it starts to lose packages on the network at a rate of 80~90% Loss.
On my home I have a cabled network that are connected to a pair of Gateways (pfsense active + backup) and both gateways are connected to two different internet providers (Comcast and XFinity). I have ordered Comcast XFinity Gigabit a few months ago, and have tried three different modems from ARRIS on this setup, and all of then showed the same behavior. After few days start loosing network packages, what lead to internet speed degradation until it is practically useless.
I then give it some time to test this modem for a while until now, but it keeps doing the same thing over and over and sometimes I have to restart it twice until it gets a good connection for a few days (5 to 8 days) and then I need to restart it again. I've beeing think about some workaround, but the modem/router doesn't have a feature to schedule an auto reboot, and yet there are some times you have to reboot (hard restart) it twice to get a good connection. So, probably useless to try to use an smart outlet to recycle power on a scheduled time neither. If it didn't connect well after the first recycle it will be useless, so again, not reliable.
I Never used the embedded WIFI from this modem/router as I just need cabled internet to my routers/firewall. Nothing to add about WIFI quality or usability.
Summary of Problem
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Modem start to loss network packages after few days running, what is clearly log on my gateway and firewall (pfsense). When this is happening, you cannot access modems GUI as modem doesn't respond to the GUI requests.
It is probably a software issue on the modem, but I didn't try to break into the modem to investigate it. Anyway, as it start works fine after a hard restart (sometimes twice), it is mostly likelly to be a software bug or design flaw, and the "restart twice" thing might be related to a persistent cache of some sort that only get flushed after the second restart.
Conclusion
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After using the modem/router for a while (ARRIS SBG8300) and after trying different ARRIS modems (SB8200) since Nov 2019. I believe this series of Gigabit modem have an Important reliability issue on the firmware (software) that doesn't implement adequate quality assurance mechanism for the connection and are incapable of self recovering from a degraded connection situation making it a BAD option for most of users as it is NOT RELIABLE and need to be RESTARTED frequently to make sure it is running a health internet connection.
UNLESS you are going to reset or restart this modem daily or don't care to need to restart the modem (sometimes twice), everytime your internet is SLOW, that is not a product I would recommend at all. Neither this or the other modem (SB8200) that also had the same behavior.
* I tried not to be too technical on my review, beside the short description of my setup, but this is my first extended review that I feel compelled to write. If you need any details feel free to reach out by leaving a comment. I don't think I can share my email here.
** ARRIS told me over the phone they cannot update firmware, but only ISP (Comcast) would be able to update it. But again, that is not the sort of answer you want to hear from a product with that price Range.
PS: Anything on this arcticle/review is based on just my personal opinion and experience and not necessarily related to the opinion of any company or customer I've worked with until now.
Basically a Good DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Model with a Totally Useless Router
Let me start by saying I have worked in the IT industry for going on 35 years in all areas from software development to networking and systems infrastructure. I have experience configuring routers/load balancers for Fortune 500 companies that run as much as $75K each for managing worldwide global networks, so I'd say I know what I'm doing.
I have been using a Motorola Arris Surfboard SBG6900 configured as an edge/perimeter device routed to an ASUS RT-AC68R router for the internal network to isolate everything except selected devices from the external network and use port forwarding on the Arris to the ASUS to expose those selected devices to the public internet as needed. Namely, a staging web server with FTP services for clients to access. It has worked FLAWLESSLY for over 5 years.
Recently I upgraded my internet to achieve faster speeds with unlimited data and as a result, had to upgrade my cable modem from a DOCIS 3.0 to a DOCSIS 3.1 model. I had been so happy with the Arris 6900 that it seemed to be a no-brainer to go with the Arris 8300. This has been a frustrating and disappointing total waste of time.
First off, the firmware/software version loaded onto the unit out of the box is broken. The screens where you define port forwarding settings are not even correct. They are missing fields so you cannot map external ports to internal ports. You can only specify a start and end port which is useless in terms of security, and even then, the port forward simply DOES NOT WORK. After running a few hours, the unit automatically downloads an upgraded version of the firmware/software (from SDK 7.0 to SDK 7.1) which corrects the admin screens so port forwarding can be set up properly. Even so, after configuring the port forwarding on this 8300 STILL DOES NOT WORK. I have been fighting with this thing for a week.
The very first thing I did was to check with my ISP after having them activate the new modem to ensure no ports were being blocked. Of course, none were. I have performed multiple factory resets and reconfigured them from the ground up. Double, triple, and quadruple-checked my configurations, and nothing will make this POJ forward traffic according to the defined port-forwarding rules. I even bypassed the internal router and connected directly to the new unit to isolate and rule out any possible failures with other equipment, which seemed unlikely because the ONLY thing that had changed was the modem.
You can't even SSH into the router itself to see what's going on with this unit, meaning you can't inspect routing tables/port mappings in any attempt to correct the problem at the OS level.
Finally, I got on the phone with Arris customer support. My last experience with them was over 5 years ago and I was very satisfied. They were professional, knowledgeable, polite, and extremely helpful - no more. I explained in detail everything I had attempted, my network configuration, equipment isolation, the multiple factory resets, etc. What did they do? He listened with half an ear and then proceeded to read his troubleshooting script and ask me to do all of the things I had already done multiple times. At each step, I told him I'd already done that and that it would not work, but he kept saying 'I know you said you did it, but I have to document it.' I could barely understand the guy and he was getting on my very last nerve, but I humored him and did everything he asked. Finally, after he tried everything in his silly little script, he put me on hold for 15 minutes before coming back on the line and telling me my problem was my TEST SERVER! That didn't go down well, especially since I can hit that server from my internal network and it works fine, and not to mention everything worked fine up to the point I hooked up their new modem.
Following that, I considered the possibility I had gotten a "lemon." I initiated a return/exchange with Amazon, which they fulfilled promptly, and received the new unit yesterday. The result? Exact same second verse as the first. In my research during the week I have been doing battle with this POJ, I read that Arris is aware of the fact that their admin interface for this unit does not work properly but they won't say when or even IF they will fix it. Their customer service wouldn't even consider the possibility that something may be wrong with the device.
If they're going to sell a cable modem/router combo with a basically useless router, they should sell it at the price of a basic cable modem. These are NOT cheap units, but they DO SUCK. I'm returning BOTH of these POJs and will never buy another Motorola modem again. Following many recommendations I've read in the last week, I've ordered a NetGear Nighthawk cable modem/router combo. It's about $100 more expensive, but at least the reviews are good.
For those who want a plug-it-in and forget-it type of unit, the SBG8300 should be fine. Internet speed, wi-fi and streaming have been good with the unit, but if you want to manage/configure your network using advanced features, forget it.
Save your money & DO NOT BUY
I used this product for more than a year, we purchased it w/ our new home and our xfinity connection. The service has been sub-par most of the time, even my ethernet connected PC and work phone would struggle w/o anyone streaming on the TV next door. My wife's iMac which is two rooms down would get a terrible 7mbp/s speed, on a 1GB fastest available xfinity service. Problems got worse this past week. I reached out to the customer support 3 times, the first one, although the chat service would end at 11pm, ended the chat at 10pm. The next day, try again w/ no help. On wednesday, Friday and this morning (Sunday) I spent a lot of time w/ my ISP provider's tech support. We tried everything, normal restart, them restarting and sending signal from their end, me doing a factory reset on my end... Although the modem would look online to them, there was no internet service to my devices. After 2 separate calls and 3 hours of troubleshooting, the ISP concluded that the issue was with the cable modem router. I could not trouble shoot w/ Arris support, because a. i could not go online w/ the device being connected. b. their customer support is awful, they respond to you 3 minutes after you ask a question, you respond in 15 seconds, they get back to you 3 minutes later, to tell you what you already know...
So, I went to best buy, purchased a new Netgear Cable Modem Router, set it up, and was online as soon as the set up completed, at much better speeds w/ 14 devices connected, w/ the Arris one I could barely get 8 devices connected at the same time, had to manage which iPad or iPhone to turn off so the network would ease up...
The straw that broke the camel's back, you have one of their newest and most expensive products... It is under warranty, you ask them what can I do to send this back to you and get a refund, after 25 minutes of chatting w/ their customer support (which equates to really 8 responses from them at most), they tell you they can't send you a refund, they can repair the thing that doesn't work or send you a new one... We are working from home, what am I supposed to do, not work for the next 2 months while Arris tries to fix this box? How is that helpful customer support?
My case number is: 2210-16170. They can find me from there but this was probably one of the most disappointing purchases I have made in a decade. Lesson learnt: don't try to experiment w/ companies for products that are utilities where you need a trusted machine that will consistently work and grind it out. Get the most reliable product from the most well-known company and have a happy wife and a happy life.
Fast, Reliable Internet with Future-Proof Speeds
The ARRIS Surfboard S34 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem is a solid choice for anyone looking to maximize their internet performance. I upgraded to this modem to handle faster speeds from my ISP, and it delivers consistently strong and stable connections, even during peak usage times.
Setup was straightforward. I connected it to my ISP (Comcast Xfinity in my case), followed the activation steps, and was online in minutes. The modem supports multi-gig speeds up to 2.5 Gbps, which means it’s ready for future internet upgrades without needing another replacement anytime soon.
What stands out is its reliability. Streaming, gaming, and video calls run smoothly without buffering or lag. The compact design also fits neatly on my desk without taking up too much space.
One small consideration is that this modem doesn’t include a built-in router, so you’ll need a separate one for Wi-Fi. However, that’s standard for high-performance modems like this.
And here’s a quick tech joke: Why did the modem break up with the router? Because they just couldn’t connect anymore!
Overall, the ARRIS Surfboard S34 is a top-notch modem for anyone who needs high speeds, stable performance, and a device that’s ready for the next generation of internet plans. It’s a smart investment for fast and reliable connectivity.
Excellent! Instantly boosted download and especially upload speeds!
I had the SB8200 for many years, then I decided to upgrade to the S33, just to see if it would make a difference, it did, but it was underwhelming and probably not worth it, except that I was able to help a friend with the SB8200. But then the S34 finally came along. BOOM! Instant upgrade from 1.2gbps (1200mbps) download to 2.0gbps (2000Mbps) download and the upload speeds are now 300+mbps with the S34, up from 40mbps with the S33! Practically exactly as advertised by the ISP! This is all thanks to the OFDM channel on the upload signal. Good stuff. Arris has typically been very reliable and even though this cable modem gets very hot because of where it is located and it’s lack of additional ventilation, it is still handling nicely. Definately place it in an open area if you can, it will get very warm/hot. I have the LED off under normal conditions, which is great because you can easily tell if something is going on because you’ll see lights flashing instead of nothing. If it’s powered down, that will be obvious because the network will be down. There will be some growing pains with the new equipment and getting the ISP to adapt and create better automated systems, but it did get detected and connected automatically in just a matter of a few minutes. It was just an issue with the ISP when it came to getting a separate router connected and back online. They had to learn how to send a proper configuration to the cable modem, which they did, so that was good. But you can easily connect directly from the back port of the cable modem to check for a good connection, then it’s just a matter of having the proper settings on the cable modem (which the ISP controls) and on the router (which you control, and sold separately). That’s where they (the ISP) need to learn, so that they know an external device/router will always be connected to this cable modem. All good though, the instant upgrade was VERY noticeable, files upload MUCH faster than before, video conferencing is very smooth and reliable. Its great. Excellent, would recommend. Definately buy this instead of the S33, get the S34 instead!
Fantastic Modem, but nothing really new
Arris has a long revered history of making great modems, the Surfboard name is almost legendary in it's field. For the past four years (2020-24) the Arris S33 has been at or near the top of all "best cable modem" listings from independent reviewers and for a good reason... it's just really that good!
I was having trouble with my older Motorola Modem and while doing research had settled on the S33 when I realized the S34 was just now coming out as a new release. I was expecting something a little more revolutionary from Arris after the 4-year run of the S33, but alas... there isn't much to talk about... this is more like a refinement of the S33 than some new model.
The look/design is the same, all the statistics look to be the same... the only thing I could find that's documented as a difference between the S33 and S34 is that the S34 supports faster upload speeds (if your carrier supports that, which it probably doesn't in 2024). Everything else listed for the S34 mirrors the S33. At the end of the day, this isn't really a bad thing per-se... the S33 is a great modem, the S34 is exactly the same with the possibility of a faster upload, which probably isn't even supported by your ISP.
In conclusion... this is a GREAT SOLID, STABLE modem. It's hard to trip up. It stays connected when others fail... but it's not really anything we haven't seen before from Arris... this is just an S33 with an extra catch phrase. If you need a 1st modem or are replacing a bad one, this is great, i'd say get the S34... I just wouldn't recommend "upgrading" to this modem if you already had a functional S33.
Could Not get nextgen upload speed to work on Comcast
My Comcast 1 year gigabit internet contract was up and it was cheaper to renew for a year on their 2 gigabit plan. So then I decided to upgrade my Arris SB8200(6 years of great performance) for a modem that could run download > 1 gigabit and capture the nextgen upload speeds (300+ megabit) promised on my plan. I waited for this modem to ship since I had good experience with Arris. After activating it, I spent the whole day on the phone with Comcast since the upload speed never got above 41 megabit, which was the limit with the SB8200. The Comcast techs (I spoke to 3) said the modem was nextgen eligible and the boot file was configured for the 300 mb upload. I also called Arris who thought that the infrastructure was probably not complete in my area to handle the faster speeds. Comcast couldn't tell me for sure whether it was or wasn't complete but thought it was. I googled the problem and found many people couldn't get the nextgen upload speeds with the S34 and couldn't find any posting of someone who did. Anyway, I ordered a Hitron CODA 56 ($118 from Amazon) which has been nextgen eligible for some months. I has resisted doing this in the past because of my good experience with Arris. Anyway after activating the Hitron, I immediately was running at 1200-1500 megabits downloads on my faster devices (like the SB34 did) but have consistently gotten upload speeds of 320-360 megabits. So, based upon my experience, if you are getting this modem for the faster upload speeds (>41 megabit on Comcast) be aware there is major issue somewhere and no one can explain it.
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