I purchased the Arris SB8200 for Xfinity Gigabit Internet service as they have a deal for two years for the same price as the 400Mbps plan ($69.99). So in order to save almost $15 a month I decided to buy my own modem to replace my aging Motorola (Arris) SB6141. My SB6141 netted me 259Mbps down and 35Mbps up on my previous plan of 400Mbps down and 35Mbps up, which is great for a 8x4 channel Docsis 3.0 cable modem. So since Arris bought Motorola modem cable division I decided to get another one having had a great product with the 6141. The Arris SB8200 is also the only Docsis 3.1 modem with two Ethernet ports capable of doing 2Gbps down and is the most future proof of any modem on the market at the time of writing this review. And you can get a refurbished model for half the price which is even better!
Inside the Arris SB8200 is a Broadcom BCM3390 chipset (a much needed change from the SB6190’s Intel Puma 6 chipset which had hardware bugs and caused them a lawsuit for good measure), 3GB of RAM, 128MB S34ML01G200TFV00 Spansion flash memory NAND and 16MB Macronix MX25L12805D SPI NAND flash memory. The SB8200 is capable of downstream bonded channels up to 32 SCQAM or 2 OFDM and upstream bonded channels up to 8 SCQAM or 2 OFDMA (32x8 SCQAM and 2x2 OFDM). The Ethernet ports are only Gigabit Ethernet and therefore the Max you will get is 950Mbps average down and it will never be possible to the the boxes 10Gbps selling spiel. Even if you don't have Docsis 3.1 in your area or a Gigabit internet speed plan this modem will serve you for many years to come. And this modem has 3GB of RAM, which the other Docsis 3.1 modems have 256MB or less! RAM! Oh and with most providers (Xfinity included) you can call them and add a separate IP address for the second Ethernet port for a small fee (Xfinity charges like $5.95 if I'm remembering correctly). This would be great if you wanted to connect a gaming console directly to the modem for the best speeds and then connect your home router to the second. And eventually you'll be able to kick in 2Gbps by merging those two Ethernet ports!
Setup of the device was quick and easy and you simply plugin the coxial cable, Ethernet cable to your device (router for 99% of the people) and power cable and you are off and running. A quick call to your internet provider (Xfinity for me) to add the HFC MAC address and the modem is registered and provisioned and I'm up and running within ten minutes. Xfinity will try to send out a tech but you can get them to override it if you know what you are doing. Gigabit internet can be extremely temperamental as we'll discuss later which is the reason Xfinity requires sending out a tech on all Gigabit plan installs. And again this is simply a modem so you will need a router if you want wifi or the ability to connect more than one device.
The performance of the Arris SB8200 is top notch and I was easily able to pull my provisioned modem speeds from my Xfinity service. I was able to test 1.4Gbps down (Fast.com also includes backend speed as actual can only be 950Mbps as I mentioned above) and 45Mbps up. On Speedtest.net my tests are almost always 930-960Mbps (or near that) down and 40-50Mbps up. These speeds are AMAZING and just my upload speed is faster than most people's download speeds! Right now Xfinity is only utilizing Docsis 3.1 for the downstream channels so the modem lights will have a blue light for downstream and a green light for upstream (this is not an error or bug).
My issues arose with my Xfinity service and resets, slow speeds (300Mbps Max down), etc. Xfinity sent out a tech and that did nothing. So another rech came and found a ton of ingress coming from 4 lines on my tap. He trapped them off and I was up and running with Gigabit speeds again. Then the resets started, at night almost every 10 minutes! It was only happening between 10pm and 7am average, EVERY NIGHT! I had more techs out, supervisors and more supervisors! After a month (and many hours of my time and speaking up) the issue was resolved as it was a bad line amplifier which was causing noise and caring my upstream to spike into the high 50s, which triggers resets on the modem and t3/t4 errors. Now my neighbors were having issues on certain channels and slow internet but their modems WERE NOT RESETTING! And we knew my modem wasn't bad as it was fine for over 12 hours a day with no errors at all in the log until night began to fall everyday. And In fact my neighbors never lost internet, EVER but my internet was almost useless at night time. So the Arris SB8200 is extremely sensitive to t3/t4 errors and the threshold for errors and resets is much higher for the Xfinity owned gateways and modems. Also Arris had out out a firmware update previously about severe sensitivity to t3/t4 errors and I had the latest version but I was still having issues so they still need to work on this. If you are experiencing issues with your Arris modem navigate to http://192.168.100.1 and you'll be able to see basic signal information, modem error logs, modem and firmware info. You can use this information and post it in the support forums to get help and diagnose any problems.
But now that the line and backend errors are corrected it's smooth sailing and I'm saving myself a ton of money (the new Xfinity modem charge is $14 plus tax and it will be $15 by the beginning of 2020 so you pay for the modem in a little over a year) every year and you'll have the newest technology that is even better than the Xfinity modems and gateways, many of which use the Puma 6 chipset which I mentioned above (causing severe lag and timeouts which can kill online gaming or video watching). So I'm paying $69.99 and getting Gigabit speeds of 950Mbps down and 48Mbps up which is a great deal hands down and you won't find speeds that cheap ANYWHERE ELSE! The Arris brand is keeping the Motorola spirit alive and kicking which is great for competition! The Arris SB8200 is the best modem you can buy for your money right now and if you can find a refurbished unit on Amazon even better (they didn't have any when I bought mine but three weeks later they did and for $100 cheaper)!
The product arrived in a very nice box. Split case glossy package that was well formed to protect the product and of course attractive. Upon separating both halves and opening there say what appeared to look identical to my previous model however it is not. Upon closer inspection this is the new Docsis 3.1 well raved about online. You will first notice two gigabit ports. This is where the Con is and it also applies to every other brand D-3.1 modem on the market with multiple E-net ports. You may only choose one. Attempting to use two will cause ISP confusion and your devices will not function properly. You would need your provider to assign another ISP address to the second port and some may or may not opt for this feature or may charge an additional $10/mo fee. Since it is also not wireless you will need to provide your own wireless router and any sub Ethernet network ports if you choose to multiply incoming/outgoing connections. The Pros are obvious this beast is insanely fast. Even with my iPhone I am getting 500mb/s download speeds and 40 mb/s upload speeds which is a hardware limitation at my end although it is ridiculously fast compared to most people’s standard home hardware. These speeds eliminate all buffering issues with streaming, and allow ultra fast downloading of very large files for you IT guys. For the price I recommend the Arris SB8620 and if your service offers higher speeds to consider using this model even for 250, or 400 mb/s speeds it will be more true to those speeds than its predecessor SB6190.
I was on the phone with xfinity customer service and arris consumer support for 2 hours yesterday and am still without internet. I just moved into my apartment and now will not have internet access for a week while I wait for a Comcast agent to come out. After I was on with the Comcast customer service for an hour and a half, without any success I was skeptical whether the problem was with the modem or with Comcast based on other reviewers saying initial setup with Comcast was intentionally difficult. After a couple of tests with the arris consumer report, they told me to return the modem and get a replacement as it was his opinion that the problem was with the modem. The LED icons on the front were indicating that internet was being received, but when the Ethernet cable was connected to my laptop, there was no internet access. I’m giving it one star for now and will update once the replacement is received.
Update 1/4/17
Replacement was received today. Xfinity setup went smoothly, I didn’t even have to call them with the MAC address. When I tested my speeds with a wired connection to modem, I was getting my 200 Mbps. However, when I connected the router, even with a wired connection to the router, I am now getting <80 Mbps. This could be the router rather than the modem, I am not sure yet. I have updated to 4 stars for now and am considering returning the current router for a better one. I guess I just got extremely unlucky being sent a faulty modem first.
Awesome cable modem that eliminates the monthly rental charges that cable companies live for. Capable of a download speeds up to 686MB. Has plenty of status lights on front to tell you what is happening at the moment. Can log into the unit to determine packet loss, errors and channel status.
This is a simple modem that does its job well. If you are paying Comcast, WOW!, Xfinity, or another company a monthly fee then this is the unit for you. Simple to setup. Just screw the coax into the coax connector, plug in the LAN cable for your router, and plug in the power cord. Then call your cable company and tell them you bought your own modem. They will ask you for the MAC id number on the bottom of the modem and then they will authorize it to work with their network. That's it and you are up and running.
PROS:
- Nice price
- Super easy to setup
- Saves you on monthly rental fees from your cable company
- Can support download speeds up to 686MB
- DOCSIS 3.0 for 16 Channels Down / 4 Channels Up
CONS:
- None
This is the second one I tried. First one. No Luck. Then @2AM Sunday morning tried again. (11/1/2018. Called and asked to activate my modem. Gave the tech MAC address and nothing. he transferred me to Tech support. They said they cannot help because it is my equipment! Anyhow, after multiple phone calls I gave up. Reconnected my old modem and it came right back on. Made me think, ? How in the hell can they activate a modem when they did not disconnect the old one? So I called back and now it's getting to be after 6AM. I got a really young Tech and explained what was going on and she agreed. She said wait a min and after a few seconds she asked me for my new Mac address and within seconds it was up and running!!! She said she was sorry for the runaround they did not know what they were doing. It is rock solid and I am getting 540M down and 32M up. God bless the tech and Amazon for selling an excellent unit.
Feature Product
- Approved on Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum (Charter, Time Warner, Brighthouse Networks), Cox, Mediacom, Suddenlink and most other US Cable Internet Providers. NOT compatible with Verizon, AT&T or Centurylink. REQUIRES Internet Service.
- 32 Download and 8 Upload Bonded Channels capable of up to 1.4 Gbps download and 262 upload speeds. Recommended for Internet Plans 250 Mbps and above.
- Wired modem only. Does not include WiFi router or VOIP Telephone adapter. Gigabit Ethernet port to connect to PC or Router.
- Ideal for UHD movie streaming, gaming and multiple device use at same time. Future proof your system.
- 2 year warranty with US based customer service. Refer to the Quick Start Guide and Installation video.
- Note: Packaging may vary
Description
Building upon the success of the SB6121, SB6141 and SB6183 ARRIS Surfboard cable modems the SB6190 enhances your personal media experience, at lightning-fast broadband speed. It harnesses the power of DOCSIS 3. 0 technology to bond up to thirty two downstream channels and eight upstream channels-providing you Advanced multimedia services with data rates up to 1. 4 Gbps download and 131 Mbps upload depending on your cable Internet provider service. That makes streaming HD video, gaming, shopping, downloading, working, high-quality voice and video conferencing, and peer-to-peer networking applications far more realistic, faster, and efficient than ever before. 2 Year .
Been using several Arris modems for years, they are of great quality, though would be great have they are build of better plastic and have black color too. If you have Gigabit speed internet, SB8200 or and modem with DOCSIS 3.1 is a must, otherwise, your ISP may not like it and you may not get the speed worth. This modem squeeze out as much as it can from my ISP and speed is great even during high traffic hours. Make sure to check with your ISP that the modem is compatible with your Gigabit speed. If you have anything else lower, this modem is unnecessary overkill unless you want a future proof product.
It was easy to install and activate (Comcast). But interestingly as per the front panel LED status my modem is "receiving" using the DOCSIS 3.1 technology but sending using the backwards compatible DOCSIS 3.0 technology. I don't believe that's the fault of the modem. I believe that it's the ISP that's causing this problem so I'll have to call them to find out why. And other than that there have been no glitches or dropped wifi. Also it comes with a quick start guide with a web address so you can register the product. After registering mine it said the warrantee was good until November of 2020. The booklet also provides a phone number should you require technical support. Overall I upgraded to this modem because for the last couple of years I was using an Arris SB 6141 which was extremely reliable and had experienced no problems with it. So as a result I stuck with the same manufacturer.
TL;DR (Too, Long; Didn't Read) Version
Bought as a needed upgrade from the old 250 MB max modem to a 1 GIG speed provided by Xfinity.
The good
- It is an approved Xfinity modem (one of few that allows a 1 GIG Xfinity compatible device). Which means you don't have to pay those monthly rental charges, but you would still need to own it for approximately 2 years (varying depending on how much you paid it for) to recoup the cost.
- Small, compact, and can be discretely stored and out of sight.
- Easy setup. Plug-in and call Xfinity to activate.
The bad
- It is only a modem and not a router/modem mix. Which means you would still need a router to get your wifi.
- Pricey for a modem only.
Is it worth it? If you're trying to get the 1 GIG speed from Xfinity then yes.
Your questions, our answers
Do I also have to buy a router for the modem? And to make sure it obviously speeds up internet connection right?
Yes, you'll have to buy a router. Depending what your old device was and your current internet capacity availability.
How is this model different than the arris surfboard sb6121???
This model has a higher internet capacity speed. The SB6121 has a download speeds up to 343 Mbps.
Going with the cable modem option what’s the best router to pair this with for spectrum?
We have Google Wifi router and it works pretty well with roughly 787 Mbps wifi for a 1 GIG ethernet connection.
Needed a Comcast approved modem that would work at 100 mb/s and higher. Was able to switch out the other modem which I also owned and get this working without a phone call to Comcast. Just know that the second ethernet port is not active, as Comcast only provides one IP unless you purchase a second IP before using.
The SB8200 DOCSIS 3.1 32x8 modem is a solid upgrade on older 3.0/16x4 models - with more channels bonded, you have a better chance of maintaining full bandwidth even with a neighborhood full of users online. And stepping forward to 3.1 is the only way to enable "gigabit class" internet from your ISP. Even without the gigabit package my 400mbps (down) connection went from 350-370 down with my older modem to 440-450 down with this, a great upgrade. Installation and activation was also fairly easy, though I did have to call my provider to get them to remove my old modem's MAC address from their registry and replace it with this one. So far it seems stable and fast.
Now, the downsides...well, there aren't many. For one, it does get a bit warm in operation. Not worryingly so, but worth noting. I suppose the biggest gotcha here is that it claims "10Gbps" downloads. And while the modem may be capable of that, anything downstream will not be, since the modem has but 2 gigabit Ethernet ports that together would max at 2Gbps. Not a huge deal since no provider offers anything close to 10 today, but worth noting for the future. That said, most competitors offer only 1 gigabit port and so would be even more limited.
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