Support NeoGAF

[NeonBlack]

So ever since I've had cable internet I've needed to replace my modem every 2-3 years. Every-time is the same deal, I barely can hold a connection and I watch as pages barely load.

This doesn't make any sense to me. I've gone from a Motorola SB5101U(replaced multiple times) to a SB6141.

I thought my problems were done when this one lasted a bit longer but here I am again. Is this common.

If not, any recommendations?

 

[ElNino]

That doesn't sound normal to me. I've never needed to change my modem unless I was changing to a higher plan the required a new one. I'm sure I have a few of my old modems in the basement, but all worked fine.

 

[smurfx]

don't know but i switched out my modem for the spectrum one since its free to rent. i rather let theirs waste away and save mine. plus i got better speeds with their modem.

 

[bronk]

Same exact thing happens to me. My internet has been a lil weird lately. May be time to switch out.

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

Maybe it's just planned obsolescence by the manufacturer by no longer offering updates after a certain number of years? I bought one 2 years ago and haven't had issues yet.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I had a 10 year old surfboard modem I finally replaces last year with a new one because it didn't support modern speeds.

 

[NeonBlack]

Same exact thing happens to me. My internet has been a lil weird lately. May be time to switch out.

How long have you had yours?

I had a 10 year old surfboard modem I finally replaces last year with a new one because it didn't support modern speeds.

This was my original reason for the one I have now. I chalked up all the old ones dying out to the house my family live in being shitty but since I've been on my own this will be my second replacement.

 

[ZealousD]

I just recently had to replace my modem after 4 years. My connection just wouldn't stay up while streaming.

 

[The Argus]

Only time I've replaced mine was when my ISP at that time was upgrading all of their units to support IPv6.

I've had routers die on me plenty. Never the modem. Have you tried using one with a quality UPS with surge protection?

 

[Diablos]

Any decent cable modem should last you at least 8-10 years...

 

[xxracerxx]

..

 

[Electric Eye]

Its probably something else but lazy techs won't troubleshoot beyond your modem. Before I moved my cable modem was solid and it shitted out after about 5 years. Not bad. My currents cable modem is solid and have only had one interruption but that was an outage out of my control.

 

[clav]

Ideally they last until the next tech system upgrade. 3.1 will supposedly package a bufferbloat solution + gigabit speeds, and this upgrade is due very soon.

There's some confirmation bias for Broadcom over Texas Instruments chips as in Broadcom chips can withstand noisier lines. SB6141 + SB6121 both use TI if I remember correctly.

Arris SB6183 is what I recommend since it's Broadcom + uses one tuner as opposed to two tuners. If you want something affordable, TP-Link has a cable modem, too, although I forget what chip it uses.

edit: Also helps to post your line stats. Otherwise, we can't really help you except poke some holes hoping to find a solution that somewhat is relative to your problem.

 

[Agent_ShortBus]

Only time I've replaced mine was when my ISP at that time was upgrading all of their units to support IPv6.

I've had routers die on me plenty. Never the modem. Have you tried using one with a quality UPS with surge protection?

Same here. Only reason I replaced mine was because they upped the speeds and my modem didn't support the newer speeds. Op do you keep your modem in an open space with a lot of airflow? Asking because mine gets toasty so I set it up in an open space with lots of ventilation

 

[NeonBlack]

Same here. Only reason I replaced mine was because they upped the speeds and my modem didn't support the newer speeds. Op do you keep your modem in an open space with a lot of airflow? Asking because mine gets toasty so I set it up in an open space with lots of ventilation

All modems have been in open space.

 

[ShowDog]

Well replacing it with a SB6141 isn't going to increase your modem replacement timeline. That thing has been obsolete for a few years now.

I know because I bought one a year ago refurb for $30. It works fine up to ~150 megabit but some cable providers already dropped support for it.