Upgrading to a DOCSIS 3.0, 16x4 Channel Bonding cable modem worth it?

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DaMaN
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Upgrading to a DOCSIS 3.0, 16x4 Channel Bonding cable modem worth it?

Post by DaMaN »

I am on a CISCO DOCSIS 3.0 Modem now (DPC3008-CC), I just discovered this modem on Amazon and was wondering if anyone has any real world experience with a 16x4 Channel Bonding cable modem.

The modem that caught my eye was this one on Amazon:

SMC Networks D3CM1604 Comcast and Time Warner

http://www.amazon.com/SMC-Networks-D3CM1604-Comcast-Approved/dp/B00LI1F32U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452049239&sr=8-1&keywords=DOCSIS+3.0%2C+16x4+Channel+Bonding%29&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011

Anybody on a DOCSIS 3.1 modem?
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DaMaN
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FlyingPenguin
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Post by FlyingPenguin »

I switched to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem from a 2.0 three years ago. Made a dramatic difference.

My modem only has 8 bonded channels and you can see from this screen shot of my modem's status page that I have all 8 downstream channels bonded, and 3 of the 4 upstream channels. Not sure if they support 16 channels here in the boonies yet.

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This is a rural area, and we don't have speeds comparable to some cities, but I went from roughly 8/5mbits to 30/6.

I'm using the Zoom 5341J, which is one of the ten modems mentioned in that article (number 5). Three years ago I did a LOT of research and that was considered the best modem available for Comcast at the time. It's also on Comcast's list of accepted hardware so there's no issues getting them to support it.

Nowadays Comcast makes it easy to install a new modem. Just connect it to the cable and connect the network jack DIRECTLY to a laptop or PC initially. Once the modem boots up and connects, it usually will take you to the Comcast activation page when you try to browse ANY page. Sometimes it takes a while to come up requiring multiple refreshes. It helps to clear your browser's cache. You can also try browsing the page yourself: https://www.comcast.com/activate

It asks you for your account number, and a few questions, then it updates the firmware on the modem and reboots it. Usually takes a few minutes. Worst case, sometimes you have to call for an activation.

The beauty of the self-activation is that the old modem is still left registered on their system (where as when you call a human for an activation, they usually delete the old modem). What that means is if your new modem ever takes a hit, you can swap it for the old modem and it'll work without activation (usually).
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eGoCeNTRoNiX
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Post by eGoCeNTRoNiX »

I have the same modem as FP and it's been running strong for going on 4 years. Now if I could just get my stupid routers to behave...
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ZYFER
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Post by ZYFER »

Most likely they upgraded your service and never told you about it. Once you popped in the Docsis 3.0 modem, it allowed you to access it. Similar here with Road Runner Lightning, it requires a Docsis 3.0 modem while standard did not.
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