Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Cable Modem
by Motorola
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List Price: Our Price: $46.95 You Save: $23.04 (33%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $22.25 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Cable Modem
Customer Review: Subtle performance in an understated chassis
Summary: 3 Stars
I recently purchased the SB5101 to replace an ailing Toshiba modem I've been using for the past six years. I wouldn't be writing this review if it weren't for the local fire chief being a dishonest charlatane at a recent church fundraiser. Please lend me your ear while I explain. The local Catholic church (Our Lady of Perpetual and Weeping Holy Bliss of the Virgin Mary de Guadalupe) held their annual summer fiesta fundraiser and me being the dutiful Christian felt obligated to attend and spend copious amounts of money on greasy Mexican foods and cheap handicrafts being peddled by the local population of illegal immigrants. One of the many ways to seperate cash from person was in the form of a silent auction. If you're not familiar with the term it's a form of combat in which a person finds an item they wish to own, writes their name and bid on a piece of paper attached to said item, and then defends it by hiding the item behind a larger object or "camping out" next to the item and outbiding or intimidating anyone that comes near it. It was at this silent auction I happened upon a box claiming to contain a Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Cable Modem, the very modem this review... reviews. Surely this was a sign from Our Savior Jesus Christ, one and only son of God, who died and was buried and rose again and all that sci-fi stuff! He knew I needed a new modem capable of 30mbs download speed, support for up to 32 users and fully DOCSIS 2.0 compatible. I placed my bid and prayed that this very modem would be mine. Lo and behold when the auction ended it was I who was the proud owner of this very box. That's right, I said box, for when I opened the box, after parting with $20 American, and in the comfort of my home, I was slapped in the face by the sight of a Toshiba cable modem, the very model I was trying to exorcise from my dwelling! After several frantic phone calls I was able to track the "donor" of the item. It was none other than F**** the fire chief of our fine city! I was shocked and dismayed that such a respected member of society would stoop to such lows as upgrading his own modem and leaving the dregs to a local church ready to be snapped up by a cheapskate such as myself. After cursing him and his offspring I logged on to Amazon.com using my pitiful excuse for a cable modem and purchased a SB5101 new. Performance seems to have increased but oddly streaming porn doesn't seem much faster. The standby button is more annoying than it is helpful, especially with kids. Overall, I'd say the modem performs as expected but if you've got a crap connection don't expect miracles.Customer Review: From the SB4100 to this. I'm happy!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just installed this about 5 minutes ago. My title says it all, so instead of writing a review, I'm going to explain something here: when replacing a cable modem, it's necessary to activate the new one with your service provider because every cable modem has a unique MAC address. If you don't give that MAC address to your service provider, then their network will never be able to find your cable modem, or recognize it as such. The network basically says, "I don't know what this is, so I'll ignore it". And so, once the MAC address is entered into their system, the network will then find your cable modem and then it will complete the connection knowing what it is and what to do with it.
A cable modem that has not yet been activated still has no problem finding the network, and this is why all the lights come on before activation (at least mine did). So, it's our job to cause the network to locate the cable modem by having the service provider representative enter the MAC address in. Actually, it's not really that simple, because the representative has to make the network look for it, But that is very easy for them to do and takes just a few seconds. That's my layman's way of explaining it. I hope all this makes sense!
So, here's how to make activation even easier: open up Windows Notepad, take and type down the MAC address (the HFC MAC, which stands for Hybrid Fiber/Coaxial. Google "define:hfc" if you want more information), then call up your service provider and give it to them after an appropriate conversation regarding what you want to do. It's very painless, and it only takes a few minutes. They may ask whether you bought it, or decided to lease it from them.
One thing I will say about this cable modem is that i like how small it is, and I like the way it looks. The SB4100 was nice when it came out, but now that I have this one, I can see how big and ugly it is. :) It's also black, and so it doesn't stick out. I like that.
Oh, and I'm not sure yet, but I think I noticed an increase in speed over the SB4100. But, it could be my imagination because I'm paying much closer attention than normal. :) Regardless, it works perfectly, so I am 100% satisfied with this modem, and I'm very glad I bought it!
Therefore, I confidently recommend buying this cable modem.
Customer Review: Second Motorola modem and neither let me down
Summary: 5 Stars
When I got service from Time Warner they gave me this model cable modem (to use) for no extra charge! So I never bothered to buy one. The modem was great, it never gave me any problems so I never gave it any thought. It was just anonymously reliable for me.
Then I moved and had to switch to Sudden Link. They required that I bought a modem and were willing to sell me one, I never thought of going out to Best Buy and buying one myself. They sold me a modem hooked it up and it sat behind my desk and was soon forgotten. Forgotten until I would lose my internet for 30 seconds at random times, it was annoying but I tolerated it thinking that it was a problem with Sudden Link. Then it started happening more frequently over time, and would last longer. Finally I called Sudden Link, it took many calls and two service visits before they determined it was the modem. When the guy came back from his truck he had two modems in hand, one was another Ambit and the other was the Motorola. He tried to pawn off the Ambit on me, saying it was better (but I doubt it, they're out of business for a reason) but all I could do was drool over the Motorola because I recognized it was the same modem I had with Time Warner. Fortunately for me, the guy didn't have the right power supply cord to go with it, and my power supply cord wouldn't work with it. So he gave me the Motorola and I've had no internet disruption since.
So I right this long review to say that yes this is an item that when you hook it up you will soon forget about. But buy this over the other modems, because when you have problems with a modem it is such a hassle. You keep pressing reload (because the internet keeps going down) you call the cable company but the modem always seems to work then, you disconnect and replace cable splitters, you reset the modem, you restart your computer, you buy new coaxial cables only, you unhook your router and all that to then realize it was the modem all along.
If you need a cable modem, buy this one. My experience with them is they won't let you down, they keep you connected to the internet and that's all you care about. So buy it, stick it behind your desk (where it will build up layer upon layer of dust) and then forget you even have it until you move. And only then will you appreciate the work it does for you.
Customer Review: Check compatibility with your level of service
Summary: 5 Stars
This isn't a review; it's a small piece of advice. When replacing your rented cable modem with a purchased cable modem, make sure the new device you are buying is not only compatible with your cable company but ALSO compatible with the level of service you plan to have.
Our service provider is Comcast and we recently recieved notice that modem rental fees would increase. My wife and I thought, hmm, we could replace the rental modem with one we buy and, with the eventual savings, upgrade to the next fastest speed of broadband (in our case, a service with up to 20mbps download called Blast!). That way, we would have a much faster Internet connection for a net increase of about three bucks a month.
I saw this modem on Comcast's list of compatible modems. It was my own fault that I did not read carefully enough to realize that this modem is compatible with Comcast "Performance" (what we have now) but NOT compatible with the faster Comcast "Blast!".
The most unfortunate part of the tale is that when I called Comcast to switch over the modems, I told the service rep that I would be switching to my own modem AND upgrading to Blast!. The service rep confirmed the price increase of Blast! with me and verified my account information. Then, I was lead through a number of steps to disable the old modem and install the new modem. Fine, not too bad, about ten minutes of work.
When the new modem was all installed, I said, "Great, so, how long before we see the difference with Blast!. To which the rep responded, "Oh, you can't have Blast! with this modem, you need a modem with DOCSIS 3.0".
[sigh]
Lesson learned. Read the compatibility information carefully. When you call your cable rep to switch over the new modem, clearly ask if the model modem you are installing is compatible with the service you want BEFORE going through all the steps of installation.
By the way, I gave this product full stars because the rental unit we had is practically identical to this model (we had the Motorola SB5100) and that performed flawlessly for the entire time we used it.
Cheers.
Customer Review: Easy Install, Simple to Use, Fast Connection; Best Value
Summary: 5 Stars
I recommend this unit. Simply an excellent product. Setup was very easy to follow. I screwed the coax connector into my CATV wall outlet, connected to my modem and plugged in an ethernet cable from my desk top computer to the modem. Follow the start up disk which has graphic instructions so you do not need an expensive service technician to make a house call. The modem has both ethernet and USB ports. I am not a tech head, so I needed something that was an easy install. Delivery was very slow, shipped from from Blue Proton Consulting, when the modem arrived by UPS, I received it within 2 weeks, opened the box up, plugged it in, called Comcast technical phone support and gave them the serial number and MAC number that was on the bottom of the modem. I was connected in 2 minutes. I previously had a RCA modem that was much slower... the speed of the RCA crawled either because Comcast's system had changed or the old modem's could not keep up with it. The RCA deteriorated and failed after 3 years of hard work. The performance of the Motorola is very noticable and faster with a fast connection to the internet. Motorola locates the standby button on the top where it is easily accessible. Why rent this unit from your Cable company when you can buy it for three months rental charge?
I am using a Linksys Wireless Router with this modem running a desk top and three lap tops. Even with all four users connected, there is no problem with connectivity or bandwidth. I recommend that you re- boot both the computer and the router after the modem is first activated.
I purchased a high quality ethernet cable to use with this new modem.
This modem does give off as much thermal heat as the RCA modem did... it runs much cooler. I am using an ethernet connection to my Linksys wireless router and not a USB cable. This modem has an option to use USB connectors (with USB and ethernet cables provided) which is an option connecting the modem directly to your computer.