SB6183 Cable Modem

Pros: - Great speeds - Stable - Easy to setup (see note below) Cons: - Runs warm - Bright LED lights I bought this to replace an aging DOCSIS 2.0 modem I had been renting from Time Warner Cable (and had, over the years, paid enough in rental fees by many modems - gulp). It works great with the TWC service and based on standards and prior experience, I see no reason it wouldn't work with all major providers. As others have noted, you get a minor "speed boost" over older modem - this is not due to an increase in sheer maximum speed, since that is set by the cable company, but rather due to the ability of this modem to bond up to 16 channels maintaining the maximum speed more stably (instead of the speed bouncing up and down). The only thing that troubles me about this device is the fact that it does get fair warm to the touch - so make sure it's in a well ventilated area. The blue LEDs in the front panel are also very bright - and even if you wanted to cover them up, you can't effectively block the light as it comes through the main body (sides and back) of the device which cannot be covered due to the need for ventilation. This isn't a problem for me since I keep it in a "wiring cabinet" with plenty of ventilation and a door to block the light, but I can see it being an issue for some. Note on setup - I attempted and failed to be able to use TWC's "auto-setup" so I called their support line. They told me there was an "outage" in my area so while they would enter the data, I wouldn't be able to use the modem until the outage was repaired. This was curious to me, since my internet worked perfectly with the old modem not 30 seconds before. So, with the guy on the phone (without him telling me to), I unhooked this new modem and re-plugged in the old one...suddenly he tells me the outages is fixed and he's able to provision the new modem. Strangely, as soon as he enters the new modem, the "outage" reappears. So again, I switch modems without him telling me to (now having the new one plugged in) and boom, outage gone and new modem works like a charm. Long and short of it? If TWC doesn't see the modem they have in their system plugged in and powered on, there's an "outage" and they can't install a new modem. So if you can, plug in both your existing modem and this new one at the same time (maybe in different rooms) and they'll be able to set the new one up with no issues - in fact, auto-provisioning may work.

Nice modem offering potential higher bandwidth, however I live south of Detroit and have the ever so wonderful comcast and unfortunately, nope they weren't hiding any higher bandwidth tiers unfortunately. Still 105M max. Modem physical install as always was simple and easy and even the router/modem played nicely together this time around(replaced a sb6121 and it took me about a month to geta d-link N dir-615 route to play nicely with the 6121). This time around it was with an ASUS RT-AC66R running completely stock fw ATM. Now the funtimes begin(as I expected, I half dreaded receiving the modem knowing what likely pits of pain were awaiting me but foolishly the afternoon of the day that I received it I had a few minutes and decided WTH install it). Everything looks smooth no router/modem problems, modem syncs up to the cable network, run the activation via browser. Everything looks OK until: OK, let's check speedtest and just to be nice(?) let's let it run off the locally hosted comcast server. 6183: 30M down/ 6M up... hmmm... (I'm on the 50M/10M plan ATM, 105M is unfortunately max here, small joke) 6121: 60M down/12M up... Check the modem status, 8 channels down, decent SNR, 3 up good power. Spend some minutes trying to remember WTF my comcast id/pw are(yes I use their "services" quite a bit ;) ), acct #/etc. were phailwhale as usual. OK, both modems show up in my account. Seems AFAICT that the 6183 is active. Take the dive into the depths of hell and CALL comcast(I know what awaits, but I usually come off on the plus side with a lower bill and better services, so WTH). Get the usual I can sort of speak english but also have the added detriment of being in an EXTREMELY NOISY room CSRs which makes for great fun trying to understand them(be OK w/o the extreme background noise). Play the script game, MAC addr, try to resend config nope. Insert some feeble upselling, which for some reason didn't seem to have actually been entered as he offered a good price for 105M v. what they advertise, but my acct still shows 50M. End up randomly scheduling a "tech" (and I use the term loosely) to come. (By this time the 6183 has disappeared from my account, but it's still passing data, so I leave well enough alone FTM plan). Fortunately I am home when this guy shows up(noticed the van there as I'm about to leave. And ask him if he's here for this address.) So we get re-add modem to account(mysteriously disappeared see above), apparently is sent correct config this time(but not achieving anywhere close to perf of 6121 not to say that 50M is anything to write home about). Also find out SURPRISE SURPRISE that there's apparently a line problem somewhere with 185' of my house. (I say surprise as comcast NEVER EVER does ANY plant maintenance, even DTE shows up every 15y or so to hack away at trees.) So yeah, basically the modem seems good. My only real complaint is the log file will not default to the December whatever it was/1970 date if it cannot sync up time, just puts the oh how helpful "Time Not Established" in the time/date field and then the log message. At least if it defaulted to the 1970 date/time I would have a relative offset as to how far apart the log messages are spaced. The sb6121 had that behavior. This is putting me right back on the hoping for FTTP before I croak train though, thanks to the ever so wonderful comcast.

This Surfboard SB6 183 has not had a single problem in the time I've owned it (several months). We use it with MAC OS X, Android and whatever Roku uses. We consistently get our plan's rated speed from the cable provider (30 mBps down & 5 mBps up). Once in a while, we get over the speed we pay for (when the cable company goofs) and this modem is more than happy to oblige. Al channels bond all the time, so that's a good thing for maintaining speed. Actually this modem does a better job of maintaining speed in the evening (when the "Netfilx Effect" slows our cable) than the ISP's rental modem. We can still get 30 mBps.) I've never speed checked & got lower than what we pay for. (Good marks for Wowway and Arris) We can surf the innner-tube-web-net while both of our televisions are streaming educational documentaries on PBS. (OK- Chick flicks & monster movies) This modem doesn't even break a sweat- even in the evening. Tech support is excellent. When i first got it, it would not register on Arris' warranty registration page. Apparently it was already registered to someone else & they must have returned it. My call to tech support was answered by a real, live English speaking person in 1 minute. The technician fixed the problem in less than 2 minutes and offered to stay on the phone while I connected it, just in case I had a problem. Cool, huh? Cheerful guy, too. Connecting it was simple. All I had to do was call the ISP and they did the rest. They could see that it was registered to someone else and Arris fixed it. Once I reached a person at the ISP (20 minutes), provisioning it took about 3 minutes. Simple! The provider is Wide Open West (Also called "Wow" or "Wowway") I did have a problem with setting the Energy Saving feature. The manual's procedure didn't match what the screen said. I wrote to tech support. About an hour later I got a reply. One has to unhook it from the ISP to set this feature. The manual skipped that part. Oh well! Later, I wanted to re-boot it for a test in case the power ever goes out. It would not re-boot, following the manual's procedure. I called tech support. One minute later, a person came on the phone. He said to unhook it from the ISP cable to re-boot it. (Again- Excellent tech support. Crummy manual, however). Note that when we have had power failures, it does re-connect to the ISP with no intervention on my part. I gusee you only have to unhook the ISP cable if you are doing a software re-boot. The actual device runs cool. Very cool actually. This is probably because of two things: The venting pattern and the fact that the power supply is not inside the device. This is good & helps the circuitry run cooler. Actually, since the power supply is a (little) brick- and the brick is outside, it runs cooler too. (And can be replaced wth a generic if needed.) It plays well with my TP-Link Archer C7-AC 1750 router. There are no family feuds between them. Report Card: Performance = A+ Reliability = A+ Easy Of Connecting = B (Only because of the registration problem) Temperature = A+ Compatibility = A+ Tech Support By Phone = A+ Tech Support By E-Mail = A+ User Manual = It's Off To Summer School for Those Writers. Personally, if this ever needs replacing, I will buy Arris again. And, I will buy it on Amazon. Why Amazon? They helped me out when the first one I bought (from a private seller on Amazon) turned out to be second hand and, per Arris, possibly bootleg. (So much for cheaping-out & not buying from Amazon...) So, I do highly recommend this device. If it ever messes up & Arris can't help out, I'll update this review.

This modem has worked really well so far. Setup was quick, I just plugged it in, followed the provider’s activation steps, and it was up and running within minutes. The connection has been steady with no random dropouts, and speeds have stayed consistent for streaming, work, and everyday use. It’s compact, doesn’t overheat, and fits easily on a shelf without taking up much space. I also like that there aren’t a bunch of flashing lights, just simple indicators that make it easy to tell when everything’s working. It’s been one of those plug-it-in-and-forget-about-it devices, which is exactly what I wanted.

Initially, the modem worked great. I was getting over 135 mbps download, I normally get about 100 mbps beofre the 'upgrade.'. After a week though, the speed would drop to less than 2 mbps. I would have to reset the modem and the speed returned to 130 's again. This went on for a couple weeks. At first, it was daily, eventually every 2 -3 hours. I contacted ARRIS customer support. They ran some tests on the modem and assured me my modem was fine and passed the blame onto the cable provider. I had several technicians from cable company come out to trouble shoot. They ended up replacing my line from the main box in the street to my box on my lawn. Then, the line from the box on my lawn to the box on my house. Eventually replacing the line in my house upto the modem. They also replaced the components in these boxes. After about the 15 visits and 2 months later, with the cable company insisting that it was a problem with my modem and ARRIS insisting that it was the cable company, I listened to my wife's advice. I hooked up my old sb141 modem. Now I am getting 140 mbps downloads consitently. ARRIS has managed to drag this along for over 30 days so I can't return the modem. On a brighter note I have brand new cable lines run from the main box in road into my house. I have been a strong supporter of the SURFboard modems for 4-5 years, starting with the sb121, then the sb141 and then sb 161. I have never had a problem with them until the sb183. The sb141 was probably the best modem they made. Product quality have suffered since they were taken over by ARRIS. Customer support is disappointing. If you own the sb141 keep it and don't waste your money upgrading to sb183. If you are looking to buy a modem, get the sb141 and hope that is does not break, because ARRIS does not stand behind their product.. Or go with some other company. Please that once the cable company replaced all of my lines, the sb141 was as fast as the sb183.

Reliable, Fast, and Still a Solid Choice I’ve been using the ARRIS SB6183 cable modem and it has been rock solid from day one. Setup was straightforward—just a quick call to my ISP and it was activated within minutes. It’s DOCSIS 3.0 with 16x4 channel bonding, which isn’t the newest standard anymore, but for internet speeds up to 400 Mbps it’s more than enough. I consistently get the speeds I’m paying for without drops or lag, and it pairs well with my existing router. One of the things I appreciate most is the simplicity—no built-in router or WiFi to fuss with, just a dependable modem that does its job well. The compact design means it doesn’t take up much space, and the indicator lights are easy to read at a glance. The only watch-out is compatibility—you’ll want to double-check with your ISP, as the listing notes it isn’t supported by Spectrum. Also, if you plan to upgrade to gigabit service in the future, this model won’t keep up with those speeds. Bottom line: A reliable, easy-to-use modem that’s perfect for anyone with internet plans up to 400 Mbps who values stability and simplicity over extra features.

This cable modem is an excellent product. I bought it to replace the rental modem from my parents' cable provider, and it has worked flawlessly since day one, saving them money on rental fees. It performs exactly as a good piece of network gear should: you set it up, and you never have to think about it again. It provides a stable and consistent connection, delivering the speeds advertised with its DOCSIS 3.0 and 16x4 channel bonding technology. For a reliable and cost-effective alternative to renting a modem from your ISP, this is an outstanding choice that provides peace of mind and works without issues.

I was tired of renting my modems from the cable companies. So based on previous experience I decided to purchase this modem. I have previously worked for a major cable company in their high speed data division. Essentially going to customers and troubleshooting their internet connection problems (not the telephone tech support but a real person who could root cause a connection issue and resolve it for you). So I figure I know a little something about cable modems. Arris used to be a company with somewhat mediocre modems. Along with the Thomson RCA brand. There's been a lot of merging and aquisitions with the modems and Motorola used to make the best modems with the "shark fin series". Well peeps this is essentially a Motorola modem and delivers the performance that I expected for one of their modems. I have had zero issues since installing this modem. Installation was simple with the usual connections and a quick call to the cable company with the MAC address, Two minutes later surfing away like a champ. We use Ooma for our telephone service along with 3 Roku's on the go and two Android Media boxes and this keeps up with the stream seamlessly. Of course being Docsis compliant you can always go and remove the bandwidth cap if you want to (don't condone this but it's possible) to increase your bandwidth if you wanted to by running a script. In a couple of months this modem will have paid for itself comparing to rental costs from the cable company. 100% reliable, emits a good consistent upstream signal which is what is needed to make your internet happy. The cable company sends you a downstream signal which is your incoming data. The cable company is responsible for the signal strength heading your way. Your modem does have some tolerance in terms of how low the signal can go before connection fails but largely if it gets that low then the cable company should be fixing it for you anyway. The upstream is where it really counts and think of it like this, your modem transmits a signal to the cable company (they refer to it as upstream or return). The cable company and their servers are most likely miles away from where you live and your little modem sends out this little signal and between you and your cable company location it passes through a series of amplifiers that increase your signal strength in order to reach the hubs. As long as you have the signal strength to make it to them you're good to go. This modem never saw any fluctuation in the db readings on the upstream so I know that if there is an upstream issue then it is most likely owned by CC and not my modem. I have seen sporadic readings on other modems but nothing yet with this unassuming little box. The lights can be a little bright so if they bother you that much just put some tape over them. I bought this modem for it's performance not its aesthetics, I don't care what lights are on as long as I have a signal and everybody is doing what they want on the internet be it streaming, news or whatever. Good value a great buy and stellar performance.