Arris / Motorola SURFboard SB5101U DOCSIS 2.0 Cable Modem - Retail Packaging

by Motorola

• Requires CABLE Internet Service, if not sure your provider is CABLE call them to confirm
• Compatible with ALL Major CABLE providers like Comcast, Cox, Charter, Time Warner, Mediacom, Bright House
• Internet download speeds up to 38 Mbps and upload speeds up to 30 Mbps based on your Cable provider service
• Front-panel LEDs indicate status and simplify troubleshooting
• 10/100 Ethernet port to connect with router or computer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 2.7 x 10.5 inches ; 1.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002M3SHXA
• Item model number: SB5101U
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (875 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #7 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Modems
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Enjoy a super-fast broadband connection with an Environmentally-Friendly Cable Modem.
Get more out of your time online and feel good about using a Green cable modem. Surf the Web and view pages quickly, download video with blazing speed and play online games faster than your opponents with this SURFboard cable modem. Up to 100 times faster than traditional dial-up. No dialing up – no phone line required. Easy-to-install and simple-to-use

Motorola SURFboard® SB5101U Cable Modem

Easy to Install, Activate, and Use.

Product Features

Environmentally-Friendly

All packaging products are made from recycled materials

The shipping carton is made of recycled corrugated material

100% of package contents is created from recycled materials

Energy Star Compliant

Smaller Power Supply (PWB) for reduced environmental impact

USB and Ethernet connectivity to help ensure compatibility with almost any PC or Mac network-ready system

Supports up to 63 users (with additional networking hardware; not included)

No telephone lines needed; always on, always connected

10/100Base-T Ethernet for blazing speed; capable of downloading at speeds up to 100 times faster than a standard 28.8Kbps analog phone modem

High-Speed Internet is as Easy as 1,2,3

Additional Features

• Downstream data speeds up to 38 Mbps
• Upstream data speeds up to 30 Mbps
• Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) Ready - Next-generation Internet Protocol
• Front-panel status LEDs and user-friendly online diagnostics page for quick and easy troubleshooting
• Compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Unix systems
• Integrated DOCSIS 2.0 A-TDMA and S-CDMA technology; backwards compatible with existing DOCSIS 1.0 and 1.1 systems
• Remote configuration and monitoring from the headend using SNMP and TFTP
• Includes USB and Ethernet cables, power adapter and installation CD-ROM
• Note: Ask your cable company if they support DOCSIS cable modems. DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) is the industry standard for cable-based Internet access service.
• 2-year limited warranty

What’s in the Box
Inside the Box - Motorola SB5101U SURFboard Cable Modem,Installation CD-ROM with USB drivers,Power,adapter,Ethernet cable,Quick Start Guide,Warranty card

Product Description

Enjoy a super-fast broadband connection with a-Friendly Cable Modem.
Get more out of your time online and feel good about using a Green cable modem. Surf the Web and view pages quickly, download video with blazing speed and play online games faster than your opponents with this SURFboard cable modem. Up to 100 times faster than traditional dial-up. No dialing up – no phone line required. Easy-to-install and simple-to-use

Motorola SURFboard® SB5101U Cable Modem

Easy to Install, Activate, and Use.

Product Features

Environmentally-Friendly

All packaging products are made from recycled materials

The shipping carton is made of recycled corrugated material

100% of package contents is created from recycled materials

Energy Star Compliant

Smaller Power Supply (PWB) for reduced environmental impact

USB and Ethernet connectivity to help ensure compatibility with almost any PC or Mac network-ready system

Supports up to 63 users (with additional networking hardware; not included)

No telephone lines needed; always on, always connected

10/100Base-T Ethernet for blazing speed; capable of downloading at speeds up to 100 times faster than a standard 28.8Kbps analog phone modem

High-Speed Internet is as Easy as 1,2,3

Additional Features

• Downstream data speeds up to 38 Mbps
• Upstream data speeds up to 30 Mbps
• Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) Ready - Next-generation Internet Protocol
• Front-panel status LEDs and user-friendly online diagnostics page for quick and easy troubleshooting
• Compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Unix systems
• Integrated DOCSIS 2.0 A-TDMA and S-CDMA technology; backwards compatible with existing DOCSIS 1.0 and 1.1 systems
• Remote configuration and monitoring from the headend using SNMP and TFTP
• Includes USB and Ethernet cables, power adapter and installation CD-ROM
• Note: Ask your cable company if they support DOCSIS cable modems. DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) is the industry standard for cable-based Internet access service.
• 2-year limited warranty

What’s in the Box
Inside the Box - Motorola SB5101U SURFboard Cable Modem,Installation CD-ROM with USB drivers,Power,adapter,Ethernet cable,Quick Start Guide,Warranty card

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

336 of 354 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Comcast won't activate! EDIT: Use Chat Support to Activate! January 8, 2011

By Angle Side Side

Amazon Verified Purchase

After being placed on hold for 10 minutes with technical support, I was informed that Comcast wouldn't activate it because I didn't buy it from an "authorized retailer". The interesting part is that Best Buy is the ONLY authorized retailer. I asked the tech support rep if it's an issue of trust with the Motorola brand (counterfeiting, shoddy equipment, etc...) and he just towed the company line and said, "sir, I'm sorry, but you need to purchase this from Best Buy and not Amazon.com". I was flabbergasted.

As of the writing of this review, Best Buy is offering this same modem for $30 more than Amazon, and Comcast just raised their modem rental fees from $5 to $6.61 in my area. I can't help but wonder what kind of profit sharing setup they've got behind the scenes. This feels like marketplace manipulation, collusion, or some other anti-trust lawsuit waiting to happen.

I'll probably try to call back in another day or two and claim that I bought it from Best Buy. Maybe I caught a tech support rep on a bad day. If not, this modem is getting returned. I just wish Comcast didn't have a monopoly over my cable/internet service -- I'd drop them in a heartbeat.

EDIT: As posted below, I was able to successfully activate the modem via Comcast's Online Chat Support.

115 of 119 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Buy! May 29, 2010

By Nean

Amazon Verified Purchase

This modem was economical and very easy to install. I simply disconnected my old Comcast modem, connected my new Motorola Surfboard modem, and called Comcast to give them my MAC ID (located on the modem). Within five minutes I was connected to the internet with the same great speed!

99 of 104 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Plug-and-Play easy, Energy Star rated Power Adaptor February 6, 2010

By C. Kelly

Amazon Verified Purchase

Works great. Easy, hassle-free setup, no software install required, just connect the cables, call your cable company to register the modem over the phone and you're done.

This is the only Energy Star rated cable modem I could find. Power adaptor is compact and electronic--not a brick-- so it doesn't get hot or waste energy.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars So Far, So Good October 2, 2012

By John

Amazon Verified Purchase

I brought this modem to replace the one I had from Time Warner Cable after the free lease period ended. I am glad I did that since Time Warner recently announced that it would be raising those lease fees from $2.50 to $3.95. So far, so good. The modem was very easy to install. I just swapped out the old modem and connected the power card, coaxial cable, and ethernet/USB cable. (Note that the modem does not come with coaxial and ethernet or USB cables, so you will need to buy those unless you have them; you will also need a coaxial cable splitter if you want to connect a cable TV and cable modem to the same jack). The hardest part of the install was getting through to Time Warner Cable to provide the MAC address (long wait time) and then waiting for the registration to work its way through their system and become active (several hours). So far, I have been very pleased with the device. The modem works perfectly with my wireless router, and I have had very stable and reliable connections on all of my wireless devices. I also have not had to reset the modem once over the past week, unlike the one I had from Time Warner, which needed to be reset every other day or so. I returned the old modem to the cable company today. With the higher lease costs recently announced by company, I will recoup the purchase price in a year and avoid the feeling of being ripped off by the cable company when my bill comes each month.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2013: Six months after purchasing this product, I remain pleased. It is much better and more reliable than the one that Time Warner Cable had provided previously, and I only have had to reset the unit three or four times since purchasing it six months ago.

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Modem works great. February 6, 2010

By D Wilk

Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this modem to replace my leased Comcast modem because they were going up once again. The setup was easy just plugged it up and called Comcast to give them the mac address. The worst part of the deal is that Com freaking cast has yet to take it off of my bill so hopefully it will be off this month with a credit.

But the modem works great. But I also found that I could have gotten the same modem for a $1 difference from Walmart and not have to wait on the shipping.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Saved $25 and Comcast Approved March 20, 2012

By W. R. Sayer

Amazon Verified Purchase

I received the package yesterday and had this modem working inside of 20 minutes. I simply unhooked my old modem and followed the steps to hook this one up. I ran the installation guide CD and when I was done it displayed the 'Mac" address, told me that Comcast will need it and directed me to call them for activation. After the usual 10 minutes of them trying to get me to NOT talk to a real person I finally got someone on the line who asked me for the Mac address and boom everything worked perfectly. I then plugged the Ethernet cable back into my wireless router and the three lap tops, a couple of Roku's, a Blu Ray player and the wireless printer all worked great.
I am not one to constantly check download speeds but I was getting some download interruptions with the last modem so I wanted to replace it with a newer model. Time will tell but so far I am very pleased with this item and for the price it is a super deal. For my application this gets 5 stars
Amazon is incredible but you need to be on your toes. I had this item in my Cart and was ready to purchase it for $54.49. Somehow I deleted it from my Cart and ran a new search and came up with this exact same item in a so-called Environmentally Safe box for $29.00. There must be a catch. I had momentary buyer's remorse when I was waiting on the line with Comcast but absolutely not an issue. No catch and I saved $25.
Remember this is a 2.0 DOCSIS modem not the 3.0 high speed one. I do not pay Comcast for their high speed internet service and my research said I do not need the 3.0 for the level of service that I have with them.
So for about $30 you can own your own cable modem, eliminate the monthly rental fee and pay this off in about three or four months....
March 23rd update-I noticed that the price has gone up from $29 to $44.99 since I bought this--now only $10 savings Read more ›