Customer Reviews

Cisco-Linksys Cable Modem with Ethernet USB Connection

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

My Motorola Surfboard would come and go. It was not dependable. So I trotted down to OfficeMax and bought this Linksys modem. It was a snap it install. No software needed unless you use it with USB, which I don't.

I called Cox and gave them the numbers off the box and was online fast. No more being knocked off when I least expect it. In fact, I haven't been knocked off at all.

This is a great modem. I use it with a Linksys N router and Cox Communications.

Not much you can say about a modem. It either keeps you online or not. This one does.

Highly recommended.

-Susanna K. Hutcheson

Though there was nothing fundamentally wrong with my old Linksys BEFCMU10 V2, we were just not getting anywhere near the speeds claimed by Comcast on the eastside - only got up to 5000kbps down and 1100 up (speedtest.net) - eventually had a tech come out to check all connections and redo splitters - he recommended a CM upgrade tho I believed a CM is a CM... So we splashed out on the latest 4x4 inch baby from Cisco/Linksys.
Installation and advising Comcast of the new MAC address took minutes tho one would think there would be an easier way than calling a call center?
The change was nothing short of DRAMATIC. Our speedtest.net speed went to 31000kbps down and 3000 up (little less in evening). I can't really see a 6-fold improvement in average browsing, but the local bottleneck is now gone and now dependent on the multiple websites and jump servers' performance.
As both old and new modems are docsis 2.0 I NEVER expected this kind of improvement and consider it $$ well spent. Btw, it's matched with a D-Link DIR-655 wireless router. Another btw - there's no direct link between the speedtest speed results and the actual kbps you see when you download a file - the latter depends on the website and other intermediate architecture. Last btw - the USB connection is Not for external storage like routers have, it's an alternative way (to the ethernet connection) to connect the CM100 to your PC (havent quite worked that one out - guess there must be some mobile PCs that dont have CAT5 connections or can one use them simultaneously to 2 PCs?)

Linksys CM100 Cable Modem with USB and Ethernet ConnectionsAfter reading the discussions regarding this modem at Amazon.com, I purchased one to replace my rental unit from Charter. Not being a techie, I was a bit hesitant to do so. Well, was I surprised how easily it was to set up and get operational! After taking my router out of the loop, I followed the quick set up guide, connecting the modem directly to the computer thru the ethernet connection. Then, with the computer on, the Charter website came up and guided me thru the MAC address switch. Never did have to call Charter tech support. I was on the web within 10 minutes. My Linksys WRT54GL router accepted this modem without a glitch, although the Linksys Easy Setup Advisor apparently didn't recognize the new system until I turned the computer off, then back on. Download speeds are about the same, upload speeds are about 4 times faster, according to the Speedtest.net results. To any Charter subscribers, at least here in Michigan, I highly recommend this cable modem. For any non techie, trying to get away from endless cable modem rental fees, as I was, I recommend this device for ease of installation.

When COMCAST decided to increase their cable modem rental fee 66% in November, to $5/month, I decided to do something about it. This $68 Linksys Cable Modem, Model CM100, is exactly what you need. You can check on the COMCAST website for a whole list of compatible modems. I decided on this one since I have a Linksys router (WRT54G).

This installation is very simple. Remove the COMCAST modem. Someone in another review said you need to remove your router temporarily for this installation, so I did that and connected the CM100 directly to the ethernet connector on the computer. Once you did that, you need to call COMCAST and give them the S/N and the MAC Address, both of which are printed on the bottom of the Linksys CM100 unit. They enter your new info in their system and you are up and running. It really is as simple as that.

You can then go ahead and reconnect your router. I found I had to power off/on the CM100, router, and computer and I no longer have to pay COMCAST monthly.

I got CM100 last week. I am living in Boston area and my ISP is Comcast. It is working excellent (DN 18~19Mbps, UP 7Mbps, by Speakeasy Speed Test), hooked up with my Mac PowerBook G4 (OS-X 10.4) through a new Airport Express, without any problem. The CD that comes with the modem contains softwares only for Windows, so I cannot use USB connection. But it does not matter for me because I only use Ethernet.

The only problem I experienced was that when I first called the Comcast Customer Service and told them the modem's MAC address and S/N, it was somehow registered wrongly and it did not work. (English is my second language and it may be because of my language barrier, but I am not sure...) Finally, I called a Tech to come over to my place and he found out that one digit of S/N registered to Comcast was wrong. Maybe he did something else to fix my problem, but I do not know. He told me that it was the only problem they found... So, be careful when you register your modem with your ISP.

Since I got cable modem service six years ago I had stuck with the Motorola Surfboard line, which I will not criticize nor praise because both the box I rented from the cable company (and bought five times over) and the later 5100 model bought from a co-worker worked very well for me. But towards the beginning of October last year I started experiencing major problems staying online and after an epic back-and-forth with the cable company that took two months to solve, I thought it would be the cable modem that caused the problem. On a tech's suggestion I decided to buy my own, but this time go with something different outside Motorola. I could've got a few generic brands, but doing research I came upon this model. Since I have a Linksys router, hey, it made sense to get the matching modem, right?

At first, I still had those cable problems. It wasn't the modem. Three weeks and one pole check later, I found out it was indeed something at the pole in the alley. Thus I bought this modem likely for nothing...

Except that it works incredibly well since my connection has not wavered outside of cable maintenance periods ever since. Everything hums along, the modem isn't in your face or in the way, propped up like a small book on the computer cart against the desk. It's easy to maintain, the diagnostics screens are helpful yet simple, and since I bought a laptop a few months ago, it works very well with my home network. The modem also keeps cool, the AC adapter isn't a brick and the lights on it are very easy to read.

If you want a fine and dependable DOCSIS 2.0 modem, this is the one for you. The savings of modem rental work in your favor and the small size of the unit make it very convenient to have, and it's reliability is impressive.

I ordered a refurb and so far, so good. There was no need to call Comcast to use it.
I got Comcast service installed about 3 weeks ago, and today I swapped the cable from the back of the rented Comcast modem to the CM100. Also ran the ethernet from my computer directly to the CM100 for provisioning purposes.

Then powered everything up. Started IE explorer and the Comcast service page appeared in the browser. I pressed the "Technician" option and then typed in my Comcast account number. After a minute or so, the Comcast web interface found the CM100's MAC address.
I powered everything down, attached computer ethernet to wireless router, rebooted cm100, wireless router, computer, & my voip ATA and was back up and running in no time.
My download speed remained the same at about 20mbps, but my upload speed doubled to about 4.5 mbps [...]. 4stars reliability 'cause I haven't had it that long.
Tomorrow I'll return the Comcast modem to save the $5/ month rental.

I recently replaced my 10yr old Toshiba modem for a Linksys CM100. The download speeds are now about 30% faster but only from those sites closest to me here in Phoenix. I was also experiencing packet loss which appeared as if the Internet kept disconnecting. I called COX about the issue and they said my Toshiba was to old to support and before they'd review my circuit I needed to buy a new modem.

I learned while talking with a rep at Cox, while giving them the new MAC address and serial number, that their cable network now supports DocIS 3.0. This modem supports DocIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 but not the newest 4 channel bonding standard. There are limited DocIS 3.0 compliant modems available but an Internet search does find them for $85+. This modem works just fine but in hindsight I would have paid the price difference for a modem that supports the newer standard. The final comment is that it might not matter that much as regular testing of downloads speeds on my work's 45mbs fiber connection finds that access to servers even a few states away are limited to 3-5mbs downloads.

I got tired of paying Comcast $5 every month to rent their cable modem and bought this modem to replace it. After hooking up the cables and plugging it in, I called Comcast to give them the unit's serial number and MAC address and I was online again in about 15 minutes. One of the first things I did after I got back online was run a speedtest, and I got a result of 18.4Mbps down/4.45Mbps up (which is like 20% faster than what I got with the other modem). So far, I've had it on for a few days now and it is rock solid... After a few months, this modem will have paid for itself. Saving money and the faster speeds make it a no-brainer to buy your own cable modem instead of renting your ISP's units.

Also, when setting up your router again after you install the new cable modem, don't forget to go into the router's settings and clone your PC's MAC address. Some ISPs may not need this, but in my case, I had to clone MAC address again after I installed the new cable modem for my router setup to work. Cheers everyone!

Comcast in the San Francisco area is my cable and internet provider. I have rented their modem at $3 a month for many years.

They did me a favor when it was announced that they would be increasing their modem rental to $5 a month!

I bought the Linksys CM 100 Cable Modem, made by Cisco, after reading a review of how good it worked with Comcast, with faster speed than when using the Comcast modems.

Installation was easy, BUT, remember to unplug your router if you have one, and plug the modem directly into your computer for installation. It would have been nice if the installations directions and CD which came with the modem made that very clear, because, even though I showed connectivity, when I called Comcast to give them the MAC number and get my new modem registered with them, I could not get a browser to open up.

Comcast has always been very helpful if I have ever had a connectivity problem, and that was the first question they asked: Did I have a router?

Once I disconnected the router and reinstalled the modem with the CD, which took 2 minutes, Comcast got me online and my browser came up right away, and I reconnected my router with no problems since.

In less than a year at $5 a month my modem will have paid for itself with the one time cost. I am very happy with it, and thank Comcast for saving me money in this regard!