Motorola SURFboard Gateway SBG901 DOCSIS 2.0 Wireless Cable Modem

by Motorola

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 3 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002M3SJ6U
• Item model number: 556315-005-00
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #11 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Modems
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 18, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Environmentally-Friendly Motorola SURFboard Wireless Cable Modem Gateway
Why tie yourself down? Feel good about purchasing a "green" product and build your own wireless network with this high-speed 802.11 b/g access point. Get more out of your time online with its improved wireless capabilities. Surf the Web and view pages quickly, download video with blazing speed and play online games faster than your opponents with this SURFboard Wireless Cable Modem Gateway. Up to 100 times faster than traditional dial-up. No dialing up – no phone line required. Easy-to-install and simple-to-use. The best news is that this product was built and packaged in a responsible and manner

Motorola - 2.4GHz Wireless-G Cable Modem Gateway

A home network enables you to share information between two or more computers. You can connect your home network to the Internet through the cable TV system. The SBG901 supports 30% Wireless Acceleration using Xpress™ and Afterburner™ technology with internal antennas and acts as the central connection point between your computers and the Internet. It directs (routes) information between the computers connected to your home network. A built-in cable modem transmits information between your home network and the Internet. An SBG901: • Combines four separate products — a DOCSIS® cable modem, IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless access point, Ethernet 10/100Base-T connections, and firewall — into one compact unit • Enables you to create a custom network sharing a single broadband connection, files, and peripherals, with or without wires • Provides easy to use Installation Wizard to setup home network.

Easy to Install, Activate, and Use

[Watch as games come to life.]

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
• 802The mobility of a wireless LAN and simplicity of "No New Wires" technology
• Supports 30% Wireless Acceleration using Xpress™ and Afterburner™
• Internal bi-directional antennas provide improved wireless coverage and reduces the risk of breakage
• Improved Wireless throughput, >23 Mbps, or >34 with Acceleration
• Easy-to-use, multi-language Installation Wizard enables quick connectivity and wireless security set up
• Broadband Internet access is always on, always connected
• 10/100 BaseT Ethernet connectivity compatible with almost any PC or Mac network-ready system
• Backward compatible with 802.11b equipment
• Updated, space saving enclosure with internal antenna
• Enhanced security with Wi-Fi protected access and up to 128-bit WEP encryption
• New GUI for easy customer set up and management
• Ethernet cable included
• 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
• 1-year limited warranty

What’s in the Box
Inside the Box - Motorola SBG901 SURFboard Wireless Cable Modem Gateway, CD-ROM containing Installation Wizard and User Guid, Ethernet cable, Power adapter, Warranty card

Product Description

The SURFboard SBG901 Wireless Cable Modem Gateway offers a fast connection, a secure network, and the convenience and flexibility of wireless Internet access — all in one! And when you're online the 802.11g wireless technology means you're not tied down with wires. Roam throughout your home or office — and even take your laptop computer out in the backyard (up to 1312 feet) — without losing your network connection. At the same time, the commercial-grade firewall will keep hackers and viruses from attacking your network. Give your entire family or small office all the benefits of a secure wireless network with the SBG900 — your effortless broadband network solution.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wireless connection dropped repeatedly (Comcast, Bellevue WA), December 8, 2010

By 

Lyndon Wong (SAN FRANCISCO, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Motorola SURFboard Gateway SBG901 DOCSIS 2.0 Wireless Cable Modem (Personal Computers)

Installed the SB901 wireless cable modem with Comcast ISP in the Bellevue region, and struggled with it for a month. Two laptops, one running Windows XP, another running Windows 7, would sporadically lose wireless Internet connectivity on almost every session (every day). The wireless access point would remain connected to these laptops, but Internet access would fail. Restoring access involved 'kick the box' measures like re-booting the laptop, or disconnecting from and reconnecting to the wireless access point (no real idea what was restoring access). A Mac OSX laptop seemed to fare better for reasons unknown -- but this is not an endorsement of OSX over Windows (we use everything).

With a little quick & dirty research, found the following (which you can take with a grain of salt):

(1) Some users of Motorola products that combine both cable modem and wireless router functionality (such as the SB901) report having wireless connectivity issues (see the 1 and 2 star Amazon reviews for this product - you can also find similar reviews for other Motorola combo products).

(2) Unsubstantiated rumor: Motorola has a reputation for making excellent cable modems and mediocre wireless routers. Linksys and Netgear have a reputation for making excellent wireless routers, but not so good cable modems. Hey, it's a rumor, so nobody should get bent out of shape over this.

(3) More unsubstantiated hearsay: Products combining cable modem and wireless router functionality in a single unit tend not to perform as well as separate, dedicated products. Dedicated, separate products make technical support and diagnosis of connection problems easier. Separate products also enable the customer to choose best-of-breed solutions from the best vendors.

(4) We have returned the SB901 as defective, and based on Amazon reviews replaced it with the following:
i. Motorola SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem (over 500 raving Amazon reviews)
ii. Netgear N600 WNDR3700 Wireless Router (over 350 strong Amazon reviews)

(5) Above combination is working well -- no more spontaneous loss of wireless internet access. It's blazing fast, and the Netgear wireless router is full-featured and easy to configure -- it enables the user to set an SSID and password, whereas the SB901 went the simpler route of providing a pre-defined SSID and password. Only downside is the SB6120 + N600 WNDR3700 combo was 3X the price of the Motorola SB901 unit. If we had the time to identify a more economical product set, we'd consider alternatives. Meanwhile, I can admire all the fancy LED lights on products we did buy, while enjoying reliable 24/7 connectivity.

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highy Recommended!!, December 19, 2009

By 

VF (Jacksonville, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorola SURFboard Gateway SBG901 DOCSIS 2.0 Wireless Cable Modem (Personal Computers)

Purchased yesterday and set it up without any problems. It is now compatible with Comcast. This was an issue previously, but Comcast has now certified its use. Performance is great and very convenient having build in wireless, no need for a separate router, especially if you are mostly wireless, which my family is. I also ran several speed tests and got up to 20Mbps download and 3.4Mbps upload. Very pleased and a dramatic improvement from my older Comcast supplied Scientific Atlanta Modem. Highly recommended!!

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent item for the money, February 10, 2010

By 

Techie Guy (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Motorola SURFboard Gateway SBG901 DOCSIS 2.0 Wireless Cable Modem (Personal Computers)

I use Charter cable and this is the personal-use version of the SBG941 that Charter leases for an additional per-month fee. For what I paid this item will pay for itself in 8 months with the extra money I won't have to pay in lease fees and it was ready to go right out of the box with a pre-shared WPA key and so no real advanced setup needed.