Customer Reviews

Motorola Surfboard SB5100 Cable Modem

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I have worked a good year solid installing cable modems for Charter Communications in California and I can vouch for the ease of installation (no software is required honestly folks), the reliability, speed, and simplicity of the Motorola Surfboard. It is a class above other modems such as Toshiba, Terayon, D-Link (only customer supplied) and the most dreadful one of all, the Ambit.

Most times we were given Ambit modems to install (about 2 or 3 Ambit for every other type on a daily basis). Most times we had problems that were modem defect related, they were Ambit modems, however, that can't be chalked off to an average likelihood because they were installed more. Now, they failed in high numbers like about 1 out of 4 or 5 before an install could even be completed. To their credit, althought Ambits were what I see as unreliable (drop dead on a dime!), they did stretch the limtis of low signal way beyond cable co specs (+10 to -10 dBs) and sometimes worked (gag) even low as -14dB to (one particular occassion I remember -19dB where other modems could never lock on or would never stay locked on to the two frequencies. Although I can't describe the level of service they would provide at that point of signal degredation as anything better than "beats dial-up" when it would not achieve the "theoretical" maximum speeds of 3Mbps given customers but would get a more lackluster 300-600Kbps. Some customers were happy to be able to get that and more anxious to have that right away than to reschedule for another tech to come later and finish the installation after fixing line problems causing such low signals when it wasn't something that could be found and fixed within the alloted time for the original install.

Our second most installed modem were Motorola Surfboards. While they truly operated more inline with their published specs on signal levels (down to about -12dB usually, -15dB if the stars were aligned), they were definitely more tolerant of noise in my opinion and much more reliable than the other modems we had installed in terms of staying solidly connected and operational with consistent speed day in day out on any good line. The only time I ever had to remove a Motorola from service for a "modem problem" actually turned out to be a bad power supply that failed during installation, not the actual Motorola product itself! I can't say that for any other modem I've installed.

The other modems are usually more stylish, or a bit more sleek, but in my book written by a sometimes frustrated cable technician who has installed, moved, and replaced hundreds of HSCI setups locally, 3 style points aren't worth even 1 reliability point when it keeps customers (or me!) from getting pissed off, so I'd stick with Motorola every time if I had a choice which one to install on any given job because I knew I wouldn't get a bad report or call when others failed just back hours or days after installing them.

I'd stake all my experience in the field with all kinds of setups and problems with Motorola being undeniably the most dependable and functional. They truly are the kings of Cable modem.

I got this cable modem for my folks a short while ago rather than have them continue to pay a monthly rental fee to Comcast. I chose the Motorola 5100 based on the reputation of Motorola, the price (although it wasn't as good as this Amazon price), and the technology.

Installation was easy with a quick start guide as well as a full manual (on cd). For the price, you can't beat it. It has the latest technology- DOCSIS 2.0 but is backward compatible with the older standards DOCSIS 1.0 and 1.1 used by mostly all cable internet providers. (Please be sure to check with your cable internet provider first before buying any modem to make sure they support the DOCSIS standard and modem you are considering buying.)

The Motorola has both USB and Ethernet connections so you can directly hook up 2 computers without having to buy extra networking hardware. Another nice feature is the STANDBY button at the top which you can use to temporarily cut off the internet. Also, it is relatively compact (roughly 6"H x 2"W x 6"D), so it won't take over your valuable desk space.

Performance-wise, I can't say I noticed much of a difference from their old modem but cable bandwith can be variable depending on the number of users in the neighborhood. At least it wasn't any slower.

Based on all this, I figured why buy a modem with older technology for more $$ that probably can't be upgraded when you can have the latest and greatest now for cheaper- a rare combination.

This little modem replaced our Motorola SB4100. It's better looking and takes up less space, at about the size of a portable CD player. This model uses new technology (A-TDMA & S-CDMA) that triples the upstream capacity to 30Mbps. It is also DOCSIS 1.1 & 1.0 compatible and will work with older technology. I've been using this modem with Adelphia PowerLink with great results. And, if for no other reason, it's worth getting to save the five dollar monthly rental fee. Pays for itself really.

I'm a comcast user and I've been using motorola for the past 4 and a half years now. Before Motorola, Comcast gave me 3 different RCA modems within a period of 2 weeks (all would reboot by themselves at least 3 or 4 times a day). After telling them to take their p.o.s. modem back, I purchased a SurfBoard 4100. It ran without a hitch for 3 years straight, before the internal power supply failed (opening up the box and connecting my own power supply in it's place proved so.) However, being in the school that believes when one part fails everything else is bound to fail, I decided to replace it with another modem. Motorola had just released the 5100, so being that I had great luck with the prior 4100, I bought it. It's been a year and a half now, and the modem is still running beautifully. Comcast just recently bumped up their speed to 4 mbps down and 384 kbps up, but I opted for the 6 mbps down and 768 kbps up package. On my iMac G5, I average 5.9 down and 740 up with Firefox and Mac OS X 10.3.7. When doing the same test on my hybrid Win2k/Linux box, it received 4.8 down and 720 up in Windows and 5.8 down and 730 up in Linux (AMD Athlon64 3700+). While older computers may not reflect the performace that these recent machines have, the connectivity is what really shines with Motorola. With an exception of signal interference and an outage during the system upgrade, it stays connected no matter what. I added packet8 phone service recently, and it's just perfect. This modem is one of my favorites (the other two being the Arris Touchstone series and the Toshiba 2600), and is the best value on the market today.

I have yet to encounter a cable company that doesn't support (or require!) Motorola Surfboard cable modems. My local cable company rents them to its users and if you own your cable modem they won't support anything but Motorola Surfboards. I own a SB4200 and when my sister was in the market for a cable modem, I steered her towards the Motorola Surfboard SB5100. Easy setup, good documentation, and solid performance. This modem is a workhorse. Cosmetically, I prefer the SB5100 to my older SB4200. The smaller, sleek black plastic case is more attractive and takes up less space.

Recently she moved out of town to a city serviced by Cox cable. Before she moved, I checked on their cable modem service to make sure her modem would be compatible, and it was. The only snag we hit was in Cox's listing of compatible cable modems on their website, as the Motorola Surfboards are listed by model number with no brand--so you'll need to know you're using an SB5100 when you register. Once we figured that out, it was just a matter of giving them her SB5100's serial number and MAC address. The modem is performing flawlessly on Cox's network just as it was on her old cable company's system.

This is a great product. Motorola has been in the cable modem game long enough that they've got the kinks worked out. I wouldn't use any other brand.

I recently purchased the Motorola Surfboard 5100 to replace my RCA DCM226. The problem with the RCA was that it constantly disconnected me, and it had slow downloads and uploads. Plus the reboots took forever. I finally got fed up, and purchased the motorola 5100. I've had it for a couple months now, and so far I have had a flawless, fast connection. I even like the styling of the modem. It fits in well in almost any work enviroment. The installation was as simple as it could be. To switch the modems, you simpily plug the new one in, install the software, and call your cable company (5 minute phone call) and your online in less than 20 minutes!! Final review - this is a GREAT modem at a great price. If your looking for a fast, solid, reliable connection the motorola 5100 is the way to go.

This is the best cable modem out of the 3 cable modems I have ever used so far. It is much better than my first one, Linksys (rent from Comcast), in terms of connection stability. And it is much more cute than my second one, Motorola SB4200, as it is smaller and have a better look.

Setup is very easy and no problem met. Totally take 3 minute including the time calling Comcast to give them the MAC address and customer serial number of the modem. It is on for 1 month now and the connection never dropped. The standby feature is an extra but as I'm running a web server at home, I never use it.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with this modem because it works great (never meet a single problem), looks cute, and occupies little space. It is trustable and worth the money.

I got this modem after being feed up with paying modem rental fees and boy am I glad I did! It is a solid performer and looks much better then my rental modem.

Setup was very easy and I had no problems. Took just a few minutes to get setup after providing the cable company with the MAC address and customer serial number of the modem. It has been on for 4 months now and the connection has never dropped. The standby feature is a nice extra if you will be away from your pc and want to protect it from the internet "nastiness".
The overall footprint of this modem is very small. I also love that it comes with a regular 2-prong plug and not a "Wall-Wart" block transformer plug (although it does have a transformer block in the middle of the cord.)

I also love that you can view the internal page diagnostics, which is helpful for troubleshooting. I have been able to use the internal diagnostics while going through a Netgear FR314, Linksys BEFSR41, and Cisco PIX 501 firewall (I could not do this on my previous modems.)

I have also noticed a slight speed increase with this modem over my previous Ericsson PipeRider and Motorola 4200 modems. The best part is that this modem's speed is much more consistent than the other two modems. I never worry if I will have great speed and reliability with this modem.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this modem because it works great, looks great, and a small footprint. It is well worth the money.

This is a great cable modem at a VERY good price... The install was as simple as hooking up the Ethernet cable, the coax and power then calling my ISP to have the modem provisioned. The connection has been rock solid since and the preformance flawless since install. The design is nice with a small footprint and the "standby" button is a nice feature if your concerned about hackers or other outside intrusion. With DOCSIS 2.0 (and backward compatibility) built in, this modem is ready for any future upgrades by my ISP. I highly recommend purchasing this modem if your in the market for one.

We moved to a new house with Comcast Internet service - our old RCA cable modem constantly lost the signal. We thought it was time to replace it - and based on reviews, and the fact that we were using a Linksys wireless router (wonderful product) - we went with the Linksys cable modem. It too was unable to retain the internet signal from Comcast. Numerous trips from Comcast techs - who replaced wires and connectors - said it had to be the modem. I didn't believe them - but, out of frustration, purchased the Mororola Surfboard 5100 (one was going to be returned.)

Called Comcast with the new MAC and S/N and plugged it it. It hasn't lost the signal once! The family is happy again, and no longer says, "The internet is down, can you fix it?" I don't know what makes this modem unique - but it works well with our (less than stellar) Comcast service. Download speeds from DSL reports top out at 900 kbytes - about twice what we've seen from Linksys or RCA modems. Upload - about the same - 240 kbytes. Give it a try - it works for us.