Cable modem purchase - Any suggestions?

[E-Rick]

My "area" just became DOCSIS upgraded, (and I tired of renting), so I am in the market for a cable modem. My cable company recommends:
Vendor Model
Toshiba PCX1100
Toshiba PCX1100u
Motorola SB3100
Motorola SB4100
Best Data CMX110
RCA DCM235

Does anyone have any experience / suggestions?
Where can I get the best price? I know that Toshiba has $20.00 off on their $249.00 PCX1100u.

I'm open to suggestions. Thanks,
E-Rick

[yawningdog]

My rule of thumb is never to dive on new technology. My advice, stay on dial-up for six months and watch the price go down. When it levels off, buy it.

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He thrusts his fists against the posts but still insists he sees the ghosts.

[hiredgoonz]

I wouldn't worry so much about performance as reliability...in my case, I know my bottleneck is not the cable modem, but the bandwidth available to it...

You might be in a different situation, maybe you're the only guy in your zip code with cable and the modem will make a difference, but I suspect not...

My Motorola has been working just fine for a year and a half, oh wait it just caught on fire, HELP! j/k, so I'm partial to them...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[E-Rick]

As far as jumping into it, I've had cable for 1.5 years and the DOCSIS is a "standard" that replaced / is replacing the proprietary modems like the Motorola I am currently using. The standard has been around for about a year and has been bumped up a revision.

Correct, I'm not the only one on in my zip (So Cal), but the slow times (after work 5-8 pm), like right now (8:30) I'm at 700+ kilobytes a sec. On the slow side, but REALLY beats the 56k modem I once had!

E-Rick

[E-Rick]

I've been searching, and think I found the answers I was looking for at this site: http://forums.speedguide.net/index.php
Just a little more specializied...

Thanks for your suggestions,
E-Rick

[AwARe]

My suggestion since most cable connections are, or are soon to be, capped at 128kbps get DSL and forget about wasting money on a cable modem http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif (That is "if" you can get DSL, either way I wouldnt "buy" a modem, Id hold out, because even if you cant get DSL right now, most likely at some point you will)

<<<<----Threatened to blow up the building hahahaha

From about 600kbps to 128kbps in one day, "For the same Money!!!!", and without so much as a reasonable explaination (In fact Im sure I cost them several $1000's of dollars, as they tried to "Fix" my connection, and all the while they were under strick company policy "Not to Use The Words CAP!"........in case you cant figure it out, yes I was a bit "Pissed Off!" to say the least.........1.5MB DSL coming very soon....same price

1.5MB/480kbps as opposed to this lame cable 1.5/128... DSL has dynamic IP, so thats not making me all that happy, but for 4 x's the upstream @home can keep their static IP..........why this made me so mad, not only are your uploads very slow, but the worst part of it all, is that if you are sending and recieving at the same time, you cant even download over 15k from a T1+ site on this lame connection, wheres my "High Speed 50x faster then a dialup then?".......@home is nuts, and serving a game is pretty much out of the question as well, at least and have any decent number of players...........

Greedy co-conspirating Biatches! Notice who the real cons"Pirate"ors are.....They hide in places not so easy to get at em.......

I say boycott cable at all costs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told them when I cancelled my cable and they asked me if I was going to xfer my service to my new house, that "I was Moving to my new house, just so I Could Get Rid Of Them!!!" hahahaha

While Im on the subject, when I disappear from here for a bit, I havent died, just not hooked up yet...........

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place......

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 06-27-2001).]

[kenja]

The new AT&T@home rates are 46 bucks per month with modem rental, 36 bucks with your own modem. If you pay $240 for a modem, it would take over two years to break even (considering the effects of compound interest).

I considered buying a cable modem, but I'd rather have everything upstream of my ethernet cable be their responsibility.

BTW: I have an RCA DCM215 (same appearance as the DCM235). Only two minor peeves: if a video monitor cable is right next to it, the display flickers during modem activity; there is no provision for wall mounting. RCA consumer products have lousy reliability ratings, however, so I wouldn't be inclined to buy their modems.

[Ghost_Hacker]

My 2 cents. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

No matter what type of WAN link you go for be it DSL or cable. Don't expect alot of any internet connection that cost less than $100.00 a month.
We use cable here at work and it's been great for us. "LAN" like speed on a WAN link and it's only gone down for 2 hours in the last year that we've had it. But we pay over $700.00 a month for the service. ( cheap by WAN standards) Our remote offices use DSL ranging in price from $50.00 to $89.00 a month. The link goes down at least once every 3 months, repair time can take days and since we had DSLnetworks at one point our service just disappeared without warning due to their battle with Covad.
I won't even get into the trouble we've had dealing with the Telcom boys!!!
But since the remote Offices only need the connection for email we put up with it.


Bottom line... WAN links just are not as cheap to operate and maintain as the ISP's would have you belive or home users are willing to pay. Which is why cable connections for home users are shared and DSL service providers are dropping like rocks to the bottom of the sea.

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Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"



[This message has been edited by Ghost_Hacker (edited 06-27-2001).]

[Luv2Code]

Originally posted by hiredgoonz:

My Motorola has been working just fine for a year and a half, oh wait it just caught on fire, HELP! j/k, so I'm partial to them...


Howdy neighbor! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

So I did the right thing by not upgrading when they sent out the message about the new modems?? (To think, it was just because I was trying to avoid their snotty techs! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif)

Haven't upgraded the @Home software in 2+ years, either -- any known problems with that?

[hiredgoonz]

That's the reason I kept mine...and as it turns out, the motorola is a better modem than the one they wanted to give us...

As far as the @home software, I don't even use it...bought a router and configured it without comcast's "help" if you could call it that...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[AwARe]

..........well that all sounds good GH heh

....but all I know is "I used to have" a steady 64-100k upstream on my cable connection, and one day it just went bye-bye. The DSL Im about to get Im going to have a constant somewhere around 40-50k upstream. I know this because my friend that has "this same exact connection and ISP" has been getting that speed for about a year now. Im getting this in writing unlike the cable company that said "they never promised me more then 128" even though they told me when I signed up for it that I would be getting at least 500kbps. My friends service has only gone down "1" time since hes had it, and it was for a very short period of down time. Its 384+kbps upstream, my cable is now capped at 128, and the statements I said before about the problems I have with the service are 100% the truth..........they are both $49 a month... (Ive had cable for several years btw) The cable is 1.5MB/128kbps and the DSL is 1.5MB/384kbps <-In writing and Ive been told to expect more. So I cant see staying with the cable with that choice available to me, and I would recommend that anyone else that has a choice would be foolish to get the cable as well. The reasons I make the statements I do is because if the public allows it then its going to happen, and more often then not the public is just too damn stupid to stand up for itself........why would I pay $49 a month for less then 25% of what I got yesterday for $49?, and why do people allow this to happen?

I used to love my cable but its not the same anymore, and if it hasnt already happened to everyone else, its on its way. They have gotten greedy and there is also a conspiracy to "end software piracy" <- which I understand is a problem etc., but what they are doing is hurting "me" the honest consumer, that just wants to be able to send and recieve at the same time and also serve up a couple games once in a while............if they capped it at 256kbps I wouldnt care so much, but 128 is a bit pathetic for a high speed connect........alot of DSL providers are also in on this lame speed cap, and its getting harder and harder to get anything faster (which again as I said before is a conspiracy) The idea that they "need" to cap it at that for some restriction of hardware etc etc etc is a buncha BS hehe, I never had a single problem with speed etc. So why they "need" to cap it when the previous speed didnt seem to have any problems or effects on the system as a whole? well its BS BS BS Propagandy!.........and thats that! heh.......

Edit: and to add to the conspiracy theory a bit, I want to add that @home "actually sent a memo around internally" that stated proper procedures on how and what to say when a customer calls and asks about a cap. It said that "under no circumstances" were the customer service personal allowed to discuss this cap, and it provided posible ways in which to "manipulate the discussion" to avoid this subject at all costs.........theres more to that, but the world is blind so why bother heh http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif


btw, alot of the reasons that "some" DSL line providers may be dropping like flys or however you put it, is because of the fact they are putting out a conciderable amount of money on hardware etc (the cable company's hardware was already in place, years ago alot of it), and in alot of cases are having a hard time getting paid (if you check alot of stock information you will find alot of companies with all their money went out, and they didnt get paid)..........this is not a problem with DSL its more a problem of Lame ISP's and consumers..............This also contributes quite a bit to unexpected down time.......I personally am planning to do all I can to support "true high speed internet" and if more did the same then maybe, just maybe, well maybe Im dreaming, but I have to live to what I believe. If everyone else wants to settle for 128kbps I guess theres little I can do.......

one other thing, you trying to say that @home isnt making a boatload of money? you have to be kidding right?...............between the TV and the internet they get about $100-$150 from probably a vast "majority" of housholds in the entire USA "Every Month", and I would have no idea about the rest of the world, but Id imagine they have something going on in that aspect as well..............again, youre kidding right?

In the end all I meant by posting, is that I personally wouldnt buy a cable modem because I honestly hope @home goes out of business http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif (of course I know they wont, at least any time soon)

Final Note: This is in no way meant to be arguementative hehe just an expression of Opinion and posible discussion, hell maybe theres something I just dont understand about it all, but this is the way I see it........

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place.......

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 06-27-2001).]

[hiredgoonz]

Not gonna get an argument from me on this one http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif Comcast is doing the same thing most companies do: whatever they can get away with...why would they sell you non-restricted upload for $40 a month when they can charge you $99 a month (or more) for a T1?

I have been extremely lucky w/my cable connection, maybe my neighbors are all Amish http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif I have only noticed one slowdown so far, it happened about a week ago and has continued until now, so I'm assuming one of my non-Amish neighbors got cable...

Even at that, it's faster than the DSL connection at my Company, so I'm not complaining. It's only gone down once in a year and a half and DSL in this area is a nightmare...I don't know a single person who is happy with their DSL service, some of them aren't sure yet cause it hasn't worked even after numerous techs have worked on it...

Luckily, I had friends I could ask networking questions until I learned how to do it myself...I haven't talked to Comcast in a year...I think it's better that way...

AT&T is currently my favorite conspiracy company...I have a cell phone from them w/pocket net service. This is moderately useful. However, my phone can also be used as a modem, only thing is AT&T doesn't authorize it, so if you use it that way, they charge you a nickel per kb transferred...

That would make browsing a little expensive, huh? The reason, I speculate, is so they can generate support and market share for pocket net. Once they do this, they can start target advertising every time you want to look up the weather on your cell phone or just read the news to kill time...they'll make a mint from advertisers by effectively forcing you to use only their service for "web browsing"...

Anyway

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[AwARe]

hahaha your neighbor didnt get cable goonz, I bet they just now finally kicked in your cap.

The cap is done modem by modem, its part of the cfg information on the server for your particular account.........happened to me about 6 months ago, and thats when I got mad, because "it never came back" to the previous speed I had the day before............and they would never acknowlege the cap. I finally got a guy in Texas to explain it all to me..........."but he wasnt supposed to lmao"

To elaborate on the fact they arent supposed to discuss it (of course that may be different now, policies are always changing Im sure), but they replaced my underground '3' times to avoid discussing it with me.....the last time they replaced it they put in one of those double sized cables and even replaced the pedistol on the corner...........(They gave me almost 4 months free service while they were in the process of "repairing" it)

They would say dumb things to me like , "well your connection is supposed to be 128k so you "should" be able to go faster then 16k uploading, we dont know what could be wrong, we'll send someone out right away!" like I dont know the difference between 128K and 128kbps

I even had "several" supervisors, personally survey my property, and harware hahahahaha.

Just goes to show just how dumb they think we are!

They were hoping Id give up and go away like Im sure most people have, but I never did. I went as far as to write letters to the corporate office etc, and in all honesty although I do have to move anyways, part of "where" Im moving to, is so I can get this DSL..........

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place.......

Edit: as far as the "they are just like everyone else, and want to charge you more".......it is actually posible to get the service that I used to have for $50, I forget the current price, but its a bit on the side of, "You People Have Gone Completely Insane Right?!?".........

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 06-27-2001).]

[AwARe]

I looked last night, they are now selling the same service "I used to get for $50" starting at $300 and going up from there and getting way out of control heh

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place.......

[Ghost_Hacker]

Like I said do not expect much from a connection that's priced at less than $100.00. (DSL or cable it does not matter) No matter what they say to you. They are cutting corners either in access or service.

And yes @home does make money, but not by buy selling home users a big "pipe". They sell to business too at the above mentioned $700.00 to $2000.00 price range depending on the size of the pipe and other goodies. With home users they "share" a connection in order to cut cost.( at "my" price we do not share a connection but, at the "$50.00 per month" price they will share the same pipe I get (for $700.00 a month) with 10 or more "houses" to make it on that "line". Of course there are more factors then this but general that's how it works.) Cable access ISPs also makes money because they can use an already existing infrastructure(cable "lays" have been around for almost 30 years now)and they can sell more than one service.

DSL ISP are lossing money because they are resellers who must pay a whole seller like Covad for access ( covad in turn must pay the Telcom boys). Because of the price war between DSL and cable they can't afford to raise their prices and still remain competive. At the same time they still have to pay Covad and others wholesellers for access. This way of doing things can't last and that's why most are going the way of the DODO. While others simply ofter subpar service. (this service problem is really the fault of the Telcoms who really want to do away with the resellers and wholesellers. So they can move into the DSL market and have it all to themselves) Last but not least is the simply fact that DSL is new so there is no already existing infrastructure and service personnel don't have tons of experince on DSL lines. This should get better in the coming years.


Hope this explains my postition a little better http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"




[This message has been edited by Ghost_Hacker (edited 06-28-2001).]

[AwARe]

yeah kinda does GH,

quote "This should get better in the coming years."

This is why I say, "Don't buy a cable modem" hehe

COVAD in fact is who my line provider is going to be.......they are going to give me a normally $89 a month connection through Earthlink for $49....

This means COVAD is actually only going to get less then $10 a month for their cut of my monthly bill.......Earthlink will get $20 the Telecom boys as you call them are going to get $20 and COVAD is going to get close to nothing after whatever extra charges (I think there is some federal charges etc).....

COVAD is really sticking their necks out on this deal, and thats why I say everyone who can "Should support them!" <- Finally somebody "trying" to provide true high speed internet at an affordable price.......they do all the work and get the least amount of the money

This goes back to my comment about lame ISP's and the line provider having a hard time getting paid.......Some of the other parties involved need to let go of some of that greed..........it's funny but COVAD is going to promise me the 384kbps but Earthlink says Im only guaranteed 128....and that just goes to show Earthlink is about as lame as @home.

Maybe they already have it, but if they don't, if I owned COVAD, Id startup my own ISP and say the hell with everyone else........

All I need is a connection, I dont need stupid home pages or web space etc, 2 Email addresses and access to the web is all I need, and if I could get it from COVAD and skip Earthlink all together then believe me I would..........

As far as the outages etc..the COVAD lines in my area have only been down a "Total" of 2hrs in the last 12 months, I checked it out.......and in fact its less downtime then what Ive had with the cable...they have been down 4-6 hours at least....(Thats reliable enough for me, and the speed is pretty reliable as well from what Ive heard from other people that have it http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif )

EDIT: The real greedy and stupid people in this whole mess are @home, they could "very easily" provide the consumer with 256kbps without even batting an eye, (which would be enough to satisfy even me), but they are counting on the fact that the financial situation impressed upon companies like COVAD, are going to run them out of business, which I really hope does not happen.....COVAD stock is down to .87 a share and its 100% due to their lack of ability to get paid........

I say everyone that can, should switch to companies like COVAD and offer as much support as they can, hopefully this will "Help Them" stay afloat, and may even cause the cable company to raise the bandwidth a bit as well to compete (I doubt the cable company would even know what to do if faced with some real competition)..........This would be wise actions by consumers, but where all the wise consumers are I have no idea hehe http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

I dont mind when a company makes a profit while providing me a quality service, (Im in the service industry myself), but for years and years Ive always felt like the cable company is nothing more then a big rip-off, and a greddy buncha @$$H0|3$!!!!!!!!!

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"The world is a fire, and I am here to tend it while it burns"

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 06-29-2001).]

[Ghost_Hacker]

One last thing to think about and then I'll quit this thread. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Low cost internet connections are based on the amount of time a connections is open, not on the size of the pipe. If you don't sign an SLA or Service Level Agreement then you aren't guaranteed anything http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

For instance take a regular phone modem account with AOL. Your charged based on how often you connect. AOL doesn't guarantee 56K connections if you have a 56k modem and dial one of their 56k numbers. They just "guarentee" that you can connect. When you can't connect then AOL has a problem.

Look at DSL if you buy a $50 connection from XYZ that price is the same no matter if your 10 feet from the CO (big pipe) or 3000 feet from the CO (smaller pipe).Same with Cable modems your charged based on an always open connection.(In fact that is one of their selling points.) Anything else is simply "talk".


If you can get higher speed connections from Covad or anyone else that's great, just don't expect the pipe to remain a certain size without an SLA.


Speaking of COVAD you may be able to get your connection directly from them. I know that former DSLnetwork clients could open an account with them, mabey this is offered to new users too.

Good Luck http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"




[This message has been edited by Ghost_Hacker (edited 06-30-2001).]

[iisbob]

While i won't argue the pros and cons of DSL vs CABLE, i will say that i've ben on cable for more than 2 years-and i've never had any significan t problems or slow downs; nothing more special than what i used to have with my dial-up. When the option to buy my own modem came out i purchased a Toshiba PCX1100, and it's been consistantly up with no problems for more than a year now, so i would recommend it. By the way, NO isp can guaranty download speeds-everyone who's been on the net for awhile ought to know its the server you connect too, and its capacity, distance among other things that will determine your download speeds and connection. I've downloaded at close to 1.2mb's per sec from europe, then had a site from tenn. local to me not give me better than 23kb's per second.
Most people on broadband will tell you that no matter what kind of connection you're getting, they'll never go back to dial up unless forced to( i know they'd have to beat me with a mighty big stick for me too http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif )

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iisbob
"Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run."

[hiredgoonz]

I can identify with that...they can have my cable when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers...

My problem now is wireless broadband...not only is it expensive, but the "coverage" is a joke...

I'd consider not spending as much money on food to pay for a fast, wireless ISP, guess I'll have to wait...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.