Comcast Users - Not getting advertised download speeds?

[chizow]

For some time I've suspected my networking hardware was holding back my transfer rates with Comcast HSI. They've been advertising 6Mbps standard with up to 12-20Mbps with PowerBoost for quite some time in my area. I did some very light research a few times and dismissed the possibility the problem was my venerable old Motorola SB4200, as its tech specs indicate up to 30Mbps download speeds.

After seeing a promo special for Motorola's SB5101, I read through some comments on Newegg's reviews and saw a few comments saying older modems were limited to 5-6Mbps. Googled a few more links that confirmed the issue and bought the modem, set it up and found right away that my speeds had at least doubled! Very pleased, with the $38 upgrade, I'm now getting the advertised 1.5MB/s (12Mbps) sustained with Power Boost speeds from faster sources hitting 2.5-3MB/s (20+ Mbps).

So for those of you using an older modem like a SB4200 or perhaps Comcast provided hardware, you may want to look at upgrading your modem. For those leasing hardware, I'd recommend buying your own modem regardless if you plan to use Comcast for a year or longer. My SB4200 has paid for itself many times over during the last 6 years, but I would've certainly upgraded sooner if I had known it was the problem.

Here's a picture of before and after transfer rates using DSL Report Speed Test.

Comcast Speed Test

Again, I've seen higher transfer rates in the 2.5-3MB/s range from high bandwidth sources like Microsoft, Steam, Nvidia/Nzone, FilePlanet subscriber etc.

 

[imagoon]

Must be lucky. Their service is craptastic in my area. I went to Wide Open West for the same "speed", lower latency and far more stable service. Oh and it is 1/2 the price too. Comcast didn't seem to find 8000ms pings "unacceptable" enough to actually fix the issue.

EDIT:

Yes... I dislike them...

 

[vailr]

Motorola SB6120 Docsis 3.0 Cable Modem
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=40&threadid=2285725
Did you check for possible firmware upgrades for the SB4200?

 

[13rian]

Wow, now that I learned about this docsis 1.0 that Comcast is forcing older Motorola modem models (SB4100 here), I'm finding more and more helpful threads such as this to confirm it. The customer rep didn't suggest anything close to this so I was in the dark and constantly frustrated with my shared internet connection. I was mysteriously reverted to docsis 1.0 about a month ago (checking the modem logs @ 192.168.100.1). I think this has to be the problem for me because I'm getting about 2.5 mbs/1.5mbs (down/up) constantly through out the day, including bypassing the router, even though I signed up for 16mbs/3mbs at the beginning of the year. So, bumping this thread for anyone else who's experienced a sudden drop in bandwidth performance sometime this year.

 

[spidey07]

There is NO compelling reason to have your own modem. Use the one they supply, they test everything with these specific modems. Take the guess work out of it, use their modem. It's what they use in their labs, it's what their systems are designed around, it's what they test with and if there is a problem, it's the provider's problem, not yours.

 

[kpb]

It doesn't take long for the savings you make on not renting a cable modem to pay for the cost of buying the exact same modem they would rent you. I bought a motorola cable modem for ~30$ after rebate and it was the exact same model as the rented one I replaced. The only way you could tell them apart was the big sticker on the comcast one. The modem has already paid for it's self and is still going strong and will be for a long time to come I'm sure.

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: spidey07
There is NO compelling reason to have your own modem. Use the one they supply, they test everything with these specific modems. Take the guess work out of it, use their modem. It's what they use in their labs, it's what their systems are designed around, it's what they test with and if there is a problem, it's the provider's problem, not yours.

this

we've had t-storms take out 2 modems in less than a year and comcast keeps replacing them. I had an older motorola and according to speedtest.net I routinely hit 15MB down with bursts to 23MB.