PSA - Comcast users - Data Cap

[Captante]

I'm still using my SB6121 (DOCSIS 3.0) from 2012! The fastest internet plan I had from Comcast was around 200Mbps I think, but I've been on the 100Mbps plan for a couple of years now. I don't see myself changing that anytime soon, especially now that we have data caps and internet prices aren't getting any cheaper.

One possible motivation to upgrade (which again has exactly zero to do with DOCSIS) relates to the modems available up/down channels.

A 3.0 modem with 24x8 channels vs the 6121's 4x4 would provide a significant bandwidth increase. Debatable if it would make your internet surfing feel any snappier although big DL's would likely complete sooner.

All the 3.1 modems I've seen are 32x8 which IS faster no doubt but think of it this way ... it's like a 24 lane vs a 32 lane highway. Wider yes but those extra 8 lanes make no difference to traffic flow.

 

[MrSquished]

I have FiOS 300/300 after having gigabit for a few years. It's way more than I need even still. It's also very reliable, when I do speed tests it's right there every time. I am a household of one, and when I had a girlfriend living with me, the gigabit was still overkill. As long as the modem will work with FiOS 300 and handle those speeds reliably, I'm good.

 

[NWRMidnight]

Dell Optiplex 960, 16gb ram Windows7 Ultimate 64bit C: drive is a 2tb drive D: (Movie server) is a 6TB drive

Unless you are doing a lot of transcoding, your server shouldn't be causing you any issues. Odd that you have issues with certain formats/files. I know at one time there was a bug with the settings in clients, including roku's that you had to set everything to direct play under remote, even if it was local playback, or there would be playback issues.

I'm still using my SB6121 (DOCSIS 3.0) from 2012! The fastest internet plan I had from Comcast was around 200Mbps I think, but I've been on the 100Mbps plan for a couple of years now. I don't see myself changing that anytime soon, especially now that we have data caps and internet prices aren't getting any cheaper.

The SB6121 was a great modem.. (I had one that sat in my closet for a long time, now sits a sb6141 in the closet).. but I have comcast's gigabyte, I had to upgrade. I upgraded to the netgear CM1000 (DOCSIS 3.1) when I went to gigabyte speeds over a year ago. Router is a Edgerouter 4, and a ubiquiti uap-ac lite for wifi access point. It's was install/setup and forget it, 100% stable. Last time I had to reboot the router/wifi was after an uptime of 8 months, and it was only because I updated the firmware.

Comcast merged the 2.4ghz and 5ghz into one SSID which was good. The biggest problem was they locked out the ability to select channels. Mine was locked into auto channel select because they changed the access to the router section. The XFI modem used to drop all the time but it dropped less over the last 6-8 months. Middle of the night without internet was the most common problem.

The $14 per month rental fee is a complete robbery of customers. Adding network security for free is also a joke. My TP-Link Mesh router has lifetime network security built in.

For what it's worth I have the Motorola DOCSIS 3.1 modem. I have the double play now with HBO and Showtime and the Gigabit 1000/45up plan. I had Comcast voice which was excellent but switched to Ooma for voice. I am saving $130 a month now with Comcast. Something that many believe was impossible. Obviously the capital expense of the modem and the Ooma box add some upfront costs.

One thing that ticked me off about Comcast. They used to have battery backup in their modems. They removed the battery because of the cost of replacing it. The Xfi modem lacks battery backup. I picked up two new UPS battery backups 1350VA beasts that keep my phone and internet up for at least 8 hours during a power outage.

I use 600-750GB per month with 3 4k TV's.

They didn't just lock out the ability to change channels, they also lock you out of setting the frequency ranges. With 2.4, they limit it to 20hz, and have 40hz disabled which limits you to a connection speed of 72Mps instead of 300Mps with 40hz. I believe they do similar to 5 Ghz as well. Only reason I found out they started locking people out of those settings is I went to my daughters to help her setup her computer, and when I went in to the comcast rented modem/router/wifi because her computer was connecting at the lower speeds, that is when I found out they block you out of the settings you need to get the higher speeds, as well as channels. Since she lives in an apartment, having access to those settings is a must if you don't want to have constant connection issues.

My mom has voice thru comcast, and yeah, learned that they stopped supplying the batteries. Just another way to gimp what you pay a premium to rent from them. As for the hot spots they offer thru customer's modems you rent, you are supposed to be able to disable it thru your account at comcast.net. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

[Captante]

I have FiOS 300/300 after having gigabit for a few years. It's way more than I need even still. It's also very reliable, when I do speed tests it's right there every time. I am a household of one, and when I had a girlfriend living with me, the gigabit was still overkill. As long as the modem will work with FiOS 300 and handle those speeds reliably, I'm good.

Sorry FIOS isn't cable so no it won't work for you ... I assumed we were still discussing Comcast.

Either of the routers OTOH should do fine. 🙂

 

[Viper1j]

First I strongly suggest buying the router & modem as stand-alone units rather than a combination.

For the cable modem if you have an unlimited budget (this IS ATOT!) then get this:

Motorola MB8611 DOCSIS 3.1

If budget is limited go for the same one I got over the summer.
(from B&H btw)

Motorola MB7621 DOCSIS 3.0


If neither of the above Motorola's are available Netgear makes the next best choices but they're not as solid as they used to be when they were my "go-to" for networking years ago.



For the router, I usually go with Asus for stand-alone high power AC/AX routers and Linksys for their "mesh" system's terrific setup/security. However in order to make a specific suggestion I need to know more about the network environment (wall/door materiel, distances, radio interference etc) and about how it will be used.

Why "unlimited budget"?

I was browsing around a Goodwill, for a decent painting for the house and came across.

1. A Arris (Motorola) SB6141 for $7.50,

and


2. a Motorola DPC3939 DOCSIS 3.0 for $5.99


Needless to say, I snatched both of them

Some people just need to keep their eyes open and learn to shop. 😀

 

[NWRMidnight]

Why "unlimited budget"?

I was browsing around a Goodwill, for a decent painting for the house and came across.

1. A Arris (Motorola) SB6141 for $7.50, View attachment 39813

and


2. a Motorola DPC3939 DOCSIS 3.0 for $5.99
View attachment 39815

Needless to say, I snatched both of them

Some people just need to keep their eyes open and learn to shop. 😀

Uhh, neither of those are officially supported by comcast anymore, as their end of life was in 2018. They may, or may not allow you to activate them and use them. Most that are still using them have been grandfathered in.

 

[Captante]

I was browsing around a Goodwill

Seriously I'm not surprised at all .. thrift shops are full of old semi-worthless tech like those modems. The white Motorola is a very old and borderline-obsolete 8x4 channel modem which you MIGHT still be able to get activated but I doubt it.

The other one is some kind of reject/refurbished or surplus xfinity unit ... they used nearly that exact same case for multiple versions so I can't tell what's inside it without a model # BUT if it wasn't garbage they would still be renting it out @ $14 a month.

Some people need a better understanding of what they actually purchased BEFORE talking smack ... you most likely spent $13.49 on essentially a couple of e-waste paper weights.

😉


Having said that, spending $160 to as much as $300 on a DOCSIS 3.1 model makes even less sense. I did my homework prior to spending one thin dime ... the Motorola 24x8 DOCSIS 3.0 modem performs identically to those 3.1's at half the price and will be supported for many years.

 

[Viper1j]

Uhh, neither of those are officially supported by comcast anymore, as their end of life was in 2018. They may, or may not allow you to activate them and use them. Most that are still using them have been grandfathered in.

The SB6141 is activated and running just fine at the girlfriend's place. Specs on it are max speed is 1gb, which is more than she'll ever buy., AND she's off the rental tit.

I'm more than happy with my Arris 800cm which I've used since 2012, which you would probaby call " old semi-worthless tech "

I don't fix shit that isn't broken.

 

[Captante]

The SB6141 is activated and running just fine at the girlfriend's place. Specs on it are max speed is 1tb, which is more than she'll ever buy., AND she's off the rental tit.

I'm more than happy with my Arris 800cm which I've used since 2012, which you would probaby call " old semi-worthless tech "View attachment 39821

I don't fix shit that isn't broken.

I had that exact same Arris rented from Optimum like 15 years ago. It did work okay but needed to be rebooted every other day to stay connected as I recall.

However the maximum supported speed of that Motorola SB6141 is 343 down (same as your Arris) so no your GF isn't getting GB even if she's paying for it. You won't get close to that 343 sustained in the real world either.

The ethernet ports ARE GB on the Motorola but that has no bearing on internet speed however if those modems do work and can be activated as you claim then congrats ... they were worth what you paid for them.

 

[Viper1j]

I had that exact same Arris rented from Optimum like 15 years ago. It did work okay but needed to be rebooted every other day to stay connected as I recall.

However the maximum supported DL speed of that Motorola 6141 is 343 down so no your GF isn't getting GB. (you won't get close to that 343 in the real world either)

The ethernet ports ARE GB on the Motorola but that has no bearing on internet speed.

However if those modems work and can be activated as you claim then congrats ... they were worth what you paid for them.

Just ran this..


Not completely happy with the numbers, but not totally disappointed either.

 

[Captante]

Just ran this..
View attachment 39822

Not completely happy with the numbers, but not totally disappointed either.

Unfortunately the ISP is almost always going to be the main limiting factor unless your lucky enough to live where Google installed fiber!

In theory at least my 24x8 modem is 3 times faster than any 8x4 but my max DL speed isn't a lot better than yours at a smidge over 300. Supposedly the only place more streams can really help is with heavy traffic & multiple users.

Thinking about this topic again I recall why I went with the DOCSIS 3.0 24x8 model over the 32x8 3.1 beyond price ... nearly every 3.1 modem uses the Intel Puma chipset which has a reputation for overheating. The 24x8 uses a much more reliable/stable Broadcom chip.

The Intel can actually run hot enough to make the modem throttle! 😛

 

[Viper1j]

Unless you are doing a lot of transcoding, your server shouldn't be causing you any issues. Odd that you have issues with certain formats/files. I know at one time there was a bug with the settings in clients, including roku's that you had to set everything to direct play under remote, even if it was local playback, or there would be playback issues.

Movies wouldn't even show up on the playlists, until after I converted them to MP4.

 

[sdifox]

Movies wouldn't even show up on the playlists, until after I converted them to MP4.

eh? playlists are custom made, meaning you have to add whatever content to playlists. Do you mean the library?

 

[Viper1j]

eh? playlists are custom made, meaning you have to add whatever content to playlists. Do you mean the library?

Yeah ... the library

 

[sdifox]

Yeah ... the library

err maybe you need to follow plex naming convention? I don't have to convert to mp4 at all.

 

[ch33zw1z]

For those of you who use a media library type NAS, how much storage do you have? I've got an older server with 4 bays and am going to test run with 4x1TB in a FreeNAS ZFS Z1 array and start dumping raw data to it.

I'm running into a problem with handbrake and BR conversions where the subtitles are either "burned in" or not. So far, plex on windows handles the raw rip subtitles OK. Being able to toggled subtitles on / off is a seemingly small thing, but I'm getting a bit stuck on it here.

Also, the nas would be able to serve to anything in the house, obviously a bonus.

 

[sdifox]

For those of you who use a media library type NAS, how much storage do you have? I've got an older server with 4 bays and am going to test run with 4x1TB in a FreeNAS ZFS Z1 array and start dumping raw data to it.

I'm running into a problem with handbrake and BR conversions where the subtitles are either "burned in" or not. So far, plex on windows handles the raw rip subtitles OK. Being able to toggled subtitles on / off is a seemingly small thing, but I'm getting a bit stuck on it here.

Also, the nas would be able to serve to anything in the house, obviously a bonus.

There is a thread on how many TB of drive space we have at home :awe:

4*1tb is a waste of time

 

[Shmee]

My freenas has 5 4TB HDDs in Z1. Enough for now.

 

[ch33zw1z]

There is a thread on how many TB of drive space we have at home :awe:

4*1tb is a waste of time

Yea, no doubt, 4x1TB is just a test run on this particular project. I was thinking 4x3TB NAS drives at least, so 9TB of storage, but I really just want to dump data to it without encoding thru handbrake at this point.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Anyone use an iX System? My goal is really to have a NAS with ECC RAM as well.

 

[sdifox]

Anyone use an iX System? My goal is really to have a NAS with ECC RAM as well.

Your server should already have ecc ram anyway.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Your server should already have ecc ram anyway.

Yep, it does. But for future proofing, I'm thinking about my options down the road. The server I'll be using is old by todays standards, but was lightly used and should be fine for a bit.

iX systems sells TrueNAS specific devices with ECC memory.

I'm curious how others go about this.

 

[snoopy7548]

I built a NAS almost a year ago and it has been rock solid. I'm running unRAID which I love. I'm not using a ton of plugins/dockers like some people do, or using any VMs, so it's all pretty simple which matches my usage.

NAS Specs:
Supermicro X10SL7-F motherboard (pretty much stole it - got it for $50 off eBay)
-Main benefit is 14x SATA ports (8x are combo SAS/SATA), so I don't need to mess with drive controllers.
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 CPU (I think this was around $75 on eBay)
Noctua NH-U9S CPU cooler
32GB (4x8GB) DDR3 ECC RAM (~$120 on eBay)
Supermicro SC743T-500B case - comes with 8x 3.5" hot-swap bays, and I added the Supermicro CSE-M35TQB mobile rack which converts the 3x 5.25" bays to 5x 3.5" hot-swap bays. (Case was $330 on Wiredzone, and the mobile rack was $130 on Newegg)
32GB flash drive (plugged into the motherboard's USB port) as the boot drive
1TB SSD for the cache drive
14TB HD for the parity drive
58TB of total usable storage over 5 drives

This leaves 2x of the original hot-swap drive bays free if I need to expand. I use the additional 5x hot-swap bays for my backup drives - I keep those in drive cages but disconnected, so I can just slide them in whenever I need to back something up. I'm so glad I got the X10SL7-F, because with the cache drive and 13x hot-swap bays, all SATA ports are used up.

I saw some people going with gaming/non-server equipment on their builds, but I decided to go all-in and use only server equipment, and I'm glad I did. I recently bought some rails for the case, so I'll eventually mount it in a rack. I also recently bought an APC SMT1500RM2U UPS, which will also go into the rack.

The only dockers I'm running are Krusader (for when I need to do any file management between the drives), and FileZilla.

The ipmitools plugin is a must if your motherboard supports IPMI - I've got it controlling the fans, which keeps the server pretty dang quiet and at reasonable temperatures. The Unassigned Devices plugin is also a must. I use this to manage the backup drives, so that they aren't part of the array and are seen as separate drives that I can do whatever I need to with.

I have two primary sharing accounts setup - one which can read/write all shares, and one which can only read certain shares (i.e. does not have access to my Documents share, but can access Movies/Music/T.V. Shows/Games). I have my HTPC, which runs Kodi, on the read-only account. My desktop and laptop are on the read/write accounts, so if I ever need to transfer anything to my server it's nice and simple. All PCs use the standard Windows SMBv3 sharing, and it has been problem-free.

At some point I might setup Wireguard so I can access my NAS using a VPN when I'm not home, but I haven't had a need for it and it's probably better if I just keep it contained to my home network.

 

[Thump553]

So I pulled the trigger a couple of days ago (after email from Comcast that we are at 75% of monthly quota) and went for their router/modem and unlimited internet for another $25 per month (plus, I'm assuming a bunch of garbage charges). A few days later it was announced CT's Atty General twisted Comcast's arm a bit and they immediately agreed to hold off on the planned price gouging until 2022.

Equipment is to arrive today. Now I have to cancel the purchase and send it back.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I'm basically stuck with Cox where I'm at (think I could get some shitty DSL) and my internet is now $30 a month higher. They're trying to upsell me (500Mb is like $7 more per month, and gigabit is like $15-20), but I don't need those speeds (and I also doubt it'd hit them - I think a few months ago it used to say 300Mb was the fastest available here).

I went to see what their current promotions are but it auto detects I'm on their network and only shows me the same shitty ones (it every so often will offer better ones - it was showing I could keep my same speeds for a bit more - like $5 - than I was paying before but I'm guessing it won't now that I'm out of the promo period so they know I'll either have to pony up for better or deal with the hassle of cancelling, etc).