Upgrading Modem and Router, Suggestions

[Carbo]

ISP: Comcast
Location: south FL
Current Internet Tier: Blast Pro, 150 Mbps
I've decided to finally cut ties with Comcast/Xfinity, at least as much as possible. Currently have their Triple Play package. Cutting phone service and TV. Landline completely unnecessary; I'll figure out the TV part later. But I don't need 300 channels to watch Seinfeld reruns.
So that leaves the internet. Xfinity recently upgraded my modem to the XB6. Speeds are at or above the advertised 150. But the modem has a fan that is constantly whirring. It sits next to me and my laptop is hardwired into it. A bit annoying, but more than that is the $13/mo rental fee. My monthly bill is around $200/mo. Makes no sense. Only phone calls on my landline are scammers claiming to be from the FBI or IRS and I need to immediately wire them cash. As I said above, two TVs getting 300 channels that can go days without either one being turned on.
With all that said, I'm trying to decide on a modem and router. Looking long term as I don't want to be ugrading because some newer, bigger, better technology has come along. But every piece of equipment I have looked at has reviews that run the spectrum from "the greatest thing since canned beer", to "it's a useless POS". What's a guy to do.
Currently looking at a modem/router combo by Netgear, the C7800. I like the convenience of one piece of equipment, plus it's seems pretty well stacked technology wise. Or I can go with a separate modem and router. The Netgear CM1100 looks good, along with one of their routers, like the RAX80. Overkill for my needs, but what the hell?? I'll be saving quite a bit each month after cutting the cord with Comcast.
And I'm also looking at the Arris modem, the SB8200.
If it matters, running two Dell XPS13 laptops, two smart phones, (T-Mobile), and two Samsung TVs.
Appreciate opinions, feedback, darts and arrows. Thank you.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

A basic modem is fine for 150Mbps - something like an old Surfboard 6121 - you should have no trouble finding a cheap used/refurb one. ($16 at that link. Mine's been running like a champ for 6 years.)

Same for routers - a refurb ~2015 router is going to be more than able to handle 6 wifi clients and a 150Mbps connection. Something with gigabit ethernet ports is helpful though. Maybe one of these.

Networking equipment - particularly routers - is/are susceptible to bad reviews from people with bad luck. I wouldn't pay user reviews much attention - rather, I'd pay attention to the quantity of reviews. Something with a thousand reviews and 3.5-4 stars is being sold by the truckload and is probably fine, even if somebody in a stucco house halfway across the planet couldn't get the wifi to work. Something with three reviews is weird and unknown-scary, even if it's all five-stars.

 

[Carbo]

Thanks for the reply. I should have noted that I am planning on upgrading my internet tier. My options appear to be 250Mbps, 400, or 1G.
What's your opinion on a modem/router combo? Netgear has the only 3.1 DOCSIS combo that I have been able to find. I like the idea of one less machine, unless it falls under the category of "jack of all trades, master of none".

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thanks for the reply. I should have noted that I am planning on upgrading my internet tier. My options appear to be 250Mbps, 400, or 1G.
What's your opinion on a modem/router combo? Netgear has the only 3.1 DOCSIS combo that I have been able to find. I like the idea of one less machine, unless it falls under the category of "jack of all trades, master of none".

They're good enough. Look at the feature list and make sure you don't want something specific (VPN connection, etc.) that the all-in-one device might not include.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you have a triple-play, they MAY NOT let you use your own equipment.

And even if they do, a Gigabit-capable DOCSIS 3.0/3.1 "Gateway" w/Voice, is like $300 new.

A little story. I had picked up a Linksys CG7500, I think it was, BNIB on ebay, for fairly inexpensive. At BestBuy, they still sell these for $200 retail.

I was going to sell mine to a friend's relative, who was getting a triple-play from Comcast. Installer said that they couldn't use it, that it was "incompatible". It had printed right on the front of the box, "Compatible With XFinity, Time Warner, (etc)".

I guess that this has something to do with their "X1 Voice Remote" service, when you get their triple play with "X1 Service".

 

[Carbo]

I plan on cutting Comcast voice and TV. As I said above, I don't need either. Looking to pare my bill and upgrade my internet.
Just thought of a few other questions:
1) Should I upgrade my wifi card? Currently have a Killer 1535. I see they have a new wifi 6 card on the market, and Intel has one ready to be released.
2) With my primary laptop being connected to the router via a cat 5e cable, is that a separate card that can be upgraded?
3) Speaking of cables, do they really make a difference? I mean, do I need a cat 6 or cat 7 cable?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Oh, OK. You're going to cut back to "internet only". In that case, get a decent Cable Modem, and a separate router.

I recommend, for something more budget-oriented, an AC68U-family router, for $130-150 new, or $80-100 refurb. (*I tend to buy the refurbs, myself, they usually work OK, if not perfectly.)

Another possibility is an Asus AC66U / AC1750, you can get those refurb for $40-60, generally, and put third-party firmware on them, like Advanced Tomato and Fresh Tomato.

As for your questions:
1) I don't know. How fast is your current wifi connect speed? Expect real-world speeds to be 1/2 to 1/3 of that number.
2) Generally, no, the ethernet is soldered onto the motherboard. But you can get USB3.0/3.1 to 1GbE, and now, 2.5GbE (Club3D and TrendNet, RealTek chipset) and 5GbE (QNAP device, AQ chipset).
3) Not beyond a certain point. Even a plain old Cat5 can generally handle a gigabit LAN connection. Cat6 is cheap, though, these days. (No real premium for it.) If you need new cables, go for it. Cat7 is, I believe, shielded, and the ends have to be grounded properly. Cat6 will even do 10GbE-T for certain distances (like 55m, I think).

Edit: In more detail, get a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, not a 3.0. Comcast's Gigabit DOCSIS service is only provisioned over DOCSIS 3.1, with an OFDM channel for downstream that's wider than the other channels (and broken up into sub-carriers), not over muiltiple DOCSIS 3.0 NTSC-compatible sub-carriers.

 

[Carbo]

Appreciate all the info, Larry. Thank you.