Motorola Surfboard 5101 Cable Modem

I just wanted to post a message about my findings and my solution to the Mototrola SurfBoard 5101 Cable modem. I use comcast as my ISP. I was using an old COM21 modem. I was getting around 4300 KBPS on a broadband test from Speakeasy. Since Comcast was starting this PowerBoost, I needed a DOCSIS 1.1 compliant modem and the COM21 modem wasn't. I went to my localComcast office to switch it out since I was leasing one. They gave me a SurfBoard 5101. I already saw the postings and the articles on Macfixit.com. I tried the modem and was getting 2700 Kbps. I tried everything to get the speed better. Connecting my iMac directly to the modem. Tweaking TCP settings.
I called Comcast and they said they never heard of the issue. I explained of all the postings I saw and the artiles also. She said she believed me but didn't know of the problem. I found one article talking about using other modems. The newer Surfboard 5120 modem said was better but had issues with Comcast's network and would disconnect. They said the linksys cable modem wasn't any better. The one they said was the best was the DLINK DCM-202. It was 49.95 on sale at Best Buy. I thought, what the **, I'll try it. If it didn't work I can return it. I got it home. Installed it. Provisioned it and ran the Speakeasy tests. I was blown away. I got a speed of 9049 Kbps. Just ran the test while typing this.
So if anyone else having this issue, I would return the cable modem back to Comcast and ask for a non Motorola modem. That's the advice the Comcast rep told me. Or just buy the DLINK modem. I can now return the 5101 modem and stop leasing it and finally I get my full speed.
Thanks!!!

I did some more research into this and see what anyone out there thinks. The Dlink modem uses a TI chipset with a method of controlling ACKS called Turbodox. It does ACK filtering. I also have read the the newer Motorola Sufboard modem (5120) works fine with Macs. This modem also uses TurboDox.
If you run a tweak test from DSLREPORTS.COM, it states to turn on selective ACKS. Selective ACKS is an option in OS X. Delayed ACKS are. I have tried the delayed ACKS on my iMac with the 5101 but didn't have any luck. I noticed also a person mentioned in the macfixit.com article said he thought the delayed acks setting helped his issue.
I am wondering if the TurboDox is taking care of this "selective acks" setting at the modem level instead of the machine level. Since the Macs can't do this the modem does and the connection is much faster.
I found a white paper on the TurboDox implementation and what it does with ACKS:
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ml/spay014/spay014.pdf
iMac 17" G5 iSight and iBook G4; iPod 5G Mac OS X (10.4.7) Airport Express (Used for iTunes)

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Motorola Surfboard SB5100 Cable Modem

My Toshiba modem is failing after 8 years.
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I use it with my laptop via Airport Extreme, and with my desktop via ethernet cable.
Is this modem a good choice for my use ?
Is their a better choice ?

Sorry, I mis-typed, number should be 5101, not 5100.

Brand New Airport Extreme and Motorola Surfboard 5101 Connection Dropping

I'm going to add to the chorus and point out that my brand spanking new Airport Extreme continually loses internet connectivity with my Motorola Surfboard 5101 modem (this is used on a Time Warner connection).
Disconnecting the Airport and connecting directly to the modem via ethernet cable works flawlessly as does using my old Linksys router. With the Airport Extreme it will work for a number of hours and then drop the internet connection. Airport Utility shows the Airport Extreme as having a green light while the internet connection has the amber "disconnected" light, but, as I said, cutting the Airport out of the connection leaves my internet connection stable and flawless so it seems the problem is either the Airport or the combination of the two.
So, is the only solution to replace the cable modem with one that works with the Airport? If so, how do I know what will work and what won't?
Should I return the Airport? Get a completely different 802.11ac capable router (which one)? Perhaps there is some arcae setting buried deep in the bowels of one device or the other that needs setting?

It's ok, I got. You have to put in password "BT" Never had to do that before, but it works....maybe this helps someone else.

Can I use my airport express to establish wifi with Motorola SB6120 SURFboard DOCSIS cable modem?

Can I use my airport express to establish wifi connection with a Motorola SN6120 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem?

Yes, the AEx goes into router mode.. plug in via ethernet to the modem port.. you then need to power cycle the cable modem.. it might need to be off for 20min or more before it will lose the previous connection and start afresh with the Express.

Bridge an AirPort Express from an Extreme connected to a Motorola DOCSIS 3 cable/modem/gateway via an ethernet cable? Can I connect ethernet to the Express to setup/handshake/coordinate, and then unplug the ethernet cable from the Express?

In other words, does the AirPort Extreme NEED to be the device connected to the coaxial cable, or can I connect that cable to the Motorola SBG6580 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem/wireless gateway? (My Internet provider requires DOCSIS 3.0 for speeds above 12 megabits/sec.)
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Any help is GREATLY appreciated!
Thanx!
P.S. The 802.11 in my house (ground floor, about fifty feet away from the modem; in the living room about 35ft away *****! And Motorola touts this wireless gateway as having amazing coverage (360, I think they call it),but in fairness, this house is old and has a 5 hanset cordless landline and a microwave and a fan, etc., etc., etc......

See if find a solution in one of these discussions:
Best bets to extend/boost signals from Airport and AP Extreme
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SurfBoard Cable Modems and OS X

I just wanted to post a message about my findings and my solution to the Mototrola SurfBoard 5101 Cable modem. I use comcast as my ISP. I was using an old COM21 modem. I was getting around 4300 KBPS on a broadband test from Speakeasy. Since Comcast was starting this PowerBoost, I needed a DOCSIS 1.1 compliant modem and the COM21 modem wasn't. I went to my localComcast office to switch it out since I was leasing one. They gave me a SurfBoard 5101. I already saw the postings and the articles on Macfixit.com. I tried the modem and was getting 2700 Kbps. I tried everything to get the speed better. Connecting my iMac directly to the modem. Tweaking TCP settings.
I called Comcast and they said they never heard of the issue. I explained of all the postings I saw and the artiles also. She said she believed me but didn't know of the problem. I found one article talking about using other modems. The newer Surfboard 5120 modem said was better but had issues with Comcast's network and would disconnect. They said the linksys cable modem wasn't any better. The one they said was the best was the DLINK DCM-202. It was 49.95 on sale at Best Buy. I thought, what the ****, I'll try it. If it didn't work I can return it. I got it home. Installed it. Provisioned it and ran the Speakeasy tests. I was blown away. I got a speed of 9049 Kbps. Just ran the test while typing this.
So if anyone else having this issue, I would return the cable modem back to Comcast and ask for a non Motorola modem. That's the advice the Comcast rep told me. Or just buy the DLINK modem. I can now return the 5101 modem and stop leasing it and finally I get my full speed.
Thanks!!!

I used telewest's 10 megabit cable service here in the London UK for about a year. they issued me with a motorola surboard SB 5100i and this worked perfectly. I could get the max download speed of 1.2 megabytes per second and an upload speed of 400k.
I used the cable modem with a linksys wrt54gs router and has not bandwidth issues at all.
I did not have to tweak any network settings on my Macs.

Cable Modem buy or not

I have Comcast internet and cable with their Motorola modem. I pay $3 a month for that modem. I making a switch to include T-Mobile @ Home with my AEBS, so I will have two routers. Current modem only has one LAN port. I don't know how to configure the two routers with one LAN port. Back to the question, is it better to buy your own cable modem? They're probably better, don't know?

buy a cable modem for 25.00 after the rebate 3.00 a month add's up 25/3 is only 8 after 8 months you'll pretty much pay for it.
here is the link
http://dealnews.com/Motorola-Surfboard-SB5101-Cable-Modem-for-25-after-rebate-fr ee-shipping/234646.html

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I have a Motorola Surfboard SB5100 cable modem. The modem is in another room. For unknown reasons I sometimes loose my connection. Is there any software available, especially a widget, that cou.ld display the status lights of my modem on my desktop so I could quickly and easily check my modem status if I loose network response?

I found a workable solution in another post either here or over on the Broadband Reports site.
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why can't i connect to the internet with safari using a Motorola SBG900 Wireless Cable Modem, while i can using internet explorer?
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Rainbow14 wrote:
They said the Motorola works wirelessly with Macintosh, it is only the CD install that does not work properly with Macintosh.
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I am currently in the Cisco Network Academy at my school and just finished CCNA 1. I have a few questions though.
I am purchasing new equipment and that equipment includes:
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1-Linksys SE3016 16-Port Gigabit Switch (unmanaged)
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1-12U Network Rack (not enclosed)
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Connect Switch Port 2 to WAP using Straight Thru Cable (so I still have WiFi in my home).
Connect all my computers and other devices to the Switch (this includes several PC's/Laptops, two printers that are ethernet, two TV's that are ethernet, an AppleTV and a Blue Ray Player that are both ethernet, and some Cisco Powerline Network Adapters).
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Chris

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#clock timezone GMT (Assuming you are UK based)
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#description WAN
Same for LAN
You have set up your LAN subnet with a /16 subnet mask which is effectively 10.0.0.1 - 10.0.255.254. This is a large subnet allowing over 65k hosts which is not best practice on enterprise networks. It probably won't cause you any issues but I doubt you will have any more than 254 hosts so personally I would use a /24 subnet (255.255.255.0)
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How do I get a Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem to work with my AirPort?

I just bought a Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem to replace the one Comcast was renting to me. My configuration is as follows:
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Time capsule is wired to an iMac, a PC, and an Xbox 360
Time capsule is wireless broadcasting to connect various peripherals around the house (iPhones, consoles, printer, Macbook, etc)
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Did you power off the SB6141 for 20min before you change over from iMac to the Time Capsule.. this is required. (Test at 5min if you want).
Make sure the TC is set to dhcp on the internet tab.. and DHCP and NAT on the network tab.
Power up the modem.. wait a couple of min for it to settle down then plug in the TC.
No luck try longer times.. or ring comcast and ask them to reset the IP.
If your TC is tall one or running 7.6.4 firmware.. another problem may arise where the 6141 does not connect properly.. there is a problem between this modem in particular and the apple routers.
You can try using a crossover cable instead of ordinary patch cable or use a small 10/100 switch between them.. that will sometimes help.

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I used a very similar model to that for about a year and seems to notice the same thing.
I switched to a Zoom brand and haven't had the issue since. I would trust anything Cisco, just due to their high reputation though.
If you like my post, or solution to your issue/question, go ahead and click on the little star by my name and/or accept the post as the Solution. It makes me happy.
I'm NOT an employee of Best Buy, or Geek Squad, though I did work as an Agent for a year 5 years ago. None of my posts are to be taken as the official stance that Best Buy will take on your situation. My advice is just that, advice.
Unfortunately, that's the bad luck of any electronic, there's going to be bad Apples... wait that's a horrible pun.

Can't connect WRT54GL router to Motorola Surfboard cable modem SB6120

I can't connect my router (WRT54GL) to my new cable modem (Motorola Surfboard SB6120).
Some info:
1) Cable modem works perfectly when connected directly to computer ethernet port
2) ISP is Optimum Online
3) Using Automatic DHCP setting on router
4) Using MAC cloning on router
5) I can access the router's admin screen from the PC
6) I can connect to the router wirelessly, but no internet access
7) I've tried powering down everything multiple times, still no internet access
8) I upgraded the router firmware to 4.30.14
9) The "link" light on the cable modem never lights up when connected to the router
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Thanks

Dabug wrote:
Hi
I've tried two ethernet cables, no luck. On the router, I get lights for Power, WLAN and the ethernet port that the pc is connected to. The "internet" light is not lit.
When the modem is connected directly to pc the link is lit up, just not when it's connected to router.
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When you connected your pc directly to the modem, do you get internet access?

Motorola - SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 High-Speed Cable Modem - Silver

can you use a Motorola - SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 High-Speed Cable Modem - Silver and a router instead of the modem/router that they provide?

I'm not sure if you're asking about DSL or FiOS service.
DSL service requires a DSL modem, not a DOCSIS modem.
FiOS does not use modems, just routers. FiOS routers do have a MoCA (coax) port to talk to the ONT and set-top-boxes. You can use non-Verizon routers with FiOS, but it requires an Ethernet connection from the ONT instead of MoCA. If FiOS TV is used, a Verizon router must be in the mix.
So, the short answer is there is no Verizon service that uses DOCSIS. Cable-modems are not used with Verizon services.
Good Luck.
If a forum member gives an answer you like, give them the Kudos they deserve. If a member gives you the answer to your question, mark the answer as Accepted Solution so others can see the solution to the problem.

Motorola Surfboard 5101 Cable Modem

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