Reliability of Motorola SB5101N Surfboard cable modem

Hello,
Can anyone comment on the reliability of the Motorola SB5101N Surfboard cable modem versus other cable modems (Thompson DCM 475, Cisco DPC 3825). I have the Motorola SB5101N for about 3 weeks and it appears to be having intermittent connectivity problems. Can anyone comment on a similar experience?

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.

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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
10) This is very frustrating
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.
The internet light won't turn on as you need to plug something on the WAN port. And that should be the cable coming from the modem.
When you connected your pc directly to the modem, do you get internet access?

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.

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.)
Will the Airport Extreme "program" the Express via an ethernet cable, and than the cable can be removed?
The "bridge" or "repeater needs to be quite a distance away from the physically connected cable modem/wireless gateway and the ethernet- connected AirPort Extreme, and we have wall-to-wall carpeting, and the walls and ceilings are off-limits (family politics), so a looooong ethernet cable is out of the question.
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
How to extend and Extreme network using Express

AX + PC + MacBook + Cable Modem = Problems

Hey...
So after reading all the comments on the Airport Express product page about "ten minute installs" I thought to myself "Ten minutes to install an Apple product? What were you doing, making sandwiches at the same time?"
Two hours later, I can't get my AX working properly. Great.
My setup:
Desktop PC running WindowsXP to Motorola SB4200 cable modem --> Ethernet cable from modem to Airport Express --> MacBook with 10.4.9 connecting to Airport Express for wireless internet.
I'm not at all trying to use AirTunes...
At any rate, I got things up and running last night just by plugging things in and running the setup assistant. Solid green light, strong signal, almost instantaneous web surfing.
Then I noticed I couldn't send emails on the MacBook -- could receive them, no problem, but could not send them.
Shortly after, I also noticed that the internet connection on my desktop PC went dead. This is while I'm simultaneously surfing with the MacBook with no issues, so I know the modem is working fine, but somewhere there's an issue with how the two, my MacBook and PC, are sharing the cable modem and I couldn't begin to guess how to solve it.
However, in my attempts to remedy the issues, I did:
1) Reboot both Mac and PC
2) Disconnect power from the cable modem briefly, then reconnect it
3) "Reboot" the cable modem, using the blue button ontop
4) Remove network security on the AX
5) Hard reset the AX unit
Any help would be greatly appreciated -- thanks!
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.9) WindowsXP PC, Motorola SB4200 Surfboard Cabl Modem, ethernet cable

OK. So I called up my ISP and they let me know something that didn't seem intuitive: I can't have both ethernet and USB connected to this cablemodem without instead a proper router dividing tasks up. The SMTP problems seem like they could be solved once I get a proper router sorted out.

Safari and motorola cable modem with wireless (gateway) sbg900

why can't i connect to the internet with safari using a Motorola SBG900 Wireless Cable Modem, while i can using internet explorer?
arnie
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.9)

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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Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Problem: Cable Modem only give access to one, not the other

I have been having a big problem with my internet connection. I have a Motorola SURFboard cable modem and an AirPort Extreme. From my cable modem I connect to my desktop computer with a USB cable. From my cable modem to my AirPort Extreme with an ethernet cable. For some reason all the appropriate lights are on the modem but only my AirPort Extreme connects thus allowing only my laptop to receive internet connection. I've everything I could think of. Does anyone here happen to know the problem?

Hello TechDeprived. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Does anyone here happen to know the problem?
Yes, the Motorola SURFboard modem does NOT support simultaneously connecting devices to both its Ethernet and USB ports. You will have to choose one or the other for Internet access.

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:
Modem is wired via ethernet to the AirPort Time Capsule
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)
Anyway, while the modem works great plugged straight into the iMac, we completely lose our internet connection (wired and wireless) if I plug the AirPort Time capsule into it.
Does anyone know if there is a conflict that I can disable on one of these devices? The airport utility was warning of a double NAT.

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.

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)

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.

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.

HP P1102w Wireless Printer will not pair with a Motorola SBG6782-AC Wireless Cable Modem Gateway

I previously had AT&T U-verse Internet using an Arris IPDSL NVG510 Wireless Modem Gateway. My HP Laptop running Windows 8.1 and the HP LasrJet Pro P1102w Wireless Prnter routinely & automatically connected to the NVG510 Wireless Network without any problems over the past two years, and the wireless Printer worked without problems. I recently replaced the AT&T U-verse Internet connection with a 25 Mbs Comcast Xfinity Intrnet connection, using a Motorola Arris SURFboard SBG6782-AC Wireless Cable Modem Gateway. My HP Laptop running Win 8.1 Pro connects to the Network and accesses the Internet with no problems what-so-ever; However, the HP LaserJet Pro P1102w wireless Printer does connect to the Wireless network and I cannot Print at all from my laptop. I have tried all the P1102w Wireless Printer Setup suggestions from the HP Printer Support Site, but to no avail. I have also updated the Printer Firmware and Loaded the latest Full Product Installation & Driver Software. I have tried and re-tried these suggestions over the last two days, but with no luck. I would greatly appreciately any help from the experts in this Forum. to get the printer to work wirelessly, since we also wirelessly print to this printer from IPads and other wireless laptops.

Hi , I see that you are having issues connecting the printer to the new router. I would like to help you. I would reset the printer first to clear out any previous network settings.
Turn the printer off, hold down the wireless button and cancel (x button) while turning the printer back on and don't release the two buttons until the printer stops making noise. Print out a configuration report and make sure the SSID and IP address are cleared.
Printing a Configuration Page. If the network name has any spaces or special characters, the printer may not recognize it. The printer is only capable of sending/receiving in the 2.4 ghz band. If it is set to 5 GHZ network you may need to change to 2.4 ghz. (rename the 5 ghz or shut it off)
The WPA key setting needs to be on AES to work correctly not TKIP.Multi casting needs to be turned on.
Firewall on router has to have open ports for printer.
If you have Mac Filtering you need to give printer hardware address from Configuration page.You might need to contact your router company for further assistance to check those settings. Try running the Wireless Configuration Wizard from the HP software to configure the printer over the network. If you appreciate my efforts, please click the 'Thumbs up' button below.If you have any issues, please let me know what steps you have taken and the results. Thank You.

Help with extending the range of Motorola cable modem

After struggling with AT&T DSL (with slow speed and intermittent drops), I switched to Time Warner Cable, and now sport blazing-fast connection via Ethernet cable into my 27" iMac. They gave me a Motorola Surfboard sbg6850 wi-fi modem, but I'm finding the range of the wi-fi to be totally inadequate... I get drops and unreliable connections only 20 feet away with iPads and Macbooks. I want a pleasing dome of wi-fi all over my house!
Through other discussions on this board, I see that Airport Express is NOT compatible with the Surfboard, a fact which surprised and disappointed me. What are my options for extending the wi-fi range?
—Could I buy a non-Apple product (router) to extend the wireless range? Can it be managed from a Mac?
—Could I connect an Airport Extreme to the Surfboard via Ethernet cable, and use the Airport Extreme as the router to extend the network via Airport Express?
—Could I use the Airport card in the ethernet-connected computer (in this case, a 27" iMac) to create a network that COULD be extended via Airport Express? (I'm using it now to share the Internet, rather than connecting directly to the Surfboard, but when the iMac sleeps, the network is unavailable.)
There's got to be a way...

Since you went with your option 2, you basically have the fundamentals for a roaming network as both routers are interconnected by Ethernet. This also means that the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) should be reconfigured as a bridge, i.e., Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode) in AirPort Utility (v5.x). This would allow the TW combination cable modem / wireless router (or gateway) to provide both NAT & DHCP services for the entire network.
Now with the AEBSn configured as a bridge, you can add the 802.11n AirPort Express Base Stations (AXn), via a wireless connection to the AEBSn, in an extended network configuration. Note: The extended network works in a "wheel" like fashion with the extended base station at the hub of the wheel. Each extending base station would be spokes on that same wheel ... so how successful you will be extending the wireless network will be based on proper placement of each of the extending stations for full coverage. Please take a look at the following AirPort User Tip for proper placement details.
The other thing to take into account is the potential Wi-Fi interference between the TW wireless gateway and the AEBSn. Either disable the gateway's wireless radio, or be sure to allow for sufficient radio channel separation between radios on the same band.

Roadrunner, motorola sb5100 cable modem & airport..how do I get it to work?

Trying to get my snow Airport to play nice with my TW Roadrunner cable internet service. I can plug directly into the ethernet cable from the cable modem and get online easily..but it doesn't seem to work when I hook up the snoe basetation.
My Powerbook sees the wireless and the basestation is plugged in the cable modem. I cycled the modem and basestation off(and the Powerbook) and then restarted them....no dice. The outer two lights on the base station stay almost constant blinking when the airport is connected...as is the online light on the Motorola surfboard modem.
Ultimate goal is to get a wireless network for both Mac's & PC's in the house using the Airport as a router...

Make sure you are connecting the ethernet cables to
the correct ports on the base station. From the modem
connect to the WAN port. From the Mac connect to the
LAN port. With everything off, turn on the modem,
wait 30 seconds, turn on the base station, wait 30
seconds, then boot the Mac.
Well more detail....I managed to get it to work..sort of....
I had to turn off the NAT addressing in the Airport(Snow) configuration. However doing that means I cannot share the internet connection as best as I can figure correct?
I have also discovered the cable modem interferes with my ability to configure the base station(or modify the configuration).
As for the LAN & WAN ports..as I understood it the WAN port is the Ethernet symbol on the snow base station and the LAN is the circular symbol..correct?

EA6500 can't connect to cable modem (surfboard 5120)

Hi all -
I've been having a problem trying to connect my new EA6500 to my cable modem (motorola surfboard 5120; charter internet service). When I use my old router (WRT320N), I have internet connectivity and no issues. I am not using bridge mode with my ISP, just automatic DHCP config. I try to access my surfboard's config page (192.168.100.1) while on my new router and get nothing, even though the lights are on and flashing on both the router and modem. No matter what I have tried, i cannot get an IP from my modem.
I have manually updated to the latest firmware (1.1.28.147876) and tried the following suggestions from the forums and internet:
- disabled IPv6
- cloned PC and old router MAC addresses (cloning is DISABLED on my old, working router)
- multiple power cycles and resets on both pieces of equipment
- changed my network to 192.168.100.x to see if I could hit my modem; when pinging surfboard's config page (192.168.100.1) i just got destination host unreachable.
Is it possible that my modem is not compatible? I didn't think it would matter, but its the only thing I can come up with. The settings on both routers are, as far as I can tell, the same. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!

Do check if the router’s internet port has a light on when connected to your modem’s Ethernet port. It is possible that the router’s internet port is busted. Try to connect a known working Ethernet cable from one of the router’s port to its internet port and see if both ports are on. I do not really see this as a compatibility issue between the router and the modem but possible that it is a hardware problem with the router.

Reliabilit​y of Motorola SB5101N Surfboard cable modem

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Reliability of Motorola SB5101N Surfboard cable modem