Side by Side Comparison of: Arris vs TRENDnet vs Motorola vs Extreme

Works great! Docsis 3.0 compliant cable modem that is fully supported by Comcast. Installed in less than 15 minutes and only took that long because I had to reconfigure my wireless network using a different topology. I did not use the WIFI feature so cannot attest to the robustness of the wireless feature, but the ethernet capability and modem capabilities are great. My bandwidth improved by more than 30% moving from an older Docsis 2.0 modem to this new modem. Well worth the upgrade.

I installed this modem without incident. It works perfectly. I have had other modems, and have had problems with them being knocked off line. This one has been in for many days now and I have not had one problem. At first the seller thought the modem might not work with my ISP and contacted me to warn me of this before they shipped it. I called Time Warner and verified that it would indeed work. This is an honest company who had integrity. I would gladly do business with them again!

Hi everybody, when I first bought the SBG6580 I was wary of the bad reviews and the disconnection problems, and I felt horrible when these issues started appearing in my SBG. Having solved the issue 2 weeks ago I would like to share it with as many people as I can to prevent this from happening to anyone else. The review I am about to write will cover the problem I encountered and the solution in a short and long format, and will be accompanied by photos. So let's begin-*Short Version Guide:*Go to 192.168.0.1, type in the username- admin and the password- motorola and look at the page that first appears (should be the Connection page). There should be three tables, look at the second one. Locate the Power column. If your power levels are negative, or if they're not within the range of -8dBmV and +8dBmV (meaning they are 9 or 10, or -9 or -10), you might have a problem. Now look at the third table and locate the power column. If your power levels are higher than 50dBmV, you might have a problem.If it's not working well (meaning it works, but keeps disconnecting), it might look something like this- [Picture uploaded to costumer photos]First thing you *should* do, although optional, is call Motorola support line. I've found them to have a great support line, and they'd be able to pinpoint the problem for you- their number is 1877-466-8646.What they would probably tell you to do, and what you can do anyway if you don't want to call them, is to call your cable company support line. What you need is a technician to come over to your house and check all of your cable lines, to try and see why the power levels are bad, and the replace the cable or instrument that is malfunctioning (most likely not your modem, don't worry). The best way to get that is to call them up, be nice, go through all the hoops and all the attempts they try to restore your connection (if they manage to restore it, wait until it stops working again, call them again, and tell them it doesn't work and that you need a technician), and then eventually tell them that you need a technician because you called Motorola support and they said you have a problem with your power levels.Usually that would do it. Don't be afraid to talk to the technician, show him the problem, but also listen to the tech and understand what they're saying.Hopefully they'd get it right on the first visit, if not, do not despair, call them again.I hope that helps anyone who's had the same issue as I did.After fixing this issue my modem works great, the wifi extends throughout the whole house (2000sqft, cast walls mostly), and all channels are locked.Good luck! Check out the extended guide below.*Long Guide Version:**What causes the problem*So let's get to the heart of the matter- Power levels.Power levels are the strength of signal that your modem is receiving and sending through the cable connection. The SBG 6580 can handle power levels ranging from -15dBmV to +15dBmV for the download stream, and up to 55dBmV for the upstream (Not so sure about the negative upstream levels). That's all in theory though, because the actual OPTIMAL range is between -8dBmV to 8dBmV for the downstream, and up to about 52dBmV for the up stream. This doesn't necessarily mean that the Modem is crap because it can't handle higher (or lower) power levels, because it seems (after talking to TWC technicians) that these levels are also the cable companies' maximum and minimum power levels. So if you're exceeding these levels, there's a good chance your cable company is doing something wrong.What are these power levels? In short, and to my completely ignorant understanding, they're the strength of the of the signal coming from through the cable from the cable company. This strength goes down as you move further away from the main line, or the place where they transmit the signal from. So basically the longer the wire is connecting your house to the "tap" (where the signal comes from)- the worse your power levels should be. The longer the cable going around your house- the worse your power levels should be. If it's an old cable, or the "tap" is malfunctioning- you're going to see bad power levels. (I say worse and bad instead of lower and low because I really have no idea how these things can work on a *negative* value, and how any of this works).*Diagnosing the problem*But let's not dwell on the technical mumbo jumbo and move on to *How to diagnose your problem, and how to solve it*-The first thing we need to do is connect to our SBG6580 and get a reading of those power levels. The way to do that could not be easier- just type 192.168.1.1 in your browser address line (yes, it's a weird address, but it'll work). You'll be asked for a username and password- the default for the username is admin (just type in admin) and for the password- motorola (just type in motorola).And this is what you should see (for a working modem)- [Picture uploaded to costumer photos](This was taken after my issue was fixed).Locate the Power column on the Downstream Bonded Channels table. See how they're all between 6 and 7? That's good. Now look at the power levels on the Upstream table- 34.000 dBmV, that's also good. Notice how all 8 lines of the Downstream table and all 4 lines of the upstream table are full, this means your channels are locked, this is the optimal situation.Now, this is what I saw when my modem was working, but kept disconnecting ever so often- [Picture uploaded to costumer photos]Notice now how the downstream power levels are negative, and that they are much closer, or over -8dBmV. Usually I'd see ranges between -7 and -9 when my modem wasn't working well (during the times when it was still able to maintain a connection). This is what the levels look like when your modem is barely hanging on to the connection. It manages to lock all downstream channels, but barely. Now look at the monstrous upstream power level- 55.7dBmV! This would usually be 57dBmV, and it was the source of all my problems, also notice that only one upstream channel is locked, this would usually show when looking at your modem lights- if all channels are locked the light would be blue. If they're not all locked, but the modem is still able to connect, the light would be green. What I'd normally see is a green light for power, a blue light for downstream (the second light down), a green light for upstream (the third light down), and a green light (sometimes flashing) for the 4th light.If you compare this photo to the one where the modem is working perfectly you can see that the high upstream levels are effectively disrupting all the other channels, causing them to go negative. While this did not cause any decrease in speed, it did cause the modem to lose signal every 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 3 hours, etc.One thing I'd like to mention here- somehow (and I have no idea how or why), this is not an issue with the modem *itself*, but rather with how it receives the signal from the cable company. When the issue was fixed, it was fixed on the cable line itself (outside my house), and nothing was done to the modem.Alright, one last thing I'd like to show you- this is how your modem looks while it is disconnected, and cannot reconnect- [Picture uploaded to costumer photos]Here what we're seeing is the modem struggling to lock on to a signal, in the photo the downstream power level is -7, but I've seen it anywhere between -9.9dBmv to 43.0dBmV, the upstream is 49dBmV, but I've seen that go all the way up to 57 as well. I'm really not sure what's happening *inside* the modem, but it's clear that something is wrong, since it would stay like this for a while (sometimes hours). The lights on the modem, by the way, will flash green when it's trying to connect like this (either the downstream or upstream light).*solving the problem*So, now that we've been able to diagnose, how do we *solve the problem?*Well, sadly there is only one way- call your cable company, and ask for a technician. Most of the time this means you'll have to go through the proper channels, call support, talk to the guy from India trying his hardest to mask his accent (god bless these guys, they do try hard, and do a great job most of the time), and eventually when all fails tell them you're seeing very high/abnormal power levels, and that you definitely need a technician.When the technician comes tell them you're seeing abnormal power signals. They'll connect their little modem to your cable line and see what they're getting, then they'll check all the wires, and eventually check the tap. They'll then either replace the cables around your house, or the cables connecting to the tap, or they'll have to call a line guy to work on it and fix it the next day.Do not despair, these guys are usually very nice, and good at what they do. If the problem persists a week later, again, do not despair, just call them again, and tell them what's happening. If you can meet up with the actual line repairman, do so, and explain to them what the problem was.Hopefully this will help you fix your line and get the steady connection I am getting.By the way, I have found that remote fixes (where they call you and say "we've changed something in our files, not your internet should work better") do not work very well, or for long. If your internet is working after one of these repairs wait at least 3 days to see if problems eventually persist.*Actual review-*Well, I have to admit, I don't really have anything to compare this modem to- it works well, wifi range is wonderful, covers the whole house (2000sqft, cast walls), speeds are great, there are no drops anymore, and the modem/router seems to have many features which I don't really use like uPnP, port forwarding, etc. Pretty basic, pretty simple to understand. There's also the option of creating a guest network, which I guess is good for some specific uses, and there's also WPS, which might be useful to some people.All in all does what it's meant to, and does it well, I guess. Not much to add, not much I know about routers or modems.

I purchased this just a new modem with the router as a backup for my parents. The modem worked straight out of the box after a call to Time Warner to update the MAC on file. When testing the internal router, I discovered that TW disables the wireless and wants another $10 a month to enable it on my modem. Also, bought this modem to not have to the the BS $5 a month to TW for an equipment rental fee.Putting the modem into bridge mode is easy enough by disabling NAPT, rebooting the modem, and now my external router was performing its duties.The wired router function worked fine for what I need it to do.Overall, this is a great product. In order to get full functionality from it actually call your ISP and ask them if they will disable any of the features before buying. Nowhere on any of TWs compatability lists did it say anything about the wireless being an extra charge.I would buy again, the speeds definitely increased to an average 20Mbps over the 5mBps I was getting on a DOCIS 2 modem.

I have been using the Motorola SB6580 for well over a month. I bought it to replace a Motorola SBG900, which was functioning well but needed to upgrade. I prefer the modem/wireless combo offer over separate modem, access point and wireless router simply because this is a more efficient arrangement. I hope the quality of the SB6580 is superior to SBG900 (the first SBG900 I bought died after 3 months and was under warranty, but I had to pay for two way shipping; the second after a year and past warranty and was cheaper to junk it; third Surfboard is fine after over 2 years). The SB6580 has performed well thus far. The speed and range of this DOCSIS 3.0 is far superior to the previous DOCSIS 2.0. I have tested my speed using the Speakeasy Speed Test and have trebled my speed vs. the SBG900 (using wireless 802.11n). If you download large files, are a gamer, Skype, or stream movies you will certainly appreciate the improved bandwidth and speed. The range is excellent. I have a large home and property and have an excellent to very good signal strength throughout the property including the yard. We have had as many as 8 computers doing various tasks with no performance issues such as lag or slow downloads. I would recommend placing the unit on a shelf that is well elevated (over six feet) rather than on a desktop or table.The four (4) Ethernet ports available are very helpful when you want to hard-wire something to the modem. I have found that to be a marked improvement to the sole port available in the SBG900. This way you will have no need for a separate Ethernet switch.The unit was fairly easy to set up. The problems stated by earlier reviewers regarding the "IP Flood Detection" has been eliminated. Motorola now disables that by default. Consequently, this no longer causes any issues or problems.Disabling SSID broadcasting is a bit tricky though, not because of difficulty, but rather because Motorola, in their infinite wisdom, chose to make it more challenging by not having a "Disable SSID Broadcasting" radio button as with previous Surfboards. So, I am going to provide detailed instructions for disabling the SSID broadcasting:1) In browser's address bar (doesn't matter which browser) type 192.168.100.12) Type your "User Name" and "Password"3) You are now in the set up menu. Click on "Wireless" from the top menu choices4) On the Left side menu choices, Click on "Primary Network"5) On the Right side menu choices, under "Automatic Security Configuration", Click "Disabled"6) This is the final step which disables the SSID broadcasting. In the middle section "Closed Network" set to "Enabled"7) You're Done, Save, ExitI would also like to point out that an old, legacy computer would not accommodate the new WPA2 encryption. This gateway does NOT support the old WEP. Therefore, any devices that you have that cannot upgrade from WEP encryption will no longer access the internet using this gateway, sorry for the bad news. How I was able to have the old computer still access the internet was to have the Guest feature security set to WPA. Also, remember your best speed will be achieved when your computer itself is using a wireless 802.11n card rather than the older, wireless 802.11a/b/g simply because the most speed you can achieve with those will be 54Mbps.In conclusion, a solid unit out of the box. Did not need any firmware upgrade with Cox as my ISP. Firmware BTW is provided by the ISPs NOT Motorola, for some reason. When activating the unit, request they "Push" any firmware upgrade to you. They should understand what that means, if not, ask for a more experienced tech person to assist you. I do hope that the build quality on SB6580 is more reliable than that of its predecessor the SBG900. You may ask why I kept replacing the problematic SBG900 with same if it failed so frequently (No, I am not a masochist!)? Simply because the choices for all-in-one gateways are so limited and I really did not want three separate units.

*UPDATE-2* March 2016I have now configured this router in a simple bridge modem mode, because both the router part and the wireless parts were causing issues.I am using Cisco RV325 (firmware v1.2.1.14) as my router, and have Wi-Fi access point WAP561 (firmware 1.2.0.2). This combination works wonderfully! I am running IPv4 and IPv6 dual-stack in my network.The Comcast delivers with Blast! tier, and as of now I'm paying $49.99/month.Speed tests are available here:[...][...]*UPDATE-2**UPDATE-1*Looks like self install/activation guide didn't properly add this router to CMTS/Billing system of Comcast. Because of that, CMTS wasn't pushing new software code. Spend more than an hour to get it added.*/UPDATE-1*When I recently signed up for Comcast, I've got rental modem - DOCSIS 3.0 Ubee. I also had separate small/medium office level router.Performance I was getting from it was pretty strong (Ubee in bridge mode + Cisco ISR 1941w). Both wired and wireless (.11n) had same performance: 25mbps down/3.5mbps up.I wanted something quiet, and at the same time high performance. Motorola SBG6580 has everything I need from router. Both wired and wireless performance is almost same as previous setup, but now only single device instead of two. Only complaint - under heavy traffic loads through SBG6580, I can observe increased jitter for VoIP and hi-def video conferencing applications. But this is expected behavior.Setup: completed swap of rented Ubee modem within 10 minutes.1. disconnected Ubee,2. connected coax cable to SBG65803. connected my laptop's ethernet port to SBG6580's ethernet port and waited till laptop acquired IP from SBG6580. (in my case laptop got 192.168.0.2 and SBG6580 had 192.168.0.1)4. opened random web page and comcast's DNS redirected me to activation web-page.5. provided account number ( can be found on monthly bill) and phone number6. web-page guided me through activation process and within 4-5 minutes modem rebooted twice and upon reboot I could now surf Internet.7. I disabled WPS as I prefer manual wireless configuration. I've configured 40MHz wide channel for .11n so I can reach 300Mbps and lowered wireless power to 25% (in my small apartment I don't need wide coverage).8. Completely disabled web-filtering/firewall/content-popup blocker/other app level monitoring on router - I have appropriate software on my laptop to take care of these tasks.With these settings when I go to speedtest.net, I can see that there is no difference between hardwired ethernet and wireless .11n[...]Pros: very easy to setup; solid performance; small size, low power consumption; doesn't make any noise; has built-in 4port 1GE switchCons: didn't let me override DNS server address that is assigned to wireless/hard-wired devices; more noticeable jitter under heavy load; doesn't cook dinnerHope this review been informative. I'd be glad to answer your questions should you have any

Modem and router in one so don't need to things doing the job of one. Simple and easy set-up. Can handle whatever speed internet you have. Have had for about six months now and the only issue I've had is that my computer has to reset the wi-fi adapter every week or so starting about a month and a half ago. Haven't payed attention to whether it's due to moving to a new apartment, the modem/router itself, or if it's from upgrading to Windows 10. Over-all it was a good deal since i put the hundred into Amazon from my tax refund and got $10 added, so this was essentially free in my mind. I'd give it a thumbs up to anyone looking for a single item vs two separate items for the modem routers they have.

Good, even great. But I wasn't able to establish and broadcast two separate wifi channels for 2.4 and 5 ghz respectively. I could only get it to work with either/or. So now I can choose wether it broadcasts 5ghz or 2.4, but if I have devices that can't process the 5ghz signal, I have to switch it back to 2.4 in the settings. This is a little annoying. Otherwise the device works fine, the speed is about as good as I had with my original provider's equipment (TWC). But with the modem that TWC provided I was able to broadcast on both 2.4 and 5 ghz at the same time and choose which one of my devices was on which bandwidth. I'm not an electrical engineer, but it seems to me that this shouldn't be a hard issue to address, technically speaking. Still, I'm not paying my rental fee to TWC anymore, so it suits my purposes.

I bought this back in January. There were far better reviews, so I decided not to say anything. However, a possible issue has arisen that I have not seen any mention; heat. My house is air conditioned...72 degrees. The air vents are not obstructed. But, apparently that is not cool enough. The unit will get warm and, apparently, it will sever the connection if it gets too warm which requires a reset. Either that (this just came to mind), or the problem could be that Time Warner (in my case) is the problem since this is a cable internet unit and they are piggy-backing the internet signal with the cable TV signal causing drop-outs which the modem is recognizing as lost signal and that is causing the unit to want a reset. Just a thought.

Other than that, when it is up and running, it is the best unit of its kind.

So far the Motorola SBG6580 Modem/Router is a nice upgrade from the "lease" router Time Warner Cable gave me.
PROS:
-Extremely fast Internet speeds
-Fast access to Router/WiFi settings (192.168.0.1 very responsive).
-Guest WiFi account can be WPA2 Secured with its own Network access (nice for Home security but allowing friends internet access)
-2.4ghz and 5.0ghz is fast no issues with Wireless disconnects so far.

CONS:
-Limited router capabilities. no native VLAN support. Guest WiFi is basic at best.
-Streaming WiFi like Netflix/Amazon Prime/YouTube definitely slows network traffic. Homes with lots of WiFi devices (Tablets/Phones/Laptops/Etc) take note as only a few users streaming video will slow down internet to a crawl. Ethernet Cat5/6 connections are not effected by this WiFi traffic problem.

SUMMARY:
I think this Modem/Router is an excellent product and I would highly recommend it to small families, singles and couples. Its reputation, reliability and user rating all point to a solid device for your money. I would say that this is ideal if you have both equal wired and wireless streaming devices. However, if you have multiple WiFi devices, a larger family, like to stream/download large files from your network (NAS) or your favorite internet site, this might not be the best device for you unless you don't mind the lag that much.
Upgrade to a dualband/triband WiFi router and stick to a basic Modem for your internet connection. Sadly, I will be returning this product only to upgrade to the basic ARRIS/Motorola cable modem and then getting a Triband Router/WiFi.

I crossed my fingers, and regardless of the number of negative reviews, ordered this wireless cable modem for new service with Comcast. The Comcast tech unboxed, installed and registered the modem, then we waited for the firmware updates to install.

Current Comcast's software version is SBG6580-6.5.2.0-GA-06-077-NOSH. The firewall's IP Flood Detection was unchecked by default (all the firewall options were unchecked).

After 2 years of usage the error logs show no disconnects. The only entries are for wireless channel switching due to channel interference. Speedtest.net test shows 29.5 Mbps down and 5.7 Mbps up on a Comcast advertised 16 Mbps service. The wireless range seems to be the same as my old Linksys WAP54G b/g access point and reaches all of our 2,800 sq ft, 1 story home.

All wireless devices work. unlike the Actiontec PK5000 DSL modem/router/wireless device which the Motorola replaced. These devices include a Nook, a Kindle Fire, a Sony Vaio laptop, an iPad, 2 Moto X's and legacy Roku's and Roku 2's.

The router is wall-mounted in a service closet and it seems to run cooler than when it sat on a shelf.
This unit was purchased new, direct from Amazon and not from a third party dealer. All-in-all I am pleased with this purchase.

For all the users that complained about problems with the device after doing a factory reset, BACK UP THE DEVICE SETTINGS before resetting so you can restore them afterwards.

As a non-tech person, and a lifelong Mac/Airport devotee, this bad boy came with a learning curve. When I called customer support for Arris (the current owner of Motorola, I think?), the gent looked up the serial number I provided for my new modem, and told me that was an old rental unit, and that it was associated with Time Warner Cable. This "new" modem was so old that the 1-year warranty had already expired, and he politely requested $40 to help me navigate getting my network configured. Finding out that I'd have to pay extra to get my "recycled" modem functioning made me feel momentarily homicidal. However, through the magic of the paper clip, I reset the modem to factory standards, and the very helpful gent manning Arris customer service chats (not phones!) at Arris helped me with the rest of my configuration, at no charge. Condensed version: So far the modem works just fine for my needs — but you may need to spend a frustrating couple of hours in the squeeze between the your ISP and the folks at Arris.

After having owned an old SBG901 DOCSIS 2.0 modem for years, I knew it was time for an upgrade. The local cable company in my area started improving the speed tiers and, unfortunately, the old modem could only achieve up to 38 Mbps downstream. Since I've pretty much owned a combo modem/router for several years, I decided to go with the SBG6580.

Unfortunately, the router is a bit faulty. The reception on it tends to differ. At times, I would receive the maximum speeds and, other times, it would drop suddenly, almost all the way down to 3 Mbps. Thinking the local cable company had capped off my speeds for some odd reason, I stupidly called them and inquired about why I was receiving such a low-tier speed on the upstairs computers/wireless devices. As instructed by the technician over the phone, I was told to test this modem via an Ethernet cord. Lo and behold, I was capable of receiving the maximum speeds.

As a result, I had disabled the router portion of the modem and hooked up an older TP-LINK device that I had purchased several years prior. Seeing as how I also own a few TP-LINK USB adapters, this resolved my problem immediately.

If you're stuck in the same situation as I am and are unable to return it, then I would highly suggest investing in an entirely separate router or just purchasing a standalone modem, such as the SB6121 or SB6141 (or a Zoom cable modem if you're so inclined). Unless you live in a one-story house, then the router portion of it is practically useless. Since resolving the problem as stated in the above solution, I have came to the conclusion that owning a combo modem such as this is absolutely a waste of time, money and resources.

All in all, I'm pretty content with it as of now. Once DOCSIS 3.1 becomes the norm several years down the road, then I will purchase a standalone modem when it becomes affordable. Besides, since the next generation of 802.11ac WiFi is starting to roll around, it would be wise to purchase an entirely separate router, unless the Wireless-N portion of this modem suits your WiFi needs.

Coverage is much better than my Cisco E2500, am able to speed test over WiFi at 50M,
A fine router/modem IF it is behaving itself.
On my phone typing this, I see the wifi icon cut out and back in after a minute and nothing is even using it at the moment.
The event log shows all kinds of things that I don't know what it means, and signal levels that look out of whack. Reset it and they look good, for a while.
It is pretty annoying to have the firmware controlled by ISP, you can't update or roll back on your own.
It even has issues on hardwired things, drops from games, trouble giving up bandwidth if someone else is sucking up too much.
I should have just got the standard modem, and a good router, but I don't think the wifi part is the issue. I think this one has software issues that you can't update, and ISPs will only do very little updating.

I purchased this a full year ago and therefore I feel like I've had a thorough experience to share with you guys.

Quick summary:

- Modem worked great at first
- Started to have intermittent problems with connection, to where either the modem or the connection would turn off 5-10 times randomly daily, requiring a reboot
- Later found out that Firmware updates (software for the modem) are recommended to keep the modem running well (detailed info below)
- I have difficulty watching videos or anything that requires a constant internet connection. It's pretty annoying.

I feel like the SBG6580 worked well for 8-10 months but then LOTS of problems started. Now, the tricky thing is you can't really tell if it's your modem, the cable provider or what. I will make it clear that I use Mediacom as an ISP and they do NOT support this modem. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CABLE COMPANY SUPPORTS THE MODEM BEFORE BUYING THIS. I didn't and just thought, "OH, quality cable modem from a quality company, this should last me a few years, at least a year..." wrong. So I spend a lot of time trying to understand all this cable modem mumbo jumbo and here's some of the stuff I learned:

You can sign into your router to see some diagnostic reports + information by doing the following (unless someone changed your default password/username):

Password
2. Type in the IP address for the modem 192.168.0.1.
3. Type in the default Username; admin.
4. Type in the default Password; motorola.

This is useful to see the firmware or software installed and also other useful info, mac addresses, power and download/upload speeds.

So after looking at tons of forum postings and googling a lot, I found out that my Firmware on this modem was from 2010 (this review is late 2012). I found one person who listed the Firmware releases for this modem to be as follows:

________________
SBG6580-3.1.0.0-GA-07-180-NOSH was released by Motorola back in 2010. Since then 3.2.0.0-GA-02-201 came out in June 2010, 3.2.1.0-GA-02-249 in July 2010, 3.2.1.0-GA-03-249 in September 2010, 3.2.1.0-GA 05-6 in December 2010, 3.3.0.0-GA-05-020 in June 2011. The number of fixes in the release notes since SBG6580-3.1.0.0-GA-07-180 are extensive.
________________

Now, I mention this because what happens is ONLY cable companys are allowed to update the firmware to your modem, it's against the law (or FCC rules?) for consumers to update their own software for the modems. Here's the tricky part, your cable company (mediacom, comcast, or whoever) may NOT support your modem and therefore force you to use the OLD and BUGGY software for your modem. The reasoning? Who knows. They said they haven't had time to test the software or whatever at mediacom... BUT NOT INITIALLY. Initially they told me to go and buy a new modem! No joke. They just said my modem must be failing and that my firmware was the "most current" on the phone... even on their website they mentioned that this is the "most up to date" - false... it's the most current one they decided to use. Google your cable company and SBG6580 to see if others are having issues.

This is pretty frustrating because I almost unnecessarily purchased another cable modem + router OR another gateway (combo) device. And it appears I may need to anyway because Mediacom has chosen to not support this modem.

Moral of the story: Call your cable internet provider and try to ensure that cable modem you purchase is supported or on their list of modems. If not, it's kind of like being stuck on a 3 year old version of windows while updates are released with you being unable to update. Your cable company (or at least mediacom) will not offer any help, they will just say that the connection works great on their end but it's all your fault after that (even if they are using 2 year old software for your modem).

EDIT: I don't want to lead people astray or scare people, my cable company is trying to tell me that it's NOT a firmware problem... well, there were able to make SOME improvements by fiddling around with splitters and cables outside. YET, my problem still remains with this intermittent turning on and off (this is with the modem plugged into the land line/ethernet cable). I hope this review inspires you to call your cable modem provider and see what modems are supported, I think this makes things easier. I'm just hoping you all don't do like I did and just think that it's a quality modem/quality company, everything works... because apparently it depends on your provider.

I've read on forums or reviews here to buy cable connectors that hook into the jack to speed up the signal or something (apparently motorolla has one for $60), Crazy. I'm not paying $60 to boost a signal... Kepp it simple guys, my recommendation is at the end of this edit.

I've also heard that it's possible that having the GATEWAY as opposed to just the modem and a separate wireless system could be a reason for these problems (I thought this would save me $ but it seems like others are having problems too). The thing is, I've had 4 techs out to my house at different times and NO ONE knows what's going on. Never realized this could be so complicated... I think the REAL best option is to ask them what modems they sell (for example, my provider sold some cisco products) and then buy the ones they sell from Amazon or whoever. That way you know you're getting something they actually consistently try to work with and update. GOOD LUCK.

This is my second Motorola SBG6580. As a cable modem, it is an outstanding DOCSIS 3.0 unit. My 12MB package was consistantly giving me 20MG download speeds with Comcast (Xfinity)and 2.5 - 4MB uploads.

The problem was enitrely on the router/switch side. The first unit would give all my PC's a DHCP address and ran fine, but my HP Laserjet 4350 (a common business printer) would not pull an address and neither would any of my four ReplayTV DVR's. I worked for an hour with their very good tech support and he couldn't figure it out and suggested I return it.

I returned as defective and Amazon, in classic style, sent a replacement overnight and a prepaid shipping label for the return.

The second unit, once activated with Comcast, immediately gave my printer an IP address. I was overjoyed as I thought my problem was solved. But, alas, my DVR's would not take an address.

Once again, I called tech support, and after 30 minutes, they could not explain it, other than to say it must be something with my DVR's.

I returned the unit, ordered a Cable Modem by itself and hooked up my Belkin Wireless N Router/Switch which probly issued EVERYONE an IP address.

Bottom line: running DOCSIS 3.0 with the cable modem now, but using an external router/switch.

Bit of a bummer.

I have COX ISP in San Diego, CA. and I used to rent the Netgear DOCSIS 3.0 for years without any issues. I purchased the ARRIS SURFboard SBG6580 due to great reviews, but have had many connection and streaming issues unlike before with Netgear. I do NOT recommend this product.

Easy to set up and configure however the wifi even though connected and the signal strength was excellent the internet would never continously work unless i would turn wifi off and then on. Also if you live in apt building or high traffic area use 5.0 ghz otherwise 2.4 ghz you would get very very slow speed no matter if you turn off the WMM feature and configure it up, down, side to side. The 5.0 ghz is excellent for congested area however a lot of devices dont yet work for it especially android phones. Get the dual concurrent 2.4/5.0 ghz router you will NOT REGRET it. I bought the 6700 arris router and no problems yet.

For a year I would have given this Cable Modem a 5 star review. I was very happy with it.

At almost exactly the one year mark I started having a lot of WiFi problems. Dropped connections. Some devices simply could not connect any more. I ended up disabling the WiFi radio and purchasing a WiFi Access Point. WiFi problems solved.

Now, about 6 months later, I receive a notification that my IP cameras are offline. I cannot access my PLEX server or remote control my server.
I've called Comcast several times and they try to up sell me to their modem for $9 a month. In the last 2 weeks I've had to press the factory reset button to regain access to the internet.

I'm upset about this. I don't want to pay Comcast's extortion prices for their modem, and I don't know if I want to trust Arris/Motorola again. Problem is, all the other brands have far worse reviews.

ARRIS usually has really good products. I do not like this one for two reasons.

1. It is not true dual-band wireless. You have to either choose 2.4GHz or 5GHz, so it you have old and new devices in your house you are going to be stuck with using 2.4GHz.

2. The wireless range is not great. My house is not that big, and their are only 2 walls between my computer room and kitchen. I constantly lose my wireless signal in my kitchen.

Because of these issues I returned it and went with a Netgear cable modem and wireless router. The two combined were only $20 more than this and they work a whole lot better. I am able to go through my kitchen, out my back door and half way through my back yard before I even start to loose any signal.

This thing has incredibly lousy/weak wifi, or is just flaky.

I thought I was "upgrading" from an older modem/router combo, only to find my wifi strength, range, and speed reduced considerably by this device. The wired connection works fine, exactly as it should, but the wifi is unstable, generally weak (< 5mbs) and has trouble adequately covering any area outside of the fairly small living room it's stationed in.

There are various things you can try to troubleshoot, if you feel like wasting hours on Google, tinkering around, and/or on the phone with Comcast or your given ISP (ugh) -- but while I've troubleshot modems and routers in the past, I've never had as much trouble getting a consistent, stable signal out of a device as I have with this one.

My advice is to just seek an alternative. I am looking into replacing mine.

Configuring this modem was simple enough, but as I've gotten experience with this device, I've begun to detest the thing. My main problems with this unit and with Arris are the following:

(1) Periodically, the WiFi stops working, and the only solution is to reboot the unit. This must be done 2-3 times in the typical day.

(2) There is very little control over what protocols are blocked by the firewall functionality, e.g., to enable the ftp client protocol, one must set the security level to "low", which is unattractive.

(3) Arris tech support people are nice but not terribly competent. One of the tech support people tried to convince me that I must enable port forwarding to be able to use an ftp client. (Of course, this is not correct. Port forwarding is needed if one is running a server, or for certain peer-to-peer protocols).

In short, I'm not happy.

I bought this in late July to enable me to telework from home once a week. It never worked properly and my IT department requested that I plug in with a wire since they couldn't identify the problem. By the time my cable provider got out to my house last week (October 24) they said the unit was bad, and now I have to rent one from them. I don't know if this device came to me bad, or went bad, but I never had acceptable service through it. Of course, I can't return it now because it's been more than 30 days.

When I plug my computer into this device and do a speed test with Comcast I get download speeds of 80-90+ MBPS. When I turn on the router, this drops to anywhere between 1 and 30 MBPS. Clearly my speed issues are with this device and not Comcast. If I turn the router to the higher speeds, nothing can connect to it. Not the PS3, xBox, or my laptops. This makes the faster speed useless. Googling ways to increase the speed, I find I may need a firmware update; however, there is no way for me to do it. I have to go through Comcast. I find other such bad reviews all around. In short, This thing sucks, I would not get it. Find a different brand.

UPDATE

This was purchased, and used for less than 6 months before it quit working. I previously worked from home and was having connection issues and constantly dropping service. My employer assumed it was with our cable provider and made me switch to a different provider. I have since went back to that cable provider and attempted to re-use this modem. Almost immediately upon setting up service the exact same problems arose. The Cable provider came and ran all new cable wires in the house and even a brand new ground wire and main feed line to the box. This did not fix the problem. I then used their simple and very basic Arris 3.0 cable modem that they gave me, and all of the issues went away. I spent 3 hours on the phone with a manager who called and wanted to make sure it was the modem and not the service. The Surfboard was properly provisioned and set up correctly, it just seems that the modem no longer functions the right way. We reset the modem back to default settings, tried using it only wired, only wireless, and still had connection issues and massive data loss. I have always had good luck with my motorola cable modems in the past, and they have lasted years. I still have my original surfboard 2.0 modem and it still works 10 years later. This one should last longer than 6 months in use. Be cautious if buying this, and if possible make sure you register it with motorola so that if this does happen hopefully you can get a replacement, and not be out of luck.

Original 2015 Review Here. See Update section below.

So far works well. Speed seems good Wan and LAN.

There is no separation between automatic WAN settings with DHCP and full manual IP settings. You can't use DHCP and also use a custom DNS server. However contrary to some of the other reviews you can go full manual and use a custom DNS server.

The options are pretty vanilla, not much that's highly customization. You can run more than one wireless access point at the same time. Here the options are limited too. One regular network and a guest network. I haven't tried it though.

Work on Charter networks.

Update Edit............... 4/8/2016

The real reason that I wanted this was for a little more control than what I would get from Charter. Every time I want to do any moderately sophisticated setting like open a port up on the firewall I get no decent options. Or what is provided doesn't work. I'm talking about you port filtering.

Has changing your DNS settings while using DHCP and port management not been around since the beginning of home routers? My TiVo will not work with the firewall on. VPN also fails. And there is weak firewall options.

I'm going to have to run my own firewall on an extra device. The whole point of me getting this was to have less devices to avoid more fail points.

Attached is the only Firewall options you get. Miserable. Do not buy. Too much money for what you get.