Arris CM8200 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem

My ISP requires this or a similar modem for gigabit download speed and charges rent. This is under $100 unlike other DOCSIS 3.1 modems. If you’re buying your own modem for the first time you might as well pick something that will be above average for a few years.

Connected to a new RCN “1 Gig” account. Connection required RCN tech support to record the Touchstone MAC ID; but once that was specified as an allowed modem, it was fast and easy.

This modem works perfectly with RCN. After plugging it in, I gave RCN a quick call to tell them the MAC address, and they activated it without issue. They didn’t even ask about the model number (and they don’t seem to care that it’s not a normal retail modem).

This modem is also a bit more future-proof than many other DOCSIS 3.1 modems due to the inclusion of a second Ethernet port. Although it’s unnecessary with most (if not all) currently available speed tiers, it will allow this model to support a maximum of 2gbps as opposed to 1gbps.

The only downside is that the modem I received was a bit scuffed, but that’s to be expected with a used device.

This cable modem is 5 stars: it works as expected: connected to Comcast in the SF Bay area and I am getting DOCSIS 3.1 enabled 32 channels down and 4 channels up with ping times of 10ms, download speeds of 160 Mbps, and upload speeds of 6 Mbps. YMMV of course. Check them out for yourself on the modem’s built in web app at 192.168.100.1 and once activated use wwwspeedtestnet to determine throughput.A couple of things to note is this is the North America version and once connected, look for the front panel green lights to turn blue which indicates DOCSIS 3.1 connectivity.

Ye olde Motorola Surfboard DOCSIS 2.0 had 4×4 channel support. On the Comcast 150 Mbps plan, the CM8200A doesn’t make any noticeable difference. Perhaps 4K movies from Netfix and Prime are buffering faster, but it wasn’t really a problem before. So keep that in mind if you are upgrading. I upgraded because Comcast said my old modem was no longer supported, I cut the cord recently so I’m watching more videos, and I like to find great deals to run the latest equipment. As another point of reference, I had the 60 Mbps plan with the DOCSIS 2.0 4×4 cable modem for about 3 months and never had a problem watching 4K HDR or Dolby Vision movies. Typically, 4K requires about 25 Mbps download speeds.

As many have mentioned, this cable modem will work on Comcast even though it is not listed as a supported device. Tell your Comcast technician it is an Arris Surfboard SB8200 and give them the MAC address listed on the bottom. For me, it didn’t work until I rebooted it after waiting the recommended 30 minutes.

Next, I am taking off a star because of the seller Chommy85. Not that they are horrible: I did receive the product sooner than expected, it was a great deal at $84 delivered, it is lightly scratch as expected for a used product, and it does work as described above. However, the product was shipped as loose parts in an unpadded bag from USPS. This included the modem, the power supply and an Ethernet cable. These are not delicate parts, but I do expect them to be wrapped securely in box. Now the next Chommy85 issue is more debatable: the price went up $50 dollars since I purchased it 4 days ago. This may be because the modems left in inventory are not scratched, less used, or the market demand is higher. Don’t know, but it does make this not as great a deal at about $50 less than a new SB8200. I know I would have purchased the DOCSIS 3.0 SB 6190 new, rather than this modem used, at the new price and saved over $30.

Finally, you can find reviews of this modem (OK, the SB8200) and other recent modems here: mbreviewscom/category/modems Frankly, unless you are running a business this DOCSIS 3.1 modem is likely over spec’d for what you can actually use in a home network. But if you find a great deal on it, be assured the CM8200A won’t be the problem behind any bandwidth issues on your network for years to come.

This modem is probably an overflow of business modems, which is why you don’t normally see it sold in end-user stores. It was meant for businesses. I’m on Cox Communications 300 down / 30 up and sometimes I get close to 400 down and 30 up.

It doesn’t even have colorful labels on the back, it’s strictly a business modem, but I didn’t care, it has the same functionality as the consumer version Arris SB8200 which is close to $200 at half the price. Save your money and buy this if you’re on a budget.

I spent hours trying to get Comcast to provision this modem for Gig speeds. This isn’t listed in their known modem for a provision file. They will send the file for the CM820A not the CM8200A. They messed up my modem twice trying to trick the system to take a different file. I do have the blast speeds and get about 300 down and pay for 25o down. But you wont be able to get the full speeds this docsis 3.1 modem should handle until Comcast gets their modem list updated.

I received the modem on time and installation was easy. Comcast walked me through the activation process and when we ran SpeedTest, I got over 200 Mbs download speed. Very happy with this product.

This has been a great modem so far. I didn’t try to run gigabit internet on it yet, although it is on Cox’s approved list for Gigablast. I have been running 300M internet and getting that speed or better consistently. It is a used modem, so it may not be cosmetically perfect, but I had no functionality issues and it is significantly less expensive that the SB8200, although they are functionally the same.. An issue I had, not the fault of the modem, was my router WAN to LAN speed was not capable of the speeds I was getting from the modem. It slowed down to around 170M through the router. I had to replace the router with one that had a faster WAN to LAN speed to be able to use the speeds the modem was capable of.