Arris SBV3202 DOCSIS 3.0 VoIP Cable Modem for Comcast & Optimum Cable

SBV3202Received the modem yesterday, 1st of April 2019.Took some doing, it’s up and running, seems great.Now user experiences may vary…But this son of a bitch was a nightmare to get registered or I should say provisioned with Comcast. But as far as I can tell that actually might have been a tech problem, as in the tech support person.Still on the fence about that…

Like most, I rented my combined cable modem + WiFi router from Comcast, another Arris model, for over 6 years at $10-$13 per month at a cost of up to $936 until I finally returned my rental after replacing it with this modem and my own WiFi router. For the longest time the available models with voice were very limited, until I found this one. I personally want to separate the components of Cable Modem from WiFi because WiFi evolves much faster than the cable modem aspects, and WiFi seems to break or become unreliable faster. Now I can just upgrade or replace just the faulty components going forward. I had already been through two models of renting the Arris cable modem + WiFi router (802.11g, then 802.11ac) because the WiFi eventually gave out. Even on the 802.11ac model I already added my own WiFi router because it too became unreliable for WiFi. While rented, Comcast replaces for free (other than the $936 I paid them monthly), but I can pick the best gaming or streaming routers from the most reliable brands of my own choosing if I like if they are separate. To be fair, I have a ton of Alexa devices, WiFi outlets / switches / bulbs which likely led to my WiFi problems, but work fine on my own separate WiFi routers (I actually have 3 — Asus (my workhorse), Netgear (gaming), & AmpliFi (easy & pretty)).I picked this cable modem (SBV3202) because:(1) It is just the cable modem + telephone (keeps WiFi separate).(2) it offers the maximum downstream & upstream channels (32 x 8) available to me right now, versus a lot of 24 x 8 models and others with more limited DOCSIS speeds.(3) It is certified to work with my Comcast Xfinity internet & phone service.(4) DOCSIS 3.0 and up to 1.4 Gbps, and will be a very long time before I have actual internet service that fast, and although a newer DOCSIS standard is arriving, this is very current and I believe will last a very long time without envy.(5) It is one of only a few options available to buy instead of leasing for Comcast service.SETUP & ACTIVATION:Setup is actually very easy. Just unplug the other one, plug this one in its place, and get ready to spend an hour with Comcast customer service to activate it, likely with 3 different support people. Just be patient and nice, and you’ll get through it. Meanwhile you will not have internet or home phone, so make sure you have cell service & your account info. The manual has a label with the S/N & MAC addresses right on it for easy reference (MTA MAC for phone, HFC MAC for internet). The manual says to do online activation first, but that doesn’t work unless they already have your MAC addresses on file, which they don’t if you bought your own, unless you leased this and are doing a self install. I still tried to no avail on 3 ways, on the old modem, on my new modem, and with my cell service internet. So then you just call the Comcast number in the manual. I recommend having a nice Bluetooth speakerphone or something to make it more comfortable. The Comcast agents were super nice and patient. The first person most likely will have trouble seeing your modem and activating it, even after asking for MAC addresses, model number, and S/N. Just be patient, and when it doesn’t work they’ll escalate it to another technical specialist where it really gets done. With Comcast, the internet and phone people are actually separate, so first the internet activation and they eventually find your modem, and then they route you to voice activation and pass along the info so you don”t have to repeat.Additionally, because I didn’t setup a new WiFi router with the same SSID & password (already had my other routers setup), I had to run around the house and reconnect some devices (like all my smart WiFi outlets & bulbs) that were still on the old WiFi network and now stopped functioning until I reconnected them to one of my remaining WiFi routers. It is easiest to just have another replacement router set to use the same SSID & password and your existing devices will not know the difference.DRAWBACKS:(1) Emits a slightly audible high-pitched noise (and is located in my bedroom) like some electronics do, but not so high pitched as normal coil whine on some devices, and not as loud as some devices that I cannot have in the same room as me. I’m pretty sensitive to this, and my wife can even hear it on this one, but it honestly is quiet enough that I can live with it, just taking off 1 star for it because I still like it overall and tolerate it. I’m actually going to see about putting it in a cabinet, closet, or build wood box with some sound dampening insulation (but with good air flow).(2) LEDs are bright and blinking. Arris actually has updated firmware that (version 9.1.103AA65L and up) that offers “web manager access” rather than just a status page, and a new “CM Feature” tab that lets you toggle off the LEDs. *BUT* firmware upgrades are controlled by your cable provider through DOCSIS standard, so yours might not support that. Comcast upgraded my firmware and stopped at a prior version (9.1.103AA45E) on mine, so I cannot control it. So I resort to using blackout stickers, as I do for most devices around my bedroom. However, the LEDs are on a curved edge, and the surface material isn’t prone to strong adherence of tape, so I have some trouble getting the blackout stickers to stay because by aren’t meant to leave a gummy residue and peel back on their own. But it is solve-able.(3) Emits heat, but not as much as the bigger combined Arris cable modem + WiFi router.(4) Ethernet patch cable it comes with is Cat5e when Cat6 has been around a long time, and would be better for Gigabit speeds. But realistically Cat5e should be no noticeable difference for short distance and internet service speeds. I still used my existing Cat6 cable instead.