ARRIS (SBG8300) - Cable Modem Router Combo - Fast DOCSIS 3.1 Gigabit & AC2350 WiFi ,Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum & more, 1 Gbps Max Internet Speeds , 4 OFDM Channels

This review is for the Arris model S34. Several bad reviews on this page are for completely different models, like one of them complaining about its range(?!). This is not a wifi routher, so there's no such thing as range unless you're spooling out a couple hundred feet of ethernet (unlikely). I replaced an aging Orbi system that has been nothing but trouble with this Surfboard and also a tp-link mesh wifi system purchased elsewhere at a well-known warehouse club. I did the setup of this modem first using the Xfinity app (Account>Devices>Activate xFi Gateway or Modem) and it went smooth as glass, and was up and running in about ten minutes. Once this was running, I turned to the wifi next and that system connected easily to this modem via some spare CAT6 ethernet (I'll replace everything with CAT8 one of these days). So instead of having an all-in-one modem and wifi, I have it separate with the best of both worlds in my price range. And the proof is that I have gigabyte service and for the first time I am seeing speeds well over 1.3 which is fantastic, so I'm very happy. One other thing, I was surprised at the small size of this unit. It's like 4½ inches tall.

I purchased this ARRIS SBG8300 gateway new from Amazon for $177 in May 2024 to switch from AT&T DSL2+ (copper landline) to Sparklight cable internet service (100 MBps down/ 10 MBps up). I decided to purchase and own it myself, rather than pay rental fees- it should pay for itself in about one year. I wanted an established DOCSIS 3.1 design (3.1 is required by Sparklight) that could handle possible future cable bandwidth upgrades, and this gateway seemed good for that. It has 32 x 8 channels for DOCSIS 3.0 and 2 x 2 channels for DOCSIS 3.1, and can theoretically handle up to 4 Gbps download speeds, so this is probably way more gateway than I need now.The Sparklight installation tech told me that this was the first time he had encountered a new customer who provided their own gateway in my rural MS town. This turned out to be a minor problem, as he had always been given the gateways pre-configured. Initially, he was unable to get it up and running, and he had to run off to perform other installations (Uh-oh!). But the Sparklight phone support people were very good, and saw that the gateway was simply waiting for a firmware update. Apparently, firmware updates are something that only the cable company can do. Sparklight was able to push the update remotely, and I was off and running.Configuration was pretty straightforward. I should warn potential buyers that the gateway's firewall is set to WEAK by default. I decided to switch the firewall to MEDIUM, and discovered that I could no longer access the gateway configuration page directly using the http:// browser connection. After going to MEDIUM, it only allowed https:// browser connections. So, you have to go through a few extra clicks (accepting the risk, etc.) in the browser to reconnect to the gateway's configuration page. With all of the warnings, etc., it is easy to believe that your new gateway may have been hacked, so be prepared for that. Make sure that you turn off UPnP for added security unless you need that. It is also a good idea to do a port scan to make sure there are no unnecessary open ports that could present good targets for hackers.Performance has been excellent, delivering over the purchased speeds (usually, I get 110 Mbps download and 20 MBps upload via speedtest.net). I have not had a single problem after about 1 week of service, have never needed to do a reset, and the gateway seems to be running cool, just above room temperature.I think that most problems that people experience with cable modems/gateways in general are due to 1) poor line signal quality and 2) WiFi crowding/interference issues. The SBG8300 provides line quality information in the homepage, so you can troubleshoot signal issues yourself and perhaps avoid extra service fees if the problem is inside your home. I did not try the gateway configuration app for wireless devices- all of my tweaking was through a hard Ethernet connection and web browser. FYI the gateway homepage did complain about my Firefox version 126 (some warning about needing at least v 63) , but it worked OK.I guess that the only features that I wanted, but couldn't have using this gateway, are:1) WiFi 6 - this gateway has the older WiFi 5 (802.11ac) standard . But our current wireless devices can't use WiFi 6 anyway, so no biggie.2) No USB port on the gateway. This is very handy if you want to do network printing via USB, or set up a large USB stick as a network drive (NAS).Overall, I really like the performance of this gateway. Time will tell if the hardware is as reliable as it appears to be.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7/24 Update- No problems after ~ 60 days, very pleased. After doing a little more research, it turns out that there are some interesting reasons some cable modems fail. It all goes back to the original cable concept as a distribution system for ONE-WAY analog TV signals. Cable modems must both receive and send digital signals. If the DOWNLOAD line signal quality is poor, you will get disconnect/reconnect issues- everyone knows that. But the more serious issue is with the UPSTREAM signal. The cable modems will try to overcome poor line quality conditions by BOOSTING the UPLOAD signal. This leads to greater continuous heat generation inside the modem, and sometimes failure due to overheating. So, the reason some folks need to replace their cable modems regularly is due to the poor line signal quality, not necessarily the modem itself. You can fix this with a special amplifier called an active return cable modem amplifier (Amazon sells these), but the permanent fix is to get the cable company to change out the cabling and components to get a good baseline signal.

Let me start by saying I have worked in the IT industry for going on 35 years in all areas from software development to networking and systems infrastructure. I have experience configuring routers/load balancers for Fortune 500 companies that run as much as $75K each for managing worldwide global networks, so I'd say I know what I'm doing.I have been using a Motorola Arris Surfboard SBG6900 configured as an edge/perimeter device routed to an ASUS RT-AC68R router for the internal network to isolate everything except selected devices from the external network and use port forwarding on the Arris to the ASUS to expose those selected devices to the public internet as needed. Namely, a staging web server with FTP services for clients to access. It has worked FLAWLESSLY for over 5 years.Recently I upgraded my internet to achieve faster speeds with unlimited data and as a result, had to upgrade my cable modem from a DOCIS 3.0 to a DOCSIS 3.1 model. I had been so happy with the Arris 6900 that it seemed to be a no-brainer to go with the Arris 8300. This has been a frustrating and disappointing total waste of time.First off, the firmware/software version loaded onto the unit out of the box is broken. The screens where you define port forwarding settings are not even correct. They are missing fields so you cannot map external ports to internal ports. You can only specify a start and end port which is useless in terms of security, and even then, the port forward simply DOES NOT WORK. After running a few hours, the unit automatically downloads an upgraded version of the firmware/software (from SDK 7.0 to SDK 7.1) which corrects the admin screens so port forwarding can be set up properly. Even so, after configuring the port forwarding on this 8300 STILL DOES NOT WORK. I have been fighting with this thing for a week.The very first thing I did was to check with my ISP after having them activate the new modem to ensure no ports were being blocked. Of course, none were. I have performed multiple factory resets and reconfigured them from the ground up. Double, triple, and quadruple-checked my configurations, and nothing will make this POJ forward traffic according to the defined port-forwarding rules. I even bypassed the internal router and connected directly to the new unit to isolate and rule out any possible failures with other equipment, which seemed unlikely because the ONLY thing that had changed was the modem.You can't even SSH into the router itself to see what's going on with this unit, meaning you can't inspect routing tables/port mappings in any attempt to correct the problem at the OS level.Finally, I got on the phone with Arris customer support. My last experience with them was over 5 years ago and I was very satisfied. They were professional, knowledgeable, polite, and extremely helpful - no more. I explained in detail everything I had attempted, my network configuration, equipment isolation, the multiple factory resets, etc. What did they do? He listened with half an ear and then proceeded to read his troubleshooting script and ask me to do all of the things I had already done multiple times. At each step, I told him I'd already done that and that it would not work, but he kept saying 'I know you said you did it, but I have to document it.' I could barely understand the guy and he was getting on my very last nerve, but I humored him and did everything he asked. Finally, after he tried everything in his silly little script, he put me on hold for 15 minutes before coming back on the line and telling me my problem was my TEST SERVER! That didn't go down well, especially since I can hit that server from my internal network and it works fine, and not to mention everything worked fine up to the point I hooked up their new modem.Following that, I considered the possibility I had gotten a "lemon." I initiated a return/exchange with Amazon, which they fulfilled promptly, and received the new unit yesterday. The result? Exact same second verse as the first. In my research during the week I have been doing battle with this POJ, I read that Arris is aware of the fact that their admin interface for this unit does not work properly but they won't say when or even IF they will fix it. Their customer service wouldn't even consider the possibility that something may be wrong with the device.If they're going to sell a cable modem/router combo with a basically useless router, they should sell it at the price of a basic cable modem. These are NOT cheap units, but they DO SUCK. I'm returning BOTH of these POJs and will never buy another Motorola modem again. Following many recommendations I've read in the last week, I've ordered a NetGear Nighthawk cable modem/router combo. It's about $100 more expensive, but at least the reviews are good.For those who want a plug-it-in and forget-it type of unit, the SBG8300 should be fine. Internet speed, wi-fi and streaming have been good with the unit, but if you want to manage/configure your network using advanced features, forget it.