when I became an optimum online subscriber this is the cable modem that they gave me. I can say that I am a heavy Internet user. I download a lot of material. Usually it's in the form of high definition video. So I can easily download a terabyte in as little as a month. This modem has no problem handling all of that Internet traffic. Combine this with an excellent Linksys router, and you have the most reliable Internet set up that you can get. I guess optimum you what they were doing when they decide to use this modem is there modem for their service. I rent this modem, but I actually have looked into purchasing it and it was reasonably priced. If you ever do have trouble, which I haven't, you can easily reset the modem by just pressing the reset button in the back of it with a paperclip. This is easy to do and get your modem back to working order. The size of the modem makes it easy to place on the bookshelf. It's black so it can go with most of your other electronic equipment, most of which is now black. I guess my only issue with this modem is its lights. The modem itself looks very sleek. The lights just seemed out of the way. I'm not sure how we can improve this, but just something I was thinking about.

tardis3000

Amityville, NY

I am using this Motorola surfboard SB5100 cable modem for the last one year and very much impressed with it efficiency. I choose this product since it is made by Motorola and the price is not too bad. I never had any problems with this modem. This modem was actually given to me by the local internet service provider. The surfing speeds are some what compared with other modems out there. I don't like the way it is designed though. Since it is think and needs to keep stand and the cable goes at the bottom, most of the times it fell. It doesn't hurt my surfing speeds at all. The installation was fairly easy with all the included cds and manuals that came with it. This modem never shuts on me even after browsing the internet for 18 hours continuously. I strongly recommend this to anyone who are looking for cheap and relialble modem

unifiedkiran

Grants, NM

You can always rely on Motorola to put out great quality products so its not doubt that this modem works outstanding. I had an old modem that kept faulting out on me and ofcourse me and cox communications were both pointing the blame on each other and having to reset that thing all the time. I've had this modem for a while and I can honestly say that I have yet had to reset unplug wait XX seconds and replug it. Our power goes out at least twice a month and the internet still works without touching the cable modem. This unit should be compatable to all cable companies software to date. Instead of having to purcahse (at least for cox) their modem that is atleast twice as much as one you would find in the store. Overall if you need to purchase a cable modem and your ISP does not provide you with once, I would strongly recommend this SB5100 motorola surfoard cable modem. It is reliable not to mention very easy to install as well.

busywith2

Baton Rouge, LA

I have been using this modem for about 2 years now. It is a great modem. I have had virtually no problems with it since i've had it. I do remember a few ocassions when I had issues with the modem, but it was due to an electrical outlet not being properly grounded. This problem was resolved with a replacement and with me finally moving my cable modem onto my Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). As the other review states it is extremely reliable and also it is easy to tell about your connection status. The lights are brightly lit and it is easy to tell the cable company which light isn't lit up, so they can get you up and going faster. I'm not sure about the "Unweildy Cord Position" that the other reviewer comments aobut, but i do have an issue with the device not wanting to stand up, but I think this could be resolved by moving the cables around a bit better (by cables I mean my coaxial cable that comes from the wall)

kadlov

Ardmore, OK

I've been using the modem now for about 8 years and have not run into any major issues.  I initially purchased the modem through Comcast quite some time ago since I did not want to pay rental costs with them.  As far as its performance, I can't really say I've encountered any problems whatsoever.  I can logon sucessfully to its local IP address for troubleshooting purposes and can obtain all information quite quickly without any hassle.  In addition, I'm using a USB Robotics MAXg router conncected into it and have had no problems with my wired or wireless clients obtaining internet access.  The only recommendation I would make for it is to include some type of toggle switch to turn the device off.  If I ever do have an outage with Comcast I usually end up pulling the plug from the wall which of course is probably not the most ideal task in the world and would prefer some type of switch instead.

buhockey21

Newark, DE

I really liked this modem.  We have had it now for a few years (I am thinking probably around four years?).  It worked great for a long time until just a few months ago when my internet would just shut down, stop, etc.  I thought my computer may have a virus or something downloaded that was causing problems.  I finally called my internet provider company, Charter Communications, and they informed me that many modems have become "blacklisted" and sure enough, this is one that was blacklisted.  They said that being called "blacklisted" doesn't mean that it is a bad modem by any means, but rather means that it is so old of a modem that it no longer receives updates sent out by the cable and internet company.  So, that is what was leading to me having my internet dropped multiple times in a few hours everyday.  The other down side to this modem is that it is not able to handle very high speeds so if your company provides higher speeds, your modem would still cause the internet to run slow. 

luraealison

Saint Cloud, MN

With so many modems to choose from, why go with the surfboard?  Well, for one, the name is pretty cool! On top of that, it simply does what it claims to do.  In my year of using one connecting to Comcast DSL, it worked flawlessly.  Despite problems with the comcast service, the model itself proved to be very reliable.  I've used it on other connections with no issues whatsoever.  I love it's shape, and how it is small enough to hide behind my monitor.  Not that it is ugly, but I like a clean workspace.  If you do too, this is the model for you.  It's pricetag was very reasonable, it won't break your pocket, and will give you the power you need to connect to your cable provider with lightening speed.  The led lights are bright, but not too bright, which is a plus.  The last thing you need is a model whose lights are so bright that when the lights are off it serves as a night light.  What more can be said?  If you need a model, surf your way to the local computer shop or online store and purchase the Motorola Surfboard!

MinisterO

Pompano Beach, FL

I bought this Motorola three or four year ago because my internet connection was very slow and unable to connect. To my surprise, after I installed this Motorola surfboard everything changed. My connection speed is faster and i have no problem with my internet surfing. I was so happy that i finally found a good and reliable moderm connection to have internet in my house all day long. I don't have to go to my neighbor to used the internet anymore. Everything i want to know is on the moderm they have all the light on to let me know if the internet is working or not. If it's not it just turned off by itself. I beleive that there is nothing wrong with this moderm it will stay alive like this for years and never break on us. Even though i have it for almost three or four years, but i have never encounter any problem with it the only problem is the weather cause the electric line broken  down.

kntt28

Baton Rouge, LA

Time Warner furnished my household with this modem years ago when we upgraded to RoadRunner Lite.  We used to have dial up and were tired of the delay. Overall we've enjoyed faster internet.  We had problems one time in which we had to call out a repair person from the cable company.  It took him all of six to eight minutes to do something behind the house.  It was some sort of signaling issue.  Occasionaly my husband will have to tweak our televisions if the connection is not good on the modem. That usually solves any minute problems. We leave our modem on around the clock.  I am an internet marketer, so it gets a mighty workout.  It does not take up a lot of space as it is up right and about the width of a small book. Motorola has always been a trusted brand as far as I am concerned with phones and walkie talkies.  Obviously major cable companies and schools alike trust that brand to deliver optimum services to its patrons and students.

ncdf001

Castle Hayne, NC

While it was alive I was very happy with this modem. It worked great and always got me the rated speeds I was supposed to be getting from my cable internet provider. Almost always when I had issues getting onto the internet, I would find out that the problem was with my internet provider and not my modem. The design of the modem isn't super attractive but it doesn't look like a odd sore thumb either. I can set it up in a corner somewhere and forget about it. It got the job done and that's all I really want out of a cable modem. Recently however it broke on me. It turns on and the lights flash but it just will no longer make a connection with the internet provider. I know it's the modem because I tried using another modem and it works fine. Granted I did use this modem for several years so maybe it was just time it gave up the ghost but I still feel like I got my monies worth though so I still recommened it to others. 

tier9geek

Augusta, GA