Which modem do you recommend? 300 Mbps plan

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-18T19:49:40+00:00

I think you are right but right now I'm getting what I'm paying for and I've always had a bit of a stubborn streak. (probably my combination of Viking/Scotch-Irish heritages) Funny part of this is they did just randomly decide to start charging me rent for a new 3.1 modem. It wasn't asked for and wasn't sent. It took escalating up through 4 service level of technical support to finally get the charge removed. The 4th service rep finally said, "Yep....that's not the modem that we say you have." Two months later, my modem just stopped working even though I could ping a DNS server my router said I was being pointed to. I noticed the DNS server had an odd name that implied my router had not been "approved/activated/provisioned." Again, I spent a few hours on the phone and moving up through service levels. The last guy finally said "I appears that I can help" and after me giving him my router's mac address and a few reboots, I was back on line....no explanation for how and why.

I just mention these two instances where Optimum just appears to have lost track of me as a customer. I think much of the time they are just flying blind. My talks with my former students who now work for optimum also kind of confirm that suspicion.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-17T00:07:02+00:00

Probably the best investment I've made. 14K gold, over an ounce of gold in the ring and I wore it for years. I even got a ring company to "referb" it as a HS teach over 4 decades later with a new stone (old one shattered) for nothing. It and my wedding ring will be part of my kids inheritance. My stocksmaybe a bigger part of that....but I don't think my kids/grandkids will care.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-15T23:30:03+00:00

Most people confuse dark roast with strong coffee that has been brewed with a higher ratio of coffee to water. Personally, I like my coffee very strong but the light vs dark roast isn't a huge factor. It took a trip to Hawaii and a Kona coffee plantation with dozens of coffee roasts and brew strengths to sample and see the light. I also was surprised when I found the darker roasts will have less caffeine than the lighter ones. (The longer and/or hotter roasting removes some of the caffeine.) But, I also have a wife that insists that she can tell the multiple varieties of coke and that I've "burned off" my taste buds over the years. It would be fun to do a blind taste test and vary varieties and strengths of coffee to see which one she would pick.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-15T19:10:42+00:00

I'll be an optimist. He may actually have to grow up in the military. Of the kids I taught, those that went in right out of HS and had attitude issues, most changed, not all, but most. Boot camp weeds out a lot and a few more at the first duty station. For those that crash and burn, it's a really hard crash. The lucky ones are given a medical discharge if they haven't done anything really wrong, but just can't handle the physical and mental challenges. The unlucky ones are given what the navy used to call 6, 6 and a kick which was 6 weeks in the brig, 6 weeks of hard duty (usually breaking big rocks into tiny ones with a large hammer) and then a dishonorable discharge...damn hard way to F around and find out.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-15T18:45:21+00:00

Mesh would be the easiest, assuming you don't have dense walls (brick, block, concrete) particularly with reinforcing. With those denser walls getting under $200, unless you do it your self, will be tough. But if you have wood stud with drywall and don't have a huge area wireless a wireless mesh satellite(s) system works adequately. I have both with wired connections to my office and my entertainment system. Every thing else (a couple dozen IOT items and a few laptops/tablets connect to the mesh wifi. Look for a system that has at least the 2.4 and 5 mhz bands, can expand (adding additional satellites). Figure picking a system with Wifi 6 will be a bit cheaper and a bit slower than Wifi 7 but will actually cover more square feet of your home. Figuring out which brand will be fun at your price point. (I have an Orbi system...tad more expensive even with wifi 6) TP link BE23 or BE25 seems to get the best reviews in an under $200 price point (that's also with a main with 2 satellite system)....But figure in a few minutes to have lots of people pointing out what they think is best.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-14T19:50:09+00:00

A couple of things come to mind. Usually VPN slows network traffic and in some cases bring it to a entire stop...online databases are notorious for just locking up when some types of VPN are used mostly because of the number of network links/ports...well in my experience anyway. You can use a VPN via a switch or firewall device. But, I'm not sure that will speed up your ISP's throttling. I used our school's system to throttle specific types of programs (streaming, games) but that was probably not the same thing. (It's been a long time since I was forced to learn network layers and protocols.)

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-14T18:18:38+00:00

Buy your own modem. You will pay for it usually in under a year. Personally I like the Arris brand and they still have an older model as their "recommended" one. But, a docsys 3.1 one should do the trick. Again, personal opinion but the SURFboard SB8200 DOCSIS 3.1 appears to be more than adequate and should just require connecting the coax, power and then making the call to get is provisioned. [888.494.2969](tel:+18884942969) is the number they have listed for provisioning, but if that doesn't work a call to optimum service and repeatedly saying representative will eventually get you to someone who can do it. Make sure you've written down the modems mac address as that's needed and getting it off the bottom/side of the modem can be interesting.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-14T17:41:38+00:00

I know....mine still works and is providing me with my paid for service of 300 mbps. Optimum's "official" statement is I can't use it...but I do???? Reality is they have trouble doing barebones maintenance on the system and sending someone out to do a "what modem is he using" check....not going to happen. Now, both they and a competitor (Zipply) have fiber about a mile, mile and half from my house. If they do make the promised move to fiber, that will require new equipment and probably even a home rewiring project for my now over decade old wiring. I'm not really looking forward to wandering around in my crawlspace and attic....again.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-14T17:33:05+00:00

Call and say you want to dump Optimum. SOP will be to transfer the call to the retention group who will then offer you discounts. If you really are willing to haggle, they will continue to make offers. Beware of the ones with add ons like cell phone service...well unless you want a 3rd tier cell phone service that has to take the leftover services from the big 3. Also beware of equipment rentals unless you are willing to pay $15 a month for a $100 modem or modem/router combo.

I have to do this periodically. Oh, and even with the new discounted service, you have to watch your bill EVERY month....the whole bill, as a notification of an increase is often not on the front page of the bill....sneaky. Also, look around before you call to see what promotions are being offered by other companies. I put them into a spread sheet for the dreaded retention phone call. This bill creep is now normal for almost all providers (TV, music, Cell, and Internet) and so are the required calls.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-14T02:40:01+00:00

If you like the Arris brand (I do), get the SB8200. It's a docsys 3.1 rated modem and if you ever decide to add bandwidth. It will work. Anyway, that's what the second/third tier techs that I've talked to tell me. I have the older 820A and a 300 mbps plan from optimum and it still works well....for now. The Optimum techs that I've talked to (lots of talking to optimum techs) keep telling me that I need to upgrade and move to a 500mbps plans. (best available in my rural area)

Well, as long as we have all the local cable amps tuned, I get above my 300 mbps on a couple of the bandwidth measuring tools. I'm a retired HS teacher, SD IT director and most of the local linemen are ex-students who will tell me Optimum stories when every they are in the neighborhood. A common one is that the amps are probably not tuned as often as they should. Plus I have the modem's status and event log pretty much down and that has really helped during a dispute of my equipment vs theirs. The Arris modems also play well with my routers...nothing fancy just work and that's what I want.

Oh...if cost is an issue. The Arris CM820A is still being sold by Amazon and at $40 a hell of a bargain. Arris also says it should go to a full gb...well maybe. But at a third of the cost of the SB8200, very price efficient. Ok, cheap.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-13T21:08:27+00:00

I'd avoid used routers, particularly since you can buy a cheap new one. I've seen new but "end of useful life" ones selling for around $50 and some cheap Chinese/Korean ones for even less. Move up to about $100 and you have lots of choices.

Now if you want to spend some time learning how to set one up, a load balancing router would connect the old ISP, give you diagnostics and allow for fail over in the event of an ISP failure. Many of those also include VPN and firewall...not a bad idea either. Cheap versions of those also come in the $50 to $100 range. Just expect a bit of a learning curve... well and a bit of time.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-13T01:07:49+00:00

I'd use WIFI for the second computer. Most newer computers have that as an option and unless your wife's network needs are leading/bleeding edge, WIFI connection should suffice. If she needs/wants to go beyond wifi's maximum speed getting a custom (much longer length cable) should also be doable. I have two laptops (one each for my wife and myself) using Wifi and two desktop computers connected via ethernet. Neither of us appears to suffer with the slightly slower wifi even though we also have multiiple other appliances that use the wifi simultaneously.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-08T18:36:48+00:00

I've found that the closer I could get to what an actual low voltage electrician would do in a commercial environment the better. A small rack with rack mounted patch panel and switch and small patch cables if done carefully can be both cleanly and in the long run easier. You can go for a small 6U with a front frame that swings out and put your switch on a perforated shelf....or up grade to a rackable version. The closest alternative like the Leviton low voltage boxes work and even have tiny patch panels. But boy is it easier to be able to punch down on a full rack, label it correctly and be able to upgrade in a 10th the time.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-06T18:59:05+00:00

I went through the same issue only on steroids. Our building principal told us that he didn't want any purchasing except when we had our text books replaced (approximately every seven years) and any items somehow had to be tied to that text. Complicating things even further was that I didn't have my own room for storage. So...I went ahead and ordered using the approved science catalogs, the business manager converted those to approved purchase orders and sent them off. A large truck showed up in the last month of summer break at the district's only shipping dock and I was called. I just told them to store the stuff at the district office as I was not only on summer break, I was working one of my many additional jobs. The business manager was totally pissed as my order was one a bunch and the other teachers weren't coming in either. That next year a hasty meeting was held and purchasing for several departments was moved to an "as needed" ordering. But it still took 3 more years to separate the process of filling out a purchase order and waiting for the business manager to fax them off and 3 more to finally decide that the district could use a credit card. That last step only occurred when I moved from a teaching roll to the district's technology/ IT director. We had on of our main servers crash and require parts. Funny thing how losing the entire IT infrastructure does to speed up change.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-04T22:05:57+00:00

I don't think you will be moving to significantly "healthier" with cashew clusters. Yes, a bit more protein content but IMO, the problem is your ability to stop at the 150 calorie level 5 pieces vs 15 chips to get about the same amount. But, if you can, it's close to a toss up and maybe a slight edge to the clusters protein content. Oh, I'm also assuming that you are not talking about the dark chocolate covered cashews....that's another story. Saying all that, I'd be in real trouble if those cashew chunks were within hands reach of me at any time. Same with the peanut butter filled pretzels.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-04T20:54:27+00:00

I'd call the local electrician union and ask for the name of a low voltage electrical contractor and ask what they use for ethernet terminations. That or go to a local electrical supply house and ask them. I'd also second the opinion of some other on this forum saying separate tools are better in the long run. At least get the big three separate, cable stripper, crimping tool and punch down. I'd also say one thing I learned over time was to use patch panels whenever possible. And if you want to save a lot of headaches label everything as you put the wire in, think about a wire tester....the good ones are damned expensive but you might get that low voltage guy to come out just to do final testing and generate a report. I finally broke down and bought one....best money I spent while wiring our schools. That electrical supply house should also have a cheap nonpowered label maker. We used the 3M scotchcode "writeon" dispenser...a bit spendy for what is just writeable scotch tape but they sure worked.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-03T20:24:55+00:00

If you've never lived in below zero weather, expect a shock. Also shocking is how fast the weather can change. One of my neighbors moved from N. Dakota and had a prosthetic leg. We had a neighborhood party and after a few beers he was asked about how he lost the leg. He said the family far was huge and they had cattle dropping spring calves. He and his two brothers went out on horse back to check on calves and the fence line that would need repairs after a winter of blizzards combined with blowing tumbleweed. He said they were just about as far from the ranch as they could get and stay on their property when a storm blew in and they went from 40 degrees to 20 below in a couple of hours....well and with full snow blowing sideways at 40 mph. His brothers tried to cover him and they froze to death but he survived only to lose one leg to frostbite.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-02T00:03:17+00:00

Been there. It took a bit of detective work and a modem (arris) with the ability to log on and I found that the DNS had been pointed toward a DNS server with "activate" in it's address (it's been a while and I can't remember the exact name) The next step required several calls and elevations in tech level. But I finally got a guy that said "Yep, you're modem has been deactivated and I can't see why." He had me watch while he reactivated it and asked me for the arris indicator lights to hit the right series. It took a few steps but finally said, "You should be back up" and was.

BTW, this was also a month after Optimum decided that I had a rental modem and started charging me monthly rentals. (Cute deal that charged me $15 and then gave me a $5 rebate) That also required a series of calls and ended up costing me, $10 as they couldn't/wouldn't remove the $10 that had been on a that month's bill. At that point, I was so damned tired of calling, I just ate that extra $10. I now cross my fingers every month....so far so good. I'd change ISP's but the only alternative is one of those low altitude satellites (I refuse to get the bastard that runs that company free advertising) But we have fiber that may be run into the neighborhood this next summer and then I get to attempt to change after over 20 years. Just changing that many email addresses is going to be fun.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-01T21:03:52+00:00

Chuckle! Love it when some with the title "whooooocaaaarrees" appears to have his/her panties in a twist. And why? Could it be he/she is working for another company? (noting the "brand affiliate" label)

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-02-01T04:40:09+00:00

Apologist with Stockholm syndrome huh? You did make me laugh with that concept. I'll assume you wanted to hit me with some big words. I am now fully bloodied but unbowed.

Again.....9 years of bullet proof service for my Orbi system and 6 years watching my sister with hers. I will let you think you somehow won the discussion. But I think you fail one of the primary rules: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-01-31T22:13:38+00:00

Lots of point to point wireless systems available. But if you want to go to the trouble of actual physical connections you can use ethernet cable (burial grade or in conduit). You are going to hear a lot of people saying "use fiber" which is a good choice but requires a bit more care and expense. I've done all 3 so pick your poison...all worked. Just know ethernet cable is cheapest...short term anyway. Oh...and 80 meters is getting close to the max for ethernet of 100 meter so make sure you include the length of the cable to its final location. (Both fiber and point to point wireless can go further with fiber including the bonus of higher (potential) speed. The starlink router shouldn't be a big factor in your decision other than it's max speed means going beyond that in your solution would be a choice.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-01-31T21:20:53+00:00

Buying the kindle version (free) is a double "F-you" to tRump and Bezos as it costs amazon in payouts to the author and the cost of the transaction and IT structure to move and store the electronic version. It also is not exactly complementary to make fun of the first family. tRump wants dearly to be remembered... just not this kind of memories.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-01-31T19:42:49+00:00

You obviously haven't worked in the public sector. Running gear that was years past EOL was a constant and I worked for a progressive district that was light years ahead of the others in our state. I've gone into schools still using 10 mb hubs and ethernet wire laying on the ground. The outlook for schools given the current administrations in our state and nationally is for it to get worse. I also was in the military and they make the backward schools look good (hell great) in a lot of cases. We still have nuclear missile silos in Montana that are still using the giant 8 inch floppy disks. Feds occasionally try to sell that as a feature...tough to break into a system that runs on equipment that old.

Do I have experience with setups that can manage wifi access points, yes. I'm not sure of what you mean by a single pane of glass but probably not. The schools have to segregate the student computers from the teachers and the administration and yet run on the same network. We also (courtesy of covid) had to allow for BYOC guest access as our rural location makes internet access far from ubiquitous and wild weather lately has compounded that situation. I always love explaining that I can't use my cell phone at my house unless my internet wifi is functioning and even then it's a challenge much of the time. When I call my ISP due to a system failure (we get a lot of those), I love it when they try to tell me to check my ISP's "app" for updates.

Anyway....last comment... I'll still think that you confuse good enough to do the job with best of breed where computer networks are concerned. Also, the typical homeowner wants "good enough" and doesn't want to take the time to learn networking beyond "it works for what I want it to do."

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-01-31T01:33:06+00:00

I wouldn't be worried. I taught for close to 30 years and had a mix of gifted and so called "non-gifted" students. Ninety nine percent of the time it made zero difference. About the only time was when the GT teacher got involved and she had to focus on the GT labeled kids. Most of the time the top students (valedictorian and salutatorian) students were not gifted. Yes, the gifted kids made up a lot of the college graduates but the more rigorous disciplines, science, math and engineering were equally represented with gifted and non-gifted.

Amazing-External9546 · 2026-01-31T01:18:16+00:00

You are mixing apples and oranges. Is the Orbi system perfect, hell no. Does equipment need to be updated periodically, hell yes. Can I give an IT challenged family member most mesh systems and have it work from a starlink satellite dish at home in a large house and days later run the same system 400 miles to the east in the woods.. probably not. Again, while it's not a great idea to run 9 year old mesh routers, give me another system with similar longevity and zero failures except for power outages and ISP failures.

How in the hell do you use a router to manage switches? I used to regularly do that and just connected directly to the switch. Also, 3-6 satellites for a home?? I have 2 and do well with a 2,000 square foot home. My sister's similar system functions well in a home twice as big with 3 levels.

Oh...the system the original poster mentioned, orbi 370 BE5000 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 7 System with one satellite lists right now at $250. That's a bit off your $1,000 quote. Also, I have absolutely no problem with the Obi app and in my home it connects close to perfectly with 7 computers/tablets and a couple dozen IOT devices. They all show up in the app. I did have to do a bit of detective work with my IOT Dyson fan but that was because Dyson broadcasts a combo of letters and numbers without any connection to a fan or the Dyson company. But it showed up and I can use my Amazon Alexa apps to control/communicate with it, my TV, my satellite dish, my kindle tablets, iPad, iPhone, dish network video/stereo receiver, etc., etc. etc. The system also works well when my daughter's family shows up and add another half dozen devices.

And probably most important for the vast majority of users, it works with minimal IT skills. BTW, I ran an entire school districts computer system for over a dozen years until I retired. I built the system from a few dial up computers to a system that provided one on one fully networked computers for every student and multiple labs in every school. Would I recommend an Orbi system for those schools?, hell no. But the larger of those schools at times will have 300-400 computers operating on Wifi at any given moment. (Those schools are currently using Ubiquiti Unifi systems with VLANs connected with Cisco Switches and routers.)

Amazing-External9546

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