Do cable modems make a difference?

[KeesX]

As the title suggests, do they make a difference at all in overall performance or does it only matter with your isp? I was planning on getting a Zoom model 5341.

Currently have the Motorola Surfboard SB5101.

[rufee]

If they do make a difference its probably to do with the ping times being lower, speed should stay relatively the same.

Aren't there any cable modems from more popular manufacturers like D-Link, TP-Link, etc... ?

[KeesX]

Well, I'm trying to buy local, or at least start locally. There is a computer store in my area, Microcenter. But they only seem to have 2 cable modem brands, Linksys and Zoom.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/387043/DPC3008_Advanced_DOCSIS_30_Cable_Modem

http://www.microcenter.com/product/366191/DOCSIS_30_Cable_Modem_Approved_For_All_Services_-_5341

[rufee]

The Zoom one seems to be a better choice, though don't take my word for it I never had a cable modem in my life, some other members with a cable connection could help you decide better. Anyway what kind of speeds are you getting right now ?

[KeesX]

15-20 Down, 3 Up. According to speedtest.

[Swoosh]

I can't imagine a modem will make a massive difference, unless the one you have is really old and is not capable of the speeds provided by your ISP. A good quality router will serve you well if you live in a household with a lot of devices accessing the internet at the same time. I think ultimately though if your download speeds are lower than expected its probably a problem on the line, or just the line is at its limit (especially if you are on ADSL). Despite this however, faulty modems can cause lower than expected download speeds, but they dont tend to go bad very often.

[KeesX]

Sometimes we get the occasional lag, or slow loading on videos such as youtube or lag spikes on games for a period of time. I have a total of 7 people in the house and all of us have a computer or laptop and such. We have a pretty decent router I think. It's the Netgear N600.

[KingLinkTiger]

You have 7 people running behind an Netgear N60, this may be the source of your problem. Instead of switching out your cable modem, which would only benefit you in slightly better speeds, I think switching out your router might be the better option. With that many devices using the internet at the same time, I feel that it is your router getting bogged down and bottleneck your network. What might be a good way to test this out is find a friend with a different router, borrow it to test it on your network, and see if there is a difference.

[_Rogue]

If you're looking to get a new modem you should ensure it is compatible with the DOCSIS 3.0 standards otherwise as faster speeds become available you will be limited by your modem. Another thing with DOCSIS 3.0 that is good is that it alleviates congestion because there are more channels available to use(like lanes on a road) so even with slower speeds you will see your max speeds dip less. As a last note, before you buy ensure your ISP supports the modem including the firmware version before you buy it otherwise it will be useless to you.

[urworstnit3m3r]

The ping times have more to do with your location in relation to the fiber parts of the cable system, the closer you are to the node the faster your pings will be the farther out you are the higher your pings.

Node= spot where fiber is turned into coax.

 

Source I work for Charter, who provides cable internet.

basically it goes like this Charters access to Internet>fiber to certain areas>then coax some distance over streets to the house

 

also like some have said above, make sure it is DOCSIS 3 and your provider accepts that modem you choose

[MEDU]

For the amount of bandwidth you get from your ISP, the modem change probably will not make a difference and if you are getting those speeds with a speedtest, theres nothing wrong with the current modem. You would have to upgrade your modem if you get something like 30Mbps or higher down speeds. 

[Dieman566]

As the title suggests, do they make a difference at all in overall performance or does it only matter with your isp? I was planning on getting a Zoom model 5341. Currently have the Motorola Surfboard SB5101.

Good old SB5101, I had that modem for ages, in fact I still have it.  It was just upgraded.

 

I would only bother upgrading the modem if your ISP has said that you need a Docisis 3.0 modem to take advantage of higher speeds.  The SB5101's are reliable bastards.