Modem questions

[Bion1985]

Hello so the last few days I have been working on the home network at my parents house. Went out and got them a new ac1900 router and configured it for best coverage at there house. While doing this it prompted me to look into what speed plan they had (speed tests were getting 120-130mbps) but having comcast I knew that wasn't an offered speed package. I looked and they are paying for extreme 150. I checked there modem and they were using a older netgear 4x4 modem (3-4 years). I went out and got them a Linkysis 8x4 and speeds went up quite a bit. So my question is would there be any or much difference if I returned the 8x4 for a 16x4, or is a 8x4 plenty of router.

[tt2468]

1 minute ago, Bion1985 said:

Hello so the last few days I have been working on the home network at my parents house. Went out and got them a new ac1900 router and configured it for best coverage at there house. While doing this it prompted me to look into what speed plan they had (speed tests were getting 120-130mbps) but having comcast I knew that wasn't an offered speed package. I looked and they are paying for extreme 150. I checked there modem and they were using a older netgear 4x4 modem (3-4 years). I went out and got them a Linkysis 8x4 and speeds went up quite a bit. So my question is would there be any or much difference if I returned the 8x4 for a 16x4, or is a 8x4 plenty of router.

You shouldn't see any speed difference with a 16x4 modem. Your 8x4 is plenty of MODEM

[ARikozuM]

11 minutes ago, Bion1985 said:

Hello so the last few days I have been working on the home network at my parents house. Went out and got them a new ac1900 router and configured it for best coverage at there house. While doing this it prompted me to look into what speed plan they had (speed tests were getting 120-130mbps) but having comcast I knew that wasn't an offered speed package. I looked and they are paying for extreme 150. I checked there modem and they were using a older netgear 4x4 modem (3-4 years). I went out and got them a Linkysis 8x4 and speeds went up quite a bit. So my question is would there be any or much difference if I returned the 8x4 for a 16x4, or is a 8x4 plenty of router.

The only way to know is to try.

[Bion1985]

12 minutes ago, tt2468 said:

You shouldn't see any speed difference with a 16x4 modem. Your 8x4 is plenty of MODEM

OK thanks, yea I do not know very much about home networking other than the basic setup stuff. I had read something about more channels on the modem supplying more stable speeds but I didn't know if that was true.

 

4 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

The only way to know is to try.

I had thought about it but figured it might be best to get some input first. As returning the 8x4 for the 16x4 just to find the 16x4 didn't make much difference then to go back to the 8x4 would be just a waste of time.

[Donut417]

2 hours ago, tt2468 said:

You shouldn't see any speed difference with a 16x4 modem. Your 8x4 is plenty of MODEM

To further add to @tt2468 statement. How many downstream and Upstream channels depends on your area. For example we only have 3 upstream channels in my town. Not 100% on the downstream but we only can get 75 Mbps down so Im guessing 8 channels is all we may have here. 

 

The most you should see from Comcast is about 20% above your rated speeds. This is because at least in my area, Comcast over provisions internet service by 20% so instead of getting 75/10 I usually get 90/15. But speed is dependent on the area and how congested the node is that serves the neighborhood. 

[Bion1985]

8 hours ago, Donut417 said:

To further add to @tt2468 statement. How many downstream and Upstream channels depends on your area. For example we only have 3 upstream channels in my town. Not 100% on the downstream but we only can get 75 Mbps down so Im guessing 8 channels is all we may have here. 

 

The most you should see from Comcast is about 20% above your rated speeds. This is because at least in my area, Comcast over provisions internet service by 20% so instead of getting 75/10 I usually get 90/15. But speed is dependent on the area and how congested the node is that serves the neighborhood. 

Yea i noticed that at my parents they are paying for 150mbps but usually get 175-180mbps. I guess I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a mistake getting the 8x4 and that maybe I should of went with the 16x4. But if the 8x4 will provide max speeds at a reliable rate for a decent amount of time without needing upgraded too soon I will stick with it.