hello fellas been a while since i posted here, but need some assistance if you dont mind!! I've had a DLINK DCM-202 modem for a long time now... I've been with ATT DSL so haven't used it, but recently switched back to COMCAST... anyway, so I was reading newegg reviews and apparently there seem to be compatibility issues with my Dlink modem and comcast now with powerboost, and higher broadband speeds then what I had when I initially bought the modem... Soooo million dollar question: Any truth to these issues? Should I stick with this modem??? Should I spend the $$$ and upgrade??? if You recommend upgrade, gimme some good suggestions!! Ideally I would like modem/router combo... but ultimately all I care about is the best price/performance deal I can get... (Also, if possible I'd like wireless N, as most of my wireless adapters have that ability)
You pay for your cable modem? Most companies will give you a cable modem free, and upgrade it whenever you ask. Are you sure that Comcast won't just give you a new near-top-of-the-line unit?
well comcast will let me "rent" a modem (5 bucks a month for modem, maybe a little more for router included, not sure)... but i've never had a good experience with rentals, they always seem to reboot constantly and give me issues... I'd rather make a one time purchase with a solid modem and router... that way no rental fees, and I know that it will work properly!
Comcast does not give the modem away. They only rent it. Comcast has a list of compatible modems lists on their site. I do not use the modem router/combos for cable. I have a Toshiba and a Motorola cable modem that I purchased rather than pay Comcast's rental prices. This allows me to select my own router based on my own preferences and needs.
dailun, can you tell me what motorola modem you use, model?? I want to buy my own as well... I had comcast a while back but their netgear gateway they gave me kept disconnecting and rebooting which is why I canceled originally... now I'm back with them, and renting some generic modem, which doesn't disconnect but takes an eternity on random occasions to load a webpage... I dunno what the problem is (hence looking to buy a modem), but if a new modem doesn't fix the problem I'll be going back to ATT!!!! of course tech support is useless... "your connection is working normally, we can send a technician for 30+ dollars"... yea right
I like the newest Surfboard a lot...but my cable company gives me a free modem rental, and it has not given me any grief, so I have no reason to upgrade untill the cable co starts offering the new surfboard for free.
@RedzoneOS, You can pick from this list: http://media2.comcast.net/anon.comcastonline2/support/help/misc/cmclist1.htm I bought a Motorola but someone ripped off the MAC address sticker so I can't use it until I open it up and get the MAC address, so I "fell back" to my "spare backup", which is a Toshiba PCX 2600 which I bought on the 4 letter auction site for $30.00 shipped. it has given me 3 years of trouble free operation. Any Docsis 2.0 modem will work. Docsis 1.1 is too old, and I don't think that the features justify the Docsis 3.0 prices. I hope that helps.
Use your dlink dcm-202 (since you already have it). If it gives you problems, get a different one. I have been using my dlink 202 for almost 3 years and it's rock solid. I bought an extra one in case it ever goes bad, but it runs 24/7 with out any problems. I get tremendous speed with it. It is always best to buy your own modem than to rent. I don't have comcast (cox cable), but I doubt it will be much different than any of the other cable providers. Any problems with broadband speed etc, is always related to bloated antispyware software.
@killerbug, yea I really like that new surfboard too and am thinking if all else fails (my DLink as suggested by another poster), then I will probably buy that one! @dailun and jony, well my DCM-202 is on the list with no compatibility issues.. the reason I haven't tried it yet is because when I was originally with comcast, for some reason they couldnt even add it to the network "unknown error" was the reason I was given, which added to the reason I canceled the first time... To add to it, according to many user reviews I have read, the DCM-202 is compatible with comcast, but it does not support "Powerboost"... so for streaming videos and stuff where powerboost is really beneficial, I will not be able to reap the rewards... and also many users say they can't get anywhere near DL/UL speeds compared too other modems they have used... So I am hesitant considering I have their second tier 20mb connection... anyway thanks for all the suggestions guys, I think I'll give the DCM-202 another shot if tech support can manage to set it up... if I still have issues, I'll buy a new modem, and if that doesn't help, I'll ditch comcast permanently.
If this is an option, you might consider FiOS. The only reason I am still on cable is because those ***holes at verizon will not connect my community; despite tearing up my front yard to run a transmission line to another neighborhood. Then again, why am I recomending a product sold by such people?
lmao o lord I wish FIOS was an option... I dont even know if it's available in Chicago yet, let alone the outskirt suburbs!
Just FYI...I just replaced my old 3COM router with a Linksys WRT54GL with the latest version of dd-wrt. I did it mainly for the wifi...but I have to say that the performance is much better than it was before. PC latency times are dropped, and my PS3 no longer ocassionaly thinks that the router does not support packet fragments. I know that Cisco products have a lot of physical problems as well as the firmware issues (I still remember the smell that the old Cisco enterprise level units would make when the power supply broke and overpowered everything to death), but so far the hardware is doing fine, and thankfully DD-WRT is not made by Cisco.
