Motorola SURFboard SB5100 Modem - My High Speed Gateway to the 'Net!
Written: Oct 17 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive and high quality. Installation was a snap. Let's me speed through cyberspace!
Cons: None so far and none expected.
The Bottom Line: Motorola has been making cable modems for a while so I expect this the SB5100 to last for years. Easy setup and a typical price.
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| androoos's Full Review: Motorola SURFboard SB5100 Modem |
I feel the need...for SPEED
I purchased Motorola's SB5100 SURFboard Cable modem when I decided it was time for high speed internet in my home. It was on sale at Best Buy for $69.99 with a $20 rebate.
Setup
Setup was easy. I screwed my RG-6 coaxial cable onto the unit, plugged the network cable into the modem and into my wireless router, and plugged the modem into the wall. I didn't have to install the drivers included on a CD since they're for the USB connection, and the modem is connected to my wireless network. I then continued on to the only annoying step - calling my cable company (Cox) and having them plug in my new modem's MAC address into their system to grant me access to the internet. That was only annoying because I was on hold for 30 minutes. Otherwise, a piece of cake.
Size...does it matter?
The modem is 6" tall, 6" deep and an inch wide. It sits on it's own foot and has four connections on the back:
Power (cord and voltage adapter included in the box)
Network cable (one 6' cord included)
Coax cable (from the wall, no cable supplied)
USB cable connection (USB cable provided as well)
Blinky blinky!!
There are six lights on the front face of the unit:
Power - When blinking, startup diagnostics are in progress. When steady green, the cable modem is powered on.
Receive - When blinking, the modem is scanning for a connection. When solid green, the downstream channel is
connected.
Send - When blinking, the modem is scanning for a send channel connection. When solid green, the upstream (send) channel is connected.
Online - When blinking, the modem is scanning for a network
connection. When solid, the startup process is complete
PC/Activity - When blinking orange, the modem is transmitting or receiving data.
Standby - When on, standby mode is engaged.
Standby mode
There is a button on top of the SB5100 that says "Standby". If you press this button, the modem stops functioning, and is in standby mode. It won't transmit an internet connection anymore. This basically shuts it off without having to disconnect the unit to restart it. If you had pulled the power, the unit would have to go through it's startup procedure all over again when plugging it back in. By putting it in "Standby" you avoid those extra steps. To be honest, I never use this feature.
I'm speeding...
I've got my high speed cable modem all set up and I'm happy. Pages load in a fraction of the time, just as advertised. When downloading large files, I consistently get 150Kbytes to 200Kbytes per second with this new connection. Regardless to say, I'm happy. Motorola's SB5100 SURFboard helped me get there, so I'm looking forward to years of high-speed surfing thanks to Motorola and Cox Communications. This product is recommended.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 63
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Epinions.com ID:
androoos
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Member: JC Andrews
Location: Chesapeake, VA
Reviews written: 70
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
Great job-check. House-check. Wife-check. Dog-check. Kids? Uh-oh.
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