Broadband Modem – Motorolla Arris SB6141

Costco Item 774054 Modem SB6141  $74.99
Specs:  DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem, 8 download and 4 upload channels , IPV6 (who cares) compatible, Download speed 343 mbps, 2 year limited warranty

After, lets face it, decades of renting broadband modems from Oceanic Cable, I bought a broadband cable modem today from Costco to replace the stock DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem with my own.  The rental charge is about $8 per month from Oceanic and I’ll get that back as soon as I return the old modem.

The physical installation is very simple but you must be willing to get on your hands and knees  and mess with the cables and plastic boxes under a desk. It is somewhat necessary that you are able to identify your modem, the modem power brick (aka wall wart), the broadband cable (tv cable),  your router, nand the router to modem ethernet cable.   You can do this.

STEPS

• Disconnect the coax cable and router RG45 cable from the old modem and connect these to the new one.
• Power up.
• Have the modem Manufacture and MAC address handy for the new modem
• Call Oceanic – on Oahu that would be 643-2100 – tolerate their menu system —
• Talk to the nice tech on the on the other end who is happy to help out ( this is for real – Oceanic in Hawaii has superb technical support. Of course your mileage may vary)
• Provide the info she needs
• It took two power cycles of modem and direct connect PC for the network to come up.
  • there are five lights – when everything is working from top to bottom  –
    1. power (green solid),
    2. Receive (blue solid),
    3. Send (blue solid),
    4. Online – internet connection (green solid) ,
    5. link (flashing blue – GigE connection)
  • When things weren’t working  2 and 3 were flashing green – probably indicating the computer (or router) was not responsive/working.  After rebooting computer, all came up.  All three 2,3,4 must be solid or there is a problem.
• Pack up the old modem for return to Oceanic

Impressions

The unit is white plastic, stands upright, and has an unimpressive cheap feel to it. In this case appearances have no relevance having nothing to do with function.  The white chassis is said to be the color of the retail release, while the black case is supposed to be only for cable operators.  The indicator lights are bright and may be distracting to sensitive persons.  Performance: normal.  I measured download 55mbp +-  upload 6 mbps – this is what my plan is supposed to provide, so no issues.  I expect this device to last three to five years and be a trouble-free, out of sight out of mind device.  There is a small liability to having my own modem.   For example, if I make Oceanic come to my house to troubleshoot it, they will charge $58 per hour since it’s my modem and my problem.  However that’s only if they send someone out, at my request, which won’t happen. If the modem is dead we can figure that out and it’s time to buy a new one.

Reviews- there are many reviews of this device,  google “modem sb6141 review” for device specs and reviews.  Basically all good.  For what it’s worth Dave Murray of “The Wirecutter” rates the SB6141 “the best cable modem”.  This article is worth reading for some background on the device.