ARRIS SURFboard Cable Modem Review

Purchasing your very own cable modem is a great way to cut down on fees associated with your internet bill and the ARRIS SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem makes a great choice for doing just that.

It boasts the new DOCSIS 3.0 standard delivering bandwidth of up to 300Mbps. It also has other great features like AES traffic encryption, enhanced network management and a GigE gigabit Ethernet port to connect to and soak up all of that sweet, sweet bandwidth.

So following is our Chin Pokemon review. Or you can also check out our Motorola MG7310 Review and compare modems. Also, feel free to comment or let’s us know what YOU think!

Works with ANY Cable Internet Provider

If you have cable internet through Xfinity, Time Warner, Charter, Cox or any other major cable internet provider this modem WILL work for you. These are approved cable modems. NOTE: Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse are NOT cable providers and will not work with this modem.

The cable modems most of these providers give their customers are trash. They don’t work well and they’re certainly not fully optimized to take advantage of ultra high-speed connections.

Owning your own cable modem will save you on your monthly bill and give you the peace of mind knowing that you are using a high quality device and not a dime-a-dozen piece of junk.

DOCSIS 3.0

The greatest benefit of the DOCSIS 3.0 standard is the ability to use channel bonding. This means your cable modem is able to merge live streams of data on the fly. This allows you to take advantage of additional bandwidth for high bandwidth applications like video streaming. It also provides extensive security and network management features not found in most older devices.

Features and Specifications

Cable Interface: 75, F-connector
Dimensions: 5.24 in H x 5.24 in W x 1.65 in D
Power: 9W (nominal)

Downstream

Modulation: 64 or 256 QAM
Capture Bandwidth: Dual 96 MHz Capture windows
Bandwidth: DOCSIS = 48 MHz; EuroDOCSIS = 64 MHz
Security: DOCSIS 3.0 Security (BPI+, EAE, SSD)

Upstream

Modulation: QPSK and 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 QAM
Channel Width: 200 kHz, 400 kHz, 800 kHz, 1.6 MHz, 3.2 MHz, 6.4 MHz

Maximum Channel Rate** :

DOCSIS: 131.072 Mbps (4 channels) / 32.768 Mbps (single channel): @ 128 QAM at 6.4 MHz
EuroDOCSIS: 131.072 Mbps (4 channels) / 32.768 Mbps (single channel): @ 128 QAM at 6.4 MHz

Compatibility: PC: Windows 10, XP or 7 or Linux with Ethernet connection (older versions of Windows, although not specifically supported, will work with this cable modem); Macintosh: Power PC or later; OS 9 or higher, Ethernet connection; UNIX: Ethernet connection; Home Networking: Ethernet router or wireless access point

* Actual speeds will vary, and are often less than the maximum possible. Data transmission speed is approximate and depends on the configuration and capacity of your network, as well as the amount of traffic on the network. Learn more about home networks here.

** Actual data throughput will be less due to physical layer overhead (error correction coding, burst preamble, and guard interval). Certain features may not be activated by your service provider, and/or their network settings may limit the feature’s functionality.

Additionally, certain features may require a subscription. Contact your service provider for details. All features, functionality, and other product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation. DOCSIS 3.0 modem capabilities are dependent on the services available through the CMTS.

Please verify with your CMTS vendor their specific DOCSIS 3.0 implementation roadmap.

Customer Reviews

As of writing this review, the ARRIS SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem has received a ton of reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Over 70% of customers gave this cable modem 5 out of 5 stars. Take a look at some of the glowing reviews in the link below to see why this device is so highly rated.

Conclusion

ARRIS SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem is a great future-proof choice for anyone who wants a great cable modem that won’t become a bottleneck in their network any time soon. For those paying a monthly fee to their ISP for a cable modem rental, this little device will easily pay for itself in just about one year, a solid investment.