Modem/Router Recommendations
Modem/Router Recommendations
I recently relocated with my wife to a location using Mediacom as our internet provider. Their equipment feels outdated, and I’m frustrated with the ongoing costs of renting a device. At home, I run a Raspberry Pi NAS and an Airsonic music server for Chrome casting, plus I use port-forwarding for external listening. I need a router offering at least two back ports—one for my Pi and another for my gaming station. Our household includes around 15 devices connected via Wi-Fi, including Chromecast audio, Google Home mini devices, phones, laptops, and tablets. What I require is a device I can fully access to customize the network. I’m particularly interested in features like configuring DNS, assigning bandwidth limits, and setting static internal IPs. With a budget of roughly $300 to $350 for both modem and router, I want reliable performance. For the modem, it must support DOCSIS 3.0 for Mediacom compatibility. I’d appreciate some guidance to filter out unsuitable options.
I have a similar setup. One computer with many Wi-Fi devices. I’m using an old Intel NUC that I got for a cheap router and NAS. That could fit your budget and meet your needs. Sorry, I can’t help with the modem. ISPs are really tough on modems.
Check these options against your supported devices if applicable. The suggested models include SB6183, CM500, CM600, and Any Docsis 3.1 modems. I wouldn’t purchase anything below a 16x4 modem. Avoid any 32x8 Docsis 3.0 units—they use the Puma 6 chip which is known to cause problems. The channels you need depend on the speeds you aim for and your setup.
Thanks! The person I spoke on the phone with initially said only certain devices were compatible and they had to be DOCSIS 3.1. This info was incongruous with some of their web documentation stating certain DOCSIS 3.0 modems were compatible. When I probed with that information the person spoke with a colleague and came back to say ANYTHING DOCSIS 3.0/3.1 was compatible. This was nice, but also opened the entire bag of worms. Is there a particular reason you recommend this specific models?
They suggest these options elsewhere. Arris produces decent modems except for the SB6190. The issue with the Puma 6 chip is attributed to Intel.