SURFboard G34

This review is for the Arris Surfboard G34. I purchased this combo modem/router to replace my old one. When using Cox, note that you can't just plugin the new device and start using it -- you always need to call their technical support team to have them unregister your old device and register your new one.The setup process was easy and straight forward. The most difficult party was getting through to Cox technical support. My previous modem/router used DOCSIS 3.0 technology, so this upgrade gave me a 45% increase in download speed and a 366% increase in upload speed; all without changing my service plan.I saw lots of negative reviews for this device regarding the intermittent internet connections or the failure to connect to the internet. I have not personally experienced either of these issues. For buys who have this concern, if possible, I recommend retaining your old hardware for at least 30 days just in case you need to revert back.The product offers an optional mobile app to manage the network. The mobile app has very bad reviews. My recommendation is to configure your wireless network using your web browser first, then configure your mobile app after. Most of the negative reviews appeared to be from users attempting to perform the initial configuration using the mobile app.PROS:- Easy to install.- Fast wireless speeds.- Optional mobile app.- Modem and wireless router combined into a single hardware device.CONS:- The single LED status light makes it difficult to determine the state of the modem (see below).- When you rename a device using the web interface, those names do not carry through on the mobile app.FEATURES NOT ADVERTISED:- Free mobile app called 'SURFboard Central.' The mobile app allows you to see what devices are connected to your network, assess your network health, test your Wi-Fi speed, and even rename connected devices. The app was easy for me to use, despite the negative reviews.- You can setup a primary home network, a secondary home network, and a guest network. Each network includes a 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz SSID.COLOR CODES:- Solid Green LED: Indicates the Online status is in DOCSIS 3.0 mode.- Solid Blue LED: Indicates the Online status is in DOCSIS 3.1 mode. *This is the color you want to see.- Blinking Green LED: Indicates downstream and upstream channel search.- Solid Amber LED: Indicates the unit is powered on.- Blinking Amber LED: Indicates the firmware download is in progress.- Blinking Blue and Green LED: Indicates error mode in sequence.- Solid Light Blue LED: Indicates the WAN is selected over the Ethernet mode.

I purchased this ARRIS SBG8300 gateway new from Amazon for $177 in May 2024 to switch from AT&T DSL2+ (copper landline) to Sparklight cable internet service (100 MBps down/ 10 MBps up). I decided to purchase and own it myself, rather than pay rental fees- it should pay for itself in about one year. I wanted an established DOCSIS 3.1 design (3.1 is required by Sparklight) that could handle possible future cable bandwidth upgrades, and this gateway seemed good for that. It has 32 x 8 channels for DOCSIS 3.0 and 2 x 2 channels for DOCSIS 3.1, and can theoretically handle up to 4 Gbps download speeds, so this is probably way more gateway than I need now.The Sparklight installation tech told me that this was the first time he had encountered a new customer who provided their own gateway in my rural MS town. This turned out to be a minor problem, as he had always been given the gateways pre-configured. Initially, he was unable to get it up and running, and he had to run off to perform other installations (Uh-oh!). But the Sparklight phone support people were very good, and saw that the gateway was simply waiting for a firmware update. Apparently, firmware updates are something that only the cable company can do. Sparklight was able to push the update remotely, and I was off and running.Configuration was pretty straightforward. I should warn potential buyers that the gateway's firewall is set to WEAK by default. I decided to switch the firewall to MEDIUM, and discovered that I could no longer access the gateway configuration page directly using the http:// browser connection. After going to MEDIUM, it only allowed https:// browser connections. So, you have to go through a few extra clicks (accepting the risk, etc.) in the browser to reconnect to the gateway's configuration page. With all of the warnings, etc., it is easy to believe that your new gateway may have been hacked, so be prepared for that. Make sure that you turn off UPnP for added security unless you need that. It is also a good idea to do a port scan to make sure there are no unnecessary open ports that could present good targets for hackers.Performance has been excellent, delivering over the purchased speeds (usually, I get 110 Mbps download and 20 MBps upload via speedtest.net). I have not had a single problem after about 1 week of service, have never needed to do a reset, and the gateway seems to be running cool, just above room temperature.I think that most problems that people experience with cable modems/gateways in general are due to 1) poor line signal quality and 2) WiFi crowding/interference issues. The SBG8300 provides line quality information in the homepage, so you can troubleshoot signal issues yourself and perhaps avoid extra service fees if the problem is inside your home. I did not try the gateway configuration app for wireless devices- all of my tweaking was through a hard Ethernet connection and web browser. FYI the gateway homepage did complain about my Firefox version 126 (some warning about needing at least v 63) , but it worked OK.I guess that the only features that I wanted, but couldn't have using this gateway, are:1) WiFi 6 - this gateway has the older WiFi 5 (802.11ac) standard . But our current wireless devices can't use WiFi 6 anyway, so no biggie.2) No USB port on the gateway. This is very handy if you want to do network printing via USB, or set up a large USB stick as a network drive (NAS).Overall, I really like the performance of this gateway. Time will tell if the hardware is as reliable as it appears to be.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7/24 Update- No problems after ~ 60 days, very pleased. After doing a little more research, it turns out that there are some interesting reasons some cable modems fail. It all goes back to the original cable concept as a distribution system for ONE-WAY analog TV signals. Cable modems must both receive and send digital signals. If the DOWNLOAD line signal quality is poor, you will get disconnect/reconnect issues- everyone knows that. But the more serious issue is with the UPSTREAM signal. The cable modems will try to overcome poor line quality conditions by BOOSTING the UPLOAD signal. This leads to greater continuous heat generation inside the modem, and sometimes failure due to overheating. So, the reason some folks need to replace their cable modems regularly is due to the poor line signal quality, not necessarily the modem itself. You can fix this with a special amplifier called an active return cable modem amplifier (Amazon sells these), but the permanent fix is to get the cable company to change out the cabling and components to get a good baseline signal.