Motorola SURFboard SB5101U DOCSIS 2.0 Cable Modem

• Easy to Install, Activate, and Use.
• All packaging products are made from recycled materials and Energy Star Compliant
• USB and Ethernet connectivity to help ensure compatibility with almost any PC or Mac network-ready system
• Supports up to 63 users (with additional networking hardware; not included)
• No telephone lines needed; always on, always connected

After being placed on hold for 10 minutes with technical support, I was informed that Comcast wouldn't activate it because I didn't buy it from an "authorized retailer". The interesting part is that Best Buy is the ONLY authorized retailer. I asked the tech support rep if it's an issue of trust with the Motorola brand (counterfeiting, shoddy equipment, etc...) and he just towed the company line and said, "sir, I'm sorry, but you need to purchase this from Best Buy and not Amazon.com". I was flabbergasted.

As of the writing of this review, Best Buy is offering this same modem for $30 more than Amazon, and Comcast just raised their modem rental fees from $5 to $6.61 in my area. I can't help but wonder what kind of profit sharing setup they've got behind the scenes. This feels like marketplace manipulation, collusion, or some other anti-trust lawsuit waiting to happen.

I'll probably try to call back in another day or two and claim that I bought it from Best Buy. Maybe I caught a tech support rep on a bad day. If not, this modem is getting returned. I just wish Comcast didn't have a monopoly over my cable/internet service -I'd drop them in a heartbeat.

EDIT: As posted below, I was able to successfully activate the modem via Comcast's Online Chat Support.

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This modem was economical and very easy to install. I simply disconnected my old Comcast modem, connected my new Motorola Surfboard modem, and called Comcast to give them my MAC ID (located on the modem). Within five minutes I was connected to the internet with the same great speed!

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Works great. Easy, hassle-free setup, no software install required, just connect the cables, call your cable company to register the modem over the phone and you're done.

This is the only Energy Star rated cable modem I could find. Power adaptor is compact and electronic--not a brick-so it doesn't get hot or waste energy.

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I brought this modem to replace the one I had from Time Warner Cable after the free lease period ended. I am glad I did that since Time Warner recently announced that it would be raising those lease fees from $2.50 to $3.95. So far, so good. The modem was very easy to install. I just swapped out the old modem and connected the power card, coaxial cable, and ethernet/USB cable. (Note that the modem does not come with coaxial and ethernet or USB cables, so you will need to buy those unless you have them; you will also need a coaxial cable splitter if you want to connect a cable TV and cable modem to the same jack). The hardest part of the install was getting through to Time Warner Cable to provide the MAC address (long wait time) and then waiting for the registration to work its way through their system and become active (several hours). So far, I have been very pleased with the device. The modem works perfectly with my wireless router, and I have had very stable and reliable connections on all of my wireless devices. I also have not had to reset the modem once over the past week, unlike the one I had from Time Warner, which needed to be reset every other day or so. I returned the old modem to the cable company today. With the higher lease costs recently announced by company, I will recoup the purchase price in a year and avoid the feeling of being ripped off by the cable company when my bill comes each month.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2013: Six months after purchasing this product, I remain pleased. It is much better and more reliable than the one that Time Warner Cable had provided previously, and I only have had to reset the unit three or four times since purchasing it six months ago.

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I purchased this modem to replace my leased Comcast modem because they were going up once again. The setup was easy just plugged it up and called Comcast to give them the mac address. The worst part of the deal is that Com freaking cast has yet to take it off of my bill so hopefully it will be off this month with a credit.

But the modem works great. But I also found that I could have gotten the same modem for a $1 difference from Walmart and not have to wait on the shipping.