Best Gaming Modems [Opinions]

[XSXS]

awwww... I was hoping to get NetDuma in a multicore router

 

Im not sure you really need firmware to do the things it can do.

 

So that also means they are locked into that hardware. Awwww...

 

You know. That has to change actually. Multigig is here. That hardware wont do it.

 

Hmm.. I see OpenWRT supports that Mikrotik product.. https://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/hwdata/mikrotik/mikrotik_rb951g-2hndBut OpenWRT is not supported on any of the modern Mikrotik platforms that are multicore.

 

Well... and this is important.. Gaming is really not about bandwidth, its all about latency. So a gamer really should not need speed. So the NetDuma should be fine as long as you dont do other things while gaming.

 

The Ubiquity might be a good platform as its opensource and is OK powerful.

 

But change needs to occur in the NetDuma, its a multigig world now and you need at least 1M pps. maybe 10M.

 

Where do you live?  I live in Phx and not one person I know personal has over 300Meg.  Cox, my ISP is still a year or two out for even 1 gig service.  I mean do normal families even need 1 gig?  Cox is already putting a monthly data cap on their customer as well as others,  interested on how this will effect heavy bandwidth users.  Anyway, I only have 150 meg service that is overkill for my household as we never stream anything, no Netflow, no Roku no firestick but even if we did I think 150Meg is still plenty.  

 

However lets say this mulit gig world happens sooner than expected, I would think the Netduma team would have new hardware to use with their software, I know I would. I do agree the hardware is a little dated.  

[e38BimmerFN]

I recommend that you ask your ISP for V version SW for the SB6190 or any versions V or later. 

 

The 6190 has known issues with it's Intel Puma 6 chip set and is well documented here:

These links are to DSLreports information regarding Intel's problem with there Puma 6 chip set seen in various Mfr cable modems:

Initial:

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31079834-ALL-SB6190-is-a-terrible-modem-Intel-Puma-6-MaxLinear-mistakeand

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31122204-SB6190-Puma6-TCP-UDP-Network-Latency-Issue-Discussionand https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31340594-ALL-SB6190-and-CM700-latency-fix-firmware-ready-to-test

 

Recent problem found: 4/25/2017

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31377755-

 

Most cable modems with Intel's Puma 6 chip sets are effected. Users may want to contact there modem Mfrs if they are having problems with effected modems. This only effects cable modems with the Intel Puma 6 chip set. You can test your modem here: http://www.dslreports.com/tools/puma6

 

 

The Arris SB 6183 and 8200 and TPLink modems are Broadcom based and do not have this problem. 

 

I have the SB6190 with the N firmware.
Anyone want me to test something let me know, I can say that the netduma router works as it should with the SB6190. I have also tested the router with two other cable modems.

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

This a interesting list... Im not sure I follow all the reasoning. Im fairly deep on this subject. Your aware right that inside these various modems the modem mfgr literally uses the same components exactly so each modem makers easily passes DOCSIS certification ? Each chip, like the Broadcom 3390, has virtually the same parts no matter who makes the modem ? The changes in firmware modem maker to modem maker never ever involves changes to the chip drivers so they all perform the same way. I know this because ive done A LOT of performance testing.

 

In general, for gaming, almost any Broadcom based device is going to perform exactly the same no matter whos name is on the box because the electronics inside are the same.

 

As you have rightly called out. The Intel chip is where the trouble lies. Also the TI Puma 5 before it is also a slight issue. So the Puma 5/6/7 should be completely discarded and avoided for gaming.

 

Broadcom in all models will work pretty much exactly the same.

 

Whats FAR more of a issue for gamers is wifi. Wifi is horrendous for gaming. Its far more important to PLUG IN A WIRE then worry about what broadcom modem your on.

 

In general for latency, more channels is better. So a gamer wants a DOCSIS 3.1 modem like the CM1000 or SB8200 etc.. Also consumer routers all pretty much suck, so getting a Mikrotik or Ubuqiti is a good move. However these routers require config and skillz to master them. Every network should consist of 4 things.

 

1 Modem

2. Router

3 PoE Switch

4 Access Point powered by PoE switch

 

A router today should be able to use port aggragation ( more then one WAN port tied together ) so you can reach speeds beyond 1Gbps. The router should also be capable of sustaining 1Gbps thru NAT and Firewall even with small packets. A million packets per second is a reasonable minimum target. No consumer routers can do that performance. You need a multicore CPU in a router to do that. The wifi point should be a low latency 802.11AC wave 2 device.

 

The best way to do all this the best way on earth currently is  IMHO:

 

SB8200 or any Broadcom 3390 based modem with 2 ports

https://mikrotik.com/product/CCR1072-1G-8Splus stuffed with 2 SFP modules for gigabit ethernet in port aggregation for the modems dule ports

a SFP+ Direct Connect cable to a SFP+ Netgear switch

http://www.netgear.com/business/products/switches/managed/m4200.aspx

a access point from Aruba http://www.arubanetworks.com/products/networking/802-11ac/

 

Also think 10Gbps. Not for the speed, but for the lowered latency.

 

The above is like $7K. I install these setups in homes. I have gamer clients. I know what im talking about. You can get a budget version for like $1K or even maybe $500. My point is that focusing on the modem as the only weak point is missing a lot of other issues.

 

Mikrotik makes great REALLY affordable routers. Get one. Ubiquiti makes affordable access points that are low latency. BUT PLUG IN A WIRE IF YOU GAME..

 

Multigig is about to become a reality this year in a lot of major cities. So this requires a much higher level of network performance that no consumer router can currently do.

 

For gaming, a broadcom modem like even a SB6183 + a basic Mikrotik router https://mikrotik.com/product/RB2011UiAS-2HnD-INand a plugged in computer will provide killer low latency. This wont do real life speeds over 300-400mbps, but, will provide great latency and a solid 300-400 Mbps all the time.

 

Xymox,

 

You stated that more channels would be better for gaming. How would that improve your gaming? Also what impact would that have on your latency?

 

I am checking out the Netgear CM600 (24x8) which runs on the Broadcom chip, although it is listed on ModBox's incompatible list. I am also looking into the Motorola MB7420 (16x4). The CM700 and SB6190 (32x8) run on the Puma 6 chip which, as we know, has issues. 

 

Just curious if more channels really is the way to go? The Docsis 3.1 Modems seem like they are a bit of a stretch, and I won't be seeing speeds that high for a while. 

 

I am currently running the TP-Link TC-7610 and aside from the first week, performance seems to be going downhill. It appears to pass all the tests pretty well, but my gaming experience has gone downhill. Jitter has also increased. I am wondering if it is getting locked into congested channels. I believe the first week, the channels were 1-8 and gameplay was solid. Lately they have been 17-24, lag has increased, and I can't seem to get them to change. My modem levels are pretty much dialed in as well. 

[iAmMoDBoX]

Jitter has also increased. I am wondering if it is getting locked into congested channels. I believe the first week, the channels were 1-8 and gameplay was solid. Lately they have been 17-24, lag has increased, and I can't seem to get them to change. My modem levels are pretty much dialed in as well. 

 

Reboot it at random times during the day, it will switch channels. I had no luck on channels 1-24, so I had to keep rebooting until I got on 25-32 until Comcast finally did their job and fixed the local node. At least with an 8 channel modem you can avoid bad channels. If you go with any other modem you're stuck on the bad ones 95% of the time. Any issues with ping or jitter here are due to your line, not the modem. Something you need to take up with your ISP, but unfortunately most don't care and due to the natural of how cable internet works it's almost impossible to have a stable ping.

 

But, hey, what do I know? I'm just some poor guy who's had a Netduma for 2+ years now and know the ins and outs of everything about cable internet. Not like I install 10 Gbps internet cause it's good for gaming  

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

Reboot it at random times during the day, it will switch channels. I had no luck on channels 1-24, so I had to keep rebooting until I got on 25-32 until Comcast finally did their job and fixed the local node. At least with an 8 channel modem you can avoid bad channels. If you go with any other modem you're stuck on the bad ones 95% of the time. Any issues with ping or jitter here are due to your line, not the modem. Something you need to take up with your ISP, but unfortunately most don't care and due to the natural of how cable internet works it's almost impossible to have a stable ping.

 

But, hey, what do I know? I'm just some poor guy who's had a Netduma for 2+ years now and know the ins and outs of everything about cable internet. Not like I install 10 Gbps internet cause it's good for gaming

 

What was wrong with your node? I've had new lines ran for the house. The signal is clean. They did have to repair one of their main lines a couple weeks back, which cleaned up the signal a lot. The jitter did seem to get worse after that though. I've gotten suggestions that perhaps I should hassle them until they put me on a less congested node. Not sure what that involves though. I just think that I'm in a heavily congested area. Bandwidth is usually dog slow during peak times, and between 1:00-3:00pm I get an increase in lag. Just seeing if there's any way to get around the heavy congestion. I have reset the modem several times and keep getting the same channels, perhaps I can try it in the early morning when congestion is low.

 

Does the TC-7610 have the same full band capture tuning feature as the MB7420? Seems like that would be a nice feature to have.

[II N3MES1S II]

 

I recommend that you ask your ISP for V version SW for the SB6190 or any versions V or later. 

 

The 6190 has known issues with it's Intel Puma 6 chip set and is well documented here:

These links are to DSLreports information regarding Intel's problem with there Puma 6 chip set seen in various Mfr cable modems:

Initial:

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31079834-ALL-SB6190-is-a-terrible-modem-Intel-Puma-6-MaxLinear-mistakeand

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31122204-SB6190-Puma6-TCP-UDP-Network-Latency-Issue-Discussionand https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31340594-ALL-SB6190-and-CM700-latency-fix-firmware-ready-to-test

 

Recent problem found: 4/25/2017

https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31377755-

 

Most cable modems with Intel's Puma 6 chip sets are effected. Users may want to contact there modem Mfrs if they are having problems with effected modems. This only effects cable modems with the Intel Puma 6 chip set. You can test your modem here: http://www.dslreports.com/tools/puma6

 

 

The Arris SB 6183 and 8200 and TPLink modems are Broadcom based and do not have this problem. 

 

 

 

I have 9.1.93N and it works fine I will be doing more puma tests on dslr today.

I have used pingplotter and will do more tests today but my cable line is new and directly runs to modem with no splitters.

I am just stating that the Arris SB6190 does in fact work with the netduma just fine, I get into 15ms rooms in Infinite Warfare.

[II N3MES1S II]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzLcDo4Wpbs

 

 

I was just responding to the title of this thread which you state that the Arris SB6190 isnt compatible. 

 

I have software version 9.1.93N which fixed the huge spikes from the older versions and removed the exploit from the GUI.

 

If there is a newer version please give me a link to that and not some youtube video with no helpful information.

 

The Netduma does work with the Arris SB6190 with no real issues.

 

Not everyones lines are the same or sw versions in their modems.

 

My version with my lines and connections are good and I do not notice anything wrong with connection since the modem was updated.

 

If it can be better than it is now with a newer version then I will contact Spectrum and tell them to push the new software.

[e38BimmerFN]

There was a beta version V mentioned on the DSLreports forum. Some users were able to get ahold of it directly from one of the Arris devs in the forum. Not sure if he's still available or pushing this version anymore since another DSLreports user found another issue with the Intel FW on the 6190 since version N. Last beta was V and was reported to fix some UDP or TCP issues I believe. I presume the SB 6190 will work just fine with the R1. Will be better if and when Intel can fix there bugs though. Recent problem found: 4/25/2017
https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31377755-

 

 

I was just responding to the title of this thread which you state that the Arris SB6190 isnt compatible. 

 

I have software version 9.1.93N which fixed the huge spikes from the older versions and removed the exploit from the GUI.

 

If there is a newer version please give me a link to that and not some youtube video with no helpful information.

 

The Netduma does work with the Arris SB6190 with no real issues.

 

Not everyones lines are the same or sw versions in their modems.

 

My version with my lines and connections are good and I do not notice anything wrong with connection since the modem was updated.

 

If it can be better than it is now with a newer version then I will contact Spectrum and tell them to push the new software.

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

It has energy efficient ethernet and doesn't play nicely with the Netduma. Many people on here have had it, and had issues. Trust me when I tell you there is absolutely no reason to second guess anything on the not compatible list. There are still a TON of modems that aren't listed that may work perfectly fine, but the few that I have found are the ones listed. Not really a need to have a hundred modems tested when every modem works on almost all ISPs

 

Where did you find the info about the CM600 having "Energy Efficient Ethernet"? 

 

My TC-7610 seems to have degraded. Signals are clean and power levels are around 0db. Also my speeds are no where near what I am paying for. I believe this due to the congestion and the 8 channels that the TC-7610 seems to lock into consistently. Reboots do seem to help the internet speeds for a while though, but eventually it ends up around 3 meg down and 2 meg up. Paying for 150 down/10up. Also I have noticed an increase in latency and jitter.

 

I picked up a Netgear CM600 and will give it a try. Figure the increase in channel count may resolve my speed and congestion issues. I'll run it through some tests and see how it performs. Everything I have seen on it paints a solid picture. No Puma 6 chip, No Energy Efficient Ethernet, Advanced QOS, Full-band Digital Capture Tuning, and it has the Broadcom chip. Any threads I  have found on this forum dogging the CM600 seem to point to set up issues or line quality issues. If there is no improvement, may have to look into getting placed on a less congested node.

 

I have also heard that the Motorola MB7220 works very well with the Netduma and overall gaming.

[iAmMoDBoX]

eventually it ends up around 3 meg down and 2 meg up. Paying for 150 down/10up. Also I have noticed an increase in latency and jitter.

 

 

That's a line issue.

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

That's a line issue.

 

Running the test with only the Modem (TC-7610)and PC, I am getting full speeds. Once I hooked up the Netduma again. Speeds tanked. Everything is set up as it should. I wouldn't say it's a line issue. 

 

After setting up the CM600, my speeds improved. I am consistently getting over 100 meg down and 8 meg up on both wired and wireless connections.  So far everything is testing good on it. Not much of a difference vs the TC-7610 line quality wise. Ping Plotter, Line Quality, Bufferbloat, and the Puma 6 tests are about the same. The Channels it has locked on to are in the low 800hz-900hz vs 900hz+ with the TC-7610. The main difference is my speeds are faster. Have not tried gaming on it.

 

I'll try to upload some pics, but having issues uploading them from my phone. 

[iAmMoDBoX]

Running the test with only the Modem (TC-7610)and PC, I am getting full speeds. Once I hooked up the Netduma again. Speeds tanked. Everything is set up as it should. I wouldn't say it's a line issue. 

 

After setting up the CM600, my speeds improved. I am consistently getting over 100 meg down and 8 meg up on both wired and wireless connections.  So far everything is testing good on it. Not much of a difference vs the TC-7610 line quality wise. Ping Plotter, Line Quality, Bufferbloat, and the Puma 6 tests are about the same. The Channels it has locked on to are in the low 800hz-900hz vs 900hz+ with the TC-7610. The main difference is my speeds are faster. Have not tried gaming on it.

 

I'll try to upload some pics, but having issues uploading them from my phone. 

 

If it's not a line issue then you have something setup wrong with the Netduma (most likely problem), or your ISP broke their firmware for the TC-7610.

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

If it's not a line issue then you have something setup wrong with the Netduma (most likely problem), or your ISP broke their firmware for the TC-7610

 

Speeds improved with the CM600. That makes me doubt I have the Netduma set up incorrectly. Everything is ticked that should be ticked. Sliders at 100%. Bandwidth set at 150/10 with auto set up for speed selected. Ethernet Cable swap made no difference.

 

The TC-7610 was getting full speeds when connected only to the computer. Once the Netduma was hooked up, that's when the speeds dropped. Swapping ethernet cables did not change the results. Doubt the firmware would be "broken." How would they do that anyways?? I am not labeling the TC-7610 a dud. It performed quite well (gaming, ping plotter, line quality testing, bufferbloat). Just trying to see how the CM600 will stack up. So far the only benefit has been an improvement in speeds and frequencies. Have to see if it maintains the speed quality, continue line testing, and see how gaming goes before making a decision.   

[iAmMoDBoX]

Doubt the firmware would be "broken." How would they do that anyways??

 

The same way phone companies manage to destroy a perfectly good phone OS by installing all their bloatware and disabling useful features. Basically, in this case TP-Link, manufacturers send out their modem firmware to ISPs to test and customize for their network. Once they have a version they like they push it to your device. This is why some people have a new UI on their 7610 and some people still have the older UI (which is better)

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

How would you tell if you have the old firmware vs a newer firmware?

[iAmMoDBoX]

How would you tell if you have the old firmware vs a newer firmware?

When it was on and fully connected, were the lights all solid or did they blink?

[Alex49H]

Have you used any other modems to know that the SB6183 works fine? Because there's a handful of people who claimed the same thing until they used a modem that worked.

Hey MoD I was running PingPlotter this morning and noticed 4% packet loss to the 7610 modem, is that normal?

[iAmMoDBoX]

Hey MoD I was running PingPlotter this morning and noticed 4% packet loss to the 7610 modem, is that normal?

Modem doesn't show in ping plotter first hop is your R1, second is your local node/headend

[Alex49H]

I should have said that I am pinging the modems IP address.

[iAmMoDBoX]

I should have said that I am pinging the modems IP address.

[Alex49H]

Thanks MoD!

[FQs19]

Hey Mod,

 

You can add the Arris SB8200 to the Compatible list. 

I've had it for a couple weeks and I'm getting amazing results so far. 

 

Hit detection is spot on in BO3.

K/D has improved. 

Much more stable gaming as compared to the TP Link 7610 I was using. 

In-game ping is more stable and I don't notice any skipping in BO3 that I was seeing in previous modems. 

My area does have Docsis 3.1 for the download side enabled, but I'm still only on their Blast package. 

Not sure if the Docsis 3.1 is helping with the connection or not. But I'll take it.

 

I'm currently having some issues with the modem rebooting but I believe that is a line issue with some RF interference which Comcast is looking into. 

[THE_DEAD_POOL]

When it was on and fully connected, were the lights all solid or did they blink?

They would blink. 

[iAmMoDBoX]

They would blink. 

 

Then it's the old firmware

[II N3MES1S II]

 

60mbps package from spectrum

 

Congestion Control @ 70/70 

 

Dedicated internet cable all new as of a 1-2 years ago and no more than 200ft. from the pole.

 

Arris SB6190 software version 9.1.93N