WARNING: THIS IS A LONG REVIEW, BUT I MAY HAVE SOME ANGLES ON THIS OTHERS DON'T :-)
Wow. I really like this modem. This is a barebones rock solid dead simple workhorse.
It's got a plug for the cable and one ethernet (RJ-45) port out and I think an on/off switch.
That's it. It makes a connection. And hasn't failed since I got it a month or so ago.
All I had to do was call my ISP and give them the MAC address (on the sticker on the device)
and they updated their tables and that was it. Turn it on. It goes through the startup cycle. Takes a few minutes to connect like they all do and that's it. Set it and forget it.
What prompted me to get it, is I don't like having to rent the modem from the ISP @ $10.00/mo forever. This literally pays for itself in 16 months, and most people will have their Internet connection for many times that long, and time flies. So it's a good investment.
It doesn't have phone connection like the ISP's modem did. So I called the company/provider that owns copper phone lines in the area and ordered landline service. I'm a nerd/techie and don't care what people say about landlines being for old fogeys, it's like having a backup generator ... I know I can use that landline if the power goes out or if the cell tower gets overwhelmed (too many calls or cell traffic at once), or there's radio interference in the area. Technically cable phone is a 'land line' (hardwired cable connection to provider) and the battery backup in the modem (which the ISP charges more for), could give you emergency phone service in an outage, but a cable phone connection can (and does) fail for more reasons than copper wire phone service does. (Those copper wire connections are called POTS - which stands for Plain Old Telephone Service), and copper wire phones are the most reliable.
Having a separate modem from a router is optima for a few of reasons... Generally hybrid units of anything do everything okay, but nothing optimally (for example combination modem-router units like my ISP rents out). Better to keep the modem separate from the router. Then you can swap either out independently to upgrade as needed, disrupting less of your own network configuration doing so, and also help avoid a single point of failure. Plus, you might be able to score a router in a pinch on shorter notice than a cable modem if the router is the component that fails. Then you can choose the router you actually like, for whatever reason, and don't have to settle for whatever bundling du jour your ISP decides is right for you (even if it isn't).
That gets me to the other point. What DID the ISP decide was right for me (but wasn't)?
For awhile my ISP modem connection was dropping briefly in the middle of the morning. My computer came back up connected to the ISP's 'general public' wi-fi connection to their router which did not work for me and I'd have to keep manually switching back to my own internal Wi-Fi LAN (network). That was not only inconvenient but it forced me to investigate was was going on there.
I learned my ISP gives lets passersby connect to their rental-modem's Wi-Fi signal, without giving me any way to disable that service! That really pissed me off to learn. The idea is that people driving around who have accounts with the provider can get internet access around the neighborhoods. If I was a passerby, that could really help me, so at first glance maybe 'why not, be a good samaritan'.
But wait! There may be more too it than that.
Besides the fact that I don't like it (for good reason), they give me no control over that 'feature'!
And I see some downsides. What's good for the ISP isn't necessarily optimal for me.
What I don't like about that 'service' is that one or more people could sit outside and suck down bandwidth (e.g. slow my connection down), unbeknownst to me. It also might cause the unit to use more energy and put out a stronger wi-fi signal than it needs to. Which health conscious people are well advised to be aware of. Wi-Fi is radiation. Not strong and may not ruin your life, but it is a stressor at a cellular level, this is known. And strong signals, persistent signals and people who are more sensitive or have immunity issues can be more vulnerable (headaches, sleep disruption, or worse). But I like Wi-Fi so I settle for whatever unknown health consequences I may not be aware of.
Also it makes me wonder if a hacker might be able to use it as an additional point of access to my home network.
I also wonder if it's 100% clear to law enforcement at first glance who might be visiting sites or doing something nefarious from the connection point. Might it look like the owner is doing something that a passerby did (and even if they can sort it out later, what if it takes awhile to figure out and they make a bad assumption?)
Anyway, I don't have that problem with this modem and I'm just much happier with it all the way around.
Plus it's blazingly fast.
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Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 Gig-Speed Cable Modem Plus 32x8 DOCSIS 3.0. Approved by Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and More, Gray (Renewed) $99.99 & FREE Shipping. Details
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Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
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Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem - Approved for Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and Charter Spectrum, Supports Cable Plans up to 1000 Mbps | 1 Gbps Ethernet Port
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Motorola Q14 WiFi 6e Mesh (3 Pack) + MB8600 Cable Modem Bundle - Approved for Comcast Xfinity, Cox Gigablast, Spectrum | Tri-Band | DOCSIS 3.1$438.98 $549.98This bundle contains 2 items
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This Item  Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem - Approved for Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and Charter Spectrum, Supports Cable Plans up to 1000 Mbps | 1 Gbps Ethernet Port |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -6% $169.00 List: $179.99 | -10% $197.99 List: $219.99 | $99.99 | -23% $189.99 New Price: $247.15 | -30% $139.99 New Price: $199.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Easy to install | |||||
| WiFi signal | |||||
| Tech Support | |||||
| Value for money | |||||
| Sold By | Motorola Network | Verdi! | Hitron Americas | Motorola Networking Renewed | Motorola Networking Renewed |
| connectivity tech | Cable | Ethernet | Ethernet | Wi-Fi, Ethernet | Wi-Fi |
| ethernet ports | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| number of ports | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| data transfer rate | 6 gigabits per second | 2500 megabits per second | 1 gigabits per second | — | 1 gigabits per second |
| max downstream rate | 686 megabits per second | 2500 megabits per second | 1000 megabits per second | — | 1000 megabits per second |
| max upstream rate | 1 gigabits per second | 2.5 gigabits per second | 350 megabits per second | — | 1000 megabits per second |
| modem type | dsl | cable | cable | cable | cable |
Videos
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Customer Review: Easy, effective, and fast modem
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Setting Up The Motorola MB8611 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem
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Product Description
The smart choice for your cable Internet service
Eliminate monthly cable modem rental fees – Typically saves 156 dollars per year in Xfinity cable modem rental fees. Actual savings depend on your service provider.
1,000+ Mbps – Maximum actual Internet download speed
GigE Ethernet port – For a high-speed wired connection to any router, computer, or other Internet-capable device.
Connect any WiFi router you choose
Plugs easily into any router for shared Internet access by all your WiFi and Ethernet-capable devices. This flexible approach lets you pair this cable modem with any router you choose for your WiFi needs, including a mesh router or gaming router.
If the MB8600’s Ethernet port isn’t used for a router, it can plug into a computer, HDTV, game station, or other Ethernet device.
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Compatible with Most Cable ProvidersCertified by Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and other cable providers.*† * Not compatible with Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink, and other fiber optic, satellite, or DSL services. † This cable modem does not have telephone jacks for the support of voice calls. |
Ultra-Fast Internet SpeedFor other service providers, supported service speeds are similar to Comcast. |
Easy SetupConnects fast with just 3 connections – power, coax cable, and Ethernet. |
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| MB7420 | MB7621 | MB8600 | MB8611 | |
| Customer Reviews |
6,315
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28,908
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28,908
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28,908
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| Price | $68.14 | $47.99 | $169.00 | $158.00 |
| Product Type (This table only includes cable modems with NO built-in WiFi router) | 16x4 Cable Modem | 24x8 Cable Modem | DOCSIS 3.1 plus 32x8 3.0 Cable Modem | DOCSIS 3.1 plus 32x8 3.0 Cable Modem |
| DOCSIS Channel Bonding | 16x4 DOCSIS 3.0 | 24x8 DOCSIS 3.0 | DOCSIS 3.1 plus 32x8 DOCSIS 3.0 | DOCSIS 3.1 plus 32x8 DOCSIS 3.0 |
| Certified for These Cable Internet Services. Typically Works with Many Others. | Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum, Suddenlink, Sparklight (CableOne) | Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum, Suddenlink, Sparklight (CableOne) | Comcast Xfinity, Cox | Comcast Xfinity and Cox |
| Recommended by Comcast Xfinity for Internet Service This Speed Tier or Below | 300 Mbps | 600 Mbps | 1000 Mbps | 1000 Mbps |
| Maximum Internet Download Speed (Actual speeds are lower) | 686 Mbps | 1000+ Mbps | 6000 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
| Built-in WiFi Router | No | No | No | No |
| Built-in Telephone Port | No | No | No | No |
| Works With Any WiFi Router That Has an Ethernet WAN port | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.5G Ethernet Port | ✓ |
Reviews with images
Very satisfied with the MB8611 after 2 yrs
MB8611 purchased mid 2020 to replace an old Zoom DOCSIS 3.0 modem. Modem has been connected to a Linksys WRT1200ac router running regularly updated DD-WRT firmware since purchase. Both modem/router are sitting behind a small APC battery backup/surge protector (BE600M1). This review is for the MB8611 only and should not be considered valid for the MB8600 or MB7621 nether of which I have purchased/knowledge.The MB8611 was a little higher priced than I hoped but a $50 gift card helped ease the pain. I did lots of research and found the MB8611 was the best fit for my setup and future service upgrades. My Zoom modem was maxed at 343 Mbps DL where as the MB8611 could handle up to 2.5 Gbps which was nearly double what my router can handle. When MB8611 was purchased my service was 100 Mbps, ISP upgraded me to 200 Mbps and with this last ISP upgrade now sits at 300 Mbps. (none of the upgrades were requested)Confirmed all accessories were present so I unboxed and hooked it up. I was surprised to have an active internet connection within a couple of minutes after boot completion. Feeling uneasy about the nearly instant connection I contacted my ISP via phone and went through the process of registering my new modem's MAC address. It may not have been necessary to do so but I felt more confident about a continued connection once my ISP confirmed they saw the new modem and registered the MAC address. BTW, I had checked prior to purchase and found the MB8611 had been newly added to my ISP's list of approved user modems.I was concerned the first couple of weeks but basically have ignored the modem since. After approx 2 yrs I thought I should share my experience. The MB8611's performance has been amazing. The router is rebooted every night but the modem has not been rebooted since purchased. I've had a couple of connection drops but quickly confirmed my ISP was off-line in my area temporarily. With three wired and ten wireless devices the MB8611 has been rock solid. It just works without any intervention from myself. I consider it one of my best investments.The modem sits on top of a file cabinet next to my router. Placing my hands on the sides at the top it is slightly warm and cool at the bottom. I was using QoS on my router but disabled it to try the modem's Active Queue Management (AQM). With no apparent change in performance I left the router QoS disabled. The modem lights are on solid except for the bottom LAN connection light which blinks constantly. That may be a negative for some?I highly recommend the MB8611. It has been the best modem I've owned to date. I have attached a page from the MB8611 manual that explains the lights color/blinking/status. The modem lights image to the right is my modem's appearance connected to a 300 Mb service. I've also added the rear view of the three similar modems to indicate what the MB8611 back view is (left) compared to the other two available on the MB8611 Amazon page.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2018
Size: DOCSIS 3.1 (1 Gbps Ethernet Port)Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020
Size: DOCSIS 3.1 (1 Gbps Ethernet Port)Verified Purchase
