When evaluating this type of equipment, one must differentiate between the device itself and other factors that can impact its performance. Blaming the manufacturer for issues likely caused by one's ISP is akin to saying, "I can't get past third gear because of all this construction on the highway... I'll never buy a Jaguar again!"
That said, the SBG6580 is a solid piece of kit.
This latest addition to the SURFboard line combines a DOCSIS 3 cable modem with a gigabit switch and a dual-antenna 802.11n wireless access point, providing all the networking equipment a home office needs in a single compact package... this amounts to a single point of failure, but that's par for the residential course. It can deliver 42 mbps downstream on a single channel (which my provider brands "Lightning") with support for eight bonded channels... meaning that when the day comes that ISPs start selling triple-digit speeds, this gateway won't need to be replaced.
Wi-Fi performance has been comparable to my old draft n router with similar range and throughput in a mixed mode environment. What sets the SBG6580 apart are its better indicator lights and superior configuration utility which offers some settings normally found only on enterprise-grade equipment. Those less inclined to tinker should know that push-button support is provided; once the cable guy finished with the wall outlet, setup took less than five minutes.
Finally, one word of caution: the SBG6580 needs airflow. I originally placed it flush against a similarly-sized backup hard drive on my desk and found the unit hot to the touch after a few hours. To avoid problems, do not block the vents. Motorola SURFboard Gateway SBG6580 DOCSIS 3.0 Wireless Cable Modem
The SBG6580 can actually be a niece all-in-one device if you have the patience and know-how to get it configured right.
First off, there is a feature called 'IP Flood Detection' that needs to be disabled. (It is located under the Firewall page) By default, it is turned ON. When ON, this feature eventually causes everything to slow to a crawl. Turn it OFF (uncheck box) and you will never go slow again. This is certainly a failing on Motorola's part to default a poor-functioning feature ON in the first place.
I would agree that Motorola's interface is clunky in general. It is pretty powerful too and advanced users will be able to do most of what they want with it.
My carrier is Comcast and I enjoy real-word DL speeds of up to 4MBps (32mbps). Admittedly, with many of my apps, I'm actually around 3MBps, which is plenty fast for me. I have (2) hardwired PCs, (1) hardwired printer, (1) wireless laptop, (1) wireless printer, and (3) other hardwired devices on my network.
I do experience a random 'reset' of the modem on occasion. I have yet to track down what is causing it. I can't blame the hardware (yet) but it occurs with such irregularity (sometimes not for 5 days or more)
It isn't a perfect modem/gateway, but it is capable, if a touch user unfriendly.
I've had this modem in place for a month now and I am impressed in every respect. I previously had the Motorola 901 (which was a rock-solid performer), and upgraded to gain the "N" level of wireless performance and be prepared for DOCSIS 3.0 from my cable provider (Charter). I find this gateway performs to the limits of my ISP (which in my case at my rural location it 25 down and 3 up), and has good "reach" throughout my home. It performs flawlessly including hosting uninterrupted 4-way video-conferencing (Apple iSight). For those having problems, I suggest you relax your firewall settings a bit, especially those related to scrubbing packets. All make sure your cable provider is doing their part on the performance in, including having the right levels of line voltages in and out of your home (you can see these on the unit's diagnostics panel). In sum, I'm smiling, have no remorse whatsoever, would buy again, and would advise my best Friend to do so as well.
The option of having a cable modem with built in wireless N and 4 port switch was enticing, rather than having both a modem and a wireless router. It would save me $13/month vs renting one from my cable provider Time Warner and be a next generation cable modem with very nice wireless speeds.
I like a lot of others, ignored the bad reviews in light of some good reviews and rolled the dice on it. My dice came up snake eyes.
The modem would constantly disconnect from service, at least every couple of hours ranging from 1 - 10 minutes. A simple thing like changing the routers password was a staggering affair as not only do the labels on the page not make any sense, the documentation for the modem was also wrong. I ended up having to search online for how to exactly do it.
Eventually it got to the point I couldn't take it anymore and hit up Time Warner Cable support. They where great, sent a tech out to take a look at my setup. After one tech visit, I was still having problems with the modem. The tech was confident that the everything was good on their end.
However the modem kept dropping. I then spent around 1.5 hours on the phone with another tech as we troubleshot the router. The tech was getting all sorts of strange readings from it. He couldn't get the ip from the router, it was showing 6 different mac ids connect too it (which was impossible) among other bizarre stuff. We eventually settled on something is defiantly not right with this modem.
Anyways I sent it back to Amazon, which so far has been great with returns. I ended up going with a Motorola SB6120 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme Broadband Cable Modem and Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 and finally have a good setup.
Just do yourself a favor, check out the reviews here and elsewhere online there is something majorly wrong with a large number of these modems. Probably a bad memory module, but who knows. If you buy this item you're probably rolling the dice. - Internet - Home Network - Networking - Broadband'
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