Are you agitated because of the continuous buffering while you watch the trending Netflix series? Or are you frustrated with the eternal lagging while you enjoy your favorite games? If yes, then you should rush to own a high-speed modem. It will definitely do the magic for you.
The market is saturated with various modems, making it challenging to select the ideal one for you. Therefore, today we will bring the most popular and perfect DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem – Arris SB8200 to your sight. This cable modem comes with an incredible set of features and specifications that will leave you amazed. The Arris SB8200 will allow you to download large files and movies in minutes. Isn’t this seriously some magic?
We have done extensive research on this product to make your task of selecting the best modem a duck soup. You can go through this comprehensive Arris SB8200 review to get a clear idea about this product before ordering one for you.
Let’s dig deep into this cable modem to know whether it is worth your pennies or not.
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The Features of Arris Surfboard SB8200
Before buying any product, it is essential to look at its specifications and compare it with a few others in the line. This will aid you in making an informed and correct decision.
So, we are listing down all the excellent features of Arris SB8200 for you. Read on to peek into the features of this high-speed cable modem.
The Framework
The Arris surfboard SB8200 cable modem comes in a soothing white color that gives a matte finish to the product. It has four elegant green and blue LED lights on the front that compliments the white background.
The SB8200 owns a rectangular shaped plastic casing that has many ventilation holes on its sides. These holes aids in protecting the device from the most crucial concern of overheating.
Apart from this, the product’s overall dimensions are around 5.13 x 1.7 x 5.25 inches, and it weighs approx. 1.6 pounds, which makes it exceptionally lightweight. Thus, you can store it anywhere in your home, either on your desk or mount it on the wall. It will look elegant wherever you put it, and the white color goes with all kinds of interior.
The best part about these modems’ design is four rubber pads at the bottom of the Arris surfboard SB8200. It saves the modem from slipping or sliding over.
The LED Lights And Ethernet Cable
As stated earlier, this product consists of four LED lights on its front that indicate the working statuses of cable modems. Let us understand the working of these lights.
- Power – One of the lights is the power indicator, which, when lit, means the modem is turned on.
- Online – Another one is the online symbol that blinks in green to signal you that the cable modem is connected to the internet.
- Receive and send – The other two LED lights are a symbol of receiving or sending the connectivity. If any of them blinks blue, this signifies that your SB8200 device uses DOCSIS 3.1 path for the high-speed internet, whereas if the green light flashes, it means the cable modem is using DOCSIS 3.0 channels.
A two-gigabit ethernet port at the rear side of the cable modems enables you to connect two devices simultaneously to the modem. It is used for transferring wired connectivity to your devices or wireless connections with the help of a router. If you are a video game lover, these two ports will enhance your gaming experience.
Link aggregation means increasing the power of your internet speed by using more than one-gigabit ethernet port. Since the Arris surfboard SB8200 DOCSIS 3.1 modem comes with two ethernet ports, you can enjoy the benefits of a link aggregation system. This will provide you with a combined bandwidth of 2 GB.
The Chipset And Other Hardware
One of the best parts about the Arris surfboard SB8200 DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem is that it features a Broadcom BCM3390 chipset instead of a tragic Intel Puma 6 chipset. This new chipset will do wonders for you. It is highly effective, and you can expect some incredible performance.
The Arris SB8200 modem also come with a 3 GB ram that makes it extremely compatible with specific firewall updates. The product also offers you a 16 MB Macronix MX25L12805D flash memory and a 128 MB S34ML01G200TFV00 Spansion flash memory that enriches the overall experience of using this product.
The Performance And Speed
The Arris SB8200 employs the technology of DOCSIS 3.1, which is the recent high tech development. It offers you ultra-fast and highly reliable internet speeds. You can enjoy the fantastic internet speeds of up to 10 GB per second downstream and 1 GB per second upstream.
In case your internet service provider is not offering the DOCSIS 3.1 connectivity at the moment, do not worry as these SB8200 modems feature support DOCSIS 3.0 as well. This dual support system makes the Arris SB8200 data drive handy and convenient to use.
This cable modem has 32 downstream channels and 8 upstream channels, which means your download speed will be way higher than your upload speed. Furthermore, the Arris SB8200 modems are compatible with IPv4 and IPv6 internet protocols, making it even more appropriate and effective.
Nothing in this world comes with perfection, and the same goes for the Arris SB8200 modems. Despite having so many merits, they come with a significant drawback. The SB8200 modem does not provide you with inbuilt wi-fi capabilities. Though this problem can be solved using a wireless router, which will aid you in using the internet while relaxing anywhere in your home, looking for a full power router for this device is a tedious job.
Easy Installation Process
The Arris modems come with an easy installation process. You don’t have to roam around finding technicians for setting up this Arris SB8200 modem. You can do it on your own. Just follow a few steps, and you are ready to watch 4K Ultra-HD videos without lag.
- Step 1 – Once you are done with deciding the perfect place to keep your Arris SB8200 modem, connect the coaxial cable to the main cable outlet. It is a vast round-shaped hole at the rear side of this product.
- Step 2 – Now, connect the device to the power switch so you can turn it on when the installation process is finally over. The rectangular socket at the back of the SB8200 modem is for power.
- Step 3 – We know there are two ethernet ports on the Arris SB8200 modem, which you can use to connect two devices. At the moment, join one of them to your computer. You will need to get a 2nd IP address from your cable providers to achieve 2 Gbps speeds for using the second ethernet port.
- Step 4 – Now, you will have to activate the internet services. For this, visit your internet service provider’s website or enter 192.168.10.1, followed by the default username and the password to login to your device at your cable provider portal. Once you are guided to the activation page, complete the process. If you face any challenges while further proceeding with this step, we suggest you contact your internet service provider.
- Step 5 – In case you plan to get a wireless connection while using the Arris SB8200 modem, you will have to obtain a router. In order to connect this modem to different devices, attach the ethernet ports to a router. At last, you can use the web interface to check the status of your modem.
Pros And Cons
Before you purchase the Arris surfboard SB8200 DOCSIS 3 .1 modem, you should take a glance at the advantages and disadvantages of this modem. It will make the comparison with various other modems an effortless task. So we are mentioning below a few pros and cons of this modem for your convenience.
Pros
- This Arris modem is compatible with many internet cable providers such as Cox and Comcast (Xfinity Service).
- The modem with two ethernet ports enables you to benefit from a combined and more robust internet connection.
- This Arris modem offers you 10 GBPS download speeds and 1 GBPS upload speeds that enhance your device’s overall internet speed.
- This new modem is a future proof device that will save you from the time when the whole world turns to the 3.1 technology instead of the DOCSIS 3.0 mechanism.
- This gigabit internet modem’s setup process is an easy-breezy task, so you will not have to seek an internet provider to install it.
- The 32 x 8 bonded channels of this Arris modem plays a significant role in enhancing your download speeds.
- It comes with a dual technology support system – DOCSIS 3.0 and DOCSIS 3.1 mechanism.
- This modem enables you to use the spectrum analyzer that shows you the overall internet speed and connection.
Cons
- You cannot use the wireless internet connection until you connect your modem to a wi-fi router.
- Many internet providers do not provide the DOCSIS 3.1 connectivity yet, so you will not be able to use this technology even though you may own this modem.
Is Netgear better than Arris?
After comparing these two companies’ modems and doing full-fledged research, we settled on the answer that Arris is undoubtedly better than Netgear. We are providing you with a few pointers to substantiate our assertion.
- The Netgear modem enables you to download at 1 Gbps, whereas the Arris modem offers you a download speed of 2 Gbps.
- Arris presents you with a unique technology known as a spectrum analyzer, which is not available in Netgear’s modems.
If you are a design freak, we recommend you go with the Netgear modem as it has a stylish outlook featuring matte black color. However, if you are craving efficient high internet speeds, you should definitely choose the Arris modem.
FAQs
1. Will Arris SB8200 work with Suddenlink?
Suddenlink comes with a gigabit plan that works well with DOCSIS 3.0 as well as DOCSIS 3.1. Therefore, the Arris SB8200 modem will definitely work with Suddenlink.
2. Does Arris SB8200 have wi-fi?
This product does not support the inbuilt wi-fi system. However, it does not mean you cannot have wireless connections while using the sSB8200 modem. You can connect one of the gigabit ethernet port to the wi-fi router for benefiting from the wi-fi connections.
3. Is Arris a good brand?
Arris is undoubtedly a good brand you can choose to buy your modem from. This company is dominating the technology market for 60 years. Arris is well recognized for its innovations. They have served us with incredible products like digital TV and the first cable modem gateway for wireless connections. If you plan to buy a modem for your home or office, you can consider this brand.
4. What chipset does Arris SB8200 use?
Arris SB8200 uses a Broad com BCM3390 chipset, unlike many other modem providers who still employ the puma 6 chipset. This chip can take care of all your high-speed downloads and uploads. Broadcom chip is one of the most popular and effective chips in today’s world. So do not fret about the chipset that Arris uses in this product.
TLDR – Is this for you?
If you are someone who loves watching 4K Ultra-HD video streaming or gaming, this Arris SB8200 DOCSIS 3.1 modem is the best option for you. However, it is always a good idea to analyze and check whether this product is compatible with your internet service provider or not. This is because of the latest technologies used by Arris in its development that are still to be discovered by many ISPs.
There is a chance your ISP may not be dealing in DOCSIS 3.1 technology now, but they will certainly move towards this high tech shortly. So you will not regret buying this future proof modem ever. Since the SB8200 also supports the 3.0 mechanism, you will not face any challenges in the present moment. We hope this Arris SB8200 review will help you to make an informed decision.
We wish you smooth Netflixing and gaming!