New Router/Modem combo?

[Pecans]

Since I'm the "techie" of the house my parents have put me in charge of researching a new router/modem combo to replace our old router that crapped out. Unfortunately I know very little about networking. My mom wants a router/modem combo so that we can stop renting a modem from our ISP (Comcast). We tried a Motorola Surfboard but had to return it because it did not have a connection for our landline phone. Anyways, we need a router/modem that has:

• Wi-Fi (Obviously)
• One Phone input
• One Ethernet input

If it matters we have a bunch of devices that will be connecting to it:

• Mac Mini
• 2 Windows Machines
• 3 Smartphones
• 2 iPod Touch
• PS3 (soon PS4)

Router will be used mostly for online gaming and watching youtube by me but my parents will only really use it for email and internet.

Budget is around $150-200.

Any Suggestions?

 

[8CoreWhore]

Are you sure you need a phone connection to the router? Is it for VOIP (internet phone)?

Here is the official list of what they support.

From that list, read about those choices and pick one to buy. When you get it, you'll need to call Comcast and let them know and have the MAC address info printed on the modem ready to give them.

 

[ColdCase]

For a wider POV, you could look at what folks are talking about over on dslreports. There was a point in time where cable companies would not accept a private modem with telephone jack, but things may have changed. The telephone jack may force you to continue renting, or perhaps chose another VOIP provider.

The HSI tab at

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/comcast

also the direct tab for questions answered only by comcast support.

also here is the list:

http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net


Just a note that folks seem to have better performance/reliability by buying the modem and wireless router as separate boxes. I don't recall seeing an integrated cable modem-digital voice-wireless router device. Most find the integrated wireless routers lacking.

Cisco 4025496 Model DPQ2202, Motorola SBV6220 Surfboard Digital Voice Modem, and Arris TM722G Voice Modem are cable modem/digital voice combo examples that you could combine with an airport express, airport extreme base station, or time capsule that would work well. You can get some of these at the local BestBuy as well as other outlets.

You can get less expensive wireless routers than the Apple products, but airports are very good and extremely simple to set up. The airport express is $100, and the example modems are less than $100.

Again, dunno if any of these examples are approved for your ISP.

 

[FoxFifth]

... Most find the integrated wireless routers lacking. ...

I will second that. A couple of years ago I had a Motorola Surfboard SBG900. The modem portion was fine but the router was not. Main problem was a huge performance penalty (on the order of 40%) for using wireless and Motorola support described that as normal. I eventually got a low end (Linksys WRT54GL) router and bypassed the router in the SBG900 and all was well again (wireless speeds virtually the same as ethernet connection). I don't know if that is still the case with the Motorola modem/router combinations but I won't be trying that again. I'm still using the (very outdated but still performing) WRT54GL with a Motorola SB6120 modem -- another advantage of the separate devices is that you can replace/upgrade them independently.

 

[hallux]

I don't know if Comcast is the same but Time Warner has an odd policy if you have phone and internet services through them and choose to buy your own modem. What they do is have you keep the modem/phone gateway box for your phone and transition your internet to your purchased modem then waive the modem rental fee. That's right, you still keep the modem but they won't charge a rental fee as long as your internet isn't routed through it.