Virgin Media Cable Modems

SpriteAlpha

SpriteAlpha

SpriteAlpha

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Joined
20 Aug 2005
Posts
369
I have Virgin Media 20mb, and a Motorola Surfboard 4100. Anyway, I figured this cable modem may be the reason why I'm not getting much above 10mb, so I rang them up earlier, and the guy confirmed it and will ship me a new cable modem.
Since then, it seems to me that Virgin Media send out all kinds of different cable modems: their own rebranded Ambit; Scientific Atlanta Webstar; Motorola Surfboard.
So I'm wondering I should ring back up and request a specifical Cable Modem, or doesn't it matter?

Thanks
 
I wouldnt bother myself since they all should cope with 20Mbit easily and the modems you need for 50Mbit when that comes out will support a different cable broadband standard (DOCSIS 3) so youll have to swap it anyway if you upgrade to that...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
firstly you deffo need a better one than the 4100, they will only hit about6-12meg max but thats already established.

as for which to get they are basically all the same modem, but i like the ambit modem the best as they are compact and nice, the webstar is too box like for me. The surfboards (5000 series) are ok and have a built in stand, and have a standby button
 
The SB4100 is 38meg D and 10meg U (AFAIR) taken directly from Moto's site.

The CPU and QAM cant cope with 20meg fully, you will get 18meg approx.

They will send you a cheapo Scientific Atlanta model.

I was sent a Moto SB 5101E by a Boss as I was not going to change brands after years of zero issues with my Moto SB4100 and read many issues with the Scientific Atlanta some peeps got (on Digitalspy Forums).

Anyhow a few peeps were up in arms on that forum but I dont care, I got a Moto end of story and Im happy with it, esp as I was used of the Standby button lacking on newer cheapos.
 
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ive had a sb4100 for many years now and it works perfectly fine for me, even on my 20Mb connection.
 
Dist said:
ive had a sb4100 for many years now and it works perfectly fine for me, even on my 20Mb connection.
Click to expand...

It is not rated for it due to the System workings (I dont know all about ins and outs) not fact its a 38meg Modem, you really should get a new free modem.

You may even break it eventually.

The VM Interative Page even told you this at 20meg launch but now its a bit messed up and options dont allow a current 20meg user to go through the choices.

I can tell you for a fact, your due a free upgrade to that modem on 20meg.
 
Virgin website listed my modem as 20Mb capable and that i dont need an upgrade (i checked just before i went to the 20Mb package). Its working fine, i get the speed i want. There is simply no need for me to request a new modem when this is working fine and a new one could have problems.

If i ever go to 50Mb i will get a new modem, but untill then, theres no point in me doing that.

For a long time the VM site has stated that people with the 4100 should get a new modem from VM that can better handle 20Mb. So although the modem works fine for me on 20Mb, it may not for everyone.
 
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Right, the SB3100 was rated to 20+ mbit according to the spec's however it can't handle anything like that in the real world, same story with the 4100 as posted above. ALL modem upgrades are free as long as you don't need a tech out to do the job (if you do they charge a nominal fee). This wasn't the case pre Virgin as NTL had a habbit of trying to charge and Telewest used to do it free but since the merger NTL adopted almost all of the TW way of doing things.

As for a specific modem choice the simple answer is you'll get whatever is in stores at the time, the SB5100 supports docsis3 anyway so no future upgrade should be required, the SA units i'm not so sure about, end of the day they work as well as anything else now and future upgrades are free anyway so who cares.
 
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