One of the main requirements in every household in today’s world is that we have a fast, secure, and reliable internet connection. Since the internet now controls a huge portion of our lives, we can’t risk being left without a connection to the outside world. As a result, today we’re reviewing the Arris SURFboard SB8200 Modem, one of the best devices of the sort that provides all of the mentioned necessities above.
This Arris SB8200 review will focus on examining the most important features a modem can have, including its design, performance, hardware, portability, versatility, and more. Keep in mind that this is just a modem, so you may need a router for extra benefits as well. It may not have the same versatility as some of the best modem-router combos out there, but this is still a device you can’t afford to miss out on.
So, let’s have a look at whether the Arris SURFboard SB8200 is perfect for your needs.
The Arris SB8200 supports the most recent and most powerful DOCSIS technology standards – DOCSIS 3.1. Even though today DOCSIS 4.0 is present, it still may not be as perfected and as reliable as the 3.1 version, which has proven to meet everyone’s needs in terms of stability, power, and internet speed.
The Arris SB8200 fully supports this technology and is perfect for owners with the best internet plans, supporting up to 2 Gbps. It may also be important to mention here that you might need a second IP address in order to access the max speeds of 2 Gbps it supports. This modem also supports internet protocols IPv4 and IPv6. On top of all that, the Arris SB8200 features 2 downstream and 2 upstream OFDM DOCSIS 3.1 channels.
Sure, features and the technology that this model supports are crucial but the design of the device and its qualities shouldn’t be left overlooked. None of the other features will be important if it starts overheating and gives out on you within a couple of months. For that reason, Arris has made sure to significantly decrease the risk of overheating with this modem by covering a huge portion of its exterior with a cut-out.
The material covering the modem is plastic covered with a matte finish that does not hold on to any fingerprints. When you look at the device, you get a feeling that there’s a box within a box, leaving a sufficient amount of space in between for ventilation – quite the unique and creative design.
Regarding size, the Arris SB8200 isn’t at all big or heavy enough to be difficult to transport or find where to put it inside your home. It stands at 5.13 inches long, 1.7 inches wide, and 5.25 inches high. That’s a perfectly reasonable size for a device of this sort, and its attractive appeal makes it easy to place it anywhere you wish without ruining your home decor. One extra feature that makes things even better are the rubber padded feet, adding a lot to the device’s stability, as it does sit vertically, instead of the usual horizontal position.
Moving on, the modem features two 1-Gigabit RJ-45 Ethernet ports that are capable of link aggregation, one power port, a cable connector, and a recessed reset button which you can press for 3 seconds to reboot the modem or hold it down for a little over 10 seconds to restore the factory settings. All of these features are positioned on the back of the device.
In terms of LEDs, there are a couple of pairs that are positioned both on the front and on the back of the modem. There are four LEDs on the front and two on the back.
Now that we’ve seen what the outside of the Arris SB8200 has to offer, let’s open it up and review the internal components that give this modem its power, speed, and reliability. The predecessor of this modem, the Arris SB6190 featured the Intel Puma 6 chipset which contained a few bugs that were upsetting to users. This time, there are almost no complaints about the much-needed and significant improvement thanks to the Broadcom BCM3390 chipset that the SB8200 is equipped with.
In order not to bore you with long paragraphs of me listing the specs of the modem in this Arris SURFboard SB8200 review, here are the most important hardware specs that you need to be aware of:
Last but definitely not least, one of the most important features when it comes to buying an internet modem includes compatibility – this tells us with which internet providers this device is compatible with. It’s important because if your internet provider isn’t on this list, then the modem will not be useful to you at all. The Arris SB8200 modem is compatible with the following major internet service providers: Cox, Spectrum, Comcast or Xfinity, and a few other major providers. It also includes a pending status with companies like Time Warner, Charter, and Bright House as future partners.
If you’re still unsure whether your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is supported with the Arris SB8200, then it’s best to go on their website and search for the relevant information. You can also take another approach which includes calling them and asking for a simple answer of either “yes” or a “no”.
To sum up everything we talked about in our Arris SB8200 review, we can safely say that this is quite a reliable internet modem that you can get. It is perfectly compatible with many of the major internet service providers in the United States. It supports internet speed plans up to 2 Gbps, it features 32 downstream x 8 upstream DOCSIS 3.0 bonded channels, 2 downstream x 2 upstream OFDM DOCSIS 3.1 channels, and it comes with two 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports that are capable of link aggregation. Another thing you also need to know is that this modem does not come with integrated Wi-Fi capabilities. Overall, it’s a perfectly reliable internet modem that will serve you for years to come.
Overall I’m generally happy with the Arris SB8200 modem, as it meets all of my standards and it lacks nothing for the price. It’s reliable and stable although it can feel a bit warmer than I’d like it to be at times. Nevertheless, there haven’t been any major problems that would prompt me to say that it’s not a good device when clearly, it is.
This modem is susceptible to “Cable Haunt” exploit due to the Broadcom chipset inside. There is a patch for this was only made available through ISPS. Ask ISPs if they have rolled out a patch for this modem.