so last year i got the arris motorola surfboard all in 1 router modem.

wondering whats a better router and modem separate, cause you guys all say they are better to buy them separately.

budget is $100.

what special things should i look for when choosing them?

internet speeds will be about 25 mpbs and should be able to send a signal at least 50 ft across the home, maybe a bit more

also using comcast

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Jul 5 2016 05:55pm

Does comcast have a list of approved modems or you can get w/e?
Cable or DSL? Budget?

canadian here so idk com cast

its regular cable internet i believe.

25 mbps speeds for download

it needs to be a cable 3.0 modem

i think this is the approved site for comcast modems.

im looking at the approved modems and it seems the only way to get one that fits under $100 budget is to get the all in one combo?

how expensive is a decent router, that can send a signal around 50 to 75 ft?

ive never setup the separate router modem, and reading about it seems like it may be a bit of a challenge? ive always just done the all in one combo

for $70 this seems to be the best modem and cheapest? for the 6141 model, but dont really need up to 343 mbps download lol
https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B00AJHDZSI/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467770685&sr=1-4&keywords=3.0%20Cable%20Modem


or i can get the 6141 refurbished for $40

how risky is it to get a refurbished modem? it cuts alot of the cost and allows for more money to be spent on the router

https://www.amazon.com/SurfBoard-SB6141-DOCSIS-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00OMDZAV0/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467770685&sr=1-5&keywords=3.0%20Cable%20Modem

another refurbished for $52, its the 6121 model
https://www.amazon.com/Arris-SURFboard-5-2-Inch-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00UPLKF4A/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467767103&sr=1-7&keywords=3.0+Cable+Modem

this may be the best one, for $60, the 6121 model and its new. up to 172 mbps download speeds is way more than enough
https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SB6121-DOCSIS-Non-Retail-Packaging/dp/B00768SBAU/ref=sr_1_20?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467767103&sr=1-20&keywords=3.0+Cable+Modem



This post was edited by noob_whacker on Jul 5 2016 07:12pm

I don't an approved list site anywhere in those posts. always best to buy separate combo's usually suck balls.
normally I have no issues with refurb if your ok returning them but modems especially combo ones have a high fail rate in my experience.

i think i forgot to post the link. although i had meant to in previous post lol
i think this is the comcast xfinity approved list

http://mydeviceinfo.xfinity.com/

im only going to be getting 25 mbps download at this place. and its a relatives house. but for 25 mpbs, i dont think it matters what modem i get really? all of them seem to be overkill. as long as its a 3.0 cable modem.

and well, the router is the part thats most confusing to me. not sure what to look for with it. and i know they often have some fancy settings, but i have limited knowledge on these settings and ill only be using it for basic use and some gaming, nothing too hardcore. other people in the house dont do any games, no netflix, absolutely nothing for the internet except email and basic web browsing lol. i dont even know if they visit youtube very often....

so yea the only thing is i want a stable connection through wifi. sadly my desktop is setup around 75 ft away from the modem and no way to hardwire it. be too complicated to run an ethernet cord for just a month or so.

im assuming the modems i posted above should be good enough and are approved. unless u guys want to suggest any others? or please let me know if u agree with the 6121 surfboard modem.

PLEASE suggest any router for under $40? i have no clue what to look for, for these.

THANKS!

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Jul 5 2016 09:56pm

A cheap router for just 2.4 ghz hmmm... maybe a Linksys WRT54GL and load dd-wrt on it.
40$ is like so little to work with maybe you can find something used but the one i listed above has proved to be a solid pick on a budget.

/edit
looks like ducky's lurking he should have some idea's.

This post was edited by King Atrhur on Jul 5 2016 10:12pm

is the dd wrt a custom firmware?
ive heard about loading ur own firmware on routers. but not sure how to do it or whats the benefit?
for the most part it will be very basic use. just need the signal to be send a decent distance. really only 1 desktop will be hardwired to the modem and 1 other desktop wireless through the wifi of router.

and maybe 2 cell phones wireless but those i doubt will cause much of any issue


to be honest, just looking for something simple lol.... seems complicated to learn about these features for the router. interesting yes. but i dont know if ill have much time to mess around with it lol

holy shit just looked up that router, i remember one looking very similar from like 8 years ago that i had when i was much younger lol.... and i remember calling the linksys support and talking to people in india lol
i just read its an 11 year old model... holy fk... lol

think it would work fine without the custom firmware? whats the reason for the custom firmware?


also just remembered that i have an old powerline ethernet adapter thing. u plug one into modem and wall outlet. and other into outlet near desktop and ethernet into the desktop. i think its better than wifi. if i can find it i can use that for my desktop. but id still need some other way for wifi for the house

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Jul 5 2016 10:44pm

yes

https://www.flashrouters.com/ddwrt-router-information

Read this, totally worth it if your router supports it. There is tons of benefits from using your own firmware.
theres also other firmwares out there I've just personally used this one, ducky used another one I think can't recall which though.

/edit
Don't let its age fool you.
Still one of the best routers out there.

This post was edited by King Atrhur on Jul 5 2016 10:44pm

ok thanks, but wondering if only advanced users would really benefit from this special firmware?

thing is, while i may be able to figure out the custom firmware. but once im gone in around 1 month, the people in the house will have absolutely no clue how to do anything with it. they dont even know what the difference is between a router and a modem... lol

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Jul 5 2016 10:46pm