The Motorola SURFboard SB5120 Cable Modem

Author's Rating:

Pros: works right out of the box, easy to set up, space saver, works great

Cons: none

The Bottom Line: 
This is a great cable modem, because it is easy to set up and easy to put to use by even the most novice of computer users.

Author's Review
Getting ready to set up internet for ourselves, it was necessary to purchase a cable modem to extend from the computer to the cable hook-up. Being a Comcast customer, it just made sense to get our high-speed internet through the same company that provided the cable, and I sought out a nice deal through Best Buy. I found one, which included a nice discount on the Motorola SURFboard SB5120 Cable Modem, which had been selling for $79.99. Saving $40.00 right off the top was a great way to get me interested in the brand, and it was one that had been recommended to me prior to the purchase. Having never hooked up anything myself outside of Ethernet set-ups, this was going to be a fun experience working with my own cable modem, and I knew that I would rather own one than rent it. Lucky for me, I chose one of the modems that required little else other than plug-and-play as soon as it was out of the box.

This particular Cable Modem is pretty compact in appearance, and I would save that it is not much wider than a CD case, and only as thick as about two of them. On the front of the modem, there are six individual labeled lights that indicate exactly what the modem is doing at any time, which made it even easier to set up the first time. From top to bottom it has a power light, one for receiving signals, one for sending, one to denote if I am online, one that tells if PC activity is taking place, and finally a standby light that kicks in while waiting. When you are setting it up, the top 5 lights need to be solid to indicate that you have a good signal, with the top 4 being green, and the Activity light being a light orange. It is a nice little box to have, because if something needs to go through a trouble-shoot these lights are what will lead you in the right direction towards a solution.

To install the modem for the first time, they give you some easy instructions that can be followed if you aren't well versed at setting up a new modem. They first ask that you inset the CD-Rom that comes with the modem, and run the installation assistant. You then attach the coaxial cable to the modem, attach the power adapter, and then connect the USB cable to the back of the modem. Hooking each of the cords up is as hard as it is going to get, and for my computer as soon as it was all plugged in, it was ready to have the internet connected. The Comcast worked sent through the signal, and when we turned the computer back on, everything was golden. It had been that easy for us to hook up the modem and get on to the internet. I have to say that when a product can make life that easy for you, that you have something that is well worth recommending to friends and family that may find themselves in the same need of a great cable modem.

Establishing service was very easy with this particular modem, and I was glad that I had chosen such an easy one to work with. With the SB5120 Cable Modem, you get USB and Ethernet Cables, a power adapter, the quick installation CD-Rom with USB Drivers, the Quick Start Guide, and a great 2-year warranty for the modem itself. The modem requires a minimum of a 486/66 or Macintosh compatible CPU, a CD-Rom Drive, and a USB Connection or 10/100 Base T Ethernet set-up. With those assets in place, the Modem is going to run great for you with the quick set-up. If you are not completely sure about what you are doing, and want to make absolutely sure that you aren't setting up something wrong in your computer, the installation CD and the quick start guide are both very valuable tools that make it easy to follow along with both pictures and detailed instructions. I think that even the most novice of computer users will find this modem easy to put to use.

Some of the selling points that this modem has, are that it enables access to real-time online games, that it is compatible to both Windows and Macintosh, and that it requires no additional software to get the modem up and running. As I mentioned before, it takes up barely any space on the top shelf of my computer desk, and it has worked flawlessly since I installed it. If I ever do have a problem with the modem, Motorola provides both web and phone assistance to call up and get saved. The speed with which this modem transmits information has been quite good for me as well, and I have yet to experience a slowdown in internet browsing, chatting, or e-mailing. The modem has a maximum upstream capacity of 30 Mbps, provides instant response to gaming that I have done online, and can support up to as many as 32 users if you are working with a large system of computers. I know I won't be getting anywhere near 32 computers on this modem, but it is nice to know that my modem has those capabilities.

I think that when it comes to cable modems, the Motorola SURFboard SB5120 is one of those tools that make using a computer so much easier. For the non-expert computer user, who just wants functionality and doesn't care about the bells and whistles, this is a great cable modem to set up and never have to deal with again. Being able to have a computer component that you can rely on to do the job, and that you won't have to fiddle with everything you get on the internet is a valuable thing indeed. With the added feature of the stand-by button to disconnect the USB connection from the computer without disconnecting the cable modem from the RF network, you have the added security of knowing you can play with modem and not change your settings. I think that the convenience of having a cable modem that is ready to go right out of the box, and the ease with which this one can be set up is enough to gain a high recommendation from me. Through in the small amount of space that it takes up, and the great functionality that it has offered, and I have nothing but a high recommendation of the Motorola SB5120 Cable Modem for anyone interested in purchasing a great piece of computer hardware.







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