Differences Between Arris Surfboard S8200 and Motorola MB8600?

The new DOCSIS 3.1 Technology is here. There are two very promising cable modems that have adopted this standard. SB8200 from Arris and MB8600 from Motorola are two of the prime contenders in terms of features and speed.

While ISP speeds were limited to 1Gbps previously, after the introduction of the DOCSIS 3.1 standard, this can go up to 10Gbps for downstream and 1Gbps for upstream.

Both the Motorola MB8600 and Arris Surfboard S8200 support 32 QAM channels for download and 8 channels for upload. Let’s delve into their pros and cons into more detail:

Motorola MB8600 Pros and Cons

Pros

• Provides a great speed difference compared to DOCSIS 3.0 modems. Website loading times reduce greatly and video streaming sites like YouTube become much faster. Great increase in download speed should be noticeable as well.
• The MB8600 has been approved by the Comcast/Xfinity equipment list. It works with the higher tier speeds offered by such equipment. It can be easily set up between a WiFi router and a Xfinity cable.
• This is a future-proof modem with 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
• The Broadcom BCM3390 chipset has been used in this modem. This chipset is known for its stable performance.
• A web GUI gives you access to the chipset’s spectrum analyzer.
• Motorola is owned by Zoom. Zoom is a highly revered company in the communications business.

               Cons

• The firmware version 3.1 is still in development and has some bugs in it that are yet to be resolved. This is why you might end up losing downstream connection without any apparent cause.
• WiFi Router has not been built into this modem. Therefore, external adapters will be needed for wireless devices.

Arris Surfboard SB8200 Pros and Cons

Pros

• This modem is ideal for streaming videos in Ultra High Definition (UHD) and for virtual reality gaming that requires high performance.
• Most of the ISPs across the globe are compatible with the modem’s manufactured by ARRIS.
• This is a future-proof modem with 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
• The Broadcom BCM3390 chipset is present in this modem. This makes the Arris Surfboard really stable in terms of hardware.
• You can check the quality of the cable connection with a spectrum analyzer.
• The Arris Surfboard SB8200 has 3GB of RAM which is more than sufficient for any application.
• This modem is really easy to get up and running.

Cons

• The modem has some heating issues and can get a tad bit warm during longer periods of use.
• There is no internal wifi router for wireless devices. Buying an adapter is mandatory for such purposes.

Comparison Table of sb8200 vs mb8600

Motorola MB8600 vs Arris Surfboard SB8200: Comparison?

There aren’t many significant differences between the SB8200 and the MB8600. However, there are small differences in specs that set both apart from each other.

Let’s compare both modems in terms of 3 key factors –  Performance and Speed, Ports, and Configuration and Setup

• Speed and Performanc

The theoretical speed limit of the Arris Surfboard is 2Gbps while that of the MB8600 is 3.8Gbps. Therefore, the highest potential speed that can be achieved by the MB8600 is much higher. However, since most internet providers give you a speed of 1Gbps or less currently, this factor should not cause any difference in performance for the time being.

• Ports

The MB8600 wins hands down in this category with 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports in contrast to 2 ports on the SB8200. In fact, the four ports of the MB8600 is what actually makes it capable of greater speeds.

• Configuration and setup

Configuration and setup is really easy on both the SB8200 and the MB8600. To set them up you just need to connect them to the cable. Take a note of the MAC address of the device and contact your ISP with it to get it configured.

Verdict -Which is Better?

Both modems are really great for high-speed internet. However, the MB8600 takes the cake for being truly future proof with its theoretical speed limit of 3.8Gbps. However, that kind of speed will still take some time to become mainstream. So, instead, the Arris SB8200 provides a more compact solution that is much more practical for home networks.

Another spec in favour of the SB8200 is that it has 3GB of RAM. That should ensure that it does not fall short of performance any time in the near future. Of course, Arris is also charging a premium over the likes of Motorola MB8600.

Therefore, if you are on a budget, you can go for the Motorola MB8600. Otherwise, the SB8200 would be a more practical solution in the current situation.