I can't really give this any sort of star rating since it turns out this model is NOT compatible with Cablevision, at least in NJ, and I couldn't use it. Although the description said it is, and even the original customer service rep at Cablevision said any DOCSIS 3.0 modem is compatible, apparently they're both wrong. Cablevision needs to register the MAC of the modem for it to connect to the network and during that process I found out that the SB6190 is, in fact, not compatible with the network. I was told by the Cablevision tech that the SB6141 and the SB6183 are compatible, even though neither are officially listed by Cablevision on their website. So the SB6190 is on the way back to Amazon and the SB6183 is on the way to me. Kudos to Amazon for making the exchange quick and painless! Both Arris and Cablevision need to get their act together. Before you buy anything, call your internet provider and confirm compatibility with tech support (and not customer service). All this confusion and inconvenience because I wanted to avoid the $5/month modem rental fee Cablevision just instituted...

UPDATE: Received and installed the Surfboard SB6183 without issue.

I would avoid the Arris SURFboard 6190. According to DSLReports and my personal experience, this device suffers from several issues that make playing games impossible and surfing difficult at best. The main issue seems to be that the device just goes into la-la land every couple of seconds making DNS requests fail and packets to be late or dropped. The fault is in the Intel/Puma 6 chipset the modem relies on for operation. There is supposedly a fix in the works but Intel and Arris are taking their time. Do a search on DSLReports for more technical info on what is happening and the status of any fix. Read more here: [...]

Below is a list of devices that are affected other than the Arris 6190. They all have the Intel/Puma 6 chipset and should be avoided until a fix is available.

Arris:

TM1602A TG1642 TG1662A TG1672A TG2472G TG2492 (Virgin Media Hub 3)
TM1602G TG1662G TG1672G
TG1662S

DG1642 DG1660A DG1662G DG1670A DG2460A DG2470A
DG1670A/ACT
DTG1682G
MG2402
SB6190

AVM:

FRITZ!Box 6460 FRITZ!Box 6490

Cisco:

XG1-V3 DPC 3848 DPC 3848V DPC 3939
DPC3941B / DPC3941TÂ (commonly - Comcast Xfinity XB3)

Compal:

CH7465-LG (Arris TG2492LG / Virgin Media Hub 3) CH7466

Hitron:

CDA Series: CDA-32372 CDA-3-35
CDE Series: CDE-32372
CGN3 Series: CGN3, CGN3ACR,CGN3AMF, CGN3AMR, CGN3ACSMR
CGNM Series: CGNM-2250 CGNM-3552
CGNDM Series:
CGNV Series: CGNV4

Linksys:

CM3016 CM3024 CG7500

Netgear:

CG4500 CG4500TM C6300 C6300BD (Telstra Gateway Max - Australia) CM700

Samsung;

Home Media Server

SMC;

D3G2408

My internet speed is much faster than the available bandwidth just because of the additional channels available. I have used the ISP provided modem (in the past) and now I am using this one. What a vast difference. Not that my ISP provided modem didn't deliver but this one delivers much more than what is promised. Great product and I am loving it so far. Would highly recommend this for all those who need good internet speed.

This modem does its job. Nothing wrong with this hardware I give it 5 stars and I called customer support about an issue and rate it 10 out of 10. With that said let talk about issues I had. I have comcast.. I know I know... Its the fastest I can get in my area. I first call comcast to get the MAC address added and after that I did a speed test and I normally got 120Mbps download and 10 Mpbs upload. After installing the modem I was getting 60Mbps download and 5Mbps upload. I called comcast and after BLAH BLAH everything (I am a network admin) I already did they said I have a 3rd party and its not a comcast modem, the modem in which its on there approval list. I called Arris and man the tech was so nice! They confirmed my it was my ISP issues. I called comcast again and asked to modem "activation" and let them know I need my modem "re-provisioned". After that I went from and fake Onsite service call to proper internet speed. I was a 60Mbps down, 5Mbps up to............ 180Mbps down, 11Mbps up.

When you buy this modem test your speed before and see what your paying for. If you have speed issues then its your ISP cheating you or bad activation programming.

When you call your ISP you need to use key words as I have learned. They Are...

Modem Activation

And

Re-provisioned

Being on Comcast and not having the option to go to FIOS I presumed that I would have to rely on Comcast as my ISP for a while. With that in mind I didn't want to rent from them. I also prefer to own the modem and router as it provides me with more control and better quality.

Prior to this model I had the SB6121 with Comcasts 25Mbps download speed internet. With that router I would actually get 35Mbps download. After a couple years my wife and I negotiated with Comcast and got 150Mbps service for the same price. I knew that the SB6121 would not be up to the task and felt investing in a new modem would ensure I got the speeds I am paying for now and a reasonable distance in the future.

I considered the SB6141 that has 8 downstreams and 4 upstreams but felt 8 downstreams could limit its potential and this SB6183 offers 16 downstreams and 4 upstreams at a minimal increase in price. Since Comcast would typically charge at least $5/month I see this as an investment that pays for itself after x number of months. Basically the SB6141 would pay for itself after roughly a year and this one after a year and a half. Not a huge difference price wise.

My only complaints are that it doesn't come in black so it does not fit in aesthetically with my entertainment center/tv stand. Also the lights in it are very bright and since it has many small holes around its casing (I presume to keep it cool) it basically has this blue glow to it which also is not optimal for a place like a TV stand/entertainment center.

It however performs well and is very stable. I pay for 150Mbps but consistently get 180Mbps downloads. I never have to reset it or my router (an aging ASUS R65U). Aside from appearance it works better than expected and hopefully Ill have it long enough to recoupe the cost in the form of not paying my ISP to rent.