Not many modems consider finding the right balance between speed and aesthetics. But then, not many are as good as the Motorola MB8600. With an ability to manage multi-gig internet connections and making its presence felt when it comes to gaming and streaming, this cable modem from Motorola certainly deserves a detailed discussion.
Modem functionality has been a hugely debatable area, even in 2021. Starting from businesses to independent homeowners, they are often undervalued as compared to routers, when they should deserve a lot more attention, owing to the fact that they help connect to the internet in the first place.
Motorola’s MB8600 puts all the doubts and apprehensions to rest by coming across as a future-proof modem with DOCSIS 3.1 support. Therefore, if you are planning to invest in a one-time office setup or a home network for unhindered online gaming and streaming, you simply cannot go wrong with the MB8600.
- Technology: DOCSIS 3.1
- Downstream/Upstream: 32 x 8
- Max Data Speeds: Up to 3.8Gbps
- Ports: 4 Gig Ethernet slots
- Suitable Service Package: 1Gbps
- RAM: 512MB
- NAND Memory: 128MB
Contents
Motorola MB8600 Review: Everything You Should Know Before Purchasing
Even though the Motorola MB8600 is more like a gratifying upgrade over the sub-gig variants in the market, purchasing it isn’t only about the speeds. Instead, the modem gets quite a few things right, especially if you are looking to get up a futuristic internet network at home.
1. Design & Build
The Motorola MB8600 is a durable cable modem. Well, to be entirely forthcoming in terms of aesthetics, the dimensions read 7.88 x 7.25 x 2.25 inches. The weight, on the other hand, is set at 1.15 pounds, making it one of the lighter devices.
Hardened plastic forms the chassis of this one, which is bolstered further by a vertical, meshed layout and an array of status-reporting LEDs. If you are fixated with numbers, there are 5 front-panel LEDs n play followed by 2 each in the rear for each Ethernet port, which offers ample perspective into the serviceability and quality of connections.
This modem from Motorola doesn’t take up a lot of shelf space and even comes equipped with power surge units integrated within to help sustain outages with efficiency.
2. Ports & Connectivity
The port arrangement is top-shelf with Motorola making room for four GigE ports. The MB8600 doesn’t get too enthusiastic to offer a multi-gig port but each of the 4 Gigabit slots is good enough to connect with bandwidth-intensive devices.
As far as cumulative throughput is concerned, each of the ports supports link aggregation, thereby allowing you to reach speeds of up to 3.8Gbps, as per the theoretical considerations. Plus, Motorola even accommodates Auto MDI/MDIX support for the ports in play, which allows you to be steady and accurate with the wired connections.
3. Compatibility with ISPs [Tested]
When compared to the MB8611 (the higher-end version of this modem), The MB8600 is compatible with the below listed service providers:
4. Hardware & Technology
Powering this cable modem is a reliable, Broadcom processor that lets you cut through any type of congestion. Complementing the SoC is 512MB of RAM and 128MB of flash storage space, especially for storing configuration details.
This modem also boasts AQM support for a better gaming experience followed by IPv6 compatibility and full-band digital tuning support. To be exact, it handles latency like a pro and even lets you reach maximum upstream speeds of up to 1Gbps, provided the right ISP is in place.
Finally, the quick start, web-based setup is easy to wrap your head around and allows you to unearth a wide range of modem-related features.
Motorola MB8600: Speed and Range
Finally, I plan on addressing the elephant in the room i.e. speed and throughput of the concerned modem. Motorola’s MB8600 promises overall speeds of up to 3.8Gbps, which rides on the laurels of the DOCSIS 3.1 technology. The DOCSIS 3.0 support, courtesy of the 32 x 8 downstream and upstream channels, ensures excellent throughput and the unmatched ability to pair with a top-shelf router.
I even tested the same with a standard Gig internet plan from Xfinity and Cox, separately, to get hold of speeds reaching up to 800Mbps, under ideal conditions.
Motorola MB8600: Pros & Cons
- Minimal gaming latency
- Surge protection support
- Multi-ISP compatibility
- Boasts Active Queue Management
- 4 Gig Ethernet ports
- No QoS support
- A tad pricey for budget-minded users
Frequently Asked Questions
While there are several good things about the MB8600, it is the availability of four Ethernet ports that makes quite an impression.
The Motorola MB8600 is an excellent modem for gaming, courtesy of the AQM support that helps minimize overall latency and paves the way for excellent gaming performances.
Setting up the MB8600 is quite straightforward. You simply need to connect the modem with the service cable, wait up for the 2nd light from the bottom to turn green, and eventually connect the modem to the computer via the LAN port. This takes care of the hardware setup and then you need to launch the web-based activation page to feed in the details.
Verdict
As far as the performances are concerned, the Motorola MB8600 is one of the safest bets you can consider, especially if you prioritize futuristic setups and wired efficiency, more than anything else. While dedicated QoS would have been nice, this modem has quite a lot going for it, when gaming and streaming perfection is concerned.
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