modem – Pulpconnection

Now Surfing at 200 Mbps

Gee Why — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 06:23:11 +0000

All this time I’ve had Oceanic’s Internet Ultimate 200 data plan and didn’t realize it. Simply put, my household could get 200 Mbps download speeds which is way greater than the 50 Mbps Extreme package I had back in the day. But my older Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 modem maxed out at 100 Mbps. Lose out!

So I purchased a new modem, the NetGear CM500-100NAS. Despite the name, this unit does not include a NAS but is just a plain old cable modem with no WiFi. Since I already have a good enough WiFi router, there’s no need to replace it. This NetGear model is on Oceanic Time Warner’s list of approved modems.

In order to activate the modem, I did have to call Oceanic Tech Support to authorize the new MAC address. Once that was done, it was 200 Mbps Internet surfing. It doesn’t feel faster for short, bursty downloads, but you can feel the speed increase when downloading big files. Oddly enough, while this modem just works, the best part I really like about it are its status lights. The usual complement of LEDs are on the front of the device, but their colors are muted, almost too much so. Kinda hard to see when the room lights are on, but not irritatingly bright at night like the blue LEDs of the SurfBoard SB6141. These LEDs would light up a room at night that could cause sleep issues.

And Then There’s Costco

Gee Why — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 06:57:04 +0000

Here I was looking for best prices of the Motorola SB6183 cable modem, but in the end, there was Costco. Strolling down the electronics section, lo and behold, there was the SB6183 at the same price as Amazon. 200 Mb/s here I come!

Note to Self: Target Hawaii Does Not Price Match Amazon

Gee Why — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 21:04:42 +0000

Just a reminder to myself that Target locations in Hawaii do not price match online stores. They’ll price match target.com but not other sites like Amazon.com. On the mainland, it’s a different story, but be wary of the “except Alaska and Hawaii” exemption clauses.

So if you ever need to upgrade your cable modem to take advantage of Oceanic’s newer faster speeds, you can’t just go to Target, hoping they’ll sell you the $120 Motorola SB6183 cable modem at the $90 Amazon price. Just won’t happen. Even with a 10% electronics coupon, Amazon is still cheaper.

What’s Good at Costco?

Gee Why — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 06:26:48 +0000

What’s good at the Hawaii Kai Costco?

Lego Star Wars Microfighters in sets of three. Typically around $10 each, the set of three goes for $24.99. There are two different sets.

LEGO Star Wars Microfighters

Motorola Surfboard Extreme cable modem SB6141. The cable modem I bought in 2013, but I remember paying more than $75. Looks like the white model from the box.

SB6141 cable modem

And if you lost anything while shopping, they have a lost and found box at Customer Service. Is that a gold Nintendo DS I spy?

Lost and Found

Oh, and the Christmas stuff is starting to make an appearance…in September.