Motorola MT7711 Modem and Wi-Fi Router

Like most here I got tired of paying the $13 a month rental for the Comcast gateway. The Arris gateway provided by Comcast also created a problem for me whenever we experienced a power outage. I sometimes took up to 3 hours for the Arris to sort itself out and allow me an internet connection even though it would let me connect to the gateway. Connecting the Motorola couldn't be easier (especially if you use the Ethernet cable connection between the computer and gateway). To connect via WiFi, I only had to log onto the gateway using the default user name and password printed on the tag on the bottom of the gateway. As soon as the computer log onto the gateway an immediate window popped on the computer screen welcoming me to Xfinity and with the click of one button the gateway registered itself with the provider. A message came on the screen and notified me that it may take up to 30 minutes before I had network access but I was connected and ready to surf the internet immediately. If you connect with the Ethernet cable you don't even have to select a user name or enter a password. As soon as the gateway powers up and runs through about 2 minutes of light blinking it will automatically bring up the Xfinity registration page. I don't understand the comments from some users that said it was necessary to call Comcast to register both the WiFi and Voice capabilities and have their techs push magic buttons to get the gateway up and running. This thing really is connect, plug, hit the power button on the rear of the gateway, wait for the lights to indicate it is ready, then log in with your computer and select the register mode on the computer screen. The user interface is much better than the Arris gateway with much more flexibility on configurations. In addition the built-in firewall the gateway also has an onboard VPN. The Motorola has a much better array of security options than the Comcast rental. After changing the admin login as well as the user name and password for both channels I ran a WiFi analyzer to check for signal level, speed, and overall performance on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz channels and everything was perfect. My download speed on 5 GHz is about 20% faster than with the Arris. Usinng slightly different names for each channel will allow you to divide you network load so you are not taxing the channel you have connected to your computer. I kept my computer on the 5 Ghz channel and split off my Nest system, smart TV, DirecTV, and tablet to the 2.4 GHz channel. The only thing I liked better with the Arris gateway compared to the Motorola is the power supply is internal to the Arris so you only have a power cord leading from the socket to the unit. On the Motorola, a power brick plugs into the wall and a low voltage wire travels from the brick to the gateway. This just creates a little more clutter and one more thing sitting on the shelf. The Motorola is slightly smaller and obviously lighter since the power supply is external. I did experience one problem that had nothing to do with the gateway and mention it here because other users may also have a WD MyCloud Home NAS drive that you will be attaching to the gateway. Once I had my gateway up and running smoothly I connected the Ethnernet cable between the MyCloud Home and the gateway. As soon as I did I lost internet connection even though both the 2.4 and 5 GHz channels showed they were still available. I called Motorola customer support to see if they had any tips. The support rep said they had never heard of any problem like this and even quizzed the other reps. One rep said he was running the same gateway with the same MyCloud Home on his network and had not problems. It took a while to determine that the MyCloud was the problem and a Google search indicated that the Plex app that was enabled on the MyCloud was causing the problem. I disconnected the MyCloud, cycled the power on the gateway and it returned to normal operation. I did a reset on the MyCloud and did not enable Plex when I had it reconnected and everything worked fine. After making sure everything was working correctly I eventually enabled Plex and everything remained normal. Powering everything off and back on did not cause any adverse reaction so everything is good.