Top positive review
2 people found this helpful
It was easy to activate and it just works.
By Small Panda on Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2025
Briefly: this Arris G34 works! As my main concern was about activating it- this review is about activation process only. Activation with xfinity app was eeeeasyyy!!!! ( just online with their xfinity app for cellphone) no tel calls, no technicians were needed. And for technologically clueless senior it took about half an our maximum. I found all info I needed through my personal “best friend” - google :) After the modem connected and appeared in the list of local WiFi’s ( with names which are on the label of modem - 2 actually, one for each band- 2,4 and 5), so I first connected the cellphone from which I was activating( entered p/w) , for each bandwidth, then other family cell phones, then computers, then tv. Connections were soo easy. And everything seems to work just fine( better and easier than with our original old modem) I decided not to bother and just to have 2 different networks ( names) for each bandwidth , rather then unite them under one name, as it automatically chooses best frequency bandwidth) and I can see then which one is working ) Though I should really mention in this review that during 2 last days I had been prepared and trained well already for the activation of this Arris modem. Because my first attempt was an incredibly stressful experience with Motorola 8702 modem combo refurbished in mint condition( also bought on Amazon here).( which I happily returned today(the return window is very reasonable) It took unbelievable amount of time and energy, for hours chatting with xfinity assistant, tel calls to and from xfinity, finally appointment with technician, and all that circus was just to find out that this refurbished Motorola modem was just plain defective. We certainly could not sit without internet ( at this point our old Motorola modem and refurbished newer Motorola both did not connect) So, I just rushed to look on Amazon for a really new modem combo compatible with xfinity, ( and with fastest delivery !) ( and I was checking release dates for all modems - to have a fresh one) Found out that ArrisG34 was released not that far ago. That is how I chose new Arris G34 here. If I ordered this Arris modem combo as a first choice, I would not even know what other people can go through , and why some reviews are so negative. Though in my case - I consider it as a valuable experience, and I certainly acquired some useful skills through the difficult first attempt of activating refurbished Motorola modem. But how glad I am that it is done, and I certainly can relate to good reviews , when people bought good new product from their first attempt and therefore activation process was as it is supposed to be - easy and not long at all, though it took some patience and anticipation, when the light on Arris was blinking different colors , but finally stabilized in stable blue. Xfinity app is leading through all steps of activating , and half an hour max - actually for me it was a breeze. Oh, and I read that if you want to change the name of your WiFi network for something more fancy, better to do it by reaching xfinity , so that they do it, as their app does not give this option ( which did not bother me) Also I am glad that I did not install arris surfboard smth. app( did reading that it is useless and not needed, only could confuse) In my case it was really not needed. I used plainly only Xfinity app for activation, nothing else. So, that was review about activation process and initial impressions. I hope that our new modem combo Arris G34 will work reliably ! ( if not, I will most probably update this review)
Top critical review
123 people found this helpful
Basically a Good DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Model with a Totally Useless Router
By J. D. Arnold on Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2022
Let me start by saying I have worked in the IT industry for going on 35 years in all areas from software development to networking and systems infrastructure. I have experience configuring routers/load balancers for Fortune 500 companies that run as much as $75K each for managing worldwide global networks, so I'd say I know what I'm doing. I have been using a Motorola Arris Surfboard SBG6900 configured as an edge/perimeter device routed to an ASUS RT-AC68R router for the internal network to isolate everything except selected devices from the external network and use port forwarding on the Arris to the ASUS to expose those selected devices to the public internet as needed. Namely, a staging web server with FTP services for clients to access. It has worked FLAWLESSLY for over 5 years. Recently I upgraded my internet to achieve faster speeds with unlimited data and as a result, had to upgrade my cable modem from a DOCIS 3.0 to a DOCSIS 3.1 model. I had been so happy with the Arris 6900 that it seemed to be a no-brainer to go with the Arris 8300. This has been a frustrating and disappointing total waste of time. First off, the firmware/software version loaded onto the unit out of the box is broken. The screens where you define port forwarding settings are not even correct. They are missing fields so you cannot map external ports to internal ports. You can only specify a start and end port which is useless in terms of security, and even then, the port forward simply DOES NOT WORK. After running a few hours, the unit automatically downloads an upgraded version of the firmware/software (from SDK 7.0 to SDK 7.1) which corrects the admin screens so port forwarding can be set up properly. Even so, after configuring the port forwarding on this 8300 STILL DOES NOT WORK. I have been fighting with this thing for a week. The very first thing I did was to check with my ISP after having them activate the new modem to ensure no ports were being blocked. Of course, none were. I have performed multiple factory resets and reconfigured them from the ground up. Double, triple, and quadruple-checked my configurations, and nothing will make this POJ forward traffic according to the defined port-forwarding rules. I even bypassed the internal router and connected directly to the new unit to isolate and rule out any possible failures with other equipment, which seemed unlikely because the ONLY thing that had changed was the modem. You can't even SSH into the router itself to see what's going on with this unit, meaning you can't inspect routing tables/port mappings in any attempt to correct the problem at the OS level. Finally, I got on the phone with Arris customer support. My last experience with them was over 5 years ago and I was very satisfied. They were professional, knowledgeable, polite, and extremely helpful - no more. I explained in detail everything I had attempted, my network configuration, equipment isolation, the multiple factory resets, etc. What did they do? He listened with half an ear and then proceeded to read his troubleshooting script and ask me to do all of the things I had already done multiple times. At each step, I told him I'd already done that and that it would not work, but he kept saying 'I know you said you did it, but I have to document it.' I could barely understand the guy and he was getting on my very last nerve, but I humored him and did everything he asked. Finally, after he tried everything in his silly little script, he put me on hold for 15 minutes before coming back on the line and telling me my problem was my TEST SERVER! That didn't go down well, especially since I can hit that server from my internal network and it works fine, and not to mention everything worked fine up to the point I hooked up their new modem. Following that, I considered the possibility I had gotten a "lemon." I initiated a return/exchange with Amazon, which they fulfilled promptly, and received the new unit yesterday. The result? Exact same second verse as the first. In my research during the week I have been doing battle with this POJ, I read that Arris is aware of the fact that their admin interface for this unit does not work properly but they won't say when or even IF they will fix it. Their customer service wouldn't even consider the possibility that something may be wrong with the device. If they're going to sell a cable modem/router combo with a basically useless router, they should sell it at the price of a basic cable modem. These are NOT cheap units, but they DO SUCK. I'm returning BOTH of these POJs and will never buy another Motorola modem again. Following many recommendations I've read in the last week, I've ordered a NetGear Nighthawk cable modem/router combo. It's about $100 more expensive, but at least the reviews are good. For those who want a plug-it-in and forget-it type of unit, the SBG8300 should be fine. Internet speed, wi-fi and streaming have been good with the unit, but if you want to manage/configure your network using advanced features, forget it.
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