Why did Spectrum "upgrade" me from DOCSIS 3.1 to DOCSIS 3.0 modem?

jbhtexas

Hello! I have a Motorola MB8611 DOCSIS 3.1 modem (I own it) that has been working fine. For the past couple of months, my bill has had the message:

"As a reminder, your current Spectrum service package has been transitioned to a newer, more up-to-date package. To enjoy your new speeds and features, you will need to replace your current equipment with new state-of-the-art equipment."

Spectrum has been doing a lot of pole work in the neighborhood and I have been getting numerous text about outages due to upgrades, so I figured maybe we are getting high-split service to compete with the AT&T fiber that was installed in the neighborhood this past spring. So I went online and did the equipment change.

I got the "upgraded" modem today, and it is an Arris TM1602A DOCSIS 3.0 modem. This is a lower class modem than what I have. Why would I want to replace my Motorola modem with this one?

The only change in service I have noted in my service is that I have been downgraded from 300/20 to 300/10 (and my bill dropped).

Thanks!

Renee_T

I'm sorry about the confusion. I double checked our approved modem list and the Motorola modem you own is still able to be used on our network and would support speeds up to our gig speeds. When mailing out replacement equipment, it sounds like the warehouse may have only had the older 3.0 modems in stock. Typically everything we mail out is a 3.1 but sometimes in areas where line and node upgrades are still being done, the 3.0s can still be in circulation.

If you'd like to continue using your Motorola, that is totally fine. The Arris that you received would be able to be returned to your local Spectrum store or through a UPS store.

jbhtexas

Thank you for the information!

I'm curious why my account is flagged for needing a modem upgrade, when I don't really need one?

What exactly are these "new speeds and features" that are available to me? I don't really see anything different. I was hoping for some better speeds and pricing, as Spectrum is quite expensive compared to the AT&T fiber that is now available in our neighborhood.

RAIST515O

CPE is not always registered properly across all systems... May have been in the system with a more generic flag that would not indicate advanced features/support of the device. My account details would list the same description of my modem whether it was an 8-channel Motorola or 16/24 channel Netgear--because I owned them.

While the plant would send it the appropriate config file on startup for the level of DOCSIS in play and all, other components of their systems likely were not "aware" you were already using a 3.1 compliant device.

I would hazard a guess that losing access to OFDM and newer QAM specs with the 3.0 spec modem was a primary factor in the change in your upload config. It may "magicly" come back if you go back to the 3.1... if not, they may need to refresh things on their end.

jbhtexas

RAIST5150,

Thank you for the comment. I didn't install the Arris/Spectrum DOCSIS 3.0 modem; I left my Motorola 3.1 in-place. Similar to what you mention, when I login to my account to look at internet status, it always tells me that my modem status is unavailable. This started quite some time ago when I got the Motorola modem. If I click on Upgrade to see what is available, I am only presented with options to add TV, mobile, or voice. I thought we had 1 Gig service available here, but I could very well be wrong.

Anyway, if Spectrum is putting in something around here to compete with the AT&T fiber on speed/price, it would be nice to know. The Spectrum ladder trucks were out again earlier this week before the rain started. I also called into Spectrum, but the rep said there is nothing new. Maybe just time to jump to the fiber.

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