[geeks] Q: Cable modem failing?

[Lionel Peterson]

Hello all,

I have a plain, old, Motorola Cable modem (SB5101, Docsis 2.0), and it seems
to have started having problems.

This is a 7 year-old device, and what I am seeing is that Internet speeds will
slowly degrade to the point it is unusable, then rebooting the cable modem
sets things right for 24-48 hours it seems.

I'm tempted to upgrade to a newer, Docsis 3.0 modem, but I'm not sure how to
tell if my modem device is actually failing or if my service is just varying
widely.

What is the tell-tale signs for a failing modem (do they simply work until
they don't, or do they degrade)?

I'm on Comcast 'Performance' Internet service - I won't have crazy speed, but
20 Mb/sec is what I get when everything is working right - is there a benefit
to getting a Docsis 3.0 modem as far as congestion, tolerance, etc compared
with the lesser Docsis 2.0 standard modems?

Thanks in advance,