A high-speed cable modem that has been certified for DOCSIS 3.0. This certification allows it to function with major cable service providers, including Comcast XFINITY, Time Warner Cable, and most other major cable service providers. Customers find that third-party modems, such as the Netgear cable modem CM500, provide them with various helpful advantages, such as eliminating the monthly rent or financing the provider’s modem, which may amount to around $10 per month in certain locations. This is one of the reasons why third-party modems are becoming more popular. Also, find out Netgear CM500 specs.
In addition, consumers are given a chance to have considerably more control over the functioning of the modem, including firmware upgrades, connection, and security features, as opposed to being forced to settle with what the ISP has to offer. This enables users to choose a modem from a reputable business, such as Netgear, rather than being forced to make do with what is on offer.
Do you know about the Netgear CM500 manual? Regarding customer support, service providers often offer subpar assistance in this area, which frequently causes a great deal of aggravation for the end user. In light of this information, the Netgear cable modem CM500 is unquestionably developed to provide consumers with these advantages and its visually beautiful appearance, enabling users to position the device in nearly any place instead of concealing it in a closet.
As far as performance goes, the Netgear cable modem CM500 is said to be able to handle rates of up to 680Mbps (which is 16 times faster than DOCSIS 2.0 devices), ensuring that users will have no problems while streaming high-definition content or playing online games. Additionally, this modem has a Gigabit Ethernet connector, which allows it to transmit those speeds onto your local network.
The speeds offered by the CM500 benefit professionals who telecommute or those who need to route via VPNs or use cloud or distant storage for work-related reasons. The user experience is brought closer to what they may have locally in the workplace, with download rates of up to 680 megabits per second and upload speeds of 132 megabits per second.
In addition, the CM500 is equipped with 8 MB of NOR flash and 128 MB of RAM, making it capable of providing dependable performance for cable networks. It also has 16 downstream channels and 4 upstream channels. In addition, according to Netgear, its cable modem is optimized for XFINITY Internet Blast and Extreme consumers and Time Warner Maxx subscribers who subscribe to an Ultimate 300 plan or a lesser service tier. Below you will find the Netgear CM500 review.
Performance
During our testing with cable modems, the Netgear cable modem CM500 worked quite well on a network taxed by the simultaneous use of four bandwidth-hogging programs. These applications included downloading three huge game file downloads on a personal computer and 4K Netflix streaming on an Xbox One and a PS4 Pro. Even though it is suggested for internet packages to advertise speeds of 300 Mbps or below, our tests were conducted using Comcast Xfinity’s 400 Mbps speed plan, and it performed quite well even though it is not advised for such packages. Nevertheless, if you want a modem with a fast connection speed, we suggest the Motorola MB7621 instead. It has a somewhat increased capacity for power and can operate at much faster rates.
The CM500 features 16 bonded channels for downstream data and 4 bonded channels for upstream data, which means it can achieve theoretical maximum rates of up to 680 Mbps. Although our testing indicated that it functions normally with a 400 Mbps connection, it is recommended that you have internet speeds of up to 300 Mbps or less to get the most out of the CM500. These theoretical maximum speeds are seldom achieved in practical usage. Even if your connection is significantly slower than 300 Mbps, you should still consider purchasing the Netgear cable modem CM500 since it is backward compatible with earlier DOCSIS standards and is an excellent modem.
Features
The CM500, like every other modem we tested, comes with an Ethernet cable and instructions on getting started quickly. Even if it lacks some of the features and accessories we found useful in other goods, such as a power button or an adjustment for the coaxial connection, it can perform its intended function. However, if you need to turn it off, you should position it to be conveniently accessible. Access the online modem interface provided by Netgear, which is helpful and simple to use to do more complex diagnostics or administrative tasks with your modem.
Design and Build
The Netgear CM500 has a sleek appearance thanks to its all-black design, glossy plastic construction, and embossed branding on the side panel. It is also available in a white version. It is intended to be mounted in a vertical orientation, which enables it to be positioned nearly anywhere while taking up a very tiny amount of space in terms of its actual physical footprint. In addition to being engineered to minimize overheating, the Netgear cable modem CM500 is equipped with cooling vents along both the bottom and top edge. These vents allow for passive ventilation. The product’s retail packaging includes a power adapter and an Ethernet cable.
The ultrathin front panel of the modem displays several status LEDs. This behavior is common in modems. The Power LED shows whether or not the CM500 is powered on; the Downstream LED shows whether or not a downstream channel is locked; the Upstream LED shows whether or not there is more than one upstream channel locked, and so on.
Connectors and buttons, such as the power adapter input, LAN Gigabit Ethernet port, reset button, and coaxial cable connection, are on the modem’s back panel. The CM500 has a product label sewn onto its bottom for easy reference. Your cable modem’s default IP address, user name, password, serial number, and MAC address are on this label.
Activating the Modem
To evaluate the performance of the Netgear CM500, we used it in conjunction with a Time Warner Cable package in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. The cable provider had leased the previous modem to customers for a monthly fee of $5.99, and this new modem was replacing that modem. Just over ten minutes were needed to activate the modem once it was removed from the packaging; most of this time was spent waiting for technical help to push the configuration file down to the modem.
During this procedure phase, a TWC technician will search for the MAC address of your modem on their network, connect it to your account, and then push a configuration file to it. This file will contain information like your plan’s maximum download and upload speeds. In our specific instance, we provisioned it on the 15/1Mb plan, but the highest speed available for this particular area is 50/5Mb.
Certain areas provide a self-activation service, meaning there is no need to contact customer care to get the modem online. In most cases, this information may be found on the customer care website of your Internet service provider (ISP), namely in the section titled “activating a modem” or “purchasing your own cable modem.” While you will still need to coordinate with your Internet service provider (ISP), this procedure is straightforward and can be managed by even inexperienced customers.
Management
Even though the CM500 modem does not truly call for feature-rich software capabilities, the user interface of the Netgear genie is pretty restricted. It enabled us to operate and monitor the modem using a standard web browser.
A login screen will appear in any compatible browser when you successfully connect to the CM500 by entering the IP address 192.168.100.1. The username was simply admin, and the default password was “password.” This is typical of the first configurations performed for devices of this kind. You may get a straightforward notice on the status of your cable connection by going to the Basic page and then choosing the Home icon on the left.
When you click the link for the Cable Connection, you will be presented with a more in-depth view of the CM500. The state of each channel is shown in the Downstream Bonded Channels section, while the Startup Procedure part provides an update on the progression of the startup process. The Upstream Bonded Channels section and the system time are viewable to users by simply scrolling down the page.
Users can reboot the modem, do a factory reset, and set the admin password via the Advanced menu. Users will also discover the event log, which contains the following information: Priority, which indicates the seriousness of the event log entry, displays only after the cable modem has successfully connected to an Internet service provider (ISP) network. Time, which indicates when the event log entry was recorded, displays only after the cable modem has successfully connected to the network of an ISP. Explanation, which displays only after the cable modem has successfully connected to the network of an ISP, is a simple explanation of the event log entry.
How Fast Is Netgear CM500?
The DOCSIS 3.0 technology is used by the Netgear CM500 cable modem, which has 16 download and four upload streams. The maximum speed that the Netgear CM500 can achieve is 680 Mbps. Most internet service providers (ISPs) suggest pairing this modem with 300 or 400 Mbps packages.
Is Gaming A Suitable Use For The Netgear CM500?
The high-speed Netgear CM500 cable modem may be used for gaming purposes. Streaming activities at 4K resolution may also be supported. However, the performance of the memory unit will be limited by its capacity if numerous instances of data-intensive activities are linked together at the same time.
Does The Netgear CM500 Support Fiber Connections?
No! The DOCSIS 3.0 technology used by the Netgear CM500 cable modem is distinct from the technology utilized by the Fiber Optic internet. In contrast to the modems used in cable-based internet services, the internet may be accessed in homes via an ONT terminal provided by fiber optic internet. Only a router with connections to fiber optic internet will be included in your internet setup.
Conclusion
Overall, we were fairly happy with Netgear’s CM500 cable modem since it provides consumers with a nice-looking gadget, decent performance, and an amazingly quick setup that takes no more than around ten minutes, beginning with taking it out of the box and ending with it being operational. We could also position the CM500 nearly wherever inside the workplace because of its narrow and vertical form factor.
This included storing it behind our desk or putting it on show at the front of the room. Additionally, the additional advantages of third-party modems were fairly visible as well. For example, the CM500 eliminated the monthly rental price ($6 in our instance) and delivered a superb user experience, all while being smooth and extremely straightforward. This was one of the perks of using a third-party modem. We hope you enjoyed our Netgear CM500 review.
The fact that the Netgear CM500 cable modem can be purchased for the reasonable price of $100 enables customers to recoup their initial investment quickly. When all of these factors are considered, along with Netgear’s track record of producing high-quality goods, the CM500 emerges as an alternative to cable modems that comes highly recommended.
