Netgear N450?

The Netgear CG3000? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Don't do it. Kill that gateway with FIRE!!

Seriously though, which gateway? N450 isn't the model number, its the product name. 

Hmmm. Here's the model. Why are they **? Any suggestions? I need wifi, cable, and 4 Ethernet ports. 

NETGEAR N450 WiFi DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem Router (N450-100NAS) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HC0ZDOE/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_J12hub1W2TV3A

It depends on the version. I tried looking at the link, but Netgear has gotten very sneaky about renaming their products. The name would suggest the N450 is the CG4500BD, but I can't confirm. If it is, then its one of the better gateways out there. If its the CG3000, then its pure junk. 

As for why, there are alot of reasons. For one, gateways are designed for ISP to give out, which means most units are cheaper versions of their router counterparts. Its like a car-boat, it doesn't make a very good car, or a very good boat. Second, having two things in one means if one fails, they both fail. Third, it makes it harder to isolate problems at the ISP level, and problems with the Netgear hardware. Forth, your trusting your firmware to the ISP. Not only can you not update it, but the ISP can update it anytime they want, and make any changes they want, with no notice. Last, all the resources (RAM, Flash, CPU) are shared between the modem and router, which also has a effect on performance. Gateways are for people who don't know anything about networks and who don't WANT to know anything about network. But with simplicity, like a cracker jack prize, comes lack of quality.

I wouldn't do it. Get a decent Docsis 3 modem and a separate router. There are far too many horrible reviews for most brands of gateway modems out there.

Thanks for your help - I'm tech-savvy, but not nuts/bolts. Any suggestions for modems/wifi routers that play well with OSX, have good coverage, and aren't gigantic? I have a limited amt of real estate where they will live.

amcrory said:
Any suggestions for modems/wifi routers that play well with OSX,

Depends on how well you want the to play together. If you want any form of OSX "Time Machine" function to work you would need a Airport extreme unless your very tech-saavy then there is a hack for the RT-N66U but it means voiding the warranty. If Time Machine isn't as important to you, then theres alot to choose from. What price point were you look at? The Asus RT-N66U may be the way to go no matter what.

The ASUS looks cool. I'm not using Time Machine. Here's the router I was considering. 
TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750. I like TP-LINK stuff in general, so I'm figuring it might be pretty solid.

Cox does, from what I learned recently.  I have the Motorola/Arris SBG6782-AC (Surfboard Extreme) but was constantly losing connection when online gaming.  A Cox service technician came to my residence and explained that it wasn't their service that was the problem, it was the modem/router.  To prove it he loaned me a Netgear N450 to use for 1 week while I sent the Motorola modem/router back to Arris for warranty replacement.  During that week I was able to connect to Xbox Live without any problems.

Upon receiving the new SBG6782-AC from Motorola/Arris I disconnected the Netgear N450 and configured my access via the Surfboard Extreme.  Within 3 minutes of connecting to Xbox Live I lost connection for the first time.  I unplugged the modem, let it reset, connected again, began playing Destiny... and lost connection again after about 2 minutes.  This is the same behavior that caused me to send the first modem/router back to the company.

I'm now going to get a Netgear N450 and put the Motorola/Arris up for sale.

Good info - Thx!

Sold my surfboard on Craigslist today. Ended up with a Cisco modem and the TP-Link Archer. Very happy with it 2 weeks in.