CAX80

I originally had the Xfinity gateway with three of the Xfinity 'mesh' extender pods and yet I was getting inadequate WiFi coverage (not even close to my available 1.2Gbps connection). As a complete home networking rookie, I finally managed to do something about it after some basic self education. I was specifically looking for gateways (modem+router in one) due to limited physical space in my living room for two separate devices. The CAX80 was expensive compared to Xfinity-compatible Arris or Motorola gateways. However, the theoretical specs seemed superior and it is likely 'future proof' (provided it will last 3+ years). Setting up the CAX80 router was easy enough with the Nighthawk app on my phone. Right off the bat, I noticed an increase in throughput with a wireless connection to my gaming laptop located about 30 feet away from the router (from 300-500Mbps to 600-900 Mbps averaged through the day). I live in a two-level 2700 sq ft condo with thickly insulated walls. Previously (with Xfinity gateway), I got zero signal at the furthest end of the house from the router. After adding three 'daisy chained' Xfinity X-Fi mesh pods, I was getting 20-60 Mbps throughput with frequent loss of signal through the day. After switching to just the CAX80 router, I was getting a weak but consistent signal at the far end of the house with 3-10 Mbps throughput. I then connected a Netgear EX15 extender halfway between these points (again, setup was easy with the phone app). I decided to extend only the 2.4GHz frequency (saving 5GHz for working and gaming laptops in proximity to the router). I am now getting 110-130 Mbps throughput at the far end of the house consistently which is adequate for what I needed here (TV box, 3-4 phones/tablets, doorbell, smart lock, thermostat etc). Overall, I am happy (and proud of my first such set up) with nearly $600 worth (yikes) of hardware upgrade (CAX80 and EAX15) for what I needed my home network to do. Of note, saving $15 in monthly rental fees for the Xfinity modem should make up for this upgrade in about 3.5 years lol Couple of issues to be mindful of if you have Xfinity internet and TV: These may be related to my own naivete or my home's wiring rather than misleading specifications from the manufacturer. I had a main TV box (connected by a split coaxial cable) and an additional wireless (WiFi) TV box. After changing from the Xfinity gateway to the CAX80, the wired TV box stopped working while the wireless one worked after a reboot. Comcast auto-assistant was unable to rectify and sent a technician over who diagnosed the following issue: CAX80 is not MoCA compatible and the simplest fix would be to get a wireless main TV box. I ordered such a box via Comcast (local store is easier and quicker than online). Now, both TV boxes (Xi-6 via ethernet cable and Xi-5 via WiFi) are functional albeit with a delay in displaying my channels after powering on (anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds). May be this delay is from something I overlooked during the connections or whatever but it is a minor gripe at this stage (after nearly 96 hours of toiling to get all of the above done) and I will figure out a fix someday soon. Hope this helps the next amateur in a similar situation as I was. Happy networking!

Easy to set up even with a long password. Works as expected just great. Product met my expectations for a cable modem. Xfinity had no problem and it works smooth once I became familiar with its operation. Looking forward to using it through all my 4K TV watching. Got next to the highest plan for speed. Options for Internet connection are available but limited in performance. I came from California where I had a brand new fiber optic cable system For less money. I hope Xfinity can deliver by today’s expectations.

The first one I ordered, appeared brand new, but would not activate. I bought this one after moving to a new apartment and didn't have any internet so I kept trying to activate it with comcast. And when all else failed, they finally told me that its been pre-activated to another account. And it actually cannot be released. So I ordered replacement. This one activated right away. Sadly, we live in a one bedroom apartment, not much concrete in these walls, but when you go from the living room - where the router is located - to the bedroom, the service drops to very low speeds. I was fine with it because it was working and I just accepted that netgear doesn't make great products. Then a few days after the 3 months mark, the WiFi SSID was nowhere to be found. I couldnt connect to the router, and even when I tried to go wired, it wouldn't give me an IP. The router was stuck with 2 LEDs constantly on, and no other LEDs would work. I tried rebooting it and nothing. I tried resetting it and nothing. I tried several times and it was the same outcome. At this point, I decided to call the tech support. That's where the real fun started. After tracking down their number and connecting, I couldnt hear the service person. And this wasn't just because of the very thick accent. Apparently Netgear support sounds like they're in the heart of India. I would hear 1/2 a second and then nothing, and then 1/2 a second and then nothing. And then half a second and nothing. Starting to get very frustrated I hung up and called again -- this happened 3 times, with the same outcome. I was trying to tell the tech that there is something wrong with their phones, but apparently they said that "ev------wa----- f----e" ... So i'm to believe that it's on my side. So I called from a completely different line, and got connected with someone completely different. THANKFULLY I could hear this person... Aaaaaaand EVERYONE Around them. It was very very very diffucult to make out a word they're saying because they were surrounded by other techs less than a few feet away. And each one is yelling into their headset in their native accent. And everyone is using the same diagnostics script that they're reading. "Have you tried resetting the router" one said. "please disconnect the power and wait 30 seconds". "This is Netgear support how can I help you". And more than 10 other voices echoing in the background. The tech then instructed me to try to reset the router and wait. Not only have I tried that, and explained it to her, I've spent a better part of my morning doing that. But I decided to entrust the professionals. Moments pass, router is reset, and nothing worked. No surprise here. She paused and then told me that we'll have to reset it to factory settings and reconfigure it. Moments pass. Pin stuck in router for 30 seconds. Power comes on. And she would guide me through it "and the light should now be turning Amber"... no lights were turning amber. She pauses puzzled. "Okay we'll try again... Reset holding the pin for 1 whole minute".... A whole minute? What the heck difference is that between that and 30 seconds. I know how to count. But Okay, one minute of pressing a tiny little pin against my finger and into the stupid hole.... Moments pass.. Router being reset.. 20 seconds... 40 seconds... 60 seconds. Relieved to be done. I let it power up naturally, and she explains "and the light should now be turning Amber". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."how about now?" . . . . . . . NOTHING turned amber. 2 lights. Turning white. Same as before. Same as this morning. Very puzzled. We run though the cabling to make sure that its still good. And then she comes back with the brilliant idea... "Okay Mr Tamer. We will try one more reset. This time you'll hold the pin for TWO minutes." TWO WHOLE MINUTES! At which point i opted to put the phone down on speaker so I can two-hand this operation. 2 minutes passed and nothing. Same result. I.. wanted.. to... die.. Thank you NetGear. It's been great. She asked about the date of purchase, and being that it was slightly over the 3 months mark (within a few days) they could not accept a return. However they will send me a replacement. She took down my information and we parted. I wanted to write a review then and there, but I decided to wait until I cool off and see how things progress. An hour later I get a call back from them, they are informing me that the warehouse has no available routers in that model, and they will send me one as soon as they have any in stock..... Whaaaaaaat?? So not only do I have a broken one that they wont take as a return, but they cant even send me a replacement. It's been 3 months and half on this $450 piece of crap. Two days later, I get another call. It's NetGear support for the replacement router. The warehouses are STILL out of stock and they can't send me another. So I ask her, can you send me a cheaper model or something else in return? I dont even need the same model. She actually YELLS BACK, "No. They will Send me one. Once they have more in stock". I could not be more in shock, so you called me up, out of no where to Yell at me for not having stock? And I bought the expensive model, and because of that, they cant give me a replacement? It's now been over a month since they've called. And I STILL never got a replacement for this. So after my first call with them, I figured I'll go straight to Costco for a spare comcast wifi router. And maybe I'll return it once I get my replacement. Unfortunately the only one they have was Netgear Nighthawk, the lesser model. After spending yet another few hundred bucks and a few more hours to get it to activate - with comcast as well. It's been working with very very bad signal, even 15 feet away from the router. Yet another nighthawk disappointment. And now it's passed the return date, so even if I get a replacement I'm screwed. It's been by far the worst experience ever. Do not get anything nighthawk