For years, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are piping Internet access into your home through a modem and router they deliver, set up, and maintain. The downside of this arrangement is that they typically charge you a monthly equipment rent which could seem small on paper but adds up over time. The Motorola MG7700 may be a modem and router combo which will put your ISP’s unit to shame with four gigabit-capable LAN ports, dual-band Wi-Fi, and user-friendly setup. Get more in Motorola MG7700 24×8 Cable Modem Review.
What We Like
- Simple security management
- Fairly easy setup
- Strong upload and download speeds
- Lets you avoid cable provider rental fees
What We Don’t Like
- Combo unit can restrict placement locations
- May not be suitable for houses larger than 2,000 feet
- Only works for Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and Spectrum
We recently reviewed the MG7700 to look at just how well it might perform in a mean home environment by evaluating the planning , simple setup, network speeds, and software features.
Motorola MG7700 24×8 Cable Modem Review
Design: Simple and functional
The Motorola MG7700 is fairly compact at 9.1 x 2.6 x 2.6 inches with a gray finish and a black stand. On the front of the device, you’ll find several indicator lights that tell you if it’s powered up, whether any traffic is flowing through your network, and if people are connected to your wireless network. the sunshine indicators are easy to ascertain and understand — something you don’t typically find during a modem from your cable company.
The MG7700 features a power port on the rear , also as a coaxial port for connecting your service provider’s cable to the device. There also are four local area network (LAN) ports if you would like to directly plug your computers and other devices into the modem using an coaxial cable .
Oddly, there’s a black area between the facility port and therefore the top LAN port that has nothing in it, as if there are LAN ports missing. With more devices like smart home hubs requiring you to connect with Ethernet, it might are nice to ascertain a couple of more LAN ports on the rear .
One thing you’ll want to stay in mind that the modem’s stand makes the nine-inch box best fitted to vertical placement. you’ll still place it on the side but it makes for a rather untidy appearance.
Setup Process: Location, location, location
Since the Motorola MG7700 may be a combined cable modem and router, you’ll got to plug it into your ISP’s coax so as to pipe Internet into your home. this will limit your placement locations a touch since coax cables are often installed by your provider in less-than-ideal locations, especially if you reside in an apartment house .
The router offered a robust Wi-Fi signal on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands on both floors of our home.
If you are doing get the selection of where it’s installed, you always want the coaxial cable to return in from an unobtrusive corner, not sprouting out from the center of the front room in an unsightly fashion. Unfortunately, that’s bad for routers which work best during a central location of your house or apartment therefore the signal covers everywhere you would like . If you can’t get find an honest spot faraway from other wireless devices, metal, walls, and other barriers which will impede signal, you’ll want to take a position during a coaxial cable extension.
A last but vital thing to know: Motorola’s branding for the device makes clear that it’s designed for Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and Spectrum. If you don’t use one among those ISP carriers, your modem won’t work on the network.
Information about approved third-party equipment can usually be found on your cable provider’s website. If not, it’s best to call and ask before you purchase . We were ready to set it abreast of Spectrum with none trouble.
Connectivity: the newest standards
The Motorola MG7700 may be a 24×8 DOCSIS 3.0 modem that doubles as a wireless router. it’s 24 downstream channels (which are lanes that handle network traffic, therefore the more, the better) allowing it to potentially hit a 1 Gbps download speed. There are eight upstream channels for a maximum 246 Mbps upload. this is often a reasonably standard set of connectivity protocols that creates it tons faster than 16×4 modems, but slower than 32×8 ones.
And while actual speeds will depend heavily on what your cable provider offers, we tested the modem on Spectrum’s 100 Mbps plan, so although the MG7700 could also be advertised to be capable of 1 Gbps download, we never actually hit it. In fact, Motorola cautions that the device is realistically recommended for actual downstream service of 650 Mbps. But since relatively few people are taking advantage of gigabit Internet today (unless you’re gaming, probably), the 24×8 should serve fine for the overwhelming majority of users.
We found that it delivered outstanding speeds, maxing out our 100Mbps Spectrum plan when hard-wired via the LAN ports.
As for the router, it’s AC1900. The “AC” means it’s dual-band support, allowing it to beam wireless signals over two frequencies: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The 2.4GHz band is slower but features a longer range, while the 5GHz band is quicker and fewer susceptible to interference from other wireless devices compared with the two .4GHz band, but this comes at the value of shorter range. lately , most devices support dual-band Wi-Fi and you’ll select which band you would like to attach to.
Some advice: It’s often best to attach things like smart switches and smart bulbs to the two .4GHz band since they have a tendency to be scattered across the house and reserve the 5GHz one for more bandwidth-hungry devices like streaming sticks, game consoles, and TVs.
The “1900” represents the utmost theoretical bandwidth the router is capable of. during this case, the MG7700 could hit 1,900 Mbps, but again, this is often as long as your cable provider supports it, to not mention other factors like wireless interference thanks to congested bands and throttling from your provider.
Motorola MG7700 24×8 Cable Modem performance Review
Once we got the modem up and running, it delivered outstanding speeds, reliably maxing out our 100 Mbps Spectrum plan once we were hard-wired via the LAN ports.
When we went wireless, performance varied greatly. As mentioned before, you’ll want to undertake to put the modem in a neighborhood where you’ll reach the best number of devices around your home. But, if like us, you were forced to place the router in a neighborhood that isn’t ideal due to coaxial cable limitations, your wireless signal won’t go as far as you would possibly like.
Overall, if you reside during a large apartment or a modestly-sized home, you won’t be disappointed by the performance of the MG7700.
We tested the Motorola MG7700 in our 4,500-square-foot home while connected to a few dozen devices (tablets, gaming consoles, computers, smartphones, etc.). The router offered a robust Wi-Fi signal on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands on both floors of our home. Everything from surfing the online to streaming video was solid within an approximate 2,000-square-foot radius. within the basement and more distant locations of the house, the signal was weak, but that’s to be expected.
If you’ve got an outsized home like us and wish stronger, more reliable speeds for varied devices, some routers accompany tri-band rather than the dual-band technology you’ll find within the MG7700. These routers have an additional 5GHz band which translates to faster speeds, more bandwidth, and therefore the ability to attach more devices at an equivalent time. you’ll also purchase a Wi-Fi extender, so your signal can extend and reach all the dead areas, but those are sometimes finicky to line up.
Overall, if you reside during a large apartment or a modestly-sized home, you won’t be disappointed by the performance of the MG7700.
Software: User-friendly options
The MG7700’s built-in software is customizable, too. Once your router is about up, you’ll attend a specified IP address (the instructions will tell you which of them one) in your browser to vary settings, including the name of the default network, enabling password protection, toggling the channels your router will communicate on, and more. There’s also a complicated page that permits you to line up a firewall or enable parental controls. Overall, the settings are well laid out, easy to know , and straightforward to vary .
Price: Good value for the speed
At $189.99 (MSRP), the MG7700 isn’t quite as an inexpensive as standalone modems, which may cost as little as $30, but incorporating both a modem and router into one device makes the worth more palatable.
Overall, if you reside during a large apartment or a modestly-sized home, you won’t be disappointed by the performance of the MG7700.
Taking under consideration the very fact that your service providers rental fees can run to $10 to $12 a month, the MG7700 could buy itself during a little over the year. and therefore the price isn’t unusual for the market, other bestselling modem and router units like the $199.99 TP-Link Archer CR1900 will cost you about an equivalent for an identical set of capabilities.
Alternate – Motorola MG7700 24×8 Cable Modem
Motorola MG7700 vs. TP-Link Archer CR1900
The Motorola MG7700 has some close competition, chief among them is TP-Link Archer CR1900 modem/router. It similarly supports 24×8 DOCSIS 3.0, AC1900, and has four gigabit-capable LAN ports, allowing it to handle things like online gaming and 4K streaming on numerous devices.
The one small advantage of the TP-Link Archer CR1900 is that it comes with the Tether app on Android and iOS, allowing you to manage the modem and router from your mobile device instead of being limited to only an internet portal. It’s up to you to make a decision if that’s well worth the extra $10.
Check out our other top picks for the simplest cable modems and therefore the best cable modem/router combos available today.
Final Verdict
Fast and straightforward to use, this modem/router combo may be a must-buy.
The Motorola MG 7700 boasts four gigabit-ready LAN ports, delivered blazing fast 100Mbps speeds over dual-band Wi-Fi in our testing, and has outstanding user controls that are easy for anyone to use. It does best in homes of two ,000 square feet and may handle a dozen devices or more. That said, if you’re someone with a bigger home or higher bandwidth requirements for an outsized number of devices, you’ll be better served by a tri-band router.
Motorola MG7700 24×8 Cable Modem Review
Great for Xfinity us
We have Xfinity 250g package and we get every bit of it using this. My old one also bought from bestbuy maxed out at 300g but we only saw maybe 60 of of it. With this I really feel I am geting the most out of my internet. Set up was easy before I opened the box I called Xfinity and they programmed everything for the new one at no cost. All I had to do was plug it in once they said to do so! My playstation (when wired in) now only takes 20 mins to download a 90g game when before it would take all night with my old router plugged in.
By Laylin93 at Best Buy
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