Review on Arris TM602G Telephony Modem [Bulk Packaging]: Boost Your Network with Docsis Technology by Jamie Behm

I ordered this for my 83 year old mother to get rid of the $10/month modem rental fee for her Comcast (Xfinity) modem. Mom only has a phone connection to Comcast (no internet) because the TV cable is included in her rental at the personal care facility. I wanted to reduce my monthly phone bill from $30 to $20 per month. I ordered this (great price) and it arrived in a well packaged box as promised. The kit included instructions for activating the modem, they proved invaluable. The instructions strongly recommended self-activation, but I wanted to call Comcast's phone number instead, big mistake. Comcast's first line service representative said the device is not on their active list and shows as EOL (End of Life) and they cannot activate it. She was tired just to be sure and was told the supervisor tried but neither of them could activate it (30 minute call) and I had to send it back and get one of their list of supported modems (on their website to find). . Instead, I went back to the instructions and while there was contact information for Comcast activation, it clearly advised self-activation and warned that the outcome of calling Comcast was unlikely to be successful unless I could find a knowledgeable animal -2 support person. and they were so right. I followed the self-activation instructions in the email by connecting my computer to the modem's Ethernet port (the cable that came with the modem) and it was up and running in 15 minutes! Everything works great, Mom's phone works fine, no service degradation, and best of all, the modem rental doesn't exceed $10 a month. Pays for itself in a very short time.