Review on 📶 Motorola MG7700 Modem WiFi Router Combo: Faster Cable Plans up to 800 Mbps, DOCSIS 3.0 + Gigabit Router Approved by Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum by Valerie Sullivan

With my first router - much cheaper than this one - I had trouble getting a strong Wi-Fi signal (or any signal) in some corners of my house (house is not big but three stories high) . So I replaced it with a Netgear Orbi mesh router with a satellite device and that solved my WiFi coverage issues. After about a year I had to replace my modem, so I figured why not buy a device that can replace both my modem and Orbi? I decided to purchase this MG7700 because its beamforming and power boosting capabilities sounded like they could be enough to overcome my home's Wi-Fi coverage issues without the need for a mesh router with a additional satellite box would be required. Well it turns out I was wrong. Despite being a much more expensive and fancy router, it still has the same problems getting a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout my house that I had with my original, older, cheaper router. So I will be returning this MG7700, buying a new cable modem and continuing to use my Orbi mesh router. The SSID is 5GHz, it lost that connection in the farthest corner of my house, but in the same spot my iPhone was still able to see the 2.4GHz SSID). Wi-Fi coverage issues aside, I liked this product. Setup was easy; I just plugged it in, went to the URL given in the instructions, and was then prompted to log into my Xfinity account; Activation took less than 30 minutes (I didn't wait). Since it's dual-band, you'll have one SSID for 2.4GHz and one for 5GHz (you can also have one or two separate guest networks if you want). This is good because it gives you more control over which device you want on which network, but remember that while 2.4GHz is more prone to interference than 5GHz, it has fewer problems penetrating walls . ; For example, my iPhone 7 turned off the 5GHz network in my kitchen corner, but was still able to see the 2.4GHz network in the WiFi settings. To alleviate this issue a bit, you can set both SSIDs the same and let your devices choose, which I did (note - Orbi uses the same SSID for both and you can't make them different - that's probably the best way if you have good coverage for both networks). You can use status and configuration pages; I've seen better and worse on other similar products. One thing I'm missing that most other routers seem to have is a place where you can see all connected devices at a glance, instead you can only see wireless devices and you have 2.4 and 5 GHz -Show devices on separate pages. There are many advanced settings that I haven't played with, but almost all of them have popups with explanations. Physically, it's a decent looking device with a simple, attractive design. It's not as big and ugly as the Xfinity modem/router combo I rented, nor does it look like an alien spaceship with spiked antennas like some other high-end routers. The vertical installation saves space on the shelf and the LED displays are clear and self-explanatory. Combining the modem and router in one device obviously creates less clutter, but one downside I've found is that the firmware is NOT user-upgradable. This is normal with cable modems, but with every other router I took the liberty of updating the firmware. Too bad they didn't allow to update only the router capabilities of the device. The manual says that when updates are available they will be sent to your ISP for approval and automatic deployment - but I wouldn't hold my breath!