Review on Optimized for XFINITY Internet & Voice: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 (24x8) DOCSIS 3.0 WiFi Cable Modem Router Combo (C7100V) by Jay Campbell

If you have Xfinity Triple Play and want to get rid of €10 monthly rent, you need this modem. It looks just like the Cisco 3941T and has the same great performance, but completely different software. While not as easy to set up as Xfinity's own modems, I find it more secure. Installation was a lot easier than I expected. I unplugged the Cisco 3941T I rented from Xfinity and installed the C7100V. Once connected, I followed the instructions in the manual and logged into the router from my computer. It automatically opened a window for Xfinity asking me to enter my Xfinity login and password, which then updated my account to use the new modem without having to call Xfinity as per the manual. The modem restarted and all the lights came on, but for some reason I couldn't connect to my laptop. In the end I restarted the router again and everything worked and I haven't had a single problem since. Call quality is very clear, and a speed test over an Ethernet connection showed download speeds of 89.8 Mbps and upload speeds of 11.8 Mbps on my 75 Mbps service. This is definitely a fast router/modem. It supports Gigabit Ethernet with up to 600 Mbit/s at 2.4 GHz and up to 1300 Mbit/s at 5 GHz. The 24/7 support for DOCSIS 3.0 also makes it promising for future plans with much faster speeds. The WiFi settings are the same as other Netgear routers. It allows you to configure both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless networks, as well as 2.4GHz and 5GHz guest networks. You can also set up a whitelist to only allow devices with a known MAC address to connect and block all other devices, even if they have the right password. (An Xfinity modem can't do this, it can only notify you when a new device is connected.) One of the downsides of switching to your own modem is that you lose XFINITY xFi. xFi works only with Arris 1682G, Cisco 3941T, Arris TG3482G or Technicolor CGM4140COM modems leased from Xfinity and provides a simple interface to your network, accessible from the Xfinity website, the Xfinity xFi app or from can be displayed and controlled from your X1 box. What I liked about xFi is that you can assign devices to groups and then easily see which devices are currently connected and how much bandwidth each group is using. You can also set parental controls for each group. One of the things I didn't like about xFi was that it simply showed your WiFi passwords. Also, xFi doesn't allow you to set up a whitelist, you can only disable a device if it's already connected to your network. By using your own modem, you also lose the Xfinity SSID, which other Xfinity clients can use to connect to the wireless network. While some aspects of the xFi are nice, especially for those unfamiliar with setting up their own router, I don't think it's worth the extra money you end up paying for the rental.