However, it’s not quite that simple. Not all modems work with all providers, and you’ll need to make sure the unit you buy is compatible with your cable company (such as Spectrum, Cox, or AT&T). Information about compatibility can usually be found on your cable provider’s website. If not, it’s best to call and check before you buy. Here are the best cable/router combos to help you make the best choice possible. One of the best features of the Motorola MG7700 we like most has nothing to do with its technical prowess: It’s not terribly ugly. To get the best range from its wireless signal, you don’t want to hide the modem/router behind furniture or in a closet. But this unit is just inoffensive enough that you can put it on a side table in the living room and not be embarrassed. Crucially for when things go wrong, the light indicators are also easy to see and understand—something you don’t typically find in a modem from a cable company. The MG7700 has four ethernet ports for you to hook up some equipment via a physical cable for better speed and reliability, which is often a good idea for devices like a games console, Smart TV, or Apple TV. It can easily stream your movies and TV in 4K, also called Ultra HD. It’s the standard for really, really sharp pictures. It’s also more than capable of doing a great job with Zoom or FaceTime calls. One more caveat is that if your internet connection includes a voice package (confusingly called VOIP, you’ll know if you have it as you will have a phone number as part of your internet package), you’ll need to look at this model’s older brother: the Motorola MT7711. We tested the Motorola MG7700 in our 4,500-square-foot home while connected to a couple of dozen devices (including tablets, gaming consoles, computers, and smartphones). The router offered a strong Wi-Fi signal on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands on both floors of our home. Everything from surfing the web to streaming video was solid within an approximate 2,000-square-foot radius. In the basement and more distant locations of the house, the signal was weak, but that’s to be expected. Overall, if you live in a large apartment or a modestly-sized home, you won’t be disappointed by the performance of the MG7700.— Don Reisinger, Product Tester These capabilities are reflected in the higher price tag, and it could be overkill for the average user’s internet needs. It really comes down to whether you’re a gamer or stream to different TVs in the house at the same time. Another bonus is that if you’re an Xfinity phone service customer, you can plug your landline handset right in. If you have a home big enough where a room isn’t used all that often (or rooms, for that matter), and you have a super-high-speed gigabit connection (your cable company can tell you this), this could be the combo modem router for you. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.0 / AC1900 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4 After you log in and get the setup out of the way, you’ll be greeted by six tiles on the home page. Netgear makes this easy to navigate and understand—even less tech-literate users should be able to handle everything from setup to security without getting too lost. We were pleasantly surprised by how well the C7000 performed, considering it’s an all-in-one. We tested this modem in a 2,500 square foot home, and we got reliable performance in every corner, only running into slowdowns on the farthest side of the house. Even then, network performance went down from about 230 Mbps to 130 Mbps. That isn’t super fast, but it’s still serviceable. The wired performance, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as good. — Bill Thomas, Product Tester For this model, you’ll want to make sure you don’t have a faster connection than this modem can handle. Who is this model aimed at? Folks who rent their modems from their cable companies, don’t have super-big homes, don’t have a really high-speed connection (no more than a 200 Mbps connection, which your cable company will be able to tell you if you have), and don’t have a lot of additional devices to hook up. There are only two Ethernet ports, which let you plug in devices with a cable, which is faster and more reliable—but you have to trail a cable between them. Overall, despite its modest performance, it can handle Zoom calls and 4K streaming (that is, pin-sharp TV shows and movies) with ease. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.0 / AC1200 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 2 Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: McAfee Home Security, WPA2 | Standard/Speed: Up to 1.4 Gbps | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 4 If you have a very fast internet connection and think you’ll be able to upgrade to an even faster connection sooner than later, we say, grab the CAX80. This is also a great gaming router as the on-board Ethernet, which lets you hook up your Xbox or Playstation via a cable rather than Wi-Fi, is much faster than the Ethernet you’re probably used to. You have to check off a lot of boxes to get the most from this modem/router, but if that’s you, you just met your future connection to the internet. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Security: Netgear Armor, WPA2, VPN | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.1 / AX6000 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 5 Instead of having strong and weak sections of your home, the Orbi units talk to one another to make sure the signal is strong everywhere. Or that’s the idea, anyway. Thanks to friendly software, the configuration is quite easy. The main unit has four Ethernet ports, and each satellite has two as well. The Ethernet ports on the satellites aren’t wired in the same way as the base unit (since the base unit is physically connected to your ISP’s line), and the satellites allow devices without Wi-Fi to connect to the internet. That’s really quite cool. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Security: WPA3 | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.1 / AX4200 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4 (Base) / 2 (Satellite) You’ll know if you have a faster connection because you pay more each month, and you likely had to ask to upgrade to the faster connection. So, yes, the faster Arris model costs more, but you are already paying for the connection, so you need the faster modem/router to take advantage of what you are already paying for. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.0 / AC2350 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 4 We’re aware we’re going to sound a bit snobby, but if we were going to go with one of the two Netgear products on this page, we’d save up for the CAX80 only because it looks so much nicer. That being said, if we found this one on sale, it’s hard to beat. It’s fast, has plenty of ports, and its four antennas can help cover a pretty large house. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.1 / AC3200 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4 As it’s designed with Comcast’s internet service in mind, it’s also effortless to get it up and running with all of your Xfinity services by following a simple Quick Start procedure to automatically register it with your ISP. It’s not ugly, has all the ports you might need, and comes with backup battery capability, so if the power goes out, your phone is still working. Keep in mind, it’s not capable of the fastest internet connection out there, but otherwise, it might be exactly what you need. Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: DOCSIS 3.0 / AC1900 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: Ethernet: 4 / Telephone: 2

Bands

Routers are increasingly offering multiple data bands (think of traffic lanes) in an effort to reduce bottlenecking and increase efficiency in directing network traffic. Dual-band devices typically supply 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, with the 5 GHz band providing more peak bandwidth. Tri-band routers provide an additional 5 GHz band to sort devices into, further reducing congestion when multiple devices are attached to a network at once.

Range

If you live in an apartment or modest home, nearly any modem/router combo will provide ample coverage for your entire living space. For larger homes, however, pay close attention to the range indicated by the model you’re considering. You may also want to consider a modem/router with something called beamforming technology, which shapes the signal from the router into a tighter beam to direct it towards specific devices, delivering a stronger and faster signal. Alternatively, you may be better off with a separate cable modem and a mesh network.

Ethernet Ports

Make sure your router has enough Ethernet ports for the devices you’ll want to plug in. If you have an internet plan that offers speeds above 100 Mbps, you’ll want to get one with Gigabit Ethernet ports to take maximum advantage of your plan.

Wi-Fi Standards

Unless you have a fairly basic internet plan, you’ll want support for relatively modern Wi-Fi standards. On the Wi-Fi side, a cable modem/router combo works the same as any other wireless router, meaning you’ll choose from the same Wi-Fi standards and frequencies, such as 802.11n and 802.11ac, which have recently been redesignated as Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5, respectively to make life easier. You may also have heard of the newer Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax standard, which is starting to appear. It’s not a bad idea to invest in technology for the future, but it will be a while before you’re likely to really need Wi-Fi 6 in your home or even be able to take advantage of it entirely.

Why Trust Lifewire?

Jesse Hollington is a freelance writer with over 10 years of experience writing about technology and three decades of experience in information technology and networking. He’s installed, tested, and configured just about every type and brand of router, firewall, wireless access point, and network extender in places ranging from single-family dwellings to office buildings, university campuses, and even coast-to-coast wide-area network (WAN) deployments.

Further, even though 32-channel DOCSIS 3.0 modems offer theoretical speeds of up to 1 Gbps, most cable providers top out at 600 Mbps over DOCSIS 3.0, so if your ISP is offering multi-gigabit plans, you’ll almost certainly need a DOCSIS 3.1 modem to take advantage of those speeds.

Fortunately, most major cable providers in the U.S. have already “pre-approved” the cable modems from all the big manufacturers. You’ll normally find this information on the packaging or on the manufacturer’s website. However, if you’re still not sure, you can always ask your cable provider if the modem/router you’re considering will work with their network. Don Reisinger is a full-time freelance writer based in New York City. He has been covering technology, video games, sports, and entertainment for more than 12 years. He is an expert in consumer technology, which includes cable modems and router combos. Bill Thomas is a Denver-based freelance writer who covers technology, music, film, and gaming. They reviewed the Netgear Nighthawk C7000 on this list.