Pre-sales questions: Hardware choice and concerns about warranty paywall complaints

[Hoo-Doo]

Hey All,

I understand that this is a user community-based forum for technical issues, but I have a serious non-technical question regarding Netgear's warranty process that I think you guys may be uniquely qualified to answer, as well as a question regarding reliability/performance of the Netgear hardware I'm considering for upgrade.

Background: My current hardware is over 7yrs old - an 8X4 docsis 3.0 Zoom cable modem, and a Netgear WNDR3800 running a current dd-wrt build. Both are still performing very well with no indications of pending failure, but given their age I'd rather replace them now and keep them as backups, than wait for the inevitable outage. My ISP delivers excellent service with modem levels well within operational ranges. (Downstream power typically -3/+3 dBmV with 40db SNR, and upstream power 48 dBmV). My wifi range and bandwidth requirements are modest, and my existing 150/10 Internet plan is more than sufficient for my needs which is why I'm considering the equally modest CM600 and an R6700v3. I'm not being cheap, just practical since I have no specific need for the latest, greatest, fastest.

Question 1: I know the CM600 and R6700v3 specs are well above my meager requirements, but are the devices themselves good choices?  Based on your user experiences, are these units dependable with reasonable life expectancies? Do they meet their specs in typical real-world setups? Any "gotcha's" that one wouldn't notice until after the purchase, etc?

Question 2: Unfortunately while researching these units both here and online retailers, I ran across a ton of complaints claiming that Netgear's 1yr warranty is actually gated behind a support paywall after the first 90 days? Wtf, is this really true? If so, it would effectively turn the written 1yr warranty into a 90-day warranty, (unless of course you were foolish enough to pay them more than what the device was worth for "support" in order to get an RMA approved). Even if only half of these horror stories are true... good grief!  I was strongly leaning towards buying the Netgear gear, but not if this paywall/warranty bs is as bad as it sounds. I'd appreciate hearing from someone who has personally gone through the whole warranty process after their initial 90-day support period has ended. Things like how long did it take to get a replacement, was the replacement a new or refurbished unit, especially out-of-pocket costs to get the warranty honored, etc.

Thanks!

Dan B.

[plemans]

In regards to your modem choice. I'd push you more for a docsis 3.1 device. Reason why is we're seeing a push by ISP's to require docsis 3.1 for even lower speeds. For example, a couple months ago, Cox started requiring docsis 3.1 for speeds greater than 150mbps. Comcast is still only requiring it for gig speeds. I'm not sure who your isp is so its tough to give you a rough idea based on your isp. I know that your 150mbps should easily be fine with the cm600. But if you're going to upgrade, I'd look for a docsis 3.1 device. Tends to have a bit more tolerance for line issues as well. 

The R6700 is a solid router. You do see people on the forums with issues because its the forums and thats where people go with issues. 

but if you're using the WNDR3800 and its hitting all your goals, the R6700 is a good step up. 

In regards to the warranty. Its a touchy subject, even for those of us on here helping out. Support is free for the first 90 days of purchase. And devices are warrantied for 1 year (2 in some regions). But the issue is Netgear sells so many device and so many people call in because "its a router/extender/modem issue" when it usually isn't. So they do charge for support between the 90 days and a year. If it turns out to be a hardware failure, they refund it to you (from what I've seen/read/discussed). This encourages people to use the community forum or to contact isp's to fix problems first. And half the time, the community forum is faster/more knowledgeable than the tier 1 support. 

wish I had better reviews about the warranty/support option. 

[FURRYe38]

IF you ever get to 1Gb ISP speeds, you need a router that can handle near 900Mpps. R7800 series or greater, RAX or Orbi 50 or Orbi AX series routers can handle near 900Mpbs on the wire.

[Hoo-Doo]

@plemans, thanks for the reply.

Sorry, I didn't include ISP info in my OP because I had already discussed and resolved their docsis requirements with them prior to posting. In short, they do not require D3.1 for my basic plan, and would not force me to upgrade modems later should I go with a D3.0 now. However, your comment about D3.1 having better tolerance for line issues caught my eye. Thanks, I hadn't considered that aspect. I can Google it, but if you have a great source doc in mind, feel free to toss a link my way.

As for the warranty discussion, yep, I can imagine it's a touchy subject here. It's not a really good look for Netgear either. Using a paywall to throttle RMA's and force more comprehensive troubleshooting on the user-side first is one thing -- I can almost see the logic to it from a business angle -- but from what I've read here and elsewhere, it sounds as if they might be overusing that strategy, making the process so burdensome on the customer in both time and money that it discourages even legitimate warranty claims... Not cool, but it might give me an opportunity to test Amazon's extended warranty plan. If legit, $15 for 4yr protection on consumer-grade gear might not be such a bad bet. 

Thanks again.

[plemans]

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I don't have any specific documentation to show for it, just exerience with modems and docsis 3.0/3.1 devices.  Plus many (not all) of the docsis 3.1 devices support extended upstream power which can help with signaling issues. the ISP has a hand in configuring that but the capability is there. Some of the docsis 3.0 devices have it but not all. 

The other issue is if your ISP oversold their bandwidth in the area, your more likely to hit full speeds if you're on docsis 3.1 versus 3.0 because of the ofdma channel option and increased efficiency it entails. 

the warranty and support issue, its not a sore subject, its just not a great subject and even many of the people helping out get burned out on the lack of support. Netgear outsourced their support to gearhead. and I haven't been a fan since. It seems like long waiting queues (which covid didn't help for anyone) for help. The amazon option is there but that again is just a hardware warranty. It isn't support. 

I will say, I've been using netgear, arris, tp-link for over a decade and the main benefit I've see is the how long netgear updates firmwares. I've had several routers from other companies that didn't get a single firmware update. And these are on flagship/high end routers. Not that the firmware updates are always the best (see the r7000) but at least its showing some dedication to supporting their products. 

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