Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have Time Warner internet in the Raleigh/Durham area of NC. This is a DOCSIS 3.0 area. My download speeds have been shockingly unreliable ever since I started my internet service about 6 months ago. It is supposed to be 20 mbit down. Sometimes, it is actually better than this (25+ for short times), but more often than not, it is much worse (at times < 5, usually around 10-12). It also fluctuates wildly on a minute-by-minute basis. One minute I'll have great speed, the next it crawls. Even during a single speed test, it would fluctuate between about 5-25 mbit. TWC support was predictably unhelpful. The best I got from them was "that should not be happening." I pointed out that their own FAQ page says that a DOCSIS 3.0 modem is required for my service tier (so-called "turbo"). They said no, the old DOCSIS 2.0 Motorola SB5101 they gave me was fine. I got the same BS from the "normal" reps as well as the so-called "level 3". I asked if they would give me a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, even though they claim it is not "required". They said no, I would have to upgrade to "extreme," which would add $10/month for the service and another $2.50/month for their DOCSIS 3.0 gateway. So instead of doing that, I bought this modem (which is on the TWC approved device list). I called them, gave the MAC address, and I was up and running. When the modem connected, the downstream LED turned blue, which according to the manual, means that the channel is bonded. This is a very good thing. With this modem, I get 20 mbit on the dot, 24 hours a day. Every speed test I have run confirms (including the 200 MB test on testmy.net). Last night, I downloaded about 15 GB of data with a sustained 20 mbit rate the entire time. It's pretty amazing how effective it is. My speed is never ABOVE 20 anymore, but it is NOT BELOW either. I believe that the channel bonding makes it easier for the ISP to enforce bandwidth caps, but it also makes the connection more reliable. I'll take that deal any day. I HIGHLY recommend this modem for TWC customers in DOCSIS 3.0 areas. Don't believe the customer service reps -- it absolutely is required. It sucks that TWC won't provide the hardware we actually need to fully use their service, but that's just the way it is.