The box says refurbished, but looks new to me. Came with protective plastic on the front bezel, instructions, cable, power adapter.

Best of all, it fired right up and Comcast cable had no problem provisioning it. What else can I say. I works like it was supposed to work.

If you are not familiar with cable modems, here are a few things you should know before you lay out your money for one.

This type modem is NOT a ROUTER, you will need one if you want any kind of firewall at all between the outside world and your computer.

You may also want an Ethernet hub because this modem has only one Ethernet port on the back which is meant to go from the box to your computer and that is it.

Since most households now have Smart TV, Smart Phones, Smart Refrigerators etc these devices all require a wireless internet link. This cable modem does not provide any wireless link. That is something you must furnish as well.

I have my cable modem hooked up directly to a wireless router. Then I have one Ethernet port on the router connected to an Ethernet hub to connect other computers to the network known as hard wired. The wireless router takes care of all the wireless devices in the household.

Is it worth it? Yes!

Why pay 10 bucks plus tax or more a month to rent this same equipment from your cable provider when you can buy it and have it pay for itself in six months time? That part is a no brainer.

What if it breaks? will my cable company fix it? No. When was the last time remember a cable modem broke, outside of a house fire or other disaster? If it breaks, you buy a new one and have it delivered to your home in two days or less by Amazon.

The good news is, whenever there is an update from your cable system, your modem will receive the update, because it is the same equipment most cable companies provide.

You should check with your local cable company to be certain it is on their list of compatible equipment. This one IS listed with Comcast cable.

I do recommend this type of cable modem over any others that have wireless internet built into them because the wireless internet they provide is normally substandard in comparison to what you can purchase here on Amazon.

Any name brand wireless router is good, like Asus, Netgear, Belkin, or Linksys and they all have Ethernet ports on the back.