Home > Consumer Reviews > SpeedStream 5360 Ethernet DSL Modem

I've used this unit for 2 years and have been very satisfied with its performance. Another reviewer mentioned the need to reboot it "a couple of times per day". That has NOT been my experience. In two years of use, I have rebooted only once every six to nine months and even then I suspect the problem was with the DSL service.

I use this unit to connect 5 computers to the Internet and even with all five systems online at once, the performance is impressive.

I've been using a 5360 since March 2002. I had it connected to a 350 MHx Macintosh G3 running OS 9 until a week ago when I moved it to a 2GHz iMac G5 running Tiger (OS X 10.4). Set up with OS X was a no-brainer -- the very first time I powered up the iMac, OS X reconized the unit and automaticly set itself to connect to my ISP via PPPoE -- I only had type in my e-mail address and my iSP password. The 5360 has worked reliably for me on two computers over 3 years. What's to complain?

This was our first DSL modem of over 3 years, it worked well. Had 2-5 computers on it constantly, downloads averaged at 300kb/s and uploads at 50kb/s. Very impressive out of a 10Mbps half duplex!

Now it seems after so long it is finally the modem's time. Either that, or, my dsl service is severely screwed up; the modem seems to disconnect randomly, but consistently, despite resetting it or resetting the line, or even replacing the corresponding router.

I had mine for about four years with very little problem. I did have to restart once in awhile, though I'm not sure whether this was a modem or ISP issue. I was always able to connect and maintain a good reliable connection near advertised speeds. I guess this model is getting a little long in the tooth, but for the price I saw, it seems to be a good value.

I guess I've used this modem for 5 years or so. The first couple of years it would work well for a couple of months, followed by horrible, persistent connectivity problems. I was constantly calling the ISP for support, and although we could usually get things going, I knew it would only be a matter of time before more problems would surface. Thing was, I couldn't be sure what the issue was, modem, ISP, or the router I added to the mix.

After loading various firmware patches to the router, ineffectually, I finally searched for a patch to the modem itself. Guess what, there is one! After applying this patch, voila! Another 3 years of basically flawless service. Until now, it's flaking on me again and I don't know why. Firmware is at the current level, have ISP coming out to check the lines tomorrow.

Bottom line, I'm kind of unhappy that the ISP couldn't fix my problems and I found the firmware patch on my own. I view the modem as old technology and prone to problems, but others seem to have had better luck.