tp-link ER7206 won't connect to internet through Motorola MB8611
I live in the Salt Lake Metro area and have Comcast / Xfinity 800mb service.
I recently purchased a SB8200 cable modem which is supposed to get download speeds up to 900mb - but I could never get above 300mb occasionally 400mb. Even directly connected to the modem without the router.
Comcast keeps sending me emails that I don't have the right modem to take full advantage of the speed I'm paying for. One of the modems they suggested was the Motorola MB8611. It arrived today.
After spending nearly three hours working on it, I still can not get the router (ER7206) to connect to the modem (MB8611). I've tried:
1) all the reboot cycles I can find on the internet:
a) turning off both the modem and router, waiting 10 - 30 minutes, reconnecting the modem, letting it fully boot up, then connect the router and boot it up.
b) disconnecting and turning off router and modem, rebooting modem without coax connected, waiting for it to boot up then connecting coax, waiting for it to finish download and upload process (lights for download and upload move from flashing green to steady blue, and internet activity light is off) then connect router and re-boot
c) turning off modem with router connected and on, rebooting modem after waiting 1 minute and after waiting 10 minutes and as much as 30 minutes
d) rebooting modem without router connected to modem but turned off. waiting 1, 10 and 30 minutes, reboot, then reboot router.
2) I can get the modem to connect direct to my PC with No router connected, and obtain an IP address from Comcast, by
a) disconnecting power from modem
b) disconnecting router and connecting PC directly
c) waiting minimum of 10 minutes for MAC binding within comcast and modem to reset
d) rebooting Modem
e) refreshing IP address on PC (ipconfig /renew)
Note: Speedtest with this configuration (Ookla) still only reaches 700mb at best for short burst at beginning of text but levels out between 400-500mb - slightly better so questioning SB8200 as my speed problem and possibly just comcast throttling.
3) Configuration changes in router to be everything suggested that I could find on tp-link forums and anywhere else on the web.
a) cloning IP address of PC used in #2 above
b) checking Get IP using Unicast DHCP
c) Hard coding Primary and Secondary DNS to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively
d) setting the IP address to static and using all the parameters assigned (dns, subnet, default gateway, etc) by comcast in step 2 above.
Nothing has worked.
Ideas?