The ideal network involves your Internet Service Provider (ISP) connecting onsite to a stand-alone modem that connects to a router, preferably a router recommended to you from Nextiva. If you have more devices on your network than ports on your router, you can connect a switch to your router to expand the number of ports.
There are two main areas that you should be concerned with regarding your Motorola/Arris Surfboard Series Cable Modems. They are:
MAC Binding: The modem reserves up to 32 IP addresses and binds them to each MAC address of each device connected to the network. You will need to either contact your ISP to clear the ARP table, or unplug the device and wait 5 minutes before plugging it back in.
Bridge Mode: The Motorola/Arris Surfboard Series Cable Modems are placed into Bridge Mode by your ISP, so a recommended router is needed to provide NAT addressing and DHCP.