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Spectrum publishes which retail modems and modem-router combos are authorized on its network. There are two lists. 26 models for non-symmetrical tiers up to 1 Gig, and 7 for non-symmetrical tiers up to 500 Mbps. Both lists are below, exactly as Spectrum publishes them.
Three rules decide more than the model does. Spectrum Home Phone is not compatible with customer-owned modems. Customer-owned modems are authorized only on non-symmetrical tiers — in markets with symmetrical speeds you must use Spectrum’s modem. And only Spectrum-provided equipment is supported by Spectrum technicians. You can always buy your own router.
What Spectrum says about customer-owned modems
Spectrum’s support article on compliant modems sets out the position in its own words. The points that decide most purchases:
Spectrum also notes one more detail. If you install an authorized device that does not match your speed tier, you will see a message telling you so. The same applies if the qualification cannot be determined.
Authorized modems and combos: non-symmetrical tiers up to 1 Gig
This is Spectrum’s published list for its non-symmetrical tiers up to 1 Gig. It contains standalone modems and modem-router combos, and includes current DOCSIS 3.1 hardware:
- Arris SB8200
- Arris G18
- Arris G20
- Arris G34
- Arris G36
- Arris G54
- Arris SBG8300
- Arris S33
- Arris S33 v2
- Arris S33 v3
- Arris S34
- ASUS CMAX6000
- Hitron CODA-56
- Hitron D3.1 CODA
- Humax HGD310
- Netgear CAX30
- Netgear CAX80
- Netgear CM1000
- Netgear CM1100
- Netgear CM1200
- Netgear CM2000
- Netgear CM2500
- Netgear CM3000
- Netgear C7800
- Netgear Orbi CBR750
- Ubiquiti UCI
Authorized modems and combos: non-symmetrical tiers up to 500 Mbps
- Arris SBG7400AC2
- Linksys CG7500
- Netgear C6900
- Netgear C7000
- Netgear C7500
- Netgear CM600
- Netgear C7000V2
Both lists are reproduced as Spectrum publishes them, without type labels, because Spectrum does not label each entry as a modem or a combo in those lists. If you need to know which a specific model is, the manufacturer’s product page is the place to check — a standalone modem needs a router added, a combo does not.
“Minimally qualified” modems: why Spectrum recommends against them
Spectrum keeps a third category: modems that have “passed minimal testing to confirm that it won’t damage Spectrum’s network”. Spectrum permits them but recommends against them, in its own words, because “they haven’t been tested to confirm their ability to deliver your purchased internet service speed”. If a device fits that category rather than the tier lists above, expect the performance to be the open question.
What about the router?
Spectrum separates the two devices. A modem brings the connection into the home; a router provides the Wi-Fi. Spectrum offers a pre-configured Wi-Fi router for a monthly fee. You can also purchase your own router. Either choice is yours, whether the modem is Spectrum’s or your own.
When you pick that router, match it to the speed tier. Check the ports the plan can deliver. Check the Wi-Fi generation against the devices in your home. The router does not need to be authorized by Spectrum in the way the modem does, but it does determine what your devices see.
What was corrected on this page, and when
This page was rebuilt on 28 September 2026 against Spectrum’s current published lists and policy. The previous version recommended fourteen modem-router combos with exact prices, and framed several of them as approved by multiple cable providers at once. Checked against Spectrum’s own authorized lists, five of those fourteen models appear. Two are on the 500 Mbps list: Netgear C7000 and Linksys CG7500. Three are on the 1 Gig list: Arris SBG8300, Netgear CAX30 and Arris G34. The rest were not models Spectrum authorizes, and much of the list was DOCSIS 3.0-era hardware. Every price, every product that Spectrum does not authorize and every cross-provider approval claim was removed rather than refreshed.
Next steps
- Best modems for Spectrum — the standalone-modem side of the same decision.
- Spectrum modem lights explained — what the lights should read once the modem is installed.
- How to return Spectrum equipment — if you are moving from Spectrum’s modem to your own.
- DOCSIS 3.1 modems explained — what the generation changes, and why tier matters.
- Router lights explained — reading whichever router you pair with the modem.
- Free networking and internet tools — including an internet speed converter for checking what a plan speed means in practice.
Standards and primary sources
- Spectrum (Charter Communications), Compliant modems on our network, support article 111746. It is the source of both authorized-model lists above, and of the policy statements on Home Phone, symmetrical tiers and technician support. It also covers the free certified modem and the “minimally qualified” category.
Afroz Ahmad, “Spectrum Approved Modem Router Combos: The Authorized List”, afrozahmad.com, reviewed 28 September 2026.
https://afrozahmad.com/blog/best-modem-router-combo-for-spectrum/
This page reproduces Spectrum’s published policy and authorized-model lists and explains what follows from them. It is not a record of physical testing of any modem or router, and no product was benchmarked for it.
Where to buy models from Spectrum’s lists
Every model below appears on one of the two authorized lists above, and each Amazon link was checked against the product title for that exact model. No price is quoted, and Spectrum’s list – not this page – decides what is authorized.
- Arris G34 – 1 Gig list – cable modem router combo, DOCSIS 3.1, Wi-Fi 6.
- Arris G20 – 1 Gig list – cable modem router combo, DOCSIS 3.1, Wi-Fi 6.
- Netgear CAX30 – 1 Gig list – Nighthawk modem router combo, DOCSIS 3.1, AX2700.
- Arris S33 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
- Arris S34 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
- Arris SB8200 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
- Netgear CM3000 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
- Netgear CM2000 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
- Netgear CM1000 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
- Hitron CODA-56 – 1 Gig list – DOCSIS 3.1 modem, no Wi-Fi.
Models on Spectrum’s 500 Mbps list are carried out of stock on Amazon more often than the newer hardware, so no link is given for them here; search the model number directly if that is the tier you are on.
- DOCSIS Explained: 3.0 vs 3.1 vs 4.0 and What Sets Your Real Speed - September 29, 2026
- Router Lights Explained: What the Colours Mean on Any Router - September 28, 2026
- eero Light Is White but There Is No Internet: What to Check - September 28, 2026