A hot water heater can produce a rotten egg odor when it is turned on. To determine if the odor is from the hot water heater, go the a sink closest to the water heater and fill a glass with water from the hot water faucet and a second glass from the cold water faucet and smell them.
Typical costs: 1  A cable modem costs $40-$90. For example, Circuit City, an online-only retailer, sells the standalone Motorola SURFboard SB5105 cable modem for $60. 2  Some cable modems are combination devices with routers, which create a wireless network. These devices cost $80-$200. The more expensive units allow for faster rates of transfer. Amazon, for example, sells the Motorola SURFboard SBG900 DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem and router combo for $120.
The Role of Cable Modems in Cable Internet Speed. Cable modem technology follows the industry standard Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS). Older DOCSIS 2.0 cable modems supported download speeds up to about 38 Mbps and uploads up to about 27 Mbps. These modems worked well in the days when cable Internet providers offered service plans with 10-15 Mbps or lower data rates.