[Ralph]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I always run my own cable modem (Moto DOCSIS) and separate Cisco router.

The consumer grade cable modems may or may not give you any performance; they certainly don't give you any control over security.

My old router suddenly slowed to a crawl. I think it was hacked. I reset it and all was good; then I upgraded to a newer model with more recent security controls.

If your performance has degraded, there's a reason...either you're suddenly hoovering up more bandwidth (unlikely) or something's going on with one of your devices or your provider. Check all the connections...loosen, retighten all the cable connections.

And yea, your smart tv will spy on you. It might not have a camera. It might not even have an obvious (or any) microphone. But it sure is reporting back everything you're doing with your remote control -- all the shows you watch, everything. I have a smart tv, but never activated its smartness. I mostly use Tivo for large screen content access.

Hope this rambling helps.

Thanks