Cable modem. Buy or rent?

Might want to check how your cable company handles it, I considered doing it myself but Charter will charge you for the modem regardless. I don't know how it is with most other providers but I'd expect it'd require jumping through a few hoops to avoid the charges as well as getting it set up properly.

I bought an upgraded modem from Best Buy even though my ISP would sell me one I just don't like dealing with them more than I need to. I think if you rent it you'll just end up paying way more than it's worth.

@citizencoffeecake: that's what I was thinking. At my old place I rented one for 3 yrs at like $10/mo.

How long do you plan on having internet?

Sarcasm aside, buy one. Usually it's like 10 bucks a month, so after 7/8 months you'll have already paid the cable company what it would cost you to buy one.

@rongalaxy: I plan on having the Internet for the rest of my life.

Or until they come up with something better than the Internet.

Buying is in general the better option, but one thing to keep in mind is that if you ever have any issues and your ISP is anything like mine, they may try to insist that it's a problem with your modem even if it clearly isn't. This means that getting the support you actually need may be a bit more difficult than if you were renting a modem.

Man when is google Internet gonna be nation wide? Comcast is such a nightmare.

Is this your first time? If you're based in the US, you'll grow to hate your provider with an immense passion. Buy it.

Why would you ever rent a modem? That's crazy talk.

@chatmonchies: I had comcast for 3 yrs with a rented modem. I just want as little to do with them as possible this time around.

You should buy. But, lets get real a lot of us rent because its just easier to throw money at an issue. Having dealt with Comcast INSISTING I never returned a box has taught me that doing anything except just tossing money at them to STFU in not worth my time.

I wouldn't buy a modem/router combo.

You could be using that same modem for 10+ years, you'll want to upgrade your router more often than that.

@jthom252 said:

In the US, it's illegal for your cable provider to force you to rent network equipment. The same is not true for TV equipment (since that's considered an information service and therefore not subject to the same rules).

I agree with Kidavenger; you'll be able to make use of that modem for quite a while (especially if you buy a higher-end one now), while wifi performance had been getting better and better. And if one of them fails on you, it'll be cheaper to replace one component individually vs buying a new gateway (the technical name for a router + modem combo).

Buy it and, if you can, get an extended warranty on it that's long enough to guarantee that your modem at least lives to break even with what you would have paid renting for the same period. That way, you can't lose. Your modem probably won't fail before the warranty is up and you'll come up way ahead anyway, but with the warranty there's not even a risk.

Buy. Renting is a huge ripoff.

Here's another ripoff to look out for: for my most recent cable setup, I chose the buy option. They asked if I wanted the "setup package" for something like $15 + shipping and handling. I said sure OK. When it came, it was like a coax splitter, a coax cable, and a couple of screws. Nothing I needed for anything, and not even any instructions.

Check the compatibility list before buying. They'll straight up say no to certain modems, even if they should work on paper. Also make sure the one you buy has enough channels to handle your speed (I recently had to upgrade mine because my old modem couldn't support the recent speed upgrade).

Buy yes, absolutely buy if your ISP doesn't charge you regardless. It'll pay for itself in a year.

I wouldn't buy a combo gateway.

If its an ether or option ask yourself this, do you mind having to pay for a new one yourself if it breaks or do you want to just go down to your ISP and get a new one from them.

I bought one when I moved to my current apartment. I had very bad experiences with my ISP's modem/router combos. It was impossible to get my NAT to stay open and the signal strength was garbage. I went with a Motorola Surfboard for the modem and a Nighthawk AC1900 for the router; zero problems with either. Just be careful and check your bill to see if they're charging you a rental fee anyway, I ran into that last month when among other things they tacked one on, turned off two of my cable boxes, and canceled my HBO subscription...

I just rent mine. It's less of a hassle in the long run. Whenever I have issues I can just go trade it out at the Comcast office in town. They even send me a new upgrade about once a year or so. I'm actually waiting on the delivery of my third modem in under three years. It probably breaks down to about the same price if I were to keep up with the 'latest and best' on my own dime.

One thing to consider is that the support line will ask if you have your own modem. They might refuse to do anything by saying it's your modem's fault.

As far as I know my local cable company simply provides the modem (or maybe hides it in the cost), but if you get their modem / router thingy they charge for that per month...but if I had some kind of choice like that I would just buy it.

We buy. Renting one is just an extra cost. I suppose if you want the ease of just trading one in for a new one when a problem arises, then I guess renting would be a fine way to go. I know that we have had our own modems for years and cost versus cost seems to fall on the side of buying. We haven't had many issues with having to get replacements so I think buying just makes the most sense, to be honest.

@jthom252: Charter's compliant devices support page states that they don't charge a fee. I just checked my latest Charter statement and they aren't charging me for a modem. Well, it's not a line item at least. Who knows what's included in "taxes, fees, and charges", although that line item is less than any modem rental fee I've ever paid in the past.

Modem rental is a shitty racket. Get this and never worry about it again.

http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6141-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B00AJHDZSI

I have the older model of that and it's super solid -- I was even able to pull a usable (albeit very slow) signal when some construction outside had literally nicked a chunk out of the cable running into my building. The Comcast tech said it must be a pretty good modem because he was surprised I had any Internet at all with that kind of damage.

I have the SMC Networks 16 x 4 modem. Got it for $55 a little over a year ago. it's also on the TWC approved list. No complaints so far either.

Renting a modem seems like one of those bullshit boxes an ISP would leave pre-ticked so people who don't know much about technology would go for it and get conned out of shit loads of money. Pretty sure my ISP gave us ours free, but then I'm pretty sure renting modems is just a thing in the US.

Buy one, and I'd suggest the Motorola SURFboard model with the 16 channels (I believe it's 16 channels). It's $10-$15 more but it'll make you a bit more future proof when they upgrade speeds, since they're nearing the maximum for the standard 8 channel model in some areas already. Yo shouldn't have to buy a warranty for it, since the included warranty is already long enough to have it covered well after you've recouped the expense, since you're not having to pay the rental fees. The SURFboard is the best, and most common option, and is compatible with every major cable company I know of.

I'd suggest buying, but I currently rent my box. I've had piss poor luck with fiber boxes.

If you can, always buy one. More money upfront, yes, but the $100 or less you'll earn back in less than a year. You'll have that same modem for years to come.

I've never had Comcast brush me off because I own my own equipment. When service has gone down, their technical support is always very helpful. I do however, manage to say as much as possible to the first tier support, without saying anything at all.

There's a list of supported and end of life'd modems out there for Comcast. Once you get one, call up Comcast, give them your MAC address, and you're done.

Buying is cheaper in the long run, and probably easier all around. I know some people are saying rent it so you can just trade it in when its not working, but in my experience that's often a lot more trouble and frustrating then it would be to just buy a new one, and you would still save money even if it crapped out once a year.

When i was renting a modem from Comcast it was like an extra 12 dollars on the bill, in the long run its cheaper to bite the bullet and buy. you'll save money in the long run.

Average charge is around $7 a month around me. So in 8 months you are saving money.

For the record I bought one.

I kinda wish I had put that money towards a new TV though but oh well I can wait a couple months to get one. ...So a 40 inch tv is like the new 13 inch huh?

I still say buy, but we chew through modems here, so I've bought quite a few. Probably still came out cheaper than renting but maaaaaaan they break easily.

Here's a great deal on a very reliable industry-standard cable modem for anyone still renting:

http://slickdeals.net/f/8544453-arris-surfboard-sb6183-docsis-3-0-modem-certified-refurbished-45-95

I have this modem and it's great. A good modem is like that old adage about good design: you don't even notice it's there because it does its job so well, you don't even think about it. This is that modem.