Got own cable modem to avoid rental fee

[sciphi]

Nick, no knock against you is intended.

I ended up needing new Internet service at my new house. Got promised a free modem from Earthlink, and they didn't charge me for it. Turns out Time Warner, who Earthlink uses for billing and the physical network, can and will charge $6.50 a month now for supplying a modem for all new or transfer service. For $23 I purchased the same model Ubee cable modem (DOCSIS 2.0, since DOCSIS 3.0 is massive overkill for my needs) that did everything fine on the 15/1 service I had/have. It's still giving me 15/1 service I'm paying for. At $6.50 a month for renting a modem, by August my modem will have paid for itself. Anything after that is saving me money.

I wonder how many folks will just pay the $78 a year for something they used to get for free. Nice racket if you can swing it...

 

[Oil Changer]

That's all well and good until yours fails and you have to buy another. If you're renting, make a call and a guy comes out and hooks up a new one for free. To each their own.

 

[Bryankkkk]

Yep been using my own modem for many years. Not only modem fee our company charges 8.95 per month for wireless router rental. haha lots of gullible people that pay that.

 

[SLCraig]

I have always owned my own modem. Have for years.

It's the only way to go in our cases..

 

[HTSS_TR]

I have my own modem and wireless router for more than 7-8 years, they are still working good. $6/mo for modem and probably about that amount for wireless router, almost $1,000 the cable company didn't get from me.

 

[Sam2000]

On my to do list. Apparently for my service with digital phone, its a more complicated set up with some risk of no service while they activate it.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
That's all well and good until yours fails and you have to buy another. If you're renting, make a call and a guy comes out and hooks up a new one for free. To each their own.


Go back over the math. And then when you are done, go back and do the math again.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
That's all well and good until yours fails and you have to buy another. If you're renting, make a call and a guy comes out and hooks up a new one for free. To each their own.



Cable modems are fairly reliable -- plenty of folks have had their SB5121s humming along for 5+ years without issue. Even if his dies after two years, he has saved more than enough to buy another one.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: Sam2000
On my to do list. Apparently for my service with digital phone, its a more complicated set up with some risk of no service while they activate it.


Who is your provider?

 

[MNgopher]

I've owned my modem for years. I rented for a year, ran the numbers, and figured out how much money I was losing. By the time my first modem failed, I would have paid the cable company four times over what I paid for a replacement.

As stated, run the numbers, then run them again, and the answer is obvious.

 

[Voltmaster]

unfortnatley most of America are too ignorant to find out about he fee, or do something about it.

People are scared of technology and this causes them to pay so much to these [censored] monthly.

You dont even need to call in anymore, u can give them your mac address and security password over chat and walah. done. takes less than 2 minutes.

 

[KitaCam]

I've never rented...well almost never...

I had an old pre-Docsis modem for Comcast before going to ATT and had to replace it with a Docsis modem when I returned to Xfiniti...and rented one for a week until my ebay modem came in the mail...

I run all wired connections so Docsis2 is all I need (D3 is for higher download speed connections, wi-fi, and telephone connections that I don't use)...and I do have a basic thriftshop-bought Docsis3 in the closet when the D2 dies or is no longer serviced by Xfiniti...

I still have a couple of 2Wire ATT routers if I ever go back to ATT...

 

[Nayov]

Never heard of a $23 modem. Cheapest I could find was a bout $80.

Only a fool would keep renting a modem.

 

[michaelluscher]

Even if you think you don't need/want a DOCIS 3.0 modem
Its still a financially a good buy
$81 gets you a new SB6141
Future proofing

 

[eljefino]

I'm rocking a Motorola Surfboard (4100?) that's a decade old, back when Adelphia was still in business and the Rigas family was living large.

Funny story, Adelphia sent me a coupon where I could get the modem for ~$50 after rebates, a deal at the time. I got it at Circuit City, of all places.

I crunched the numbers and with their $5 rental fee I figured the modem would pay for itself in ten months. The month after I got it they actually dropped the rental fee to $3. It's like they knew it was going to happen in advance.

This was back when the modems were still coming down in price.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Even if you think you don't need/want a DOCIS 3.0 modem
Its still a financially a good buy
$81 gets you a new SB6141
Future proofing


For the "slow" 15/1 service that has served me fine, the "outdated" DOCSIS 2.0 modem works. IIRC the rental unit is also a DOCSIS 2.0 unit, since why waste a pricey super-fast modem on somebody who isn't technically their customer and is getting "slow" Internet.

 

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Even if you think you don't need/want a DOCIS 3.0 modem
Its still a financially a good buy
$81 gets you a new SB6141
Future proofing


For the "slow" 15/1 service that has served me fine, the "outdated" DOCSIS 2.0 modem works. IIRC the rental unit is also a DOCSIS 2.0 unit, since why waste a pricey super-fast modem on somebody who isn't technically their customer and is getting "slow" Internet.


I agree "It works"
But I see your Upstate NY.
Let me fill you in on the Horrendous congestion we face down here.(Read: A LOT)Especially in Brooklyn and Queens, Where TWC/RR/EL are your ONLY option.
Couple this with lazy subcontracted installers that won't replace 70's era coax or connectors, and you get the nightmare that is my job of "WHY THE F DOESN'T WORK"
Since the price difference is minimal between the Non DOCSIS/DOCSIS modems, They're basically mandatory here IMOI if you wan't a decent connection. You didn't hear this from me, But when I swap a modem for a DOCSIS 3.0 one, I usually get advertised speeds, Which in TWC country is unheard of

. Sometimes even better

.
Our rental fee is $7.99 usually. So in less then a year you make the price premium back.
Here, SB6141's and fresh RG-6 and connectors are the Holy grail and saving grace for people who don't have a choice but cable and want a IC that actually works, And is almost as good as they pay for.

 

[rjundi]

I am pretty sure I am stuck with fee since I use the telephone service for xfinity and they require it.

I work from home 100% and require high speed internet and high quality phone.

I am still thinking of moving phone to local service only with copper and internet only $$$$ with xfinity. But have not made the leap or crunched the #'s.

The last pass it appeared I would still pay $110/month using xfinity internet and local service only on copper vs $180/month with base level cable/internet/phone with long distance.

The "discounts" do add up on xfinity if you package stuff.

The only thing makes me feel okay is I never paid for (full) cable in my first home for 5 years as it just worked(cable company employee owned it prior). At the same time I rarely watched it either in my 20's.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Great information.

To take this thread in a slightly different direction, for those of us who do rent and would like to not rent, what are the requirements for a cable modem? I think most people who rent (myself included) assume that this stuff is somewhat proprietary in nature and you'd have to do a lot of setup to be able to work it.

If that is not the case, please school us!

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Great information.

To take this thread in a slightly different direction, for those of us who do rent and would like to not rent, what are the requirements for a cable modem? I think most people who rent (myself included) assume that this stuff is somewhat proprietary in nature and you'd have to do a lot of setup to be able to work it.

If that is not the case, please school us!


Ditto! I'm not sure if we own or rent, and it probably doesn't matter as I think they are switching us to fiber anyhow, but now I'm curious.