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Just signed up with Comcast Internet and they provided an Aris Cable Modem and a Netgear WNR100 Router. They were supposed to install a single unit cable modem & router, but the installer didn't have it on the truck.
Before I call Comcast and ask them to send a single unit, can any of you more experienced folks tell me if a seperate Modem and Router is any better than a Combined Gateway Modem/Router Unit?
Most ISPs charge $7+ a month 'rental' and the payback of owning your own modem/router is about a year.
Until the modem or router dies and you get to go buy a new one. In that case, renting the equipment is a better investment, since if it dies you just run over to the cable office and get a new one.
Until the modem or router dies and you get to go buy a new one. In that case, renting the equipment is a better investment, since if it dies you just run over to the cable office and get a new one.
The first cable modem I had lasted 10 years, the one I have now has been in use for almost 3 years. 10 years at $7/month = total lease cost of $840. A new modem about $90. The math is straight forward. At this rate I could order another one to have on hand as a cold spare and still be ahead of the game.
The math is straight forward. At this rate I could order another one to have on hand as a cold spare and still be ahead of the game.
Dollar wise you are correct But time loss is another item to contend with. With a rental, one can usually drive to the nearby office and trade it out within an hour and the MAC address is already in the system. The other option to own it requires one to go out shopping and spend a few hours to go and buy a new one. Then come home wire it up, call your cable company, wait on hold for support in India to pickup (because you know the setup will happen at night), give them your new MAC address and then be told it may take a few hours to upload the change. So time is also a consideration.
BTW how many people actually keep a spare cable modem or spare router just sitting around?
06-11-2012, 11:20 PM
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My experience with comcast is that I call them up, give them the MAC address, and it's working before I even hang up the phone. Whole process takes maybe five minutes. Router replacement is probably more time consuming than modem replacement, since you need to set up the SSID, password, etc.
Renting is a massive ripoff, and if it happens to break (which I've never actually seen happen), I'd rather spend $50 buying a new one at the store than have to trek all the way to the local Comcast office, which is inconveniently located and has crappy hours. And I get the bonus of having hundreds of extra dollars in my bank account.
Quote:
A new modem about $90.
Actually even cheaper if you'll settle for an older model. I still have my modem that I bought ~6 years ago. No trouble pulling down 24 Mbps. It retails for about $55.
Dollar wise you are correct But time loss is another item to contend with. With a rental, one can usually drive to the nearby office and trade it out within an hour and the MAC address is already in the system. The other option to own it requires one to go out shopping and spend a few hours to go and buy a new one. Then come home wire it up, call your cable company, wait on hold for support in India to pickup (because you know the setup will happen at night), give them your new MAC address and then be told it may take a few hours to upload the change. So time is also a consideration.
BTW how many people actually keep a spare cable modem or spare router just sitting around?
A few hours? Took me 30 minutes (including driving to the store and back) to buy a modem. It took less than 10 minutes to get it functioning. That's less than an hour. The wires were simple.
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Took me 30 minutes (including driving to the store and back) to buy a modem. It took less than 10 minutes to get it functioning. That's less than an hour. The wires were simple.
