How Can Purchasing My Modem Save Me Money?
If you look at your bill, you should see a charge on there for your internet modem. These charges can be anywhere from $12-20/month, depending on your Internet Service Provider. Those charges can add up to an average of $192/year, or more!
By purchasing your own modem you can alleviate this charge from your monthly bill and put that money in your pocket instead.
What are the Advantages/Disadvantages of Owning My Modem?
Purchasing your own modem can have it’s ups and downs. We will start with the disadvantages first:
Disadvantages
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- No Support from Your ISP – You are responsible for connecting and troubleshooting your own devices. You can usually get support from the manufacturer’s website or their tech support line, but if you get a service call from your ISP you may have to pay for it if the problem turns out to be your modem.
- No Warranty from Your ISP – If the modem goes bad, you will need to replace it yourself either by buying a new one or going through the manufacturers warranty process.
Advantages
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- Save Money – You will save the monthly fee from your service provider for the course of your contract, or however long you use them as your ISP.
- Full Control – With your own equipment, you’ll have full control over the functions of your modem. No lockouts on the features set from your ISP.
- The Latest Equipment – Chances are, the modem you get from your ISP is a fairly old model that is large and buggy compared to the latest modems out there on the market.
What Do I Look for When Purchasing a Modem?
OK, if you haven’t been scared away from the idea of owning your own modem by now, here are some things to look for when making the purchase.
First off, you’ll need to select a DOCSIS 3.0 compliant modem, and ideally one that is certified to work with your ISP. The standardization in the industry makes certification less of an issue with today’s modems, so you don’t have to worry about that as much. Second, if you are also getting phone service from your ISP, you will need to find a modem that also has a phone port. These are commonly referred to as Telephony Modems.
Next, you will need to get a WiFi router. Some modems have a WiFi router built-in, but we recommend using a separate router so you don’t end up putting all your eggs in one basket. If one portion of the system goes bad, you will need to replace everything. In a future post we will discuss how to troubleshoot your equipment before calling for tech support, so be sure to subscribe to our site.
If you are planning on using a wired connection for any of your devices you will want to make sure there are a few Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back of your modem as well. If there is only one you will want to purchase a switch that will be sufficient enough to connect all of the devices you will be hard wiring to your network. We recommend hard wiring any gaming consoles for those who are in to online gaming where a short lag in your connection can cause more issues than it’s worth. When in doubt, hard wire it!
Will Owning My Own Modem Make My Internet Faster?
In short, no. Owning your own modem will not give you some magic access to the entire Internet at an unlimited speed faster than what you are paying for from your ISP. While there are many links on the Internet claiming to allow you to “hack your cable modem,” it is unlikely that they will work and if they do it won’t be long before the cable company figures it out and sets you straight again.
The only way to make sure your Internet is running at it’s optimal speed is to have all of your hardware up to par with the rest of your network. One switch that is not rated for gigabit speeds, or a faulty ethernet cable, can slow down the entire network.
Brands We Recommend
Schedule a Consultation
If you are ready to save money by buying a modem for your home or business, please schedule a consult so we can help you decide which modem is best to suit your needs.
See Also:
Glossary – DOCSIS
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