Should You Buy or Rent Your Modem?

[@JohnPlissken]

I bought my own modem, then got service with AT&T. I told them I don't need their rental modem since I have my own. They said ok. 2 years later when I switched service, they charged me $120 fee for not returning "their modem". I didn't pay it.

[@sarendrei2255]

John Plissken same here but it was spectrum and they sent it to collections. Stupidly annoying.

[@JJFlores197]

I'm curious. How were you able to use your own modem? When I had AT&T DSL, I could use almost any DSL modem. But when I got some weird hybrid U-Verse system, I was only able to use the modem they gave me.

[@JohnPlissken]

@@JJFlores197 It seems they no longer allow it, but they did at the time. The policy was changed in Feb. 2015. forums.att.com/t5/AT-T-Internet-Equipment/Uverse-Compatible-Modems/td-p/4317372

[@MAGAMAN]

AT&T is garbage. I had dish for several years and the AT&T bought it. They completely screwed up Dish by shoehorning a PC interface into it that was almost completely useless with the Dish Box. I dumped them and went back to cable using a Tivo.

[@Locutus494]

@@MAGAMAN WTF are you talking about?! Dish Network is not and never has been owned by AT&T. Dish is an independent company not owned by any other.

[@timdouglass9831]

Bought a modem when I started service from Wave. I paid about $100 to avoid a $10/mo rental fee. after about 18 months we moved out of Wave coverage area so I sold the modem for $60. Better, faster modem than the rental, used my own high-end wireless router and ended up saving about $140. Pretty much a no-brainer.

[@FinNote]

why would you rent a MODEM?

[@aeinarrkrigsson]

1.: Didn't know you could buy one 2.: Don't wanna have to set one up 3.: Don't know how to set one up, and don't wanna learn how to 4.: ISP won't let you use the bought one 5.: Too lazy to even care

[@MohammedRedwan]

Well many companies like Optimum will charge you regardless for a modem fee even if you use your own. I contacted and asked and that's literally what they told me.

[@RevansMinion]

@@aeinarrkrigsson Correct! I work at an ISP and we employ #4 as well as people lose them to lightning on a regular basis where we are so leasing them usually ends up cheaper for the customer honestly.

[@coolbrotherf127]

As he explained, the companies can profit from people who don't want to buy their own internet equipment or don't know enough about it to know they can buy it.

[@digigodHyro]

@@MohammedRedwan now that's a straight up lie, unless you haven't returned the modem you got from them

[@gasper5223]

They rent modems?

[@matthewprather189]

ATT forces you to

[@gasper5223]

Matthew Prather I'm from EU and I'm on Telemach rn. (part of the United Group network ).

[@0Raik]

Savages. In Mexico they literally give dsl modems away for free and even if you cancel immediately or they never come to your home to install it (happens more than you think and I seriously don't know why they give it to you instead of giving it to the technician who should install it). You can't return them even if you want to. I got 4 if then lying around and asked if I could recycle one, but no; here, have a new one. Cable providers and others just lease you the modem and after you cancel you have return it... or wait and they will come to pick it up. Prices are fixed and they won't let you use any other kind of modem. 4G on the other hand you have to buy your modem...or use a BAM (4G to Wi-Fi portable device or modem/router) ... or can be cheap as dirt like me and use tethering. 15 usd a month for unlimited calls, messages and 20mbps speed data (limited to 10gb per day then they throttle your speed). Good bless thy Virgin Mobile Mexico.

[@gasper5223]

Oscar in my case they just get to your house with a modem install it and that s it. I m currently in 45/1mbps on cable but I could upgrade to 150/5mbps and then you get a better modem.

[@Icreaka]

@@gasper5223 I'm on Telemach aswell :D

[@bigdoggetom6549]

It's interesting how internet connections differ between the US/Canada and the UK. In the UK, most ISPs rely on the infrastructure of one company. Most ISPs will also give you a free router/modem/Wireless AP combo box. But should you wish to set up your own kit (eg. shove an Edgerouter in) then you can get a modem to handle the DSL connection from anywhere and just plug it in. Draytek ones are recommended, but you can buy the official model that the infrastructure company (Openreach) give out for as little as £15

[@JoseSilva-wv2sh]

Ive had a modem for qbout 10 years and it still works just fine, i saved myself around 900 dollars

[@williambaldwin9346]

A few years ago, I bought my own DOCICS 3.0 cable modem and a high end Netgear wireless AC dual band router w/ 1000MBS Ethernet. I am not sure what the rental fee for the modem from Time Warner/ Spectrim was, but more than 8, lets say $10. So in 10 months I got my money back, and now am saving that fee. Also another benefit that Linus did not mention is that you never know who had the Modem before you, did they take care of it? Or did they smoke around it, drop it, throw it, have bugs in the house who made the Modem their home, etc???

[@Karma20XX]

My last modem and router cost about $60 each and lasted for about 5 years. Comcast charges $10 a month so we've probably saved around $500. This year we got a shiny new modem / router for $80 each and it's been great. 32 channels does help. Before you buy your own stuff, it's important to know what speeds your ISP is giving you for your package. Comcast tried to call us a few times claiming we needed to upgrade our modem (despite the fact that our plan was not above it's max download speed at the time.) Also, keep receipts as proof that you do in fact own your own equipment. I've never had an issue, but other people claim Comcast charged them rental fees when they owned their own router / modem.

[@paladinsrage4646]

*Buy it because they over-price the rent shite!*

[@gfjfjufidi2880]

Paladins Rage exactly.

[@bradhaines3142]

and its suprisingly cheap to get your own, you dont even need to get what they give, just something that works for your uses. i paid like 85 for a router thats lasted 3 years so far, no issues. paid itself off in like 8 months

[@maxb6859]

Hmm... wouldn’t work for everyone. I’ve got a fiber connection and gigabit. The routers and switches etc all combined are over 500€! But Renting them is 7€ a month

[@calamitous9855]

Max B yea it’s appears as far as tech costs go we have it really good in the US. Also not sure what that converts to but I would pay around 200 for a modem and router when I get gigabit.

[@CIubFoot]

Or just leave the US. No rental fees in Europe or any other civilised country for that matter 😜

[@norma8686]

My internet provider gave me the modem for free. I just pay for the internet, the modem is either included in the internet price or it's free.

[@darrylelam256]

Its often included it the base price, but you can often get them to lower the price if you have your own. My internet fee is dirt cheap because I own my own that paid for its self a good 2 years ago

[@pagegreg42]

Hi Norma, be careful that you are not under a promotion that is giving you a free rental for 1-2 years then they will start charging a rental fee. I'm not saying that this is the case but it is possible.

[@Darkxfin]

@@pagegreg42 in finland they give free modems without any charging fee and they even give u never one if they are changing something

[@motoryzen]

No internet provider lets you use THEIR modem for free kid. They never have, and they never will. Who are you trying to fool here?

[@Darkxfin]

@@motoryzen i wonder where u live if thats not the case, to me its seems odd not to get free modem with internet. Its like if u didnt get bucket when u buying paint

[@Tithis]

Biggest issue with a non-rented modem is some companies will ALWAYS try to blame it for connection issues. Took months to actually get a tech who knew what he was doing (identified that wiring causing the line to pick up interference from a radio station) and then finally send a tech to fix it.

[@jordanwelsh5710]

Yes I had same issues with my old ISP. Internet service would cut out and they would so oh well we cannot ping your modem because it’s not ours… absolute garbage excuse lol

[@TheOtherGuy27]

Came here to see this. I put up with the modem rental fee because it's better than constantly having them try to blame my modem if something doesn't work right.

[@qazisnotapeopleperson7167]

Had the exact problem with xfinity. Blamed it on my modem and made me call netgear support. When I did, netgear made me pay for a premium support package to even access the modem. After that, they told me it was an ISP problem. I just had enough, and after a while, I just leased a modem from xfinity, and that's how it is now.

[@qazisnotapeopleperson7167]

Since third-party modems can't communicate with the xfinity diagnostic tools, it kind of screws anyone with issues since it can't detect line problems and the tech support people can't run their usual tests.

[@Scubadog_]

If 40 mb/s is slow by today's standards, I must be living in the stone age with my 10 mb/s down.

[@criticalcium]

try 1mbps

[@Sheriff-Woody]

8mb/s down for me

[@xorpros669]

60kb/s for me

[@elijahvincent985]

I'm still stuck with the often 500K because I'm dirt cheap. At least it's reliable and rarely drops out!

[@AJ213Probably]

I would hate having anything less than 200 down

[@torchatlas8128]

I'd recommend buying your own router/modem without a doubt. The stuff your ISP gives you is crap, and you can probably get faster WiFi by buying your own awesome router!

[@timothygrimes5990]

updates to your video from an actual Docsis Engineer who has worked on hundreds of ISP's networks throughout the US and Canada. 1) Typically the modems they offer/support come down to cost (how expensive is it for me to obtain these), can i get support for them (small isp's wont care but big isp's like to be able to get vendor support when needed and big isp's will only allow modems that they can actually get firmware updates for as THEY have to push it to your modem. You can't update your modems own firmware ), extra features, and are they actually good modems (some modems have lots of security vulnerabilities or just simply aren't as good as they might be 3rd party or something). 2) Modem router combo's aren't bad. For example the standard combo box offered by Comcast is amazing. You cant buy it as its offered only to Comcast.. so in turn the vendor has customer firmware specifically for them making it operate better than your average modem that's open to the market. its dual channel and supports 802.11ac and lots of other stuff. It will be cheaper in the long run to own your own though.. 3) Linux, your info on 3.1 is wrong. Docsis 3.1 is 10 gigs down and about 1.5 gigs up.. FULL DUPLEX docsis is 10gigs down and 10gigs up(nobody is planning to go full docsis so dont get your hopes up. The big isp's are already in process of moving away from cable modems.) there are many isp's that support 3.1 and are currently using it. Comcast for example already pushes docsis3.1 in their markets. 3.0 is not very good for gigabit speed.. its one of those best case scenario type of situations. in order for you to get 1 gig on 3.0 you literally have to use over 50% of all 32 downstream channels (if your isp even has 32 channels).. not including what bandwidth other customers are using. SO 3.1 is actually way better for gigabit speed.. as it uses an OFDM channel. So if your isp has 3.1 and you want speeds faster than id say 500 megs.. id highly recommend a 3.1 modem if supported. 4) finally, (and not sure if that was a joke or not but) Comcast does not suck. there are isps' in the united states who still have a single T1 line for their connection to the rest of the world.. so their hundred of so customers.. have to share that 1.5 megs of traffic.. There are ISP's who have congestion issues that can easily be fixed and simply wont and have known about it for years. There are ISP's who get hit by DOS attacks on a weekly basis because they wont secure their network. And after having worked with Comcast all i can say is.. NICE! They definatley know what their doing.

[@MrSilv55]

Do you think this router that i bought is not good?www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Internet-C7100V-services/dp/B01M1AOEDA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

[@timothygrimes5990]

@@MrSilv55 As long its they support it, it will work fine. to be honest you could even go with a cheaper modem and get the same results.. now how good the wifi is "might" differ slightly depending on the brand.. but if wifi is that important.. i highly recommend getting a cheaper Stand-alone modem.. and run a wifi mesh setup.. WAY better wifi.

[@timothygrimes5990]

but directly connected every modem will give the exact same speeds "whatever you pay for".

[@dxnarutoboi]

Comcast router and modem combo was shit. Kept dropping connections, speed that was slower than i was paying for, and over all a bad experience. Bought my own modem and router and i NEVER NEVER DROP connection and have the full speed I'm paying for. Comcast modems/router is shit.

[@oqocraft2661]

Comcast propaganda

[@presteagemaster2110]

Linus looks very young

[@purekeynoob]

He's only like 30.

[@suborgtfo.4433]

*Yaa I noticed that* *He's a father of two lol*

[@suborgtfo.4433]

@@purekeynoob he's actually 33

[@purekeynoob]

@@suborgtfo.4433 33 is like 30.

[@unlimitedbitsgaming]

@@suborgtfo.4433 He actually has THREE kids.

[@deltanedas]

Ok Google, what my wifi password?

[@darrylelam256]

Its your better half's birthday... Good luck lol.

[@tenhundredkills]

@@darrylelam256 Joke's on you, I have no better half, lol!

[@mmmm-kj6ww]

That doesn’t work I tried it

[@bluerex21]

"is"

[@motoryzen]

You forgot to put " is" between " what" and " my ". English, try it.

[@memecatcherz3585]

Me: oh a new tech KZbinr Also Me: oh wait it’s Linus

[@kerilz8794]

Haha, stop making these cliché comments.

[@Xemerius7]

since two years in Germany there is the so called "routerfreiheit" (routerfreedom) meaning the isp's can't force you to use their crappy modem and have to make sure that every normal router is supported.

[@BeCreativePictures]

However, I have to rent mine at Vodafone Germany as this option is linked with other benefits I need. (4 parallel telephone numbers, needed for Business)

[@Tifler2U]

@@BeCreativePictures and with magenta hybrid you are forced to go with renting a router too because no other is able to handle LTE and DSL :/

[@whizatit]

cough *modem* cough hack wheezzzzz

[@igorordecha]

Ugh, I wish it could be done in Poland. Here, you cant change modem because you cant, "its not supported". I mean, they give you quite good one, but you dont have access to settings(they won't tell you login and password for router's website at 192.168.1.1). You cant do port forwarding, you cant configure sharing drives(usb 3.0 on the back), 2.4 and 5Ghz are separate networks etc.

[@frodolon]

@@igorordecha Have you tried disabling the isp's branding? I 'unlocked' and reset my 1&1 HomeServer via FTP and can now use it as a repeater for my WiFi network.

[@DawnLogan614]

Time Warner had a featured where you can connect to various public Wi-Fi around town if you install their app on your phone. I thought this was awesome. Then I looked at the map to see where these Wi-Fi routers were. Many of them were in residential areas. Turns out if you use their provided modem, not only do you pay a monthly fee on your bill for the equipment, but you also are providing Wi-Fi to mobile devices connecting to your router via the app. I immediately returned their equipment and purchased my own. My signal coverage is so much better now.

[@AlexKasper]

My ISP (Shaw) offered a deal where the cable (w/router incorporated) modem rental fee ($5) is waived. In other words, it's already built into the price, which by the way increases b a couple of bucks twice a year or so. Before I had my own router and purchased the modem (from them). That was several years ago. The router started to malfunction and was due for a change. The modem upgrade was required so to access the higher tier speeds available.

[@PC4USE1]

Remember -if you do buy your own modem and use Xfinity,keep the receipt till the end of time. i had a modem that they kept charging me for and I could not prove it was mine,so i returned it to them(not even theirs) just to save the fee. i had only paid 5 bucks for it used and it full well could have been theirs originally.

[@coolsnake1134]

Usually the newer Xfinity modem’s that are provided by Comcast will say on them property of Comcast made with love in Philadelphia

[@Native-Coder]

The best $200 I've ever spent was buying my own Modem and Router. Haven't had to do a reset since.

[@TheYaq]

what router do you have

[@Native-Coder]

@@TheYaq Router is www.asus.com/us/Networking/RT-AC1750-B1/ Modem is www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/cable-modems-routers/CM500.aspx We only have 200 Mb available in my area unfortunately.

[@gina72916]

How long have you had it?

[@xvsn7777]

Do you have to pay a monthly service?

[@alexandruilea915]

@@xvsn7777 of couse you still have to pay to your ISP

[@derfrisson]

Pls...dont say that 40mbit are slow...i life in germany...

[@sorenmatthies3464]

I know that feeling

[@Max_G4]

8 Mbit/s... yay... Danke Telekom

[@NewAgeRedBoy]

i get 3mbs in the US

[@CatFace8885]

I get 20 Mbps on a good day, and I live in the US.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

We pay for 12mbps, we get up to 11 mbps occasionally. Usually, it's more like 5. We rent an old house (well, old for the US anyway - I know there's *much* older houses in Germany) and our phone lines don't support faster internet. And because 12 mbps is the fastest DSL offers here, cable feels free to offer only 15 mbps (for $20 more - plus a 2 yr contract that doubles in cost in the 2nd yr. Oh and it goes out randomly for no reason and getting anyone out to fix it is ridiculously impossible as their "customer service" reps will just gaslight you and pretend it's just something you're doing wrong).

[@suborgtfo.4433]

*Just use ur Neighbor's Wifi*

[@LynJuice]

*no thats stealing*

[@ShorDagon]

They kept kicking me off :(

[@Potat0]

Never subbed, never donated, using adblock, using a stolen laptop, using neighbor's WiFi,watching free content.

[@deezooliveros2978]

Fuck you

[@familyfriendly7030]

@@Potat0 absolute mad lad

[@rogerward7060]

even if you own it, you don't control the firmware.

[@SB-qm5wg]

yep..

[@radulefter4814]

DD-WRT

[@geogmz8277]

The ISP use TR-069 protocol to keep them up to date for most cases.. If you buy a brand that your ISP uses you probably will get firmware updates as well.

[@24wherath36]

@@geogmz8277 It's not about updates to firmware. It's the fear that the ISP can do anything to your homes network, they control everything.

[@Rpgwaiter]

Speak for yourself.

[@m_s7155]

I'm a cable guy.... ALWAYS buy your own.

[@MicCheckMemoirs]

with any type of modem do you have to subscribe to AT&T, Xfinity, and other various internet and cable providers? or you don't have to do all that?

[@jamesdodds3195]

@@MicCheckMemoirs You still need an internet provider even if you buy your own modem. You just save on the rental fee and get to choose a better modem than what is normally provided.

[@MicCheckMemoirs]

James Dodds ahhh. Good to know

[@BillAnt]

Some providers don't even allow you to buy your own, they force you to rent it. I just use my mobile phone's 4GLTE data patched into a router, no renting no price increases. Goodbye cable, hello mobile router! www.amazon.com/KuWFi-802-11AC-1200Mbps-2-4-5-0GHz-Wireless/dp/B0827G5RNX

[@joshgomez7522]

@@BillAnt that's at&t

[@marianartz7006]

Well We rent the modem from the ISP. It's pretty cheap (5€) and their routers happen to break once in a while. Basicly we would have to pay nearly 2 years to pay as much as for the regular modem. Allready broke once and it gets replaced directly without question.

[@mikeward1701]

Renting has the advantage that the modem has a rolling warranty for the duration of your contract and the ISP will replace/update it when it fails, or if a non-patchable security vulnerability is discovered. Also because you are renting the hardware required to utilise a service, you can withhold payment for both if either the hardware or service fails and is not repaired within a billing cycle. This is why ISPs generally prioritise rental customers because of the potential loss of two revenue streams.

[@txwylde]

I bought my own modem after getting tired Spectrum was charging me a "rental" fee. I grabbed a name brand modem from their list of compatible ones. They decided to double my speed for free and I was not getting that said speed. I call and they gave me the line, "Sir, it is your modem." Wow. Oldest support trick in the book. They offered me a free modem, so I took it and sure enough it was fine. How ironic that they told me which model to buy and then stopped supporting it when they double my speed. Come on Google Fiber. Please get to my neighborhood so I can end my misery with Spectrum.

[@erbu7188]

Uhm.. I didn't know you can rent modems

[@creamofbotulismsoup9900]

Lease would be a more accurate term.

[@vincepale]

Hey, It would be cool to do a follow up video: "Should you rent your Router?" FiOS, for instance, likes to rent you your router, and benefits of buying one are obvious, but the drawbacks are a little different. If you have FiOS TV, the STBs need to talk to the FiOS Router via MoCA, for instance. So you still need their router in the chain, but could get a used one, or a MoCA->Ethernet adapter. Could be a neat TQ in the future.

[@jb888888888]

Long stupid story. My ISP (AT&T) made us buy the modem when we got aDSL several years ago. No non-AT&T modems were allowed. A couple of years ago we had connectivity issues - which historically have always been due to the line outside the house being broken or interfered with - and the tech they sent over replaced our paid for modem with a new one to "fix" the problem, which then was a $7 a month rental. The problem persisted. Eventually after an actual repair (which once again was dealt with outside the house) I plugged our old modem back in and it worked fine. I called AT&T and told them I didn't want to use the rented one, I wanted to go back to the old one. The customer "service" person said sorry, when the old modem got taken away we can't track it down to bring back. I told them, it wasn't taken away and I'm actually using it RIGHT NOW. I was told to bring the new one to the local UPS store where it will be sent back in bulk (they also sent a postage paid label to put on,which UPS didn't want). Yet for MONTHS we were continueally charged the rental fee. I FINALLY got a customer service tech who knew what to do, and we even got credited back for the months of rental fees for the product we weren't using and didn't have, which actually covered our monthly bill for like 2 1/2 months. When we tried to upgrade our speed we were told we'd need a new modem, so we declined. We have relatively slow speed but it works fine for us. Wish it was cheaper though.

[@geraldflorence1220]

I bought my cable modem. Of course, before you buy the modem, do your research and buy the modem they say is compatible with their service.

[@user-wv2bn2cb1i]

Correct! I've been researching this and you need to see which are compatible with your provider ( xfinity for example has this list - www.xfinity.com/support/devices/#auth

[@Bare_Essence]

Now, it's just "included" in the monthly fee. No choice. Thanks Spectrum! I don't know better.

[@lq7777]

Not surprised. The same folks who told me twice that if I returned the extra cable box I didn't need, my bill would actually go up because it would break the bundle. I ended up letting it gather dust in a closet until I eventually moved.

[@derekarmstrong6743]

A note about DOCSIS 3.1: My ISP will not allow DOCSIS 3.0 modems on their 500Mbps or 1Gbps plans. This may not be the case with most ISPs, but it's something to check on when upgrading service. We were required to rent/purchase a DOCSIS 3.1 modem when we upgraded to 1Gbps.

[@Poorgeniu5]

Here in the US, Verizon have this ONT Modem installed in your house since they use fiber optic cable and on that ONT there is a Ethernet port. You can call customer service to remotely switch on the Ethernet port and basically you can use any WiFi router via Ethernet instead of cable. That what I did with mine and I never have any problem since. But I do have an distaste of their ethics of throttling firefighter's internet and being one of two only ISP around my area.....

[@SnowTheBard]

"ADSL is less common" - except in Australia of course. >< :)

[@resevil2396]

You should do a video on using a gateway/combo vs a separate modem and router. Personally I'm skeptical that there is a reason to spend more on getting dedicated devices vs a gateway if you aren't going to tinker and use those more advanced features, especially if, like me, you prefer having devices hardwired whenever possible.

[@k7y]

american ISPs really go in raw on their customers. here in UK you can get 80mbps down 20mbps up for £25 a month. about £19 is line rental which goes to bt for "maintaining and upgrading" fiber/copper network and £6 is for 80/20 internet. also you get a free modem and router (or a combo), free weekend and evening calls, and line installation is free.

[@selvacin]

(IT admin guy here) When i talk to people about THIS particular topic i will ALWAYS recommend that they buy a modem that follows compatability recomendations and demonstrations here, but only dose the modem part of the network traffic and no switching or wifi services. Then get teh wifi switch that they want and has the features they want. This allows for better network control and security as your moden is not holding any control over your wiifi network and most "nice" wifi switches and setup a passthrough VPN ip. I didn't even have to setup my modem i just hooked it up to my coax for Comcast and they remotly set it up for me in 5 min, this is usefully and also scary because it mean your cable company can make any changes on your modem at any time and make it unavailable to you reguardless of if your renting it or not. I use Wifi in my house for between device communications not just internet so comcast doing updates on my device without informing me (which they will do updates and restart/temp disable your modem WITHOUT notice) could interupt in house device communications, especially as the internet of things trend gains momentum and infrastructure.

[@mcsheesh2052]

Question to the folks outside of Germany/Austria: Are AVM Fritzboxes a thing in your country? In our hemisphere they are pretty much standard when it comes to modems. Nearly every WiFi network in Germany is called FRITZ!Box XXXX. Even if you have never heard of AVM or Fritzbox, is there a "standard" modem type or brand present in your area like in our case?

[@reistje]

I'm from the Netherlands, i've only seen a handfull of fritz boxes. The ISP's here seem to just buy modems from excisting brands and then run custom firmware.

[@pumpkinhead9114]

As a cable guy, I loved this video right up until the end when my company got throw under the bus... thanks! It's fine though, the things people hate about the company are above my pay grade and I CAN fix the stuff that's my responsibility. One thing to mention though the rental fees also include replacing defective units. If its slower than usual we swap it for a new one!

[@wizzdom100]

It's still a rip off, how often does a modem go down, $180 rental fee a year should cover it. The whole point of Google Fiber was to force ISP's to increase their speed.😪

[@igorcenedanovski8059]

I’ve been a cable costumer for many years and one thing cable company failed to provide a upgraded modem router o keep up with the speed I paid for instead told me that their old modem I had was compatible years done the road all of a sudden isn’t compatible after having 7 techs come to my house finally they figured out why

[@greggarcia7737]

I’m a Xfinity customer and they told me to swap my modem every six months to keep up with the speeds.

[@NullaNulla]

FTTP here and use a 64bit atom box running Sophos UTM9 as a router to our network supplied NTD. Works MUCH MUCH better and more stable than any ISP supplied underpowered rubbish box. Have only ever once rented a modem and regretted, never again. I now supply all my own gear though we've LONG outlived an AIO crapball (freebsd router, cisco poe 24p switch, QNAP etc etc etc all in the rack in the corner.

[@SailioNation]

I work for an ISP and we charge $3/m for standard and $5/m for wireless. We use docsis 3.1 and offer Gbps using OFDM. Soon to be 10Gb in a few months.

[@riccikalayanamitra6761]

Thank you for delivering great knowledge in concise and interesting ways! I always come for one answer to a question and leave with more information than I was initially seeking!

[@YonatanAvhar]

The cables going to my house only support 40Mb/s 😢

[@Wcthllboy]

Yonatan Avhar 15 MB’s here

[@AllOutNoobHater]

As a Spectrum technician, there are a couple or few things I will mention. In the Kentucky area, we use a few manufacturers. Ubee, Motorola, Technicolor, and Hitron. For Wifi, it's Sagemcom. DOCSIS 3.0 modems are used for all speeds type up to 400M. However, the way our service is built, if you want 1Gig, the only modems that are approved to work are our own DOCSIS 3.1 modems. Some of our modems do have 32 channels or 24 channels. However, they do not support up to a Gig. Why? No idea. Could be something to do with the way everything works. Spectrum provides the cable modem for free (yes, it vastly differs from one provider to the next) and the only thing that costs extra is the router. I highly do not recommend renting your own modem for a number of reasons. 1. We run trouble calls for modems that are approved, constantly. This is namely due to the customer setting everything up themselves and us only making sure the speeds work. But down the line, these modems can easily cause time out errors and sync errors. When a service provider provides a piece of equipment for free, it's for a good reason. 2. If your technician arrives and wants to install a modem and router combo, just ask for a separate solution. 3. Do not complain about your speeds if you bought your own equipment. We can guarantee our wired speeds. NEVER WiFi because every single house is different in the devices, wall material and size of the house.

[@geogmz8277]

Is not as easy as just buying the highest channel count modem.. There are other things to consider.. If you buy something not supported you may end up with only 1 or 2 channels working.. While the rest is unable to allocate the right frequency.. Modulation is something that ISP check on the recommended modems before they put it on their list. Most common supported brands are Arris and Sagemcom..

[@ahmetkaanmert5743]

You guys are doing seriously venerable job and doing it very passionate. I wanna thank you all for making us conscious.

[@HarrySpruce]

Most isps in the uk give you the modem for free not as rent

[@motoryzen]

I don't buy that one bit. How much do you pay for monthly home internet and what are the actual upstream and downstream speeds you receive consistently?

[@kodaloid]

@@motoryzen Virgin Media 110 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up both on average, no rental.

[@backupplan6058]

tpcs, for us, we get 58mb download, 18 upload for £25 per month unlimited data and that includes a modem/router as is common in the U.K. which will increase the speed as openreach upgrades the network I know if in a virgin area they do 300/300 fibre optic with unlimited data for £35 with modem/router.

[@reddragon3132]

@@motoryzen The speeds you get is very dependent on what you pay. As someone that lives in the UK, getting modems for free is just normal. It seems odd that a company would sell you internet and not include the necessary hardware to use it. It's not like it's included in the internet fees either as they don't expect it back if you change providers. I think it's a matter of what's expected. If a company started charging for modem rental here that would be outrageous. Whereas in the US it's normal so why wouldn't companies do it

[@MAGAMAN]

You are paying for that modem whether they tell you or not.

[@PurpleKnightmare]

That is why I got a nice used Motorola stand alone (modem only) one for my network for $20 over a year ago, and it still works great. Yes I checked to see if it would work first. I have a nice Asus router for my wifi, and a nice Netgear switch for LAN. You have to get the ID number of the modem before they will turn on the internet.

[@dareshiro]

I actually wanted to do the same except for the LAN. Is it okay if I ask how your experience has been? I'm interested in getting the Motorola Mb8611 and the ASUS RT-AX88U. Do you have Xfinity? Is it worth it? May I ask what the LAN is for?

[@PurpleKnightmare]

@@dareshiro oh, the SB6120 is very reliable, I only have 100mb. I got it back in Aug 2020. I have yet to need to reset it without a power frailer being involved. I also have the Asus RT-AC51U router.

[@dareshiro]

Thank you for sharing, I'm definatly getting it now

[@calas7]

Worked (no longer, they treat workers like crap, and customers did nothing but yell at you trying to help) at Shaw Cable for 2 years in Tech Support. The modems purchase fee was the same as a 2 year rental. Its unlimited warranty for as long as you are renting, straight swaps if broken and upgrades, the whole deal. If you didn't want to upgrade or switch providers in less than 2 years, good deal to rent! If you were going to buy and sit there for more than of course it would be a good deal, but warranty would be over and the cash saved would be so minuscule, that if it broke after 2 years or something you would be deeper in the pocket. So they stopped even offering to sell their latest modems, and scratched the fee all together if you signed a contract. But that's a different matter. And yeah they locked it down to only what they provided too, so you couldn't even get your own from elsewhere if you wanted... But if your serious about wifi performance anyhow you wouldn't be using the junk for that anyways and have your own to use!

[@lelouchyagami703]

I spent around $9 to buy my modem and I have a consistent 100mbps with reasonably good range, I don't see any benefit in renting a modem

[@TheNerd305]

SHOW ME YOUR WAYS PLEASE.

[@lelouchyagami703]

​@@TheNerd305 It's been over 2 years since I've posted the comment. Happy to say I'm still using the same $9 modem, but upped the speeds to 300mbps. Don't rent a modem

[@seekjesuschrist713]

@@lelouchyagami703 what modem

[@lelouchyagami703]

@@seekjesuschrist713 Tenda N301

[@HShango]

Bruh you lots isps are weird in comparison to EU and the UK

[@FlamJongUn]

xCamz _ you're wrong. The ones that ISPs provide are modem/router combinations.

[@rossharper1983]

@@Yellowflock33 no, they're the same modem/router combos we have here in UK

[@MetalFolf]

They think 40 is shockingly slow but that's like one of our fastest options... except for virgin Media who don't service most areas

[@rossharper1983]

@@MetalFolf I purposely only let the wife view houses to buy that were in virgin areas lol. Been with it since it was Blueyonder. Couldn't be without my 350Mbps

[@cardsharkz485]

I like that you are already differentiating between EU and UK. Remember, so far you're still in^^

[@DS-pk4eh]

In Switzerland, they usually give you for free use (it is still their property), and usually after two years, you do not even have to give them back if you change provider. But, it is true that usually, what they give you is not the top product. But it is plug'n'play. And it does its job (4 LAN ports, WifI ac standard, covers 100m2 appartement/house easily. It is part of their marketing costs. If they want to retain a customer, they need to offer good service and good device. I am paying 29SFr/month for a 100Mb connection. The Swiss franc is about the same as the US dollar.

[@tpolarbeart]

You need a DOSCIS 3.1 modem for 1000 Mbit/s. It may have a theoretical limit of 10 Gbit/s but still is needed for 1 Gbit/s. So if you are thinking about purchasing your own modem for 1 Gbit/s make sure you purchase a modem fast enough for your carrier since each carrier handles the channels differently

[@dragontoothdw]

Should buy it ...nuff said.

[@BrianFurios]

3:27 that's why many modems have MAC Clone ;)

[@MrPummetje]

here in the netherlands its not even common to get your own modem there are also like no modems you can buy in stores and isp do not give login information or anything

[@t0xictearsz]

try XS4ALL, you can get a 500mbps up/down with Fritz modem.. best there is.

[@TjPhysicist]

I don't understand why we have to fight ISPs every step of the way on these things. NOW, with the advent of FTTH, things got worse. Owing partially to the rarity of Fiber equipment in a normal household (I assume) FTTH providers require you to use their ONT equipment, which makes sense actually, and isn't too bad as ISP fiber technology can get a little complex and especially if they're just offering and ONT for free, that's ok. What's bad now is that they're back to the modem/router, there are now ONT/Router/Wifi combo units and, while some of them MAYBE allow you to turn off the wifi many providers have locked "bridge mode" so you're stuck with their crappy router. (to my knowledge, Bells "home hub 4000" or whatever, which is an ONT box combined with a router/switch and Wifi AP - does not allow you to fully do bridge mode). Oh and, with the ubiquity of Wifi, ISPs have also started this thing called "community wifi", which is basically - say there's an Apartment where everyone needs internet, rather than run cables or ftth to each apartment you just run your cable to the basement or wherever, put a giant router there and put Wifi APs all over the building. If a resident calls saying they've just moved into the building and wants internet in their apartment, you just give them a username/password on the wifi network (like a hotel or a university) and that's it. No "in home installation", no pulling cables through the wall, no Router, no modem, no equipment nothing. Even if you WANTED to you couldn't buy your own ANYTHING cuz well, there's literally no wires coming into your house, it's all just Wifi Access Points. And since MOST locations in US have an ISP monopoly, you can't really go with someone else or get a different service either, most of the time it's written into an HOA agreement that you be part of this internet service. The ONLY exception i've seen so far in canada is beanfield who not only separate out Wifi APs from the start, but DO allow you do put their ONT box in "bridge mode" which as far as I can tell does in fact turn off ALL non ONT related functions (so no routing, IP NAT etc). But EVEN THERE, they keep calling the thing a "Fiber Router" even when talking about turning off routing functionality rather than something like "fiber terminal" or even "fiber converter" or something. Like in the sentence "If you want to use your own router, we can turn off routing on our zhone fiber router"...well then it's not a router, is it, it's obviously doing something else too.

[@tomasmcgrath5766]

Spread this to those who don't knoe that you can buy one.

[@jakenuno9900]

"Inevitable Rebrand" 😂

[@DustyTheDog]

I worked a short time for Global Callcenter Solutions in the Comcast division. I was amazed by how many people had no idea you could buy your own router and save the 8$ a month. Most of them were incredibly happen to find out that buy their own is basically the same as using the rental. I actually used the very same device page from Xfinity in this video.

[@marcusjones457]

Now a days the modem comes with the service. Its the router with the rental fee. Basic run down goes as this: Rent equipment: you recieve support by the isp on servicing hardware. Something happens to it? It can be swapped. Buy your own equipment: You gain the ability to have better hardware, be it a triband router or a mesh wifi network. Downside is that you're on your own with troubleshooting. Your isp isn't allowed to configure your equipment, just hook it up and go. Also, if something happens and it breaks, it's a higher cost out of your pocket.

[@KimionTM]

My ISP rented me a Fritz!Box. Not gonna pay those 200€ upfront

[@sorenmatthies3464]

But those Routers are great

[@KeinNiemand]

@@sorenmatthies3464 You'll end up paying A LOT more over time by renting it

[@CrewsMachine]

Oh how I long for the day that my rental fee was “only” $8.00.

[@jacara1981]

I do IT at a ISP. Our internet is over fiber so no Modem, the customer only needs a router. (Technically the Modem is the Fiber box as a Modem translates one medium into another such as Fiber to Ethernet or Coax to Ethernet) We just started renting routers this year, they are the same ones we sell to customers and even recommend to customers and that the TP-link AC1900. Whats really important in routers its what you plan to do with it. Do you only surf the web, facebook, sometimes youtube? Well then you don't need a powerful router, something like a AC1200 would be fine. (AC is the wireless standard, make sure the one you buy is a AC, not b,g, or n) Do you stream a ton, have dozens of devices and overall always online? Then its time for a more powerful router. AC1900s are considered the standard router now days, as such most specs and prices are compared against them. Technically the 1900 part is the square foot coverage of the wifi, but that measured as full strength of the signal so a 1900 will actually normally cover up to 3000sq/ft without issues. So why would people rent? While its true that a year worth of renting a router with us covers the cost of the router and after that its profit, we replace it if something goes wrong at no cost. while the ones we sell come with a 1 year replacement of that router if anything goes wrong with it. Sadly a lot of ISPs have really bad reputations, especially the large ones like Charter and Cox. Thats why the ISP I work for has coverage in 5 counties and we have more customers than Charter does in the same area.

[@user-wr5fl8vo8x]

They rent lower tier equiptment so by purchasing our own hardware we can select high specification equipment that is much more robust and feature rich with a break even period of about 18 months. Also if you understand the limitations of WiFi and can set appropriate channels and bandwidth, a typical home can enjoy full coverage without using expensive mesh and most likely have better through put. For larger homes, a wired network with wired access points in key locations and proper channel choices will outperform mesh by far.

[@whiteandnerdytuba]

Isps rent modems because they have a monopoly. The ones they give you are weak old and expensive

[@wizzdom100]

@Fman1292 and I bet it's still shit, as far as range. Routers are what matters.

[@skankhunt-zw6gg]

Based on the number of months I’m on leave, I decide whether it is worth to buy a new modem or just rent it. I carry my last apartments modem with me in the new apartment so I really don’t have to worry about buying or renting a new one.

[@bennohacs7]

If you're located in the "Mid-West" and have a common I.S.P. like Spectrum/Charter or Comcast/Xfinity i highly suggest you do not use a modem purchased by yourself. When you call in to have a tech come out you are liable to be charged for the Trouble Call trip if nothing is found wrong with the coaxial cable. These companies can not and will not troubleshoot equipment that is not owned by said company. This will leave you with internet that doesn't work and damn near a $100 service charge on your next bill. It's also a plus to keep a modem with your I.S.P. for the pure and simple fact that it can be swapped and/or upgraded to a new modem if need be at no extra cost to you the consumer. Using a privately owned router or gateway is a great idea because your service can be troubleshot from the mainline (Usually fiber) all the way through the coax-cable to your (I.S.P.'s) modem and out as Ethernet. Ethernet is something much more commonly understood than all the other crap. Just trying to help, if you disagree reply to this comment please...

[@clover_network]

Here in Mexico, when you pay a plan, you don't have to rent the modem, you only pay for the service but when you cut the service plan the ISP's asks for their modem or box.

[@creamofbotulismsoup9900]

My ISP actually let me buy a modem from them and they set it up for me, it was at a fair price, and it has paid for itself already.

[@nicholashoi3155]

I literally never heard of rental Modems

[@olican101]

Its one of those weird American things.

[@smorrow]

@@olican101 Is it? In the UK, when I upgraded, the technician took the previous hardware back. So it must have belonged to the ISP all along.

[@falcon5178]

@@olican101 no

[@olican101]

@@smorrow Yes but we dont pay for the modems here in the UK.

[@philippheller9439]

@@olican101 it's just "included" in the price

[@nocturnal101ravenous6]

Buy always Buy, make sure it is within Spec of your ISP, 1- Security is better, and remember to change the password and Admin user name. Pref. Wifi6 with the new security features(help stop those Botnets). 2- Its going to be faster and you can always keep it up to date something your ISP doesn't care about. 3- They always throw extra hidden fees in with the rental fee

[@dangingerich2559]

One major thing you don't address in this is security. 1. The all-in-one units the ISPs give out are configured to allow support to remote in and "assist" with some tech problems. One angry former support tech could utilize those back doors and wreak havok on customers' connections or utilize them for capturing user data. 2. Those same units have wifi that have a feature called WPS, or Wifi Protected Setup. This is a HUGE misnomer, as not only is it not really "protected", but it introduces a huge security hole that a wardriving hacker could use to gain access to a network in under 2 hours, with a typical hack time of 30-40 minutes. Once they hook into the network, it is easy to just run wireshark and capture all the data packet crossing the network to a hard drive for half a day or something, and get all the data needed for many banking web sites, or at the very least all the users' email addresses and sell it to spammers. Sometimes these people are just after an internet connection that they can use to share out their pirated movie and music collection, which can get the owner of the network sued for tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars by the MPAA or RIAA. Most off the shelf routers also include this very insecure "feature", but at least they can turn that off on some of them. It can't be turned off on any of the all-in-one units from ISPs. 3. All of the ISP all-in-one units and most of the off the shelf routers have security holes that the manufacturer isn't interested in patching, one of which would allow someone with the right knowledge to just telnet into a certain port on a router, issue one command without even a login, and record all upstream traffic crossing the router. Most connections have a much lower upstream speed, such as a Comcast Xfinity connection running 250/10 (250Mb/s down 10 Mb/s up), which would hardly be noticed if it were cloned and downloaded to someone else. Who would notice their download speed suddenly went from 250 to 240? This is why I advise getting 3 things, regardless of the ISP: your own cable modem, preferably a Netgear, a small business or pfsense router WITHOUT WIRELESS, and a small business class wireless access point WITHOUT WPS. 1. The modem is secured, and not allowing back doors for ISP "support". 2. The router doesn't have nearly as many security concerns, and with small business class, FAR better support and updates in case of discovered security issues. I prefer pfsense because it can be run on commoditized PC hardware, easily on a dual core Atom mini PC, is actively updated regularly, and isn't dependent on a particular company for maintenance. Pfsense looks to me to be FAR more secure than any other firewall or router on the market. 3. Wifi that is very hard to hack because it is meant for business use and does not have that huge security hole that is WPS. Even better, with most small business wireless APs, it is possible to create an isolated guest wifi channel that doesn't have access to the main network or other devices on that guest wifi channel. Some even allow for restricted bandwidth on the guest wifi channel, but those usually cost more. 4. Most importantly, any small business router worth its price and any pfsense router have options that can stop malware from being downloaded by users and stop traffic to botnets. They can even block entire geographic regions from the local network. They offer HUGE security advantages even of the user is dumb enough to get into all sorts of trouble. Security should be the biggest concern for any internet user. There are many people out there ready and willing to use any means they can find to steal other people's money, and it doesn't matter to them if the person is innocent or a "nice person" when they rob them. Many more aren't looking to rob people, but just sharing out pirated movies can leave innocent people with court ordered payments that would leave most people completely destitute for decades. These hackers can destroy lives, leaving people unable to make a living anymore, even to support themselves, let alone a family. It is very important to protect against these people. Securing a network costs a bit of money, but it is far cheaper than being hacked, and the more people that properly secure their network, the more focused the criminals will be on those who don't.

[@Johanneslol11]

In the Netherlands you just get it for free.. xD And a pretty good one with wifi AC build in lol.

[@0Raik]

In Mexico they literally give dsl modems away and free, even if you cancel immediately or they never come to your house to install it (it happens more than you think it would and I don't know why they give it to you instead to the technician who installs it). You can't return them even if you want to (I got 4 if then lying around and asked if I could recycle one, but no; here, have a new one). Cable providers and others just lease you the modem and once you cancel you have return it or wait and they will come to pick it up. Prices are fixed and won't let you use any other kind of modem. 4G on the other hand you have to buy your modem...or use a BAM (4G to Wi-Fi portable device)... Or be cheap as dirt like me and use tethering. 15 usd a month for 20mbps unlimited calls, messages and data (limited to 10gb a day then they throttle your speed). Good bless thy Virgin Mobile Mexico.

[@flos3328]

Seems to be a Europe thing. I'm in Germany and my rent is free for the first two years. :)

[@remcovangoozen6146]

the quality of your modem//router depends on your provider and on the the chosen speed, for example with ziggo: when you have the 40mbit speed (their slowest i think) you get the "basic" model, don't get me wrong it is still a pretty good one but when you have their 500mbit you get a slightly better one. and yes it is "free" but you are forced to use it. (but you can still disable all their functions so it only passes through your internet connection to your own chosen router if desired)

[@backonline]

I'm from Portugal and here it's illegal for a company to rent something that you need to use the service. For example, ISP TVBoxes it's legal because they already provide the digital TV signal on the coaxial, so if i want a TVBOX i have to pay for it.

[@remcovangoozen6146]

@@FSXPilot14 that problem is somewhat related to their "shared free wifi" that all customers are able to use when enabled on your own account. my solution to that problem was simple, i don't use their functions, i use my own router for the local lan. the ziggo modem is just a pass through for me.

[@D4ninator]

I work for my ISP. While some of this is true, to support Gigabit speeds a DOCSIS 3.1 modem is required, regardless of how many channels it has.

[@VetteFan815]

for Spectrum (Charter) in the U.S. they don't support customer owned modems and give you one of theirs. but they say they don't charge for the modem, although it's probably just included in the internet pricing. worked for them years back when they stopped supporting customer modems and they at least told customers they would offer one for free to those who needed it.

[@iOZKERTV]

Always buy if your tech savvy, but if you suck just lease it lol

[@Monnlin00]

Just no

[@aeinarrkrigsson]

You're

[@MAGAMAN]

You don't have to be tech savvy to buy a modem. Look at their compatibility list. Plug it in. Call the cable company and read off the serial number to them. Done! Some are even easier than that.

[@joemann7971]

@@MAGAMAN actually, you do need to be tech savvy. For one, it's the Mac address you need to give them. Not the serial number. Second, being tech savvy does save a lot of headaches having to deal with less than stellar customer service. I've had my cable company tell me that my modem wasn't compatible with their service. If I wasn't tech savvy, I would have probably give up and just used their modem as they suggested. But I knew my modem was in fact compatible and that it even supported their fastest speeds. I pressured them and pushed them to activate it. Trust me. Cable companies aren't always the easiest to deal with. Being tech savvy or having a tech savvy friend goes a long way

[@joemann7971]

@@MAGAMAN you could probably manage without being tech savvy but it's ill advised.

[@fcox7015]

u ddnt take ur shirt off... :,v

[@igfoobar]

DOCSIS will always be limited by the number of 6 MHz channels available on the wire. Upstream is 0-50 MHz and downstream is 50-1000 MHz. That means maximum 8 upstream channels, so it's impossible for upstream to ever be higher than about 460 Mbps in the future. On the downstream side there are more channels, but those have to be shared with television. One 6 Mhz channel can carry one analog SD channel, about 6 digital SD channels, or 2 digital HD channels (or 3 for craptastic providers like Comcast who overcompress the video). Bottom line, don't expect DOCSIS to get much faster than it already is now. The technology is just about hitting the maximum speeds attainable by its underlying transport, similar to the way modems maxed out at 56 Kbps. Buy the DOCSIS 3.0 modem and use it until the inevitable switch to fiber.

[@2010stoof]

Other downside of renting a modem is all of them output the "Xfinity" SSID signal you can use anywhere with your Comcast credentials. They assure you that their signal they send out through your modem for others to use doesn't slow your network down, but I don't see how it doesn't lessen your bandwidth. I buy my own. Buy a good modem that will do more than you need right now in case of speed increases later and buy a separate router. Most likely you'll need to upgrade your router before your modem. Inside of a year they pay for themselves unless you're buying the very best modem and router. I get 3-4 years out of modems before upgrading for increasing speeds getting cheaper and router based on number of devices, what it can handle, and if there was a crazy sale on Amazon for a better model than I have.

[@temanbradley8505]

LOL acting like 40 megabits per second is slow, my house literally gets .5 megabits download and upload speed

[@temanbradley8505]

And we live in rural Minnesota, so we only have one provider option

[@scott5322]

Rural Texas, same boat.

[@Jarochito-]

40 is slow in the grand scheme of things its just american internet is a special kind of bad where people get .5.

[@paladinsrage4646]

_I simply rent the modem because the ones I’ve bought never really work even if they are compatible. Then, simply use it as a modem and use my own router._

[@NullaNulla]

I hope the modem is in dumb forward mode .. if so then that's at least a reputable move that we've done before when forced to. Now we are wiser and in a better position financially (not much just enough) we refuse to rent we demand full control.

[@paladinsrage4646]

Glen O'Riley _Exactly, you just set the stupid setting so it basically only serves to connect you and you have full control._

[@stevesmith4600]

The other thing to note about buying a modem is that some ISPs often don't troubleshoot network issues. This was more common 10 years ago, but if the internet went down and you're not renting their modem, the ISP often replied "It's probably the modem that you have on your network that isn't ours."

[@robertazehr185]

Soon, how is that handle?

[@stefanbaas]

Here in the Netherlands it is common practice amongst virtually all provider to supply the modem at no additional cost. Even when you cancel your contract you get to keep it.

[@MarcA95]

Only running a 2 Mbps connection here, Crying everyday :(

[@MetallicDZN]

I have 3 mbps hah... *Cries*

[@mhammadalloush5104]

Me 2mbps Ok I'll kms

[@ronondex6]

Yeah same here in Germany, because you know it's not important and the internet is "Neuland" (new territory). Danke Merkel

[@claudiovasquez2099]

I had mbs , i feel you :(

[@kepalaketukrandom7311]

Mine is 512 kb and dont ask. Me how i see this video

[@DitisQuinten]

Rent a modem? We get one for free if we switch ISP and if you're customer already, you get a free mechanic when you have Wifi problems. LOL. Americans (and Canadians?) pay really for everything.

[@coprographia]

Radeaus Quit laughing and send paratroopers already

[@RisingSwell]

In Australia you can get a free modem if you sign a contract with them, but if you don't do that you'll have to rent or buy your own.

[@MAGAMAN]

You do pay for your modem, you are just too dumb to figure it out.

[@igorordecha]

@@MAGAMAN maybe i'm dumb but my phone plan and my home internet plan combined are cheaper than your modem fee(i assume you pay around $10/mo)

[@jlu]

Odd flex but ok

[@gamergye]

FTTH with CenturyLink can be set up with PPPoE, and VLAN 201 tagging on any router from the ONT, so you don't have to rent their 'modem'.

[@Sundownkill]

I am a big fan of LTT and this is a very good video that pretty much hits everything on the nose. I work for a major ISP, and the trend of personally owned equipment has become a lot more prevalent which I absolutely support. There is one small factor though that I personally feel was overlooked. Your ISP will not support your personal equipment, and what I mean by that is that if something goes wrong with it you cannot call your ISP for help. This is something that was overlooked not just in the video but by the FAST majority of consumers that use third party equipment. They will call in explaining their wifi is slow, or their range is poor, or that devices are not staying connected. All I can respond with is: well, the signal levels into your home look good and you have personal equipment, call your OEM. It is not just the hurdle of installing said equipment, it is peoples lack of knowledge of their equipment including a lot of time good solid support from the manufacturer that is a problem. I understand this might seem like a small point to a lot of people here, the answers are simple! Learn about the equipment, take the time to figure out how to configure it properly and make sure you understand the limits of wifi - what will cause interference, location, best steering and channel frequencies for your home. That is something that 90% of consumers don't care to do, and will huff and puff about having to call their OEM for further assistance with. For a lot of non tech savvy users, they can install but not any further. Whether that be by lack of want or caring to. If you've made it this far I appreciate you reading my opinion on this, and again it is simply that. I wanted to put forward something i feel is oft overlooked, and to add to the conversation. Feel free to join in on constructive talks about this issue :]

[@DogeToshiBakaMoto]

*WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF*

[@Tekna_Kitsune6248]

Bork Bork Bork Bork Bork

[@aeinarrkrigsson]

Bork bork nom nom

[@lissetteromero1796]

Meow?

[@m-copyright]

Rent is the worst thing you can possibly do in anything. In the long run you will always spend a lot a lot a lot more money than you would've spend upfront. Yes, yes, yes not everyone can afford it upfront. And in you're really in such a case that you really can't do anything about that and you have to rent, then yes, rent. Otherwise never ever rent anything.

[@dontemchan]

Nice defence in advance lol

[@uberchemist]

Not sure you could fit any more negatives in your comment. Nah, you probably could. But I digress, there are so many arguments to be made for renting vs buying. Your choice doesn't always boil down to saving money. I won't do the research for you, but feel free to use our friend Google if you want a bit of insight. Cheers!

[@Charlesb88]

Obviously I’m assuming here your excluding apartments, rental cars, construction equipment, bowling shoes, and similar sorts of short term rentals when you say “in anything”. Even if where strictly talking long term rentals (outside of housing), there can still be good reasons to rent over buy for such as where a high risk of repeated product failure is a reality such say destruction by lightning, for example. In that case the cost of repeated replacement can make renting less expensive choice then frequently buying a replacement at full cost. Renting can also sometimes include greater product support then you would get with a outright purchase, making it a better choice for technologically illiterate or for products requiring higher then average knowledge/skill to properly configure and maintain.

[@macbookpro57]

Not everyone can afford it upfront? If you can’t afford a $40 modem you shouldn’t be paying for an internet bill every month 😂😭

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Interesting video. The ISP, I use provided a modem router combo as part of the service. I am not complaining. (:

[@Emexrulsier]

In the UK the main Cable operator provides a modem/router as part of your package (If you end your contract, they will ask that you return all network equipment or they may charge you). It is actually in their terms and conditions that you are NOT allowed to plug in your own device into the cable socket. I say Modem/Router because the user does have the option to either use it as a Wireless router, or turn it into Modem only mode and then they can plug in their own Router connecting it to the "Modem". A side not in relation to this video, this provider is currently upgrading his network to 3.1 with an aim to upgrade 15 million premises from 3.0 to 3.1 by 2021 (even though they top offering will only be 1000Mbps). The reason for the upgrade is that though the theoretical speed of 3.01 is 1000 apparently the current 500+ package is already starting to the strain Docsis 3.0... Also 3.1 doesn't support 10Gbps up and down as Linus says, the upload is between 1 and 2 Gbps, you would need to be looking at full duplex 3.1 also known as dosciss 4.0 Currently this provider uses an HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coax) connection but they are upgrading slowly to as true FTTP There are now more company provided cable this can range from FTTH/FTTP or FTTC each will have their own rules on what you can connect. Generally though you wont "lease" the network equipment it would just form part of your original agreement.

[@Adam-fu6sr]

Did not know you could rent

[@lukababilodze4283]

No views club!!!

[@silviutoma605]

I don't know how it is in other countries but here in Romania it's a good idea to rent a modem because if it breaks the ISP will fix it or replace it for free and its also cheap enough to rent, something like 0.64 euro a month

[@thesneakyfrog]

AT&T U-Verse requires you to rent their Residential Gateway and there is no way around it. You must pay the 7 dollars a month , (United States)

[@waterb-g9114]

When youtube bugs and says 0 views lol

[@bradhaines3142]

its not a bug its bad timing