Why you should buy your own cable modem

I recently purchased my own cable modem for a number of reasons, the main one being my Comcast owned modem was dropping packets like it's hot. I also noticed that you are charged $8/month for a rental of a Comcast modem, which adds up to $96/year. This is insane, especially because it doesn't work like purchasing a phone (where you pay it off over time)....you simply keep giving them money. It makes sense from a money-making perspective, but I also would hope they wouldn't essentially charge you 3x over the cost of it...but that's just me.


Anyways, this is a great prompt/push for buying your own! You can even have it "self-installed", up and running within minutes. I purchased the Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 due to it's high rating, DOCSIS 3.0 compatibility, and overall capability of handling an extreme connection I only wish I had. I did a speed test with my old modem (24/25mbps down, 3/4mbps up), and then I made the call. It took me about 5 minutes to navigate/wait on hold through the Comcast phone menus, but then I was connected to tech support who only required three things that are located on your purchased modem:

1. Make/Model
2. Serial Number
3. MAC Address

After I provided this info, they did whatever magical thing they needed to do on their end before giving me the thumbs up to power cycle my modem and test out my connectivity. I ended up need to power cycle both my modem and router 3 times before I saw connectivity, but as soon as I was up I ended the phone call.

Back at my computer, I did another speed test. This time it was 27.5mbps down, and almost 6mbps up. Seeing a 2-3mbps in speed increase is insane! On top of no dropped packets! I should note that I purchased an awesome router a few months ago (Netgear Nighthawk) which also improved my speed. Your internet connection is only as good as your gear (modem/router), so it is wise to invest in these two pieces of equipment, especially if you are a constant streamer of Netflix, Steam, et cetera. If this is something you use everyday, invest in it. You do not need to pay for a higher connection speed when you can get about a 5mbps boost in speed like I saw.

Look at dat Nighthawk

My last note is my modem cost me $80. This costs less than a year of renting a Comcast (or any cable provider) modem. This is a wise move to lower your monthly bill and increase your internet speed. Anyone can do this, and your cable provider can help you over the phone, absolutely NO appointment needed.

Note: Reading Comcast's website, your address has to "qualify" for self-installation....whatever that means. It would be wise to hop on a chat session to ask if you qualify before proceeding.

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