cut cable bill by $100....buy modem?

[KTP]

Well I finally cut my cable bill. I went from 2 channel HD, internet, phone down to just basic $16 cable plus $44 internet plus $7 modem rental. Plan to use cell phone now for home phone. Even with a few months left on the triple play ($167) it was saving almost $100. In Sept. the rate was going to go up to $200. Nothing on HD in the summer anyway that I can't Netflix.

Now debating if I should buy a cable modem so I don't have to pay the $7 a month rental charge. I think it would take about a year to even out...

[cypher1]

I would definitely recommend buying the modem outright. When I lived with parents, I leased cable modem for $5 extra a month. I had the same one for almost 7 years, replaced once (within first year due to recall). So instead of paying $70 for a new modem outright, I could've saved $420=5*84months. I didn't include 1st year due to the warranty Comcast covered. Add to the fact its now $7 to lease, greater reason to change. The only downfall I factor to lease is for support on questionable cable/network service. If they send a tech out, and its your modem for cause, then they charge for the visit. I'd still take that chance.

[creditcardfree]

Not sure if it is a possibility, but could you buy a used modem off craigslist, or ebay?

[cypher1]

Originally Posted by creditcardfree

Not sure if it is a possibility, but could you buy a used modem off craigslist, or ebay?

Yes. I believe all your ISP would need to do is register your MAC address/model number of the device with your account for it to work. Personally I'd go new for the cost, and having to depend on my connection daily for VPN/work, hopefully less risk of faulty equipment.

[feh]

I just had cable internet installed and purchased my own (used) modem for $30.

[nate]

I just found out (if you use charter) you can call and lock into a 2 year contract and lower your bill about $20/mo from the 'no contract' plan. I hate contracts but internet is one thing i'll always need so I didn't hesitate to do that when I found out.

[KTP]

Originally Posted by feh

I just had cable internet installed and purchased my own (used) modem for $30.

$30 would be a no brainer...I would do that for sure. I guess I should check ebay.

The only issue is that highspeed wireless is getting closer and closer to our town (6 miles away now) and I want to totally dump cable and switch to that. Might be sooner than a year (estimated payback on a new cable modem). But then again, i could always sell the cable modem back on ebay...

[nck4857]

Charter just raised my modem lease rate to $7/month, so I bought this off of Amazon: Amazon.com: Motorola SURFboard SB5101U DOCSIS 2.0 Cable Modem - RoHS: Electronics

Good reviews and very easy to hook up and get going with Charter.

[KTP]

Originally Posted by nck4857

Charter just raised my modem lease rate to $7/month, so I bought this off of Amazon: Amazon.com: Motorola SURFboard SB5101U DOCSIS 2.0 Cable Modem - RoHS: Electronics

Good reviews and very easy to hook up and get going with Charter.

Should I get a docsis 3.0 modem instead?

Amazon.com: Motorola SB6120 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme Broadband Cable Modem: Electronics


not sure if the price is worth 3.0 vs 2.0 we do stream a lot of netflix...

[nck4857]

Originally Posted by KTP

Should I get a docsis 3.0 modem instead?

Amazon.com: Motorola SB6120 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme Broadband Cable Modem: Electronics


not sure if the price is worth 3.0 vs 2.0 we do stream a lot of netflix...

Hmm, I'm not for sure, I would think that the 2.0 surely was better than the POS that I was leasing from Charter. We streamed a lot of Netflix then and didn't have any problems, but I haven't with the new modem. I would think it would be just fine with the 2.0 unless you were using an extreme amount of bandwidth. I got the modem for $54, looks like it went up a little so you might check newegg on prices. They were the same as Amazon then, but may save you a few bucks since it went up a little on Amazon.

[kork13]

Originally Posted by KTP

The only issue is that highspeed wireless is getting closer and closer to our town (6 miles away now) and I want to totally dump cable and switch to that. Might be sooner than a year (estimated payback on a new cable modem). But then again, i could always sell the cable modem back on ebay...

The problem with wireless is that you share the bandwidth with everyone else who's using the wireless signal through any given router/antenna. Cable and fiber-optic are dedicated to you, so you'll get MUCH better speed and bandwidth with those. While it's possible to stream video over a wireless connection, depending on the usage load, it doesn't always work too well.