Replacing the modem

[Frederique]

I got a modem from my internet provider. Can I replace that myself and, if so, where can you buy a modem?

Is there something to keep in mind while replacing it?

[Skiiwee29]

Coax or Fiber? Whats the Make/Model of the modem your ISP gave you?

[manikyath]

defenately gonna need more info on what sort of modem it is.

 

having that said, i dont understand why people bother replacing their modem.. i've always just put my own router right behind the modem and done it that way, never had issues with it.

[Needfuldoer]

Check with your ISP to find out what technology they use. They should also have a list of tested and supported modems on their support site. Modems not on that list might technically work, but your ISP might not activate them on their network.

 

If you get phone service, you'll need a modem with voice capability.

 

Be careful if you think about buying used modems. They could still be tied to the last account they were activated under, and won't be deactivated without the old account holder releasing them in the ISP's system.

 

 

If you get TV service from your Internet provider, make sure your set-top boxes don't rely on your ISP's gateway for features like TV schedule updates and video on demand.

 

[wseaton]

You need to check with your ISP. Increasingly they are not allowing this because they spend too much time trouble shooting customer modems, even though they are an inherently reliable device. Technician I talked to says he has to constantly go on calls because customers get the cheapest modem they can not understanding it won't work with higher speed services and hence costs them service calls. 

 

If you can - is it worth it? I have a pile of Motorola Surfboards so it's worth it for me. Not sure if I would buy a new one though.

[Vandey]

On 2/12/2022 at 4:25 AM, manikyath said:

defenately gonna need more info on what sort of modem it is.

 

having that said, i dont understand why people bother replacing their modem.. i've always just put my own router right behind the modem and done it that way, never had issues with it.

Most cable companies charge you $10 to $15 a month for a "rental" in a year you can save enough to pay for the modem you bought. Same goes for cable boxes... I only rent a cable card in conjunction with my hdhomerun prime I get free DVR service compared to another $10 to $15 for a DVR box and then additional charges for each box beyond that.

[manikyath]

3 minutes ago, Vandey said:

Most cable companies charge you $10 to $15 a month for a "rental" in a year you can save enough to pay for the modem you bought. Same goes for cable boxes... I only rent a cable card in conjunction with my hdhomerun prime I get free DVR service compared to another $10 to $15 for a DVR box and then additional charges for each box beyond that.

i've never checked if my ISP charges me for the modem as part of my total bill (i do check the cost of the total bill ofcourse), but they sure as hell put in great effort to support them. they've got 4 propper gigabit LAN ports, wireless AC with some pretty good range, and if it breaks (or if we decide we want the new model) we just rip it off the wall and go to their store to have it replaced.

 

i see a lot of hatred for 'rented' modems.. may just be that my ISP is the only one serious about supporting their 'rented' devices, or am i the only one who rather has the ISP deal with a broken modem.

[Vandey]

11 minutes ago, manikyath said:

i've never checked if my ISP charges me for the modem as part of my total bill (i do check the cost of the total bill ofcourse), but they sure as hell put in great effort to support them. they've got 4 propper gigabit LAN ports, wireless AC with some pretty good range, and if it breaks (or if we decide we want the new model) we just rip it off the wall and go to their store to have it replaced.

 

i see a lot of hatred for 'rented' modems.. may just be that my ISP is the only one serious about supporting their 'rented' devices, or am i the only one who rather has the ISP deal with a broken modem.

Since I've bought my modem I've had far less issues with my internet... so I actually deal less with my cable company. Rarely do I need to upgrade my modem, I've only upgraded it once in the last 10 years to get DOCSIS 3.1 with more up and down channels than my previous modem.

[manikyath]

2 minutes ago, Vandey said:

Since I've bought my modem I've had far less issues with my internet... so I actually deal less with my cable company. Rarely do I need to upgrade my modem, I've only upgraded it once in the last 10 years to get DOCSIS 3.1 with more up and down channels than my previous modem.

in the past 10 years i've only had to swap it out because we have some pretty awful grid fluctuations here, so the power supply wears out FAR quicker and makes things go wonky. the upgraded specs are a nice bonus.

 

given that without a power filter i burn trough consumer grade routers like they're disposable, i'm pretty happy with an 'all in warranty' plan for my modem

[Vandey]

8 minutes ago, manikyath said:

in the past 10 years i've only had to swap it out because we have some pretty awful grid fluctuations here, so the power supply wears out FAR quicker and makes things go wonky. the upgraded specs are a nice bonus.

 

given that without a power filter i burn trough consumer grade routers like they're disposable, i'm pretty happy with an 'all in warranty' plan for my modem

overall in the states our power seems pretty clean, I've never had an issue burning out routers or any other electrical appliance (outside of my house getting struck by lightning) I still run a really old WRT-54G for extra reach for wireless in my house...

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, manikyath said:

see a lot of hatred for 'rented' modems.. may just be that my ISP is the only one serious about supporting their 'rented' devices, or am i the only one who rather has the ISP deal with a broken modem.

Comcast makes them difficult to configure the way you want. Half the settings are accessed thru the web interface, the other half requires an App. It’s down right stupid. Plus they charge like $14 or so a month. Also most don’t provide standard modems they provide gateways that generally has crappy performance. 

[manikyath]

55 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Comcast makes them difficult to configure the way you want. Half the settings are accessed thru the web interface, the other half requires an App. It’s down right stupid. Plus they charge like $14 or so a month. Also most don’t provide standard modems they provide gateways that generally has crappy performance. 

oh yeah, configuration on mine is totally trough the website too, but it's pretty down to earth: DMZ, port forwards, access point name, channel selection, and some small other bits and bobs.

 

i'm slowly starting to believe i've got the only sensible ISP out there

[Vandey]

4 hours ago, Donut417 said:

Comcast makes them difficult to configure the way you want. Half the settings are accessed thru the web interface, the other half requires an App. It’s down right stupid. Plus they charge like $14 or so a month. Also most don’t provide standard modems they provide gateways that generally has crappy performance. 

Glad to see I'm not the only one to complain about Comcast... I like their internet, but they charge too much for modem/gateway/cable boxes... I haven't ever used a comcast modem/gateway because I owned mine long before comcast became available in my area. The savings add up, if I ever need to replace my modem I'll just buy a new one it's cheaper than paying for the same modem 5 times over in the time of 3 or 4 years.

 

In any case the OP should probably check with their ISP and see how many up and down channels they have... check forums where other users have the same ISP. My Arris Surfboard was giving me problems on Comcast recently so I switched to my brothers Linksys he was having issues with from his ISP and it worked beautifully.