Cable Modems

Tom Mortensen · Post by **Tom Mortensen** » 15 Jan 2001 12:14 pm

I am shopping for a cable modem and would appreciate any suggestions I could get about what to look for/what works the best....

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Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 15 Jan 2001 12:55 pm

My cable provider (Charter@home) only supports one brand and model. I think you need to check with your provider to find out what they support, and if they will support a modem if you buy it. In my case, they use Toshiba modems. I could have bought one for $30 less than they charged, but didn't want to take the chance of no support.

They "provision" the modem by talking to its unique MAC address, so it's not like just plugging in any old phone modem.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 15 Jan 2001 1:13 pm

I go along with Jim, it's not like a dial-up modem that will operate under certain standards. The Cable or DSL modems could be different depending on the access company. Some run promotions from time to time and give you the modem free if you sign up.

Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 15 Jan 2001 4:36 pm

In my humble opinion, it's better just to lease the modem if you have that option. In my case, the modem would have cost me around $300 and I am leasing it for $10 per month. I think the lease is the way to go.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 15 Jan 2001 7:08 pm

In my case the rental is $15 and $259 to purchase, plus the rental taxes take it up to almost $20 per month.

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 17 Jan 2001 1:35 am

you need to look at the cost of rental vs buying.....

It won't take you too long to pay for the C/modem by not haveing to pay rental fees. In my case, in 12 months, the cablebox paid for itself. Now I'm saveing $25.00 a month in rental fees.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 22 Jan 2001 8:24 am

I think leasing is the best option because the technology continues to make "things" obsolete, and the leased unit will be upgraded at no cost....also, if the modem crashes you have to spend another $300 instead of calling the cable company for a replacement.

When I first signed a cable contract I elected to "buy" for $300 rather then have
to add a rental fee every month....before they had completed the installation, two of the modems "failed"...it scared me, so I quickly "cancelled" the purchase and made arrangements to rent a modem instead. It may cost me more in the long run....but then again, it may save me money!