Should I Buy a Cable Modem?

[Carbo]

I'm with AT&T @Home. My monthly fee is $46, which includes a lease of their Toshiba PCX1000 modem. If I buy a modem, my monthly rate is reduced by $10. Do you think it's worth it? If so, is any one modem better than the next? AT&T lists the following modems as approved:

Manufacturer Model(s)
3Com CMX2940, 3CR29220, 3CR29221, 3CR29223
Arris/Nortel CM100, CM200, CM200U
BestData CMX100, CMZ110
COM21 DP1010, DP101, DP111, DP1110, Doxport 1110
Ericsson PipeRider HM200C
Linksys DEFCMU10
Motorola (formerly General Instruments) SB2100, SB3100, SB4100
Thomson/RCA DCM105, DCM205, DCM215, DCM225, DCM226, DCM235, DCM235R, DCM245, DCM245R
Toshiba DAZ8801, DAZ8811, DAZ8813, PCX1100, PCX1100U
Zoom 5011 (external model only)

Thank you, all.

 

[LikeLinus]

I purchased mine, if you plan on keeping your cable and happy with it, theres no reason not to!

One note, i did purchase a Toshiba at Comp USA cause they were out of Motorola's (i figured there would really be no difference). Boy was i wrong! Me and @home ran into nothing but troubles with it. It wouldnt stay on the network, they couldnt even see it half the time. I ended up taking it back to a Different Comp USA that had a 1 motorola in stock! I got luck and had them hold it and i took it home and it's been flawless since the day i got it.

 

[DaveK]

Well, obviously if you are going to keep the service longer than 10 or so months (10months * $10 = cost of modem), it's definitely worth it. I personally like the external modems (non usb) so you can use a cable-router, and also so you can reset the modem if needed.

DaveK

 

[Utterman]

I have the RCA DCM235R and it's a awesome modem. I have it connected to my linksys router and it's been running without problems for the past 4 months strait. This modem can be bought at Best Buy for $150. A link to it is at http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11085532&m=488&cat=540&scat=541.


There is also sometimes deals on cable modems, but I don't know of any right now.

 

[Carbo]

I understand the math involved and all. I think my biggest concern is whether or not these modems become obsolete after six months like all things high tech these days? I figure with AT&T's lease option, I can always upgrade to their latest and greatest for free. Also, do I need to replace the NIC if I change the modem?

 

[AMDPwred]

I don't even remember any "new upgrades" as far as cable modems go. We've had our setup for almost a year now.

 

[nortexoid]

i had my lan city modem for over a year - a cable modem is a cable modem is a cable modem - basically...

one thing to consider...my lan city modem crapped out (from excess ground noise) after over a year of use....i got a brand new replacement and tech call (obviously) for free...if i would've bought my modem, i would've been screwed over..

if u buy a new modem yourlsef, u should probably get a tech to check the noise of your beforehand so u don't end up w/ a dead modem months down the road.

this teryon one i have no works flawlessly...virtually no packet loss either now

 

[ku]

i suggest either a 3com or the motorola sb4100 (although it's not amazing, it's the only one i can trust)

 

[coolred]

Can anyone recomenned a good cable internet provider around Columbus, OH

I used to have road runner through Insight, but they as well as Time warner do not allow you to use your own modem.

 

[Tomek]

i have a toshiba pcx1100u and it's working quite well... it has two jacks which you can use: a USB and a RJ45

 

[Tomek]

coolred, try this http://www.insight-com.com/net/

 

[Sugadaddy]

I bought mine about 2 years ago, and I think the cable company still uses the same modems... I don't know where you live, but it saves me 10$ CDN and I thought it was worth it, so I wouldn't hesitate if it was 10$ US.

 

[coolred]

Thanks for the link, but as i said, I have had road runner through Insight before and here is what they say

At this time, Insight Communications owns the cable modem and includes the rental fee for the modem in the monthly fee charged to all Road Runner subscribers. In the future, we expect to make a purchase option available to our customers.

They have been that way since the start, I emailed them asking when they would start allowing the use of your own purchased modem, and they said when the modem they use is available for retail sale. They use an RCA modem and I have seen it available for sale, but yet they still won't allow it to be used.