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[DeceptiveAlarm]

I have xfinity and just rent their gateway. What do you guys do? Now that they added the data cap I'm looking to trim the bill. (Fuck them) If I buy a router what do you guys recommend? If I buy one do they supply the modem free then? I have 2 xboxs, ps4, ps5, gaming pc, multiple tablets and phones. It's 3 kids and I and we all game.

 

[Irobot82]

Always buy your own modem. Svaes $$$$ in the long term.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Buy if you can.

 

[DarkestHour]

I think Comcast is letting you get both their own router and data cap removed for $25 a month which is actually a fantastic deal as raising the cap and not using their router is $30 a month.

Anyways, I am in the group that buys their own modem/router simply because I'm tech savvy and wouldn't ever need tech support.

 

[eddie4]

Buy the modem, and a good router, configure the router properly and you should have no issues with your network. When I had xfinity they would not let me change settings like the wireless channels and other items, they were not editable because xfinity knew what the best settings were for me. Everyone around you was on the same channel 6 on wireless and it made a lot of interference and my network kept crashing, so much for knowing and optimizing the network. I called and asked them to let me edit it, and they said they don't allow editing because they optimize the network for best performance. So I threw that shit back at them and bought my own hardware.

As far as the router goes, get what you can afford. Any newer router above the ~$150 price point should be sufficient, if possible, try to plug in as many things as you can, helps with the network performance. I have my ps4, servers, and gaming pc, all on lan, this way only my mobile devices and tablets are on wifi.

 

[jshackles]

Buy the modem (if your service allows that).

Build your own router using pfSense.

 

[Moogle11]

Buy. Saves money long term and I'd rather give the ISP/Cable company as little money as possible given the already abusrd rates here where we have no competition and Xfinity as our only broadband option.

Just upgraded to a Motorola MB8600 modem to take advantage of a speed upgrade we got along side paying more for unlimited data, and use an Orbi Mesh Wifi router with 2 satellites to cover the house.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Wait, do American's internet providers charge for their routers and modems?

All Great British internet providers just give you them for free with your contract, hence why I've got a box of about 7 old ones.

If you ask they even just give you a free replacement if your current one is superceded.

 

[daveonezero]

Always buy a modem and get a wifi router.

You will have more control of the network and probably better security, privacy and performance.

Wait, do American's internet providers charge for their routers and modems?

All Great British internet providers just give you them for free with your contract, hence why I've got a box of about 7 old ones.

If you ask they even just give you a free replacement if your current one is superceded.

"free with your contract".

you are paying for it one way or another.

 

[YCoCg]

"free with your contract".

you are paying for it one way or another.

Nah, the free ones are usually cheap basic things that just get the job done. And all ISPs here have to give you the details if you want to use your own model. It's weird how backwards the US is when it comes to the internet, you guys are paying out the ass.

 

[jshackles]

Nah, the free ones are usually cheap basic things that just get the job done. And all ISPs here have to give you the details if you want to use your own model. It's weird how backwards the US is when it comes to the internet, you guys are paying out the ass.

Hopefully not for long, now that there will be actual competition in most rural markets:

|OT| - Starlink |OT| Internet to the Stars

Welcome to the NeoGAF Starlink |OT|. Here we can talk about all things Starlink - satellite launches, personal experiences, related tech news, industry implications, and more. What is Starlink? Starlink is a satellite internet service created by SpaceX. The goal is to use satellites that...

www.neogaf.com

 

[teezzy]

Buy every time

They wouldnt offer to let you rent if it werent profitable to them

its a sham

 

[daveonezero]

Nah, the free ones are usually cheap basic things that just get the job done. And all ISPs here have to give you the details if you want to use your own model. It's weird how backwards the US is when it comes to the internet, you guys are paying out the ass.

Yeah well that is because it is a highly regulated market because of government corporate partnerships that keep out all competition. It is also geographically a huge country.

It should be covered with more fiber and AirFiber but those things can't get done because the few companies that are allowed to lay lines don't let anyone else do it.

 

[Irobot82]

Buy every time

They wouldnt offer to let you rent if it werent profitable to them

its a sham

Or they are doing more spying on your traffic and selling to ad companies.

 

[Boss Mog]

"free with your contract".

you are paying for it one way or another.

Yeah except that in most of Europe internet access costs peanuts and is way faster than in the US.

 

[SlimySnake]

Buy. Their routers have shit coverage in dead zones.

 

[daveonezero]

Yeah except that in most of Europe internet access costs peanuts and is way faster than in the US.

There are lots of reasons for this but mostly because competition is nonexistent in the US and no one can lay infrastructure unless it is granted by the government.

And they also want o keep the data to a minimum because they need to be able to set up shop in ATT buildings in order to siphon off all the data.

 

[lachesis]

I didn't know about "buying it" until about 10 years ago, and looked into the cable bill. (I was trying to reduce the cost).
Since then, I bought one that's compatible with my provider's specs. So far, it's been working fine... although I'm not on the fastest line.

If I was a frequent mover to different town with different services every couple of years or so - I wouldn't have bothered with buying though. It's just I'm stuck with Optimum, and it's always a struggle to get a decent internet service w/o any phone & cable bundle that I don't need... and since Verizon only offers DSL (gasp) in our town, I really don't have much choice.

 

[Rival]

I think I paid about $70 for my modem 6 years ago and it’s worked flawlessly since. Do the math.