Renegade

Australian Skial God
Contributor
I'm planning on getting my own internet this month but I'm having trouble deciding whether I should get my own modem or use the one that the company gives me. And because Time Warner Cable is the most used in my area, I might go with them. But a friend of mine recommends Verizon Fios. So the question I have is whether I should buy a modem for myself or get everything from a provider. Any suggestions would be great.
 

Someone.

Positively Inhumane Poster
Contributor
I have Time Warner Cable. Using their provided modem (Ubee modem IIRC). I don't remember the plan name, but it is ~$100 I believe. On speedtest, I am usually at ~230+ mbps download. Maybe ~40mbps upload. Also in NYC region (not sure if this info will be different based on your location).

I personally have never had good experiences with Verizon Fios. They would say they give 100mbps for example, then a month later, it just caps at like 30. I have switched back and forth on various occasions, and this always happened for me with Verizon Fios.
 
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RMSniper

Legendary Skial King
Contributor
ISP modems are generally pretty good, and they'll replace if something is up. I have heard not so good things about the TWC routers and modems, but that could be a geographical thing. I have always liked the modems that Comcast (which is a gateway) and Charter have given me. It's a personal call, but I like the convenience of an ISP one.
 

Luke

Legendary Skial King
Contributor
Can the internet provider be better or worse depending on the area?

It depends what you mean by "better" or "worse" really.
In terms of support - if the issue is on your end, it won't really change depending on where you are. If it isn't on your end (for instance, if there's a problem with the cable) then it is usually best to go with whichever company owns the actual cable that you would be using in that area. Since many ISPs share cables whilst overs have their own dedicated lines (this is how it works in the UK, at least). Connection speed again depends on if the company owns the cable, since they can better manage it - though this is less of a factor.

Looking at the two options you've mentioned, Time Warner vs Verison Fios - after doing some research on them both, if you can afford the Verison packages then this looks like it would definitely be the better option, I'm presuming that you live in an area which has it, of course (as it seems very specific to a few locations currently). In terms of the modem it really depends, are you technical enough to know what to look for, how to best suit your requirements, the kind of setup and maintanance that you might have to do? If you aren't then it's probably just best to go with the one provided, if you run into any problems they will usually replace it for free (again, speaking from UK experience - not sure how much this will apply for you, we tend to get better treatment in some areas compared to people stateside).
 

Toxik

Moderator
Contributor
In the long run, you're probably better off buying your own modem on Amazon or even locally rather than paying the $10/month charge from the provider
I use Comcast, I used to pay $55 for 75mbps, which was just enough for myself, then they tried to screw me over by raising all the rates. I called the cancellation hotline, and they got me a new deal at $65 for 150mbps.
I never really looked at Verizon FIOS because back when I used to work there, the service was incredibly overpriced, but it looks pretty decent now, though still higher than the average for the second year of their contracts

One thing I definitely recommend is asking either local friends or neighbors, or just googling "-your city- internet providers", because in some areas they have local providers that give you a shit ton of speed, are reliable and don't cost you nearly as much as the other providers
 

Luke

Legendary Skial King
Contributor
In the long run, you're probably better off buying your own modem on Amazon or even locally rather than paying the $10/month charge from the provider
Providers charge you extra for using their modem?
 

Sheev_Palpatine

Legendary Skial King
Contributor
I have been with TWC for two years and haven't had any issue with their service. It's better in the long run to get your own modem and router because renting a modem racks up after so long. Usually TWC customer service is very fast and friendly, but that's in my region.
 

Luke

Legendary Skial King
Contributor
I think so, with Comcast it's a $9-10 charge per month of using their modem
I'm changing my stance then, never seen that practice before, don't go with their modem unless you can find evidence that it actually improves the expirence by enough to warrant the additional prices.
 

PsychoRealm

Australian Skial God
Contributor
What @Toxik said.. Comcast charges $10/month for their gateway (nowadays they ship 2-in-1 device which includes modem and wireless router in one box). I bought my own modem and routers. I use Arris SB6121 which you can get for $80 new or $40 refurbished from Walmart. I'm getting a 100% out of my Extreme package (105/20)

According to Time Warner they charge $10/month as well.. HERE you will find a list of modems recommended by Time Warner. Keep in mind that if you want WiFi then you'll need to buy a WiFi router on top of that. Or, buy WiFi modem that incorporates both features.
 
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Renegade

Australian Skial God
Contributor
I just need fast internet that's cheap and preferably a router I can buy that gives me a great connection. I really don't want to spend extra money leasing a router if it's cheaper to just buy one.
 

Renegade

Australian Skial God
Contributor
A friend of mine recommended buying a hotspot from Verizon but I'm not really keen on the idea.
 

PsychoRealm

Australian Skial God
Contributor
I just need fast internet that's cheap and preferably a router I can buy that gives me a great connection. I really don't want to spend extra money leasing a router if it's cheaper to just buy one.
Here's a good and cheap cable modem router which should serve your needs: Netgear N600.

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KinCryos

TF2 Admin
Contributor
Mapper
I read somewhere that it's best to have a setup where the modem and wireless router are separate devices. I have a combo device (a Netgear C3700), and have had troubles with the Wi-Fi portion, so I've attached my old wireless router (a Netgear RangeMax WPN824v3) to handle the entire network's DHCP business, as well as provide additional wired lines since the combo device only has 2 wired ports, and one's dedicated to the VoIP. sure, I deny myself any 5GHz wireless connections, but those have trouble going through multiple walls anyway, and at least now whenever I have to reboot the router, the phone-line isn't disconnected in the process