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That’s the $1,000 question: Should you buy your own router or rent one from your ISP?
Most ISPs charge between $10 and $15 a month for equipment, while you can usually get a modem and router for less than $200. Buying your own Internet equipment usually pays for itself in the first year, but often comes with some additional headaches.
I’ve been writing about the Internet for six years, and I’ve carried a shameful secret for all six: I rented my router from Xfinity The whole time. I know – it’s like an artist renting his brushes every month. But my leased gear worked fine, even though I knew I was paying a premium for the convenience of the ISP-provided setup.
All this time I was paying $10 to $15 extra for the privilege of using the Xfinity modem and router gateway device. (Xfinity seems to raise the cost of the equipment by a dollar or two every year.) This was mostly fine with me—my internet bill is reasonable, and I was willing to pay a little more for the convenience. But after going through my old bills, I came up with a number that made me think again: $873. That’s how much I’ve spent on Xfinity equipment fees over the years.
With the money I spent renting Xfinity equipment, I could buy the most advanced router ever tested by CNET and then bought another as a spare. I could double the internet speed I was getting. I could book a flight to Oslo.
As happy as I am with my service, owning my own equipment is almost always the better option. You’ll often get better performance—my upload speeds increased by more than 2,000%—and it’ll usually pay for itself within the first year or two.
You may be perfectly happy to pay a little more for the convenience of not having to buy and set up your own equipment. But if you want to save money in the long run and are comfortable buying and managing your own equipment, it’s a much better deal to shell out for your own router and modem.
Here’s what I’ve learned about going from rental equipment to your own, and here’s how you can make such a change as painless as possible.
How to choose the right modem and router
The best internet is the one you never notice, and I can’t remember the last time my connection dropped or I saw a buffer wheel in my home. And all this with a 2017 device that Xfinity describes as “an old wireless gateway with limited speeds and functionality.”
This shows how much the type of internet user you are has to do with what kind of equipment you need. I live in a 750 square foot apartment and my internet needs are mostly limited to video calling and TV streaming. If you live in a larger home with multiple floors, the same router probably won’t do the trick. Likewise, activities such as online gaming depend on split-second reactions. If that instant response is important to you, it’s probably worth investing in a gaming router which minimizes lag.
Wi-Fi routers run the gamut from entry-level models like the TP-Link AC1200 for $30 to ultra-advanced mesh systems like the Netgear Orbi 970 series for more 1700 dollars. To test any Wi-Fi router, CNET conducted three speed tests in five different rooms in our testing facility, recording results for download speed, upload speed, and latency. This process is repeated six times, accounting for variations in network performance at different times of the day.
After consultation with our elected for the best wireless routers, I decided to choose our budget: the TP-Link Archer AX21of which my colleague and router connoisseur Ry Crist wrote, “It’s nothing fancy, but it offered nearly flawless performance for small to medium homes in our tests and was easy to set up.” I’m only getting 200 Mbps through my Xfinity plan, so The 700 Mbps that TP-Link achieves at close range is more than enough and costs only $75.
Do you need to buy a modem?
Depending on what type of internet you have, you may need to purchase a cable modem in addition to your router. Some ISPs such as Spectruminclude modem for free but charge extra for router.
The main thing to look for in a modem is compatibility. Your ISP will have a page on their website that lists all the models they work with, and you shouldn’t deviate from that. You may also have a choice between DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1; the newer standard provides higher speeds, but DOCSIS 3.1 modems tend to be more expensive. Other things to consider are modem speed limits – make sure they’re at or above your internet plan – and the number of Ethernet ports.
Xfinity doesn’t provide a free modem, so I had to buy one in addition to a Wi-Fi router. I chose to Hitron CODA Modem — a DOCSIS 3.1 model, which is one of the cheapest Xfinity-compatible models I could find at $100. It only supports download speeds of up to 867Mbps, but that’s still way more than my Xfinity plan.
How to set up your new modem and router
Ordering the equipment is the easy part; the ordeal of setting up third-party gear is what has kept many customers on the hook for years. The process is largely the same whether you’re starting service fresh with a new provider or replacing old equipment. Here’s all you’ll need to do.
1. Activate your new modem with your ISP
A modem is a piece of equipment that delivers the Internet to your home via a coaxial cable connected to your ISP’s network. Before it can work, ISPs need to link your particular modem to your account. If you are replacing old equipment, they will also turn that off when they activate the new modem. ISPs do this by registering your MAC (media access control) number, which can be found on the bottom of the modem.
You can usually do this through your ISP’s app, live chat, or by calling a customer service number.
2. Connect the coax cable to your modem
After your new modem’s MAC address is registered with your ISP, you’ll be prompted to connect the modem to the cable wall outlet and plug it into an electrical outlet. You may have to wait up to 5 minutes and the lights on your modem will tell you when it is receiving an internet signal. Once the lights are on, you are ready to set up your wireless router.
3. Set up your Wi-Fi router
Each Wi-Fi router has its own setup process, so you’ll want to follow the instructions provided. In the case of the TP-Link Archer AX21, this meant powering off the modem, connecting the modem to the router’s WAN port via Ethernet cable, turn on the modem, and then plug the router into an electrical outlet. From there I set up my new network via the TP-Link app.
That’s the short version. There are many more things to consider when setting up a wireless router, including choosing an optimal location, setting up parental controls and protecting your privacy. For my purposes though, I was ready to start testing my new internet connection.
Speed comparison: Which setting is fastest?
I wanted to see how my new modem and router would compare to my old equipment, so I ran speed tests before and after I connected: one from my desk next to the router and one from the farthest corner of my apartment (unfortunately, a bathroom ).
My old modem and router returned speeds of 164/5Mbps from my desk and 143/5Mbps from the bathroom — not bad for an Internet plan that advertises speeds of 200/10Mbps. But the speeds with my new equipment were impressive: 237/118 Mbps both at my desk and in my bathroom. I didn’t just save money by buying my own equipment – I actually get a significant speed boost as well.
I have no idea why my new gear got 10x the upload speeds of my old one. I subscribe to Xfinity’s Connect More plan, which should only get 10Mbps upload speed. In 2022, Xfinity announced that it’s increasing upload speeds on my plan to 100 Mbps — but only for customers who pay for its $25-a-month xFi Complete equipment. I’m apparently getting the same benefits with my new modem and router. My best guess is that the upgrade from DOCSIS 3.0 to a 3.1 modem is the main reason for the jump in upload speeds.
How to save yourself headaches
I ended up setting up my modem and router correctly, but made a lot of mistakes along the way. Here’s what I would do differently:
- Buy your modem and router on day one. Moving is a pain and no one wants to make their to-do list even longer, but this is one task where the extra effort pays off (almost a thousand dollars in my case). A technician may need to come to your home to set up your internet no matter what, so it makes sense to have your modem and router ready in case problems arise.
- Use your ISP’s list of compatible modems. Routers aren’t tied to specific providers, but if you need to buy your own modem, you’ll need to make sure it works with your ISP. Don’t cut corners here. I looked on Amazon for a modem that said it was Xfinity compatible, and ended up having to return it a week—and several hours of phone calls—later. Your provider should have a page where they list all the modems they work with — don’t deviate from that.
- Pay only for the speed you need. Internet equipment is expensive, and there’s no reason to pay for a modem certified for 2000 Mbps when you only get 200 Mbps with your plan. The same goes for routers—you don’t need to pay top dollar for a gaming router with extreme latency if you’re just streaming TV and surfing the web.
The bottom row
It’s no fun setting up a new modem and router, but is it worth it? Absolutely. Not only has my internet speed improved dramatically, but I pay significantly less for them. I save $15 a month on equipment and somewhere along the line an Xfinity agent reduced the price of my plan for the next year. My monthly bill goes from $78.54 to $50. That’s a lot more than I expected to save, and my new equipment will pay for itself in the first six months. My only regret is not taking the leap sooner.
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