Save Money Each Month By Buying Your Cable Modem

Late in 2014, I was making some adjustments to my Comcast plan and I realized that I was paying an additional $8.00/month to rent a cable modem for the past eight years — nearly $800! I recommend people to ditch the rental and buy your own cable modem. From Amazon, I purchased the highly regarded ARRIS / Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem¹ for $89.99 (regular price $99.99). In eleven months, the modem will have paid for itself.

Though the rental modem had a built-in Wi-Fi router, I chose to get the Surfboard model without Wi-Fi. In my own experience and in talking to three of my friends who use Comcast as their Internet provider, the wireless signal coverage sucks on the rental modem. I’ve plugged my Airport Extreme into the 6141 and use it to provide Wi-Fi around the house.

Make sure the cable modem you choose is supported by your cable Internet service provider. Time Warner Cable and Comcast both have pages that list compatible modems.

Here’s another photo — animated GIF style — of the Surfboard 6141 in action below my desk. Sadly, cable clutter has once again reared its head underneath my desk. I’m going to have to do another cleanup session there like I did in 2007. I like the way Felix has arranged his cables on his new workstation.

¹ I sometimes provide affiliate links for products on Amazon and other retailers. Clicking and purchasing from these links help to support this blog. Thanks!