Easily Find The Best Cable Modem or WiFi ModemStop Leasing A Cable Modem and Save On Your Monthly Cable Bill
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Find the best cable modem or WiFi cable modem for Comcast XFINITY, Cox, Spectrum and more. Save money on your cable bill by buying your own modem and stop rental fees that never end.
Did You Know? An outdated Internet modem can cause lag on the network and may hinder receiving your subscribed internet speed. Some people even report receiving speeds over their subscribed speed by upgrading their cable modem. Test your modem and network speed.
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Here you can easily find the best cable modem for your ISP and service tier. It's never been easier. We have been researching and reviewing modems for years.
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Best Cable Modem 2019This NETGEAR High Speed Internet Cable Modem provides a connection to high-speed cable Internet with speeds up to 680Mbps. It is CableLabs® certified DOCSIS® 3.0 that is 16X faster than 2.0 devices. A Gigabit Ethernet port provides faster access and downloads. Compatible with most cable companies up to 300 Mbps. View more info on the Netgear CM500 Cable Modem.
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Best WiFi Cable ModemIf you prefer an all-in-one unit, a cable modem with built-in router, we suggest the MG7540 cable modem. It is approved by most cable companies including Atlantic Broadband, Cable One, Comcast XFINITY, Charter TWC BHN Spectrum and more with plans up to 250 Mbps. View more on the Motorola MG7540 WiFi Cable Modem.
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Best DOCSIS 3.1 Cable ModemThe Netgear CM1000 DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem is required for XFINITY Gigabit / XFINITY Gig service. It is also compatible with Cox Ultimate, WOW 300Mbps & over, Cable One GigaOne service and more. Why It's The Best - First available DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem. Approved for speeds up to 1 Gbps which will cover services for at least the next ten years. View more on the Netgear CM1000 Cable Modem.
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So what is a cable modem? A cable modem is needed to connect to your cable providers' Internet network. It receives the Internet signal via a coax wire connected to the modem. Most cable companies strive to lease a modem so they can continuously charge an additional fee each month. However, you can buy your own to forgo this never-ending fee cycle. It's actually a FCC law that each company allow you to buy your own cable modem. Charter Communications was actually fined by the FCC a few years ago for preventing customers from using their own modem.
Three types of cable modems:
A stand-alone cable modem receives the cable Internet signal from your provider. From there the signal can be sent via an Ethernet cable to ONE device. That can either be a PC, game system or a router with more wired ports and wireless signal to multiple devices, which is typical in today's high demand for in home WiFi. Most believe that this is the best choice when buying a new cable modem. A separate router can work better with increased speeds and greater distances. Also, with two separate units, if one burns out down the road, it's cheaper to replace an individual device.
With a WiFi modem, the router is build-in and offers an all-in-one unit. It typically has four wired Ethernet ports and can support multiple wireless devices in the home. These are more expensive because you don't have to buy a separate router.
An eMTA Telephony modem. As with the aforementioned modems, a telephony modem can have a built-in router or be used with a separate router. Only some cable companies allow the use of third-party eMTA modems, so be sure to check on your provider's page here. This rule doesn't apply to the FCC regulations due to the sophistication of the modems and how they are set up by each provider.
Three types of cable modems:
A stand-alone cable modem receives the cable Internet signal from your provider. From there the signal can be sent via an Ethernet cable to ONE device. That can either be a PC, game system or a router with more wired ports and wireless signal to multiple devices, which is typical in today's high demand for in home WiFi. Most believe that this is the best choice when buying a new cable modem. A separate router can work better with increased speeds and greater distances. Also, with two separate units, if one burns out down the road, it's cheaper to replace an individual device.
With a WiFi modem, the router is build-in and offers an all-in-one unit. It typically has four wired Ethernet ports and can support multiple wireless devices in the home. These are more expensive because you don't have to buy a separate router.
An eMTA Telephony modem. As with the aforementioned modems, a telephony modem can have a built-in router or be used with a separate router. Only some cable companies allow the use of third-party eMTA modems, so be sure to check on your provider's page here. This rule doesn't apply to the FCC regulations due to the sophistication of the modems and how they are set up by each provider.
More Featured Cable Modems
How To Select A Cable Modem?
When buying a new cable modem, you should always do just that, buy a new one. Used modems are often returned because the provider cannot activate it. Most of the times the modem is registered to another provider or user and can't be undone. Some used modems actually belong to cable companies and are reported as stolen often times as well.
Always buy from a reputable seller, such as directly from Amazon or authorized third-party sellers. This ensures that you will be able to register any equipment for warranties and/or replacements shall any issues arise.
Be sure you are at least getting a DOCSIS 3.0 approved modem. This is the most widely used form of DOCSIS today. However, DOCSIS 3.1 is starting to take off too. Most companies require a 3.0 or higher these days. Anything less will hinder the speed of your internet. All featured on this site are 3.0 or higher.
- Be sure the cable modem can support the speed that you subscribe to from your ISP.
- Select a modem that has enough download channels to support the same speed. This is often a requirement from your provider. You will see this written most of the time as 32x8 (or different numbers), with the first number being download channels and the second upload channels. This is often referred to channel bonding as well.
- Decide if you want a separate modem and router, one with a built-in router or an eMTA unit. Please read above for more info on this.
When buying a new cable modem, you should always do just that, buy a new one. Used modems are often returned because the provider cannot activate it. Most of the times the modem is registered to another provider or user and can't be undone. Some used modems actually belong to cable companies and are reported as stolen often times as well.
Always buy from a reputable seller, such as directly from Amazon or authorized third-party sellers. This ensures that you will be able to register any equipment for warranties and/or replacements shall any issues arise.
Be sure you are at least getting a DOCSIS 3.0 approved modem. This is the most widely used form of DOCSIS today. However, DOCSIS 3.1 is starting to take off too. Most companies require a 3.0 or higher these days. Anything less will hinder the speed of your internet. All featured on this site are 3.0 or higher.