Many people still don’t realize this, but cable companies charge a $10 monthly fee for you to use their cable modem. It’s not a lease, and this charge never goes away regardless of how long your service has been active. As long as you use that little black box, you continue to pay $10 a month. What most people don’t know is that it really couldn’t be easier to get rid of that monthly charge. Pick up a NETGEAR CM500-1AZNAS (16×4) DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem on Amazon. It’s on sale for $44.99 thanks to a $10 coupon you can clip on the Amazon page, and it’s compatible with every major cable internet provider in America. Follow the instructions to activate it with your provider, then return the rented cable modem you’re using now. Presto, you’ve just taken $120 per year right out of your cable company’s pocket!
Here are the bullet points from the product page:
- “The best cable Modem” – the wire cutter
- Support Cable internet service plans up to 200 Mbps. Separate router required for Wi-Fi 16×4 channel bonding
- Docsis 3. 0 up to 16x faster download speeds than DOCSIS 2. 0. Number of Ethernet ports: one (1) Gigabit Ethernet port with auto-sensing technology
- Eliminate monthly cable Modem rental fees – up to 156 USD per year. System Requirements- Microsoft Windows 7, 8, 10, Vista, XP, 2000, Mac OS, or other operating systems running a TCP/IP network. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, Firefox 2.0, Safari 1.4, or Google Chrome 11.0 browsers or higher
- Not compatible with: Verizon, AT&T, or CenturyLink. Not compatible with bundled voice services
- Compatible with Infinity from Comcast, spectrum, Cox, Cable one & more
- Ideal for streaming HD videos, faster downloads, and high-speed online gaming