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Buy this $59 cable modem to save $120 a year and make your ISP furious

Published Jul 1st, 2022 2:52PM EDT
Image: Jonathan S. Geller

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We’re going to show you how to buy a cable modem so you don’t have to pay your cable company a monthly modem rental fee anymore. You might not even realize you’re paying it, but the fee adds up to around $120 every single year. And the worst part is it never goes away unless you get your own modem and stop using the one that your cable ISP gave you.

People are so sick and tired of how much cable companies have been charging for pay TV all these years. That’s especially true when a huge chunk of that monthly expense shouldn’t be your responsibility in the first place.

That’s right, you’re forced to pay for dozens or even hundreds of channels that you never watch and never will. Imagine half your monthly cell phone bill was due to the high cost of calls to Papua New Guinea. And you have to pay despite the fact that you don’t make any calls to Papua New Guinea yourself. Would that be fair?

It goes without saying that cable companies are missing out on so much money due to cord-cutting. So the last thing they want is for us to reveal an easy way to save even more on your bill.

That’s not going to stop us though, so get ready to save money on internet service thanks to one simple $59 purchase.

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You save money on the internet when you buy a cable modem

Are you using a cable modem that you got from your internet service provider? If so, you’re probably paying a monthly rental fee for that modem.

You might not even realize it, but take a look at your most recent bill. When you do, you’ll probably see an $8 or $10 charge on there for the modem. That monthly fee adds up to either $96 or $120 each year that you’re spending unnecessarily.

Why is it unnecessary? Because cable companies are now required to let you use your own cable modem. And once you buy a cable modem, that monthly rental fee will disappear from your bill as soon as you send your old modem back to your cable company.

As far as which modem you should choose, there are a bunch of popular options out there that work with every single major cable internet provider. That includes Comcast/Xfinity, Charter/Time Warner Cable/Spectrum, Optimum/Altice, RCN, Cox, CenturyLink, and more.

People who are looking to spend as little as possible should check out the Motorola MB7420 cable modem.

This model is a best-seller that’s down to just $58.99 right now at Amazon thanks to a discount. It supports data speeds up to 686Mbps and is recommended for people with data speed tiers up to 300Mbps.

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Alternative cable modems with faster speeds

Anyone out there who wants something faster will find the 2Gbps ARRIS SURFboard SB8200 on sale for $169.

Then there’s the Motorola MG7700 cable modem & Wi-Fi router with gigabit internet support, which is perfect for anyone looking for a model that has built-in Wi-Fi as well. This way, you won’t need to use a separate wireless router if you don’t want to.

Motorola’s MG770 retails for $200. But it’s on sale right now for $151.99 thanks to a discount. This is one of the most popular options out there for people who want fast speeds and built-in Wi-Fi.

If you already have a Wi-Fi router in your home, you might still want to consider this model. It’s on sale at such a great price, after all.

First of all, you might find that this cable modem and Wi-Fi router combo has even better wireless range than your current Wi-Fi modem. But the second benefit might be even more appealing, and it all boils down to simplicity.

When you run into a problem with internet connectivity now, you have multiple devices you need to troubleshoot. By switching to a device that pulls double duty, you’ll eliminate that issue and cut down on troubleshooting time.

Now, resetting your cable modem and Wi-Fi combo device will solve your problem 99% of the time when you can’t connect to the internet. How great is that?!

Each and every one of these cable modems will eventually pay for itself since you’ll eliminate that monthly modem rental fee and save money on internet service. With that in mind… why on Earth wouldn’t you get one?


Motorola MB7420 – $58.99 (reg. $70)

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ARRIS SURFboard SB8200 – $151.99 (reg. $190)

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Motorola MG7700 & Wi-Fi router – $174.98 (reg. $200)

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Go here to see this month’s best deals online!

Maren Estrada Deals Editor

Maren Estrada has been the Editor of BGR Deals since it launched in 2013. She has more than 20 years of experience testing more than 1,500 products, and reviewing a wide range of consumer electronics including mobile devices, smart home products, computers, and home appliances.

Previously, she was a leading consultant specializing in copywriting, product development, and new product launches.