new to comcast- which cable modem works best?

Stay away from the linksys cable modems. The linksys routers rock, but not the cable modems.

I say stick with the motorola 5100. Works the best..

I rent, because I have had, at best, 2 years from a cable modem here. However, if I were going to buy one, the Motorola 5100 would be my choice.

Your math is faulty. 60/3=20, not 12. Cable modems, in my experience, last well below two years (I have had 7 in about 5 years).

Hard to believe. They ALWAYS blame my modem, even if the cable is laying in the yard, and the pole is down! But since I rent, this is not a problem. Had I bought all the modems I have been through, I would be FAR behind the break-even point.

Not true, you're out the savings you could have had by owning. At $5/month rental and about $60 for a typical modem (even cheaper if you get a rebate with new service), the break even point is at 12 months. It is very unlikely that a system change will kick in within a year that would obsolete a modem. A new modem should have a warranty that will cover any breakage in the first months or year; since electronic devices either fail in the first days of use or last forever.

Now, if a cable company doesn't give any discount or a very small discount for customer owned modems, rental makes sense. In most cases it doesn't.

Look at the numbers; how much does a modem cost (and don't forget about new subscriber rebates that can make it free) vs. the rental cost. If the payback period is smaller than the period of time you think you'll be using the service, buy the modem. Even if you have to buy a new modem every five years to enable some new features (like DOCSIS 2.0, 3.0, ...), in most cases you come out far ahead.

By the way, I've owned my SB4100 for over four years. It works just fine, and will be ready if Comcast ever decides to turn on DOCSIS 1.1 in my area. I've had several service calls with Comcast over the years, and they never blamed my modem.

-Gary

If they're running DOCSIS, you'll be fine.

Where'd the 3 come from? He said $5/month, not 3.

I'd always buy one over renting. It'll always pay off in the end. And make them prove it's the modem if they say that. I made them put one of theirs on to prove it's the modem. Of course, it wasn't and they had to fix their problem.

I think Circuit City is offering a Motorola SB 5100 for $49.99 after rebates. I thought it was free if you signed up for Comcast service thru them.

From the OP. It is also $3 (actually $2.50) here.

scribed:

They already do that here, and I RENT. Unfortunately, it HAS been the modem in most cases here over the years.

You can usually get the first modem free when you sign up for service. I have rented from the beginning, and in the time I have been on cable internet, I have had seven modems. None has lasted more than two years.

Using a finger dipped in purple ink, "KOS" scribed:

Rent. That way, if they change the system, OR the modem breaks, YOU aren't out anything.

Using a finger dipped in purple ink, "Gary" scribed:

He already said it's $3 a month rental for his ISP.

Buy a $60 modem, and it breaks 2 months later, and you're OFF the Net until it gets replaced/repaired.

And if ANYTHING else goes wrong with your connection, the ISP will start off by blaming YOUR owned modem.

More hassle.

my experience is a bit different.

i rent and during the 4 years that ive had cable internet service ive had 2 modems. one was the non-docsis modem during the @home days. and the 2nd one ive had for the past 2.5 years...

With my ISP, I don't get a discount by owning my modem, but I do get more bandwidth. 5 Mb/s vs 3.

I have the opposite situation. I gought the current modem for $40 and have used it for 4 years.

Yes. If you own your modem, you get the Extreme service. If you use their's, you get the Express service, for the same price.

That's an interesting approach. I'd definitely provide my own if offered that choice.

I just glanced at the web site. Do I read it right that you have to buy their $99.95 modem or can you buy one at a retail store?