this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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You can buy cable modems cheap, too. No reason to use their crap at all.
"cheap" is a relative term.
Nobody should be buying a DOCSIS 3.0 modem these days. They are obsolete and for some reason still being sold.
A decent DOCSIS 3.1 modem is at least $200. A Next Gen like S34 is at least $220. At least at the big blue big box store. And then you have to get your own wifi.
(However, that big blue store also will give you a 15% discount on any networking purchase if you recycle an old network device...I traded in an old modem but you should be able to find a switch or router at a thrift store and still come out ahead)
It pays for itself pretty quick (by not paying rental fees), but that doesn't necessarily make it cheap.
I absolutely prefer using my own equipment, and do...but it's also worth mentioning that in many markets, Xfinity removed data caps if you have a rented modem.
If a DOCSIS 3.0 modem still can't be saturated by the tier of internet someone is paying for, what advantage would 3.1 have?
If your provider has implemented it (Comcast is the only one i know of in north america) then Active Queue Management is a huge quality of life improvement that you won't know you were missing unless you already had a router that implements queue management. https://www.cablelabs.com/blog/how-docsis-3-1-reduces-latency-with-active-queue-management
Not buying another modem when the ISP quietly upgrades the CMTS and makes more speed available in your neighborhood.
Yeah I recently switched from cable to fiber (finally available), and prior I was using an old as fuck modem/router that capped at 500Mbps. My internet at fastest was 380. I rarely transfer files over the network, so figured why bother? (I did have Gen1 Google Mesh though to cover dead spots). I had a bit of a shopping splurge when I got fiber. Nothing crazy, just an upgraded mesh and a switch (Why the fuck does Frontier provide an ONT with 8 ethernet ports but only one is active?)
At least in my case, my DOC IS 3.0 modem was having connectivity issues. My neighbor in another apartment had similar issues: dropped connections, slower than expected speeds, etc. Switching to DOCSIS 3.0 modems solved the problem. I guess Comcast upgraded their hardware and it wasn't compatible with my modem anymore
I used docsis 3.0 and it worked just fine. So why not?
Because docsis 3.0 standard is nearly 20 years old at this point and 3.1 is significantly faster. Docsis 3.1 is only 15, but 4 (which is still 8 years old) probably isn't supported by your ISP yet. But the speed difference is quite noticeable. 3.0 will theoretically do 1gbps down, and 100-200 up, but 3.1 could do 10 down and 1gbps up. In the age of symmetrical fiber internet those upload speeds are dire. 3.1 realistically gets you a symmetrical gig connection.
Ah, so 3.0 is fine if your internet still sucks. Got it.
Exactly. So it's great for xfinity
Xfinity likely wouldn't allow you to use it at this point. They've been pushing people toward 3.1 for a while now, and won't register a new 3.0 modem.
I have a 3.1 modem but my ISP only has 3.0 speeds as far as I can tell. 1000/100 is their highest plan so the extra doesn't really do anything.
My modem is 32x8 and I can see in the UI that only 4 of the 8 upload channels are actually bonded to reach that 100, which is half of the 200 that 3.0 can theoretically do.
It looks like DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1 are for coax which should be avoid anyway . VodafoneZiggo is already starting with DOCSIS 4.0.
In my neighborhood you get a choice between coax or nothing.
5G modems are probably an option.
Edit: never said it was a good option, just that it was an option.
While that may be "an option", 5G sucks compared to coax service.
Both are inferior to fiber by a long shot, but wired will always be better than cellular, which is limited spectrum and inconsistent.
It depends a bit on where you are and what you need, the speed of my 5G modem was a lot quicker than the coax options for the same money, and it was decently stable. My only issue was that I had like no upload speed.
I was also point out it was an option and it has it's use cases
We have a choice between T-Mobile 5G, 3M ADSL, coax docsis and Starlink.
Of those, the most reliable is the DSL, then Starlink, and it's a tossup whether the T-Mobile or the Mediacom DOCSIS is the least reliable
I worked for Mediacom for 5 years. It wasn't reliable then either, but at least then, I didn't have to play the "first we have to send out a tech that may not actually show up the first time because it's working at the exact moment he checks before he cancels the call" game.
When I left them, we switched to DSL, which was ... painful, but we managed for a couple of years. Then the pandemic happened, and the kiddo went to remote schooling, and the DSL just couldn't handle it. So we used the "reduced cost" internet plan for going back to Mediacom.
Except after months of fighting to actually get the reduced price plan we were supposed to be getting, we were told the T-Mobile now serviced our area, and switched with glee.
And for almost 3 years it was GREAT. But in the past year or so, we began having horrendous service issues. Speeds were no better, and sometimes even worse than the DSL we had previously.
Finally, I had enough, and bit the bullet and switched to Starlink.
Now, our service is great. The bill isn't, because let's face it, $120 a month for 200ish Mbps down and 50ish up is nuts, but at least we have fast, reliable service now.
Geez that prices I insane!, but I feel you. I my new house the internet providers fucked up. One only did DOCSIS (VodafoneZiggo) cause it still beliefs it is surperior, the other way was to lazy to get us fiber or coax (I can get coax from them now, but it is gonna cost me 1300 euro to get the connection) and then all the other fiber parties use the same cable which was not put in the buiding due to them sending the invoice to the wrong mail adres ....
So now they are trying to get everything up and ready for the connection, but it is taking months already.
So I am stick with the fuckers from VodafoneZiggo (or a 5G modem) which scam you by delivering coax and telling you it is a "fiber-cable" to make it seem faster than it is. Absolute bullcrap.
Highly location dependent. We have useable cell service in our house but Internet over 5G is slow.
Can confirm, I live out in the countryside with only coax available, and a measly 1Gbit down 150Mbit up and 9 - 11ms ping. No caps.
Wait, that’s awesome and steady and reliable. Expensive sure but with heavy multiperson usage and no noticeable issues, I am wondering WTF you’re on about unless it’s some weird edge case?
Maybe you are referring to predatory business practices like oversubscribed lines? That’s not a technical problem.
Coax is generally a terrible and more expensive option, lower speeds all around and a worse ping. Especially now with fibre being so standard you shouldn't go for Coax if you have the choice.
Currently I do not have the choice so I have to pay 40 euro a month for 100mbps down and 25mbps up, with fibre I get symetrical gigabit for 45 euro a month or 400mbps symetrical for 40 euro. That's 16 times the upload speed for the same money. And the first party with their coax (VodafoneZiggo) sells their coax as a fiber-cable. Which is just misleading bullshit.
Heck the 5G modem I had was unstable at times, but the download was 100-200mbs and I paid 25 euro a month for that.
I still use coax because I buy internet from a reseller third party and this is what they have. I have 400/50 for 35$, which is a lot cheaper yhan the competitors. No reason for me to change.
Like I responded in the other comment, I can get fibre with 4 times the download speed and 16 times the upload speed for the same amount of money. And that is pretty standard since it is apparently a way cheaper thing to offer for companies.
I can't get anything cheaper than that because it's a price I got when the reseller started business and as long as I don't switch, I get that price.
Good for you that you can get better, but coax still has its place until internet providers up their game, but I won't hold my breath.
I wouldn't trust them to not randomly enable WiFi, but you can also use their modem but disable any built in WiFi on it & still use your own router. ISPs continue to try to bundle their modem & router, which gives them complete access to your home network. Some lucky people have found fiber providers that let them use their own SFP.