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[-] WhereGrapesMayRule@lemmy.world 72 points 1 month ago

Get your own gateway. Don't rent theirs.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

You can buy cable modems cheap, too. No reason to use their crap at all.

[-] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

"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.

[-] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 1 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] Croquette@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 1 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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.

[-] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 1 points 1 month ago

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.

In my neighborhood you get a choice between coax or nothing.

[-] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

5G modems are probably an option.

Edit: never said it was a good option, just that it was an option.

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 0 points 1 month ago

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

[-] HiTekRedNek@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

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.

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this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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