Hey Guys, wasn't sure where to put this thread but I didn't see anything in here on the first page and the news is pretty recent.

Anyways, I got a letter from Time Warner Cable saying they are now instating a $3.95 per month 'fee' for using their modem. It's pretty lame, but I figured I can get my own modem and save a little bit here, considering this fee is going to add up to nearly $50/year. I'm sure any of you guys w/TWC got the message too. Few of my friends already told me they got the bill.


This modem looks exactly like the one I have with TWC that i'm paying the fee for. It's $50 on BestBuy although I'm sure if I look around I might be able to find it cheaper.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Motorola+-+SURFboard+Cable+Modem/8229044.p?id=1168043113583&skuId=8229044


I also saw this modem, it's a bit more expensive, $100, but I don't know much about modems, would getting this make my home internet any faster? Or is that regulated by TWC regardless of the modem I use?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Motorola+-+SURFboard+DOCSIS+3.0+High-Speed+Cable+Modem/2836657.p?id=1218357903729&skuId=2836657


thanks

12/18/2012 11:44:51 AM

I pay it so when it breaks or doesn't work they fix it

12/18/2012 11:47:50 AM

makes sense except i've had the thing for over 2 years and it's never skipped a beat. now all of a sudden they want to charge for a used piece of equipment. Maybe i can call them up and offer them $20 and see if they'll just let me buy it from them.

For a dollar i'd prob just let it slide, but $4 is pretty steep imo

[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 12:01 PM. Reason : meh]

12/18/2012 11:59:57 AM

Fuck TWC, I return their shit to them just on GP.

12/18/2012 12:17:20 PM

I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure that letter stated that you would see a new $3.95 rental fee on your bill *along with* a $3.95 reduction in your service free.

12/18/2012 12:27:10 PM

Look in the TWC pricing thread for my experience with this modem fee but yes its an extra 3.95 a month.

12/18/2012 12:48:40 PM

its worth the extra money for a DOCSIS 3 modem. You'll get much faster speeds, and more importantly a more reliable connection.

Funny enough I have one of those 3.0 modems you linked to sitting new in the box back home. If you can wait till Jan I'll sell it to you for $75 shipped to your door (dat exclusive tdubber discount)

12/18/2012 1:08:54 PM

The SB6121 you listed 2nd for $100 at Best Buy is currently on sale for $80 at newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825122015

12/18/2012 1:31:27 PM

Alternate purchase method ... if you cancel TimeWarner and don't return the DOCSIS 3.0 modem, they'll eventually charge you $50.

12/18/2012 2:14:23 PM

^ haha

don't they "block" its use or something? and i thought they (mostly) used only 2.0 modems, not 3.0

12/18/2012 3:48:19 PM

they've been moving to docsis 3 as fast as they can get old people off of analog cable to free up the spectrum

[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 4:35 PM. Reason : .]

12/18/2012 4:35:41 PM

^Not sure, but I've had 30/5 in the past and when I swapped to Uverse I forgot to return the modem but eventually did. Wish I saw this coming and I would have just paid them $50 since I'm back on 30/5 now.

12/18/2012 4:43:14 PM

Still playing $40 for earthlink, no charge on new modem that TWC had me replaced, bumped be to 10/1 after upgrading the modem. Still slow compared to other stuff out here now, but grandfathered in and its a no contract deal.

12/18/2012 4:56:14 PM

ha, i thought modems were always "rented" and they just forgot to charge me until recently

[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 5:19 PM. Reason : and no, their rate did not go down]

12/18/2012 5:16:20 PM

You can get the Motorola docsis 3 cable modem much cheaper at target. I think they're 70

12/18/2012 5:46:19 PM

I have the sb6121 - it's a good modem. I'm on cox cable though

12/18/2012 6:41:22 PM

Upon notice of this fee, I immeduiately copped a SB6121, and so far so good. It was $75 for me.

12/18/2012 7:12:58 PM

motorola surfboard SB6121 for $80 with free shipping and no tax: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=845332&is=REG&Q=&A=details

zoom telephonics 5341J for $75 after shipping and no tax: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=830983&Q=&is=REG&A=details

netgear CMD31T-100NAS for $80 with free shipping and no tax: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825124006

if you ever get the $25 off $75 coupons for staples (i do, on a regular basis), you can get the netgear for less than $60 after tax from staples: http://www.staples.com/Netgear-High-Speed-Cable-Modem-DOCSIS-30/product_408751

[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 7:17 PM. Reason : i'll be getting a DOCSIS 3.0 modem in short order, now]

12/18/2012 7:16:03 PM

i looked at my bill and my internets went from 54.99/mo to 51/mo for internet + 3.99/mo for the modem lease.

i wonder if its something i can actually get rid of or if its required and they're just itemizing the bill

12/18/2012 7:57:45 PM

I would get the Motorola modem over netgear. Its one the few devices Motorola makes that is actually good.

12/18/2012 8:05:30 PM

I've had the same cable modem here since 2005. I guess I should try and upgrade it?

12/18/2012 10:06:31 PM

I grabbed the 6121 but I'm not sure the rep got everything completely configured on their end. I'm constantly having to restart and I think the DNS is all jacked up as it's hard to get all my devices to get recognized.

Anyone had the same issues?

12/19/2012 11:16:45 AM

I had that issue for a couple weeks and then the modem finally got the config/firmware update from the isp servers and all has been well

12/19/2012 2:56:38 PM

Call and bitch enough, they will wave it.

Or file a complaint with the Atty General's office of NC and they might call you and wave your bill for a few months. No joke. one of my coworkers did this (he had to leave his name and a few bits of personal info) and TWC hunted him down to "fix" the issue.

12/19/2012 10:13:23 PM

Quote :

"Funny enough I have one of those 3.0 modems you linked to sitting new in the box back home. If you can wait till Jan I'll sell it to you for $75 shipped to your door (dat exclusive tdubber discount) "

you mean this one? If so, I can do that. Thanks

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Motorola+-+SURFboard+DOCSIS+3.0+High-Speed+Cable+Modem/2836657.p?id=1218357903729&skuId=2836657

12/20/2012 12:41:02 AM

Quote :

"i looked at my bill and my internets went from 54.99/mo to 51/mo for internet + 3.99/mo for the modem lease."

if my bill was $54 i really wouldn't care. I just paid $140 this month. I got a DVR too, but still that's just too steep for one guy for cable and internet.

12/20/2012 12:44:14 AM

So I'm thinking of buying a modem, b/c FUCK TWC. I have DTV for my tv stuff so I only use TWC for internet. (and the bill from TWC is still around $54).

What would be the modem that you guys recommend to use?

12/20/2012 8:40:44 AM

Quote :

"What would be the modem that you guys recommend to use?"

that's been addressed in this thread already

12/20/2012 8:47:59 AM

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SB6121-SURFboard-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B004XC6GJ0

The 6121 is $80 on Amazon, and Prime eligible.

12/20/2012 9:39:36 AM

it should be noted that the modem in this thread maxes around 32mbps and there are 50mbps services available. I only pay for 25/3 but consistently hit the 32/20 cap (in a high rise with old people). A faster modem would probably net me 50mbps speeds

[Edited on December 20, 2012 at 10:03 AM. Reason : upon further review, I'm not sure that's true. however, that's what the box says.]

12/20/2012 9:50:12 AM

LOVE MY 50/5

12/20/2012 9:56:46 AM

Quote :

"http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SB6121-SURFboard-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B004XC6GJ0 The 6121 is $80 on Amazon, and Prime eligible."

sweet thanks for the link. Was in Best Buy this evening grabbing some last minute gifts and checked this and got them to price match me real quick


Thanks everyone

12/20/2012 8:24:28 PM

Anyone using the Motorola SB6121 with RR Extreme? Any change in speed from their supplied UBEE modem?

12/20/2012 9:09:34 PM

I have the Motorola SB6180 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem. Seems to work a bit faster than the one Cablevision issued me. For me, it's worth it because I enjoy hacking around shit for fun.

12/20/2012 10:01:37 PM

^^ I did that with 30/5, and its the exact same ... no degradation in quality whatsoever.

[Edited on December 21, 2012 at 12:49 AM. Reason : /]

12/21/2012 12:48:48 AM

Has anyone ever put one of these outside in an waterproof box? Are there any weather-proof modems that can be used with TWC? Thinking about getting one of these. http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Outdoor-Weatherproof-Enclosure-Cabinet/dp/B0042ZKWBG
I want to mount the modem in the box and use a directional antenna on a light pole at the road to get the internet to my house which is about 1400ft farther than what TWC is willing to install for me.

12/21/2012 9:49:20 PM

you could do that no problem - check out http://www.ubnt.com for gear and make sure you have LoS. however, 1400' of cable isn't that much, I'd probably run fiber out to where twc stops. you ballin as fuck, don't skimp on them internets.

12/21/2012 9:56:18 PM

You could run fiber, or you could just run 1400ft of quality RG6 coax. Considering the source would still be a TWC pole, fiber is a complete waste of money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA00Z0KP2829&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA

1000ft is 100 bucks with free shipping. get two spools and a quality amplifier, and you'll be set.

Cable modems are way too damn finicky to put up on a lightpole. You will pull the whole damn thing down after the 3rd time you have to go up there and hard power cycle the box.

12/21/2012 10:32:29 PM

I was under the impression that the signal loss with rg6 at 1400ft would be to much. I assumed that is why TWC will not run it more than 400ft. (but I guess an amplifier would negate that signal loss)

What would be involved in running fiber? I assume there is some equipment I need to make the transition between fiber and RG6??

I had planned on using 2 ubiquiti nanostation LOCO M5s to shoot it across the field to my house. The two nanostations are around $65 and the box was is $92. I could have pretty fast internet at my house for around $220. I would think that is cheaper than buying RG6 or fiber and the associated equipment.

12/22/2012 1:02:41 PM

the problem with long coax runs is you need power along side the run to power the amps and it's pretty poor practice to run low and high voltage in the same conduit.

for fiber you'd need 2 of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156085
or these if you wanna go cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833555033

2 of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704109

and some fiber.

No breaks in the fiber, no need for amps or power midway. Don't need to replace it when 100mbps and 1000mbps internet connections become the norm either.

12/22/2012 3:10:08 PM

^Just the bulk fiber optic cable (which is still difficult to find in runs over 1000ft) will cost him 1000-4000 bucks depending on what he goes with. Shit aint cheap.

With Coax, you just need an amp every 4-500ft and you'll be fine.

I would stay away from the directional wireless for a bunch of different reasons, security being one.

12/22/2012 3:46:04 PM

where did you get $1000-4000 from? fiber is cheap, like <=$0.25/ft cheap
http://www.macmall.com/p/TrippLite-Cables/product~DPNo~8774860~pdp.giabeab

http://www.cablewholesale.com/specs/fiber-optic-bulk-cable/10f1-111nh.htm

[Edited on December 24, 2012 at 12:59 AM. Reason : .]

12/24/2012 12:56:53 AM

I usually get my fiber pre-terminated from the guys over at http://www.discount-low-voltage.com/

^I haven't read the full thread, but it doesn't sound like he could get away with that indoor stuff? I started out with the same .25c/foot zip cord stuff you linked until I realized it wouldn't really work for me.

I had 4 runs from MDF to IDFs where the 4th was right at the cat5e limit. My vendor was over charging for cat6 so I ultimately went with 6 strand OM3 between each switch so I'd have 10G futureproofing. It was a bit overkill but I haven't had any of the links drop signal in a year. I had the benefit of being able to use indoor cable. So Noen is right, depending on what he uses it can get pretty damn expensive.

Z-101811-115 1 115ft 6 strand LC/LC OM3 indoor OFNR with pulling eye $285.00 $285.00
Z-101811-140 1 140ft 6 strand LC/LC OM3 indoor OFNR with pulling eye $310.00 $310.00
Z-101811-160 1 160ft 6 strand LC/LC OM3 indoor OFNR with pulling eye $330.00 $330.00
Total $925.00

12/24/2012 9:09:11 AM

I was ASSuming digging a trench and putting in conduit pipe, in which case indoor should be ok.

12/24/2012 10:52:56 AM

^^even in conduit you will still have potential for moisture accumulation through condensation, which can cause problems.

But, lets say you trench indoor + conduit instead of just outdoor cable.

He'd need $400 worth of cable. However, you can't use the cheap indoor electrical conduit for outdoor buried runs.

At a 6" trench depth, he'd need to use rigid galvanized conduit, which costs ~$15 for 10ft. Which would cost him nearly 3000 for the conduit.

At 18" trench depth, he can use PVC conduit which would cost him about $500 with fittings. Plus he'll need UF-B cable to run power out to the street, which will be another $800.

Plus the trenching machine rental and a weekend to do it. All told this would run him still close to $2000 for fiber, a couple hundred less for coax.

Damn, that directional wireless is looking better and better

12/24/2012 3:02:00 PM

^true enough. the ubnt gear is solid, carrier grade stuff. I was thinking there was power out where twc dropped off. worst case is you can try out the wireless ptp gear and if it sucks, you're only out $100 or so. I recommend the nanobridge-M5, even though you don't really need tdma with a single endpoint

12/24/2012 3:12:23 PM

Thanks for all the input guys. It sounds like the cheapest option will be going wireless. Id rather not deal with having to rent a ditch witch or dig a trench by hand for 1400ft. I also would have to figure out how to run power the length of my driveway if running rg6 and amplifiers. Fiber would be easier but I would still have to run conduit and dig the trench.

If I go the wireless route using the ubnt gear, what security concerns would there be and how could I mitigate them? I would be using WPA2 - AES for the wireless signal. I don't really have any neighbors as I live in rural Johnston county at the back of a 32 acre bean field so I don't think I have to worry about them.

12/25/2012 9:24:31 PM

I can vouch for at least the UniFi line from Ubiquity. I either saw recommendations here or in the sysadmin subreddit but I gave the 3 pack a whirl and they're rock solid aside from slightly unconventional software to manage the devices.

I guess it's made to be installed on a box in the same subnet as all of your APs, but I had it on macbook, set up 2 last year had my Apps directory take a shit, reinstalled app and set up a 3rd AP and had a hell of time trying to reclaim the original 2.

That line of site equip shouldn't be an issue though.

12/25/2012 9:28:37 PM

Do the 3.0 modems work with standard road runner?

12/26/2012 2:13:07 PM

set em up --------->

12/26/2012 2:48:15 PM