While modem rental fees used to be in the $5-10 range, they’ve increased over the years.
So your fee may include both a modem and (generally anemic) Wi-Fi router.
But don’t worry, we’ll account for that in our discussion of payback windows.
Corbin Davenport / How-To Geek
Historically, cable modems rental fees were more modest, and cable modem prices were much higher.
But if you need even more motivation, consider the savings over time.
Let’s say you’ve been a cable internet user for ten years.
This dependable and popular option from the Arris Surfboard lineup is perfect for cable internet subscribers with any subscription tier at or below 800 Mbps, which is the majority of cable broadband users in the United States.
For the first three years, your rental fee was $8.
For the next four, it was $12.
Then, your provider hiked it up to that $15 national average for the last three.
Over the ten years, you paid $1,404 just in equipment fees.
That leaves around $120 a year to cover the cost of your Wi-Fi router.
We recommend replacing your Wi-Fi router every 3-5 years to stay on top of current Wi-Fi technology.
And that’s just the money left on the table in the past.
