hey everyone, the ever tech noob has another problem! last night my internet went out during a netflix instant watch. it was late so i didn't feel like messing with it and just went to bed. i woke up this morning and tried all the usual stuff to get it working. unplugging, restarting and having comcast send signals. comcast said it was offline and couldn't be recognized. they recommended i just rent one from them. at $3.50 per month i'd rather buy one. i went to best buy and the only one they had that would work (according to an employee there) was $80. i'm looking to spend less than $50

my set up is with comcast, i run wireless internet and it's internet through the cable not dsl

1-- are there any basic troubleshooting things i can do that i missed?
2-- can you recommend a modem in the price range that will work?

for the time being i am going to just rent from comcast so i can get back online (i'm on my aircard on my netbook now) and i'd like to get some help from you guys on what to do next

thanks in advance and also aapologies for what i feel is a really basic question

9/12/2009 1:02:16 PM

kind of confused

are you renting/need a modem or the wireless router?

9/12/2009 1:04:48 PM

yeah, you probably mean your router is messed up, not the modem. do you have two devices in your setup? usually there's a modem that gets plugged in from the cable outlet in the wall, and then that plugs into a router via an ethernet cable.

if it's the first device that's messed up, the cable company should replace it for free (you don't pay a rental fee for it in the first place - it's built into the price of internet service). if it's the second device (the router), i would suggest maybe doing a firmware update. google your router model number + firmware update and you'll probably be able to find a step-by-step guide.

[Edited on September 12, 2009 at 1:10 PM. Reason : .]

9/12/2009 1:08:44 PM

and if it's the router, $80 is ridiculous. buy one on craigslist for like 20.

^i actually bought my own modem for use on roadrunner in myrtle beach so it very well could be the modem she's talking about. it's different in different markets.

[Edited on September 12, 2009 at 1:13 PM. Reason : a]

9/12/2009 1:12:10 PM

yeah, i used my own modem for a while too. but in most cases, especially for non-techy folks, the cable company is going to provide its own modem so they can support it better

9/12/2009 1:14:28 PM

sorry for the confusion. i have a webstar modem that has a power cable, ethernet cord and cable. that is hooked up to my netgear router which seems to be working fine. i plugged my laptop directly into the modem with the ethernet cable and still nothing so its definitely the modem.

the way comcast does it here, you just rent the modem for $3.50 per month. like i said, the web star modem i have i got from somewhere else and comcast let me use it, just sent the signal and everything was fine for a year and a half. i'd like to just buy a new one and not throw $3.50 per month into the trash since you get nothing for it in the end.

9/12/2009 1:42:04 PM

you'll probably have better luck asking tech savvy folks who are local to you. over in the raleighs, time warner doesn't charge extra for the modem, and while you can buy cable/dsl modems, you'll definitely have to find one that's "approved" by comcast.

maybe they can give you a list of approved models, and you can check ebay, newegg, etc...

9/12/2009 1:49:55 PM

if you had rented it, you wouldn't have to go buy a new one right now. they would just replace it at no cost. So you do get something out of it, insurance.

FYI, it would be $42/yr to rent... with a guarantee that if anything happens to it, it's replaced.

that's about 2 years of insured, service at the cost of buying the modem yourself (which may or may not work). Not saying it's the right way to go, but something to consider.


But definitely ask them for a list of approved modems.

9/12/2009 1:53:21 PM

i guess thats what i'll do. the reason i didnt rent with them to begin with is i had this other modem, i think from illinois that they made you buy so since i had something that worked it didnt make sense to rent

im going to go back and get a modem to rent until i can figure out the best solution. maybe renting it is the best solution. thanks for the help

9/12/2009 2:10:24 PM