Should You Buy Your Own Router? Here’s How It Can Cut Your Internet Bill

The average American household spends around $63 monthly on internet service, a figure that often excludes additional fees for equipment and upkeep. According to a FASTNET study, these costs tend to escalate due to routine price increases. A straightforward method to reduce your monthly internet bill is to purchase your own internet modem and router instead of leasing them from your provider.

FASTNET’s experts consistently seek approaches to assist you in saving money, securing a faster internet connection, and deciphering the sometimes intricate terminology found on your home internet bills. Are you aiming to economize on your broadband service over time? It may be beneficial to think about eliminating the recurring equipment charge by investing in your own modem and router, which can lead to significant savings on your monthly and yearly internet service expenses.

Should You Invest in Your Own Router and Modem?

Approximately 70% of households currently rent routers from their Internet Service Provider (ISP), a statistic that is understandable given the complexity of internet bills and service agreements. While certain ISPs offer equipment at no cost, others mandate rental, obligating customers to use the provider’s equipment even if they possess their own. Although many ISPs permit the use of personally owned routers and modems, navigating these service policies can be puzzling.

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Ultimately, acquiring your own router is an uncomplicated way to future-proof your home network while decreasing potential supplementary charges on your bill. While the initial investment in internet equipment might seem substantial, it frequently results in long-term savings. You could potentially lower your monthly internet bill by as much as $15 and accumulate hundreds of dollars in savings over several years, as exemplified by FASTNET’s Joe Supan’s decision to discontinue renting equipment from Xfinity. Moreover, a new router might even enhance your internet speeds, particularly if you are on a cable internet package with sluggish upload rates.

If concerns about upfront costs are a deterrent, be aware that there are numerous dependable modems available for under $100. Considering the typical cost of renting a modem from a provider is approximately $10 per month, the device could effectively compensate for itself within a year and subsequently provide ongoing monthly savings. In some instances, where providers rent out a high-performance gaming router or a quality mesh router for a reasonable monthly charge, such an arrangement could represent a worthwhile deal.

Let’s examine the primary choices available from various internet providers, evaluating their equipment policies to ascertain whether you have the potential to conserve funds.

Comparing Equipment Policies by Provider

Below is a compilation of equipment policies from prominent internet service providers across the nation:

Astound Broadband

• Equipment Fee: No, for up to three years of service.
• Astound Broadband provides home internet service in several large metropolitan areas, including Austin, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Seattle. Modem and router rentals are included in your monthly fee for up to 36 months. After three years, Astound may charge for modem and router, which may cost as much as $22 a month.
• Customers can still opt to use their own equipment following Astound’s guidelines. Astound also offers “Enhanced Wi-Fi” in some areas, providing a more advanced router for an additional $5 per month. In some regions, Enhanced Wi-Fi means that you get the Eero Pro 6 mesh router, which is excellent, but in others, it’s just the standard Eero 6 router, which wasn’t nearly as strong a performer in our tests.
• Customers can also rent the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 Wi-Fi 6 gaming router for $13 per month, which isn’t a bad deal at all, given that it usually costs around $300.

AT&T

• Equipment Fee: No.
• This is noteworthy as AT&T previously charged $10 monthly for equipment. The company necessitated using its combination modem-router gateway and disallowed customers from using their own modems. In 2022, AT&T eliminated its equipment fee for all internet plans, so customers no longer have to be concerned about this extra charge on their monthly bill.

CenturyLink

• Equipment Fee: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router gateway device rental).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• CenturyLink imposes a $15 monthly fee for renting a gateway that combines a modem and a router into one device. If you sign up for DSL with CenturyLink, that gateway will be one of three models: the Greenwave C4000, the Zyxel C4000LZ or the Zyxel C3000Z. If you have a fiber plan with Quantum Fiber, your equipment is included at no extra cost for an “initial period,” however long that may be. This fee may be circumvented by utilizing your own gateway or modem, though CenturyLink cautions customers against using devices not on their list of approved devices.
• You can also opt to buy CenturyLink equipment upfront, for $200 plus tax, an investment that would pay for itself after a year and one month of service.
• “CenturyLink highly recommends using one of our certified or recommended Wi-Fi modems (gateways), which have been tested and approved to work optimally with our high-speed internet technology,” the company’s website reads. “Retired and third-party devices are more likely to cause performance issues and may not connect to your internet service correctly.”
• Remember, if you’re replacing CenturyLink’s gateway with a standard modem, then you’ll also need to find a good router to go with it.

Cox

• Equipment Fee: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router gateway device rental).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• Cox charges customers $15 per month to rent its Panoramic Wifi gateway, which combines a modem and router into a single device. All subscribers to Cox plans will receive a DOCSIS 3.1 device that supports either Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E depending on the speed tier. You can also purchase Panoramic Wi-Fi Pods if you want to extend your Wi-Fi coverage, but Cox doesn’t allow customers to rent the pods: you have to buy them upfront for $130 each, a cost we don’t recommend undertaking. You can find a better-priced Wi-Fi extender for as low as $15 to $20.
• This additional monthly expense can be avoided by using your own modem, router, or gateway, provided they are selected from Cox’s approved list.

Frontier Fiber

• Equipment Fee: No.
• Frontier Fiber incorporates equipment rental fees within its monthly cost, which is already competitive. For plans 500Mbps and faster, Frontier offers the Eero Pro 7, a Wi-Fi 7 router. The 200Mbps plan comes with the Eero Pro 6E, and all DSL plans come with the Eero Pro 6.
• For an additional $10 a month, you can add Whole Home Wi-Fi with up to two mesh Wi-Fi extenders for better coverage.

Google Fiber

• Equipment Fee: No.
• Google Fiber clients receive a modem and a mesh router, accompanied by up to two additional extenders, at no additional expense. Subscribers to Google Fiber’s fastest plan, which boasts download rates as high as 8Gbps, will also gain access to a faster, multi-gig router complete with Wi-Fi 6E functionality.

HughesNet

• Equipment Fee: Yes ($15 to $20 per month for modem/router gateway device rental).
• Can you skip it? No.
• Hughesnet delivers satellite internet service throughout all 50 states. Satellite internet often entails substantial equipment costs. Customers are obligated to rent Hughesnet’s equipment, which costs $15 monthly, or $20 monthly if opting for Hughesnet’s Fusion plan. There are no options to skip those monthly fees. The only provided alternative is to buy the equipment up front for $300 ($450 with the Fusion plan).

Kinetic by Windstream

• Equipment Fee: Yes ($11 for modem/router gateway device rental).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• Kinetic is Windstream’s home internet service, with equipment rental fees amounting to $11 per month. This entitles you to a combined modem-and-router gateway device; however, you can forgo the fee by employing your own modem and router hardware.
• It is essential to consult Windstream for guidance tailored to your specific connection type before making any purchase. The customer service number is 800-347-1991.

Mediacom

• Equipment Fees: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router gateway device).
• Can you skip them? Yes.
• Mediacom, a mid-sized cable internet provider, mandates that customers pay $15 per month to lease a cable modem/router gateway device from the company. This can be avoided by using your own equipment, provided it is at least a DOCSIS 3.1 model with a compatible router.
• The WiFi360Pro, which comes with two Eero Wi-Fi units (and Eero secure services), is included for one year of service. It supports up to 1Gbps and supports Wi-Fi 6. Mediacom also offers Eero Wi-Fi extenders for $5 a month.

Metronet

• Equipment Fees: No.
• Metronet, a fiber-optic internet provider concentrated in the Midwest, serves Indiana and 15 additional states nationally. Similar to other fiber internet services like AT&T and Google Fiber, Metronet does not impose charges for utilizing its router, but charges $10 per month for Whole Home Wi-Fi.

Optimum

• Equipment Fee: No.
• Optimum provides hybrid fiber and cable, along with completely fiber-optic connections. Customers are supplied with the Altice Gateway, functioning as their home’s modem and router.
• An Altice spokesperson reports that Optimum internet users with HFC network service may use their own equipment but, at present, Optimum Fiber service is only accessed via the Optimum-provided Gateway.

Rise Broadband

• Equipment Fee: Yes ($10 to $15 per month router rental).
• Rise Broadband delivers fixed wireless connections throughout much of the central United States, often in rural areas. The ISP covers the equipment rental fee in select regions (including the modem and antenna that receive the over-the-air signal). many will have to pay $10 just for the receiver, then an additional $15 to rent a router. The router rental is optional; the receiver lease is not.

Sparklight

• Equipment Fee: Yes ($14 per month for modem).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• Sparklight charges $14 monthly for its cable modem, with an extra $10 monthly for an additional access point. Sparklight also provides an “Ultimate Wi-Fi Bundle,” comprising your modem, two eero Wi-Fi devices, and eero plus for $25 monthly.
• To prevent the monthly charge, a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem device is required. A list of Sparklight recommended modems is available.

Spectrum

• Equipment fee: Yes ($10 to $15 per month router rental).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• Spectrum includes a free modem with all of its home internet plans, but a $10 monthly router rental is needed to access the 500Mbps plan.
  Users of the 1-gig plan get equipment included in their monthly bills.
• To avoid that monthly fee, you’ll need to use your own router. However, if your equipment malfunctions, it won’t be eligible for Spectrum technical support. You can also use your own modem, but make sure to use a Spectrum-supported model.

Starlink

• Equipment fee: Yes ($349-$599 one-time purchase).
• Can you skip it? No.
• Starlink, the high-profile internet service aims to revolutionize satellite internet through enhanced speeds and reduced latency. Instead of an additional monthly charge for your equipment, Starlink requires that you pay for the equipment up front. That means a payout of $349 to $599 for standard service.

Starry Internet

• Equipment fee: No.
• Starry focuses on larger cities, including Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, and New York City. Customized equipment optimizes the urban technology (included in the price) and has no additional charge.

T-Mobile

• Equipment fee: No.
• T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service requires a 5G modem, which T-Mobile provides free of charge.
• You can plug your router into T-Mobile’s gateway. With fast top speeds and support for Wi-Fi 6, T-Mobile’s gateway is probably enough for anyone beyond that.

Verizon

• Equipment fee: No.
• Verizon offers three distinct home internet services: Verizon Fios, Verizon 5G Home Internet, and Verizon LTE (4G). Each includes the equipment rental in the monthly price.

Viasat

• Equipment fee: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router).
• Can you skip it? No.
• Viasat’s inescapable, monthly equipment charge mirrors HughesNet. Choosing to pay for the equipment outright for $250 might earn a slight reduction, but there are no significant savings unless Viasat service is retained beyond the initial two-year period.

WOW (WideOpenWest)

• Equipment fee: No.
• Whilst WOW provides the modem at no charge within their monthly fee, customers retain the option to acquire their own WOW-approved modem. For an additional $10 per month, an Eero 6 router can be rented. This fee can be bypassed if a suitable, pre-owned router is already available.

Xfinity

• Equipment fee: Yes ($15 to $20 per month for modem/router gateway device rental).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• Xfinity permits customers to lease the xFi Gateway at $15 monthly in select locations, with equipment included at no added charge in others. Users can avert the monthly charge by deploying their own modem and router.
• The Xfinity website houses a comprehensive list of supported modems, but almost any router will work.
• Xfinity offers xFi Complete, an in-home W-iFi option for $15 to $25 extra a month, depending on where you live. The xFi Complete package comes with unlimited data, a Wi-Fi Boost Pod, and the ability to manage the security of your network through various controls.

Ziply Fiber

• Equipment fee: Yes ($15 monthly router fee).
• Can you skip it? Yes.
• Ziply Fiber features an optimized Wi-Fi 7 router for all fiber plans as well as Whole Home Wi-Fi for $15 monthly. Ziply recommends using its router “for the best fiber internet experience.”

Determining if Buying Your Own Router is Worthwhile

The answer depends on your ISP’s terms of service, but in many cases, buying your own router and internet modem makes sense. Most ISPs allow you to refuse modem or router rentals, reducing your monthly bill. Investing in your own internet equipment has the possibility to improve speed while cutting your monthly bill. If you’re not sure which router to invest in, know that dozens of top-rated routers and internet equipment, including mesh networks and Wi-Fi extenders, have been tested.