Community Chat

[MKR14]

I have my own router since 2011 and it has never given me a problem until now. I was going to buy a new one but a relative suggested Spectrum's router as it is built into my modem. He said it was faster and upgrades automatically when it is needed.

Anyone use theirs and are satisfied? If I buy my own again it has to be a compatible one to use with Spectrum. They have a list on their site. I believe it is an extra $5.00 a month to use theirs.

[CherryHugs]

Spectrum is what I have and never have had any issues with it at all, and my family all has too, and no issues.

[CAcableGirl2]

@MKR14  I have an older spectrum modem/router and need to upgrade myself.  I know that their routers are good for most customers, but some who use a lot of bandwidth or have larger homes (more wi-fi capability), they end up purchasing their own.  I think it would make sense to buy instead of lease if you are going to have it for a long time and need the extra speed, or live in a community where a lot of people are on-line at the same time. 

I will check with my co-worker today and find out what he bought since I know he just bought a new router at Costco a few weeks ago and told me that he could really see a huge difference in the speed with the one that he purchased.  He has several children at home doing home schooling and I think he needed the extra speed and bandwidth for them to all be on-line at the same time.

[Catlady Nicole]

I used to be in the "buy your own router" camp, but it seemed they were becoming obsolte as fast as I could buy them, so I decided to go with Spectrums router.  It's worth the cost as they fully support the equipment and can help troubleshoot any problems.  If it is determined to be faulty, they'll replace it for free.  Just more bang for your buck, in my opinion.

[alicedee]

Routers wear out.  When mine died I started paying the monthly rental to Spectrum.  I use internet constantly, and it is well worth it to me.

I never have issues, don't have to worry about updates, and if it stops working they replace it.

[Still Raining]

Treat them like they only have one job, then they are out.  Just get whatever your provider says is good and realize they have a life span.  Otherwise they will tease and taunt you by going off and on.

[SilleeMee]

I was buying my own router until I realized just how quickly they can become obsolete or even stop working. Routers in general are sensitive pieces of electronics and they can get damaged very easily by the slightest surge of electrical power or static electricity. For those reasons I now have one I rent from my provider so when it breaks or becomes obsolete then they will give me an updated new one.

Some routers contain a backup battery so when your electricity gets shut off for some reason then the router will still work. But if it doesn't have a battery then you might want to consider buying an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) so that your router will always be on. These UPS devices are usually integrated into a surge protection unit so that part helps even more if surges are a concern for you. 

Routers need to be powered down intermittently so that they can update their firmware and clear out unnecessary junk data which accumulated inside the router over time. That kind of data has the potential to be dangerous by allowing it to remain inside your router where the data can be used by crooks to break into your network. Just unplug your router from the electrical outlet in the wall, wait about 15 seconds, plug it back into the wall outlet then wait for it to reboot/reset/update which will usually take several minutes. That will also improve your router's performance in speed and reliability.

[MKR14]

Thank you everyone for your input. I do believe these are quickly getting obsolete quickly.

I unplug and reset my modem and router once a week to clear data out. 
I am leaning toward Spectrum due to your responses regarding they will update the router if needed.

Here is my speeds I just checked on my iPad. Not good.

My son does Medical Billing here from home and will be going to another job for a month. I will swap over at that time not to mess up his work time.

Thanks to everyone.

Is it best to just pay and let them hook it up to save down time? Also I want to keep my own password and name I call my router.

[CAcableGirl2]

@MKR14   If you decide to purchase one, these work on the Spectrum network.  Both by Netgear, the Orby and the Nighthawk.  If the model starts with AC or AX, the number after it will determine the faster speed, the higher the number, the faster the speed, and the more expensive.  I've seen them from about $150-$250 depending on where you get them.

Your speed will be faster when you are directly hooked up to the modem vs. using wi-fi. 

[SilleeMee]

@MKR14 

When you get your new router, just plug it in and it should find your devices without having to change anything. If you have a desktop then I would run a direct wire from that to the router for a better connection...faster and more reliable that way. BTW, your speed test looks really bad. How fast is your download speed suppose to be?