Question regarding Comcast internet

[Tobolo]

I am moving into a new apartment this weekend. I am sharing the apartment with the current tenant and he is a Comcast cable subscriber.

According to what little Comcast has told me, They will allow us to add internet for a monthly fee without a contract.

My question (one I didn't think of when I was on with Comcast) is will the provide a modem if we are not signing a contract? And if I need to get one, what do I need to get?

~Tob

 

[Gustavus]

I am that rarest of people -- a very happy Comcast subscriber. Been with them for years and have had exceptional service. The point is that I do have a lot of experience with Comcast. You say the other person has Comcast cable. I take it that he has only TV at the moment and not broadband. If he has broadband already you don't need anything from Comcast. Install a router after his modem which will allow both of you internet access without either of you interfering with the other. From what you said, I take it he does not have internet service at the moment. Comcast will add broadband to his existing account -- you should be able to get it for the introductory rate of $19.95 for the first six months and will supply a modem. As mentioned the two of you will only need one modem. I use a Motorola SB5120 which is what Comcast was supplying back when I started. It is a great cable modem and unlike most modems the Configuration Manager in the SB5120 can be addressed on net to read settings and performance. If you get one of these modems, drop me a PM and I will tell you how to do this. If Comcast isn't providing a free modem as a part of the signup package, you can get a Motorola SB5120 on e-Bay for around $20

Note added:
I just checked e-Bay and it appears you can pick an SB5120 up for around $10 if you are lucky

Another note;
This will give you some idea of whay I am so happy with Comcast

http://h.imagehost.org/0966/6-13-2009_10-03-13_AM.jpg

 

[Tobolo]

Thank you for the reply. You are correct, he has TV but no internet. I will go a head and see about hooking up the service this week, and for $10 I am not going to cry over the modem.

In the past I have used bellsouth/att and the modems have been outrageously expensive!

~Tob

 

[Gustavus]

If he is not interested in having internet for himself, you can dispense with the router -- so all you will need is a modem. Comcast is perpetually running introductory offers for broadband -- typically free installation, modem and six months at $19.95. Installaion is almost no work in this case -- just a splitter on the cable to go to the modem and the TV. You could easily do it yourself -- but if it is free, why not let them do it?

The Motorola Configuration Master lets you monitor such things as signal strength, signal to noise ratio etc., which I make regular use of. Very few modems allow you access to the Configuration Manager -- but Motorola does. When I have had to call Comcast on rare occasion because of line problems -- they always say how do you know that when I tell them the signal strength or the signal to noise ratio.

In Florida, Comcast is providing upload speeds almost four times what I have. Wish they did that everywhere. Hope you get great up and down speeds.

 

[vailr]

http://www.comcastoffers.com/
has:
"$19.99/month for first 6 months + free Motorola Wireless modem + $100 Cash Back".

Or: dealing directly with Comcast, you can get "$19.99/month for first 12 months", but no free modem + no cash back.

The wireless modem included with the comcastoffers.com deal:
MOTOROLA SBG900 - $89.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16825122002

Motorola's latest DOCSIS 3.0 modem is:
MOTOROLA SURFboard SB6120 - $83.99:
http://www.superduperclub.net/dhsb6120.html
photo:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...oduct&id=1218068107245

Comcast can rent a modem for $3/month. The rented modem Comcast provides is more likely going to be an older DOCSIS 2.0 modem, not DOCSIS 3.0 (with it's significant speed increase as described by several posters). However, Comcast has only yet upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 circuits in maybe 30% of their subscriber base.
So: you might want to check on their web site for the DOCSIS version being used in any particular service area.

 

[Tobolo]

Wow thanks for the help, I am going to see about getting it ordered this week. My sole refuge is having the internet at work, however the computer just up and died on me this morning. FN DELLS.

 

[sup3rn0th1ng]

man comcast sucks half the time since I have got mine i have had problems...i have no problems with the internet when it works they recently shut off my tv and internet cuz they said i didnt pay...yet they pulled up the account and was like oh you did pay not sure why it was shut off....been shut off all weekend WTF...when i lease my modem just incase something goes wrong...I had my first modem for a month and it went bad...I would just lease a modem honestly.

 

[Gustavus]

All individual internet experience is anecdotal, but my Comcast experience -- as I said earlier -- has been exceptional. They have been my ISP for just over five years, during which time the bandwidth they have offered has been dramatically increased. On those few occasions when a line problem has occurred, the tech support to fix it has been prompt and good. Here are a pair of snapshots I just took of the Configuration Manager in my old Motorola SB5120 modem and of the Speakeasy up and down speeds a few minutes ago.

http://h.imagehost.org/0538/Configuration_manager.jpg

http://h.imagehost.org/0294/Today.jpg

Based on my experience, I can recommend Comcast with no hesitation. And you can see that even an old SB5120 is more than adequate. If you can get the newer SB6120, by all means do so, but if you are having to buy one, $10 - $20 sounds a lot better to me than nearly $100.