Cable modem TW is supplying?

[ArgMeMatey]

What cable modem is Time Warner currently supplying in the MKE area?  

I am considering switching to TW internet (no TV, no phone) and after the six months "free" modem deal is up I might buy a modem.  TW supports the SB6141, which is DOCSIS 3.0, but it's not widely available and about $90.  

What's the cheap alternative that just works, no frills?

[Ralph Kramden]

Mine is a Cisco DPC2100R2. They are charging for the modem now? Ours is free, part of the plan.

[LoadStar]

Time Warner doesn't charge for the modem, unlike Comcast. There is no point to buying one. (Unless something has radically changed in the last couple of months, of course.)

[kevbeck122]

Nope, TWC still supplies the modem and doesn't charge rent.  I don't think they would activate a modem you bought, but I could be wrong.

If you get RR Extreme (30/5) or Wideband (50/5), you will get the Motorola SBG6580 DOCSIS 3 gateway (wireless is disabled if you don't pay for it).  You can turn off the routing functions and just make it act like a regular modem.

If you get anything below those two options (such as turbo, standard, lite, etc), you'll probably get the Cisco modem that was mentioned above (or maybe they're starting to use the Motorola for everyone, not sure).

[ArgMeMatey]

Thanks folks.  I appreciate the info.  

Regarding the modem fee, here is what the TW website says for my street address:

[Ralph Kramden]

That's a new policy then. And the $29.99 per month is only for new customers. The normal rate is about $47 per month I think.

[kevbeck122]

Found a thread about this happening in NYC: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r27011786-New-fee-monthly-modem-rental-2.50-TWC-NYC-new-customer

Existing customers are grandfathered in supposedly with no fee.

Here's a list from Texas of approved modems... shouldn't be too different here:
http://www.timewarnercable.com/texas/support/topic.ashx/Approved+Customer+Device+List

[ArgMeMatey]

the $29.99 per month is only for new customers. The normal rate is about $47 per month I think.

I don't get too worked up over the "second year" because despite the fact that I've had AT&T since 2003, I've never hit that second year.  In 2000 I was paying an SDSL provider $50 a month for 768 Kbps, moved to Earthlink cable for a couple of years, and eventually ended up with AT&T  .... At peak savings I was down to $15 for 1536 Kbps.  I am now paying $30 for 12 Mbps.  

This year AT&T seems to be saying they're done with that nonsense, so unless they change their tune I'm moving to Time Warner.  

In 12 months, maybe AT&T will want me back enough to offer a better deal.  Token competition, i.e. a duopoly, is better than none at all.

[ArgMeMatey]

Here's a list from Texas of approved modems... shouldn't be too different here:

Thanks.  I saw both of those but hadn't noticed the list was from Texas.  I wonder if it applies here.  

But, if I go with Time Warner I suppose I've got six months to think about it unless they have a "modem changing fee".

[budda]

Wow, lot of back and fourth info on this thread. Bottom line is. Yes they charge for your modem after the intro period. They only don't charge if you don't really check your bill or its a promotion. Yes you can buy one, if you are worried just call or do a on line chat with them and find out the supported modems. Or if you just buy one make sure it supports the speed you are subscribe to. Not all modems can handle the same speeds. All modems should work but will default to the best speed it can pass thru or handle. For 2.49 a month. Not that bad. if your modem craps out. rare but it happens they replace it. Also if you have trouble you will get charged to trouble shoot a non TW modem. Just a few thoughts. How much trouble have you had in the past? peace and good luck.

[ArgMeMatey]

Also if you have trouble you will get charged to trouble shoot a non TW modem. Just a few thoughts. How much trouble have you had in the past? peace and good luck.

If I get my own modem, do they leave the capabilities intact on the Ethernet side?  That is, presumably they "lock" everything on the HFC side but I want to see Layer 1-3 stuff such as signal levels, channel assignments, and IP config via a web interface on my side.  

When I had TW before I had a Motorola surfboard with decent diagnostics that I could access as a customer.  From that I could get a pretty good idea whether the problem was with my stuff or the signal coming from them.

My main interest is that right now with AT&T UVerse I have this 2Wire 3600HGV behemoth that's got every capability under the sun, but all I want is diagnostics and one Ethernet port like my old ADSL Speedstream 4100 had.  It's not horrible but I appreciate having discrete components and unassailable test points.  The value of that far outweights any advantage of having modem, wifi, firewall and router all in the same device.  

Frankly from a competitive unbundling perspective, the greatest benefit of having one piece of hardware is to the provider who leases the modem to me:  They get an income stream every month and the pain of switching keeps the customer more "loyal".  

On the other hand, I bypass (dmzplus) most of the 2Wire and have my own router behind it.  That way when I switch providers, it's basically one layer down and I don't have to mess with my internal config.  That's become more and more important as we now have maybe 20 devices, quite a few DHCP reserved addresses, QoS rules, port forwarding, DDNS and so on, that would all have to be replicated to a new router if I switched providers.

[brewtownska]

Here in Waukesha, I had TWC change out my modem (free, grandfathered in from long ago) back in September, and it was a Motorola Surfboard 5102.

[LoadStar]

Found a thread about this happening in NYC: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r27011786-New-fee-monthly-modem-rental-2.50-TWC-NYC-new-customer

Existing customers are grandfathered in supposedly with no fee.

Here's a list from Texas of approved modems... shouldn't be too different here:
http://www.timewarnercable.com/texas/support/topic.ashx/Approved+Customer+Device+List

Same list if you switch to our local site:
http://www.timewarnercable.com/Midwest/support/topic.ashx/Approved+Customer+Device+List

[ArgMeMatey]

Same list if you switch to our local site:
http://www.timewarnercable.com/Midwest/support/topic.ashx/Approved+Customer+Device+List

Thanks for checking that out!

[gundi]

On the TW order screenshot on page 1 of this topic, why does TW ask if your computer is within 6 feet of a cable outlet? Can't you just have a modem, say in the basement, where the coax cable comes into a house? I have my modem/ router in the basement for DSL. I am thinking of changing to RR.
Thanks