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Is a modem required to connect ORBI to a Internet provider
I understand that ORBIs do not include modems, but are modems necessary to connect ORBI to the Internet coming into the house? When is a modem necessary and when is it not required? If it matters, ...
peterg09 wrote:I understand that ORBIs do not include modems, but are modems necessary to connect ORBI to the Internet coming into the house? When is a modem necessary and when is it not required? If it matters, I will be an Xfinity Internet customer and the ORBI is the RBK753S from Costco. Thank you.
There must be some device that can be connected to the Orbi WAN (yellow) port to provide a conversion between the Internet Service Provider (ISP) network and the Orbi router. For cable (coax) systems, it is called a "modem". If the ISP network is fiber, it often a "fiber Optical Network Terminator (ONT)."
My guess is that Xfinity is a cable system. Customers have the option of renting a modem from the ISP or purchasing their own from the list of supported cable modems on the ISP support web site.
Hope this helps.
peterg09 wrote:I understand that ORBIs do not include modems, but are modems necessary to connect ORBI to the Internet coming into the house? When is a modem necessary and when is it not required? If it matters, I will be an Xfinity Internet customer and the ORBI is the RBK753S from Costco. Thank you.
There must be some device that can be connected to the Orbi WAN (yellow) port to provide a conversion between the Internet Service Provider (ISP) network and the Orbi router. For cable (coax) systems, it is called a "modem". If the ISP network is fiber, it often a "fiber Optical Network Terminator (ONT)."
My guess is that Xfinity is a cable system. Customers have the option of renting a modem from the ISP or purchasing their own from the list of supported cable modems on the ISP support web site.
Hope this helps.
Don't want to "beat a dead horse", but (flog away anyway).....
You are probably aware that whether to lease or purchase the modem is a classic economic risk/reward decision:
- Renting the modem will cost more in the long run than buying your own.
A Netgear CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 modem runs from $120 (refurb) to $160 (new) on Amazon.
At the base Xfinity modem rental rate of $14/month, the break-even time is right around one year.
BUT... when the modem is leased, Xfinity is 100% responsible for the modem. If it breaks, they have to fix it. - Purchasing the modem can save $100's of dollars, as much as $168/year. Wow!
BUT... if anything goes wrong with the modem, you get to deal with it. File warranty claims. Buy a replacement and wait for it to arrive.
In a crazy twist of fate, my new deal with Spectrum includes the modem at no charge, possibly because I have telephone service through Spectrum. So I have not had to make this decision (yet).
- Renting the modem will cost more in the long run than buying your own.