|
Run the bandwidth numbers. If you are only paying for slow access, any modem will do. If you have an old TV and low-resolution computers, any modem will do. If you're buying 300 GB or 1 TB bandwidth, you need a state-of-the-art modem. Ditto if you have three teenagers streaming HD movies. If you are anticipating even faster speeds soon to come, then ditto. The modems the carriers provide are pretty poor and won't deliver the speeds you may have coming into the house, and have various other limitations. I would prefer to spend the money on a good high spec modem and get the speed I want.
Will that modem die? Yes. As mentioned above, lightning, any kind of electrical shock, too much dust collecting on the power supply, installation where it overheats, any shock coming in through the coax, and other issues can all kill one. Comcast cannot send a shock down your coax or optical fiber to kill your unit. Sorry. If it died it was its time, or you did something or allowed nature to do something to it. Modems tend to be a bit fragile and while the chipsets are pretty reliable, the power supplies (as mentioned above) and integrated telephony or wifi chips tend to go pretty easily. It's the nature of the beast. Buy one and get a cheap 5-year replacement warranty with it; that's about the best you can do. And remember don't cry when a modem dies. In the three years you had it, modems will have gone through at least a couple levels of performance improvement and you now have the opportunity to get better usage with newer equipment.
|