The Secret to Slashing Your Internet Bill Is Owning This One Item

CNET

10 hours ago

US households pay a monthly median of $63 for internet, and that doesn't include the extra fees you get charged for equipment or maintenance. Not to forget, this cost only goes up over time because of price hikes, according to a CNET survey. One easy way to save on your monthly internet bill is to buy your own internet equipment instead of renting it from your provider.
CNET's experts are always looking to find ways to help you save money, get a faster internet connection and make sense of all the confusing terms on your home internet bills. Looking to save some money on your broadband service in the long run? You might want to consider cutting out that monthly equipment fee by buying your own modem or router, which means saving on your monthly and yearly internet costs.
Can you buy your own router?
Nearly 70% of households rent routers from their ISP, and that figure makes sense once you factor in confusing internet bills and terms of service. While some internet providers provide the equipment for free, others won't let you skip the rental -- meaning, you must use the internet provider's equipment even if you already have your own router. Though most ISPs will let you use your own router and modem, it can be confusing to navigate those service policies.
The bottom line is that buying your own router is a simple way to future-proof your home while trimming down potential extra fees on your bill. The up-front cost of internet equipment may seem pricey, but you'll find that paying for everything at once actually saves money: You can reduce your monthly internet bill by as much as $15 and save hundreds of dollars over the years, like CNET's Joe Supan who decided to stop renting internet equipment from Xfinity. Plus, you may even find that a new router improves your internet speeds -- especially if you're on a cable internet plan with slow upload speeds.
If you have hesitations about the high up-front costs, know that plenty of decent modems cost less than $100. With the average cost of renting a modem from your provider around $10 per month, a device would pay for itself in less than a year and then continue saving you money each month. In other cases, where providers will rent you a high-end gaming router or a decent mesh router for a modest monthly fee, doing so might be a pretty decent deal.
Locating local internet providers
Let's run through all of the top options from internet providers to see how their equipment policies compare and whether you're in a position to save some money.
AT&T
Equipment fee: No
This is significant because AT&T used to charge $10 monthly for its equipment. The company required the use of its combination modem-and-router gateway device and didn't allow customers to use their own modem. That meant that you couldn't skip the $10 monthly additional fee. In 2022, AT&T scrapped its equipment fee for all internet plans, so customers need not worry about that additional amount getting tacked onto their monthly bill.
Read our AT&T home internet review. See at AT&T
CenturyLink CenturyLink
Equipment fee: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router gateway device rental)
Can you skip it? Yes
CenturyLink charges $15 monthly to rent a gateway that combines a modem and a router into one device. If you sign up for DSL with CenturyLink, that gateway will be one of three models: the Greenwave C4000, the Zyxel C4000LZ or the Zyxel C3000Z. If you have a fiber plan with Quantum Fiber, your equipment is included at no extra cost for an "initial period," however long that may be. You can skip that $15 fee by using a gateway or modem of your own, but CenturyLink cautions customers not to use anything that isn't on its list of approved devices.
You can also opt to buy CenturyLink equipment upfront, for $200 plus tax, an investment that would pay for itself after a year and one month of service.
"CenturyLink highly recommends using one of our certified or recommended Wi-Fi modems (gateways), which have been tested and approved to work optimally with our high-speed internet technology," the company's website reads. "Retired and third-party devices are more likely to cause performance issues and may not connect to your internet service correctly."
Remember, if you're replacing CenturyLink's gateway with a standard modem, then you'll also need to find a good router to go with it.
Read our CenturyLink home internet review. See at CenturyLink
Frontier
Equipment fee: No
Frontier Fiber includes equipment rental fees with the monthly cost, which is already lower than most. For plans 500Mbps and faster, Frontier offers the Eero Pro 7, a Wi-Fi 7 router. The 200Mbps plan comes with the Eero Pro 6E, and all DSL plans come with the Eero Pro 6.
For an additional $10 a month, you can add Whole Home Wi-Fi with up to two mesh Wi-Fi extenders for better coverage.
Read our Frontier home internet review. See at Frontier
Google Fiber
Equipment fee: No
Google Fiber customers receive a modem and a mesh router with up to two additional extenders at no additional cost. If you subscribe to Google Fiber's fastest plan, with download speeds of up to 8Gbps, then you'll get a faster, multi-gig router to go with it, complete with support for Wi-Fi 6E.
Read our Google Fiber home internet review. See at Google
Hughesnet
Equipment fee: Yes ($15 to $20 per month for modem/router gateway device rental)
Can you skip it? No
Hughesnet provides satellite internet service to all 50 states. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that satellite internet features pretty pricey equipment costs. Customers must rent Hughesnet's equipment to the tune of $15 per month or $20 per month if opting for Hughesnet's Fusion plan that combines satellite internet with low-latency fixed wireless internet. There are no options to skip those monthly fees. The only alternative provided is to buy the equipment up front for $300 ($450 with the Fusion plan).
That's a tough pill to swallow. Paying that much right out of the gate is not appealing. Once you consider that Hughesnet requires a two-year contract (and canceling early will activate an early termination fee), you may find that the up-front cost will save you money if you foresee staying with Hughesnet beyond your initial term.
Read our HughesNet review. See at Allconnect
Kinetic by Windstream
Equipment fee: Yes ($11 for modem/router gateway device rental)
Can you skip it? Yes
Kinetic is Windstream's home internet service, and the equipment rental fees cost $11 a month. Paying that fee gets you a combination modem-and-router gateway device, but you can skip the fee outright if you use your own modem and router hardware.
The company has different hardware requirements for different customers based on the specific nature of the connection (some DSL subscribers use ADSL technology, while others use VDSL, for instance). Be sure to ask Windstream for some guidance specific to your home's connection before you make a purchase -- the customer service number is 800-347-1991.
Read our Kinetic by Windstream home internet review. See at Windstream
Mediacom
Equipment fees: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router gateway device)
Can you skip them? Yes
Mediacom is a midsize cable internet provider, and customers need to pay $15 per month to rent a cable modem/router gateway from the company. You can skip that fee by using your own, but it'll need to be at least a DOCSIS 3.1 model plus a compatible router. Here's the full list of approved hardware (PDF).
The WiFi360Pro, which comes with two Eero Wi-Fi units (and Eero secure services), is included for one year of service. It supports up to 1Gbps and supports Wi-Fi 6. Mediacom also offers Eero Wi-Fi extenders for $5 a month.
Read our Mediacom home internet review. See at Mediacom
Metronet
Equipment fees: No
Metronet is a 100% fiber-optic internet provider in the Midwest that covers Indiana and 15 other states nationwide. Like fellow fiber providers like AT&T and Google Fiber, Metronet doesn't charge customers to use its router. It does charge $10 per month if you want to add Whole Home Wi-Fi, but that is optional, not a required cost.
Read our Metronet review. See at Metronet
Optimum
Equipment fee: No
Optimum offers both hybrid fiber and cable connections and 100% fiber hookups. The company provides customers with its Altice Gateway, which serves as your home's modem and router. Your exact model depends on your specific plan and whether your home's connection uses cable or fiber.
"Optimum internet customers using service delivered via our HFC network are able to use their own equipment," an Altice spokesperson tells CNET. "Optimum Fiber service is currently only delivered via the Optimum-provided Gateway, which is designed specifically to work with our fiber network."
Read our Optimum home internet review. See at Optimum
Rise Broadband
Equipment fee: Yes ($10 to $15 per month router rental)
Rise Broadband is a provider of fixed wireless home internet connections throughout much of the middle of the country, including many rural areas. The ISP covers the cost of the equipment rental fee in select regions (including the modem and antenna that receive the over-the-air signal), but many will have to pay $10 just for the receiver, then an additional $15 to rent a router. The router rental is optional; the receiver lease is not. If you're eligible for fiber internet, that equipment rental is optional.
Read our Rise Broadband home internet review. See at Rise Broadband
Sparklight
Equipment fee: Yes ($14 per month for modem)
Can you skip it? Yes
Sparklight charges customers $14 per month for its cable modem. For an additional access point, Sparklight charges an extra $10 monthly. Sparklight also offers an "Ultimate Wi-Fi Bundle," which includes your modem, two eero Wi-Fi devices and eero plus for $25 monthly.
If you want to skip the monthly charge, Sparklight requires you to use a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem device. If you choose to go that route to save on the added monthly fee, here's a list of Sparklight recommended modems.
Read our Sparklight home internet review. See at Sparklight
Spectrum Spectrum
Equipment fee: Yes ($10 per month for router rental, modem provided free of charge)
Can you skip it? Yes
Spectrum includes a free modem with all of its home internet plans, but if you don't have a router, you'll need to rent one for $10 per month if you're on the 500Mbps plan. Users of the 1-gig plan get equipment included in their monthly bills.
To avoid that monthly fee, you'll need to use your own router. However, if your equipment malfunctions, it won't be eligible for Spectrum technical support. You can also use your own modem, but make sure to use a Spectrum-supported model.
Read our Spectrum home internet review. See at Spectrum
Starlink Starlink
Equipment fee: Yes ($349-$599 one-time purchase)
Can you skip it? No
Starlink, Elon Musk's internet service, aims to disrupt the satellite internet category by providing faster speeds and lower latency than offered by rivals Hughesnet and Viasat. What Starlink shares with those companies is a stark equipment fee. Instead of an additional monthly charge for your equipment, Starlink requires that you pay for the equipment up front. That means a payout of $349 to $599 for standard service.
Read more about Starlink. See at Starlink
Verizon Home Internet
Equipment fee: No
Verizon offers three separate home internet services: Verizon Fios, Verizon 5G Home Internet and Verizon LTE (4G). Each service is a bit different, but one thing they all have in common is that your equipment rental is included in the price.
Read our Verizon home internet review. See at Verizon
Viasat
Equipment fee: Yes ($15 per month for modem/router)
Can you skip it? No
Viasat charges the same cost for monthly equipment as rival HughesNet and its monthly equipment charge is still inescapable. You could get a slight discount on that monthly price by choosing to pay for the equipment with a one-time purchase of $250, but there are no significant savings to be had there unless you hold on to your Viasat service beyond the initial two-year contract.
Read our Viasat internet review. See at Allconnect
WideOpenWest
Equipment fee: No
WideOpenWest -- or WOW, as the company enjoys branding itself -- includes the modem cost in your monthly fee but you can still buy your own WOW-approved modem. Separately, customers can pay $10 per month to rent an Eero 6 router. You can skip that fee if you already have a router that you're happy with.
Ten dollars per month isn't a bad price to try out a mesh system in your home, but that older version of Eero sells in a two-pack for $189, and you can often find it on sale. If you plan on using that router for longer than a year and a half or so, it's probably better to buy one of your own.
Read our WOW home internet review. See at WOW
Xfinity
Equipment fee: Yes ($15 to $20 per month for modem/router gateway device rental)
Can you skip it? Yes
Xfinity offers customers the option of renting the xFi Gateway, which combines a modem and a router into a single device, at $15 per month in select locations. In others, and with select plans, equipment is included at no extra cost. If you have a fee, you can skip the monthly charge by using your own modem and router.
Pretty much any router will work, but you must ensure the modem is a DOCSIS 3.1 model. The Xfinity website has a full list of supported modems.
Additionally, Xfinity offers xFi Complete, an in-home W-iFi option for $15 to $25 extra a month, depending on where you live. The xFi Complete package comes with unlimited data (a nice perk since Xfinity enforces data caps on most plans), a Wi-Fi Boost Pod for extended coverage throughout the home, and the ability to manage the security of your network through various controls.
Read our Xfinity home internet review. See at Xfinity
Ziply Fiber
Equipment fee: Yes ($15 monthly router fee)
Can you skip it? Yes
Ziply Fiber features an optimized Wi-Fi 7 router for all fiber plans as well as Whole Home Wi-Fi for $15 monthly. You can also skip that additional monthly fee by using your own router, but to paraphrase an FAQ on Ziply's website, it recommends you use the Ziply Fiber router "for the best fiber internet experience."
Read our Ziply Fiber review. See at Ziply Fiber
Is it worth buying your own router?
It depends on your ISP's terms of service, but in most cases, it makes sense to buy your own router and save $10 to $15 a month, if not more. Most ISPs will let you opt out of a modem or router rental, and if you have that option, you should take it. Investing in your internet equipment can lead to overall improved speeds while trimming down your monthly bill. If you're unsure about what router to invest in, we've tested dozens of top-rated routers and internet equipment, including mesh networks and Wi-Fi extenders.