cable modem Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Lightning destroyed my cable modem. Should I replace my router too?

Posted on August 7, 2025

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Question from Kendra: Hi, Rick. We had a pretty bad thunderstorm last night that caused a lot of damage in my area.

Once I noticed the lightning I turned everything off like I always do when it’s storming and then went on to bed.

This morning when I turned everything back on I couldn’t get the cable box or the modem to light up at all. They’re completely dead.

I called the cable company and they’re sending a technician out to replace the cable box and modem.

What I need to know is do you think I need to buy a new router too? It lights up like it always did and it appears to be working. [Read more…]

Is an outdated modem throttling your Internet connection?

Posted on July 3, 2024

Comcast, Time Warner and other cable Internet providers periodically raise the guaranteed download and upload speeds for their various Internet service tiers in order to remain competitive in the marketplace.

And when they do, they usually email their customers to let them know they’ve received a bump in their connection speeds.

When necessary, they’ll also let the customers know that they’ll need to order a new updated modem in order to actually take advantage of the faster data transmission speeds provided by their plan.

The problem is, many customers either don’t receive the notification emails about the needed modem upgrades or the emails get lost in their junk folder. [Read more…]

Why you shouldn’t accept a used modem from your ISP

Posted on December 3, 2023

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who subscribe to broadband Internet service through Xfinity, Charter or another Internet Service Provider (ISP), you most likely rent your modem (or Internet gateway) from them.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, even though you can opt to purchase your own modem if you want to.

When a modem needs to be replaced, most customers who rent their modems simply accept whatever device the technician pulls out of the truck and installs for them without even giving it a second thought.

Well, that can be a very big mistake. Why? Read on and I’ll explain… [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you use two cable modems in the same house?

Posted on May 8, 2023

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Question from Michael: I’ve rented a room in a private home and I’ll be moving in next week. I have a question about my options concerning Internet access.

The room I’m moving into is already wired for cable and they have Internet through Comcast/Xfinity.

The thing is, my landlord won’t let me use his Wi-Fi connection. He said I’ll have to have to sign up for an account with Comcast and get my own cable modem.

Which brings me to my question: Is that even possible to have two cable modems in the same house? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I use a Powerline Networking Kit to connect my modem to my router?

Posted on February 16, 2023

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Question from David: My wife and I just bought a two story house that’s pretty large and the WiFi signal won’t reach all the bedrooms on the second floor.

I’m certain that moving the cable modem and wireless router from the den to someplace near middle of the house would do the trick, but that would require having the cable company come out and run a new wire.

I’d rather not do that if I can possibly avoid it. [Read more…]