Will any modem work with my provider?

No, and this is the main way the purchase goes wrong. Providers publish approved-device lists, and a modem that is not on yours may not be provisioned at all, or may be provisioned at reduced capability. Check that list — your provider's, for your plan — before buying anything. Compatibility is provider-specific, which is why we do not publish those lists here.

Does buying a modem make my internet faster?

Only if the equipment you have is actually limiting you — an older modem that cannot support your plan's tier, for instance. A current modem on a plan it already supports delivers what the plan delivers. The saving is on the bill, not on the speed test.

Should I get a modem-router combo?

It is tidier and it is one less power socket. The cost is flexibility: the two components age at different rates and have different reasons to be replaced, and a combo unit makes you replace both at once. Separates also let you put the router where coverage wants it rather than where the line enters.

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Buying your own modem: when it pays and when it backfires

Buying a modem is one of the few home-network purchases with a straightforward payback calculation — and a few specific ways to get it wrong.

Short answer

Worth it on cable service you expect to keep for a few years, where the rental is a recurring line on every bill. Not worth it if you may switch providers soon, if your service is fiber or fixed wireless (where the terminating equipment is generally not yours to choose), or if you want one party accountable when the line goes down.

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Of all home-network spending, this is the one with a genuine calculation behind it rather than a judgement call. A rented modem is a recurring charge; a purchased one is a fixed cost. Divide the purchase by the monthly rental and you have the number of months to break even. Everything after that is saving, provided you stay.

We are not going to print the figures, because equipment fees vary by provider, plan and market, and they change. Take the rental line off your own most recent bill — it is the only number that is definitely true for you.

Check compatibility first, and check it against your plan

This is where the purchase most often fails. Providers maintain lists of devices approved on their network, and those lists are specific not just to the provider but often to the service tier. A modem that is not approved may not be provisioned at all, or may connect at a capability well below what you are paying for.

Those lists are provider-specific and they change, so we do not reproduce them here — a stale compatibility list is worse than none. Check your provider’s current list, for your plan, before buying. Our sister site covers provider-attached equipment questions in more depth than we do.

The trade-offs that are not financial

Support boundaries. With rented equipment, one party owns the whole path and cannot deflect. With your own, a provider may reasonably ask you to eliminate your hardware first. If you are comfortable diagnosing, this costs nothing. If you are not, it is worth the rental.
Plan changes. Upgrade to a tier your modem cannot support and you are buying again. Buying somewhat above your current tier hedges this, up to a point.
Moving or switching. A modem is only worth what the next provider will provision. If a move or a switch is plausible within the payback period, the arithmetic gets much less attractive.

This applies to cable, mostly

On fiber, the terminating equipment is generally installed and owned by the provider and is not a consumer purchase. On fixed wireless, the receiver is part of the service. The buy-versus-rent question is therefore largely a cable question — which technology reaches you determines whether you have this decision at all.

Where you can buy, note that you may still want a separate router. The modem terminates the line; the router builds the network. Keeping them separate lets you site the router for coverage rather than for cabling.

Common questions

Will any modem work with my provider?: No, and this is the main way the purchase goes wrong. Providers publish approved-device lists, and a modem that is not on yours may not be provisioned at all, or may be provisioned at reduced capability. Check that list — your provider's, for your plan — before buying anything. Compatibility is provider-specific, which is why we do not publish those lists here.
Does buying a modem make my internet faster?: Only if the equipment you have is actually limiting you — an older modem that cannot support your plan's tier, for instance. A current modem on a plan it already supports delivers what the plan delivers. The saving is on the bill, not on the speed test.
Should I get a modem-router combo?: It is tidier and it is one less power socket. The cost is flexibility: the two components age at different rates and have different reasons to be replaced, and a combo unit makes you replace both at once. Separates also let you put the router where coverage wants it rather than where the line enters.

Ready to look at cable modems?

Take the criteria above with you. The listings change constantly; what separates a good one from a cheap one does not.