<p>Do I need something from the cable company (we get internet through Time Warner) or can I purchase something on my own?</p>
<p>You need to have a modem and buy a router. The router serves as a wifi spot.</p>
<p>There was just another thread about this with many suggestions.</p>
<p>We just got a new DSL modem that was also a wifi router. You can ask your internet provider if that is a possibility.
You can also go out on your own and get a router.</p>
<p>See this thread for all kinds of suggestions on what kind of router to get and many different opinions.</p>
<p><a href=“geting wifi at home for student - #31 by cobrat - Parent Cafe - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1670726-geting-wifi-at-home-for-student-p3.html</a></p>
<p>Thought I found another thread, but was the same one. Guess I can’t delete this post.</p>
<p>Thanks for the link. I will go to Best Buy and see if they have a router that will work. </p>
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<p>First check to make sure the modem you have (if supplied by Time Warner) doesn’t already have an integrated router with wifi built-in. You may have wifi capability already and not know it. Can you tell us about the model of modem you have now?</p>
<p>And, if you do rent a modem monthly from Time Warner then you might just consider purchasing your own, as that can often pay for itself within a year.</p>
<p>(edited to include comment on buying vs renting modem).</p>
<p>Almost any router will work, assuming you don’t have a router built into the cable modem, some of them do. It may be worthwhile to buy a cable modem with a router and use that in place of the one you rent from Time Warner, in the long run will save you money. If you don’t want to do that, then almost any N class router will work fine. The only real differences between routers are things like the range, how far you can be from them and still see the wifi signal, if you plan on working close to the router then it probably doesn’t matter much which one you buy. I have an Apple Airport Extreme, which is expensive but has a great range, and is really easy to setup, but you can get decent routers for a fraction of what it cost. If the range is an issue, check out websites like Cnet.com or pcmagazine.com, and look up their reviews of routers, they will say which ones had the best range. </p>
<p>If you buy your own cable modem/router, it is better to buy them separately rather than get them combined in one unit. It reduces troubleshooting complications from having one or the other fail considering they’re usually on 24/7. </p>
<p>Also, it is better in terms of flexibility when one decides to upgrade the router or modem for technological upgrade reasons later on. </p>
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<p>I and many other friends did buy our modems rather than rent them not only to save on the monthly modem fee, but also because many cable modem companies have a policy of renting obsolete older modems to customers until their stocks of those modems are exhausted. </p>
<p>There’s no way we’d be willing to rent a modem…especially one even they admitted was obsolete for the service tier we were paying for. </p>
<p>As for routers, I have been pretty happy with Linksys and Asus routers. </p>
<p>I’d look on newegg for routers as they can be cheaper than what you get in the local stores. </p>
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<p>Not true anymore with new modem. There is no reason to have both. They take room and are cumbersome.
My Time Warner cable modem with router works fine with wired or wireless devices. I watch a lot of Netflix streaming movies on my TV via wireless connection.</p>
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<p>However, if either the modem part or the router part goes bad at some point, you/tech’ll have a harder time troubleshooting the issue due to the greater complexity of the device and when the cause is found, need to replace the entire unit as opposed to replacing one or the other. </p>
<p>Also, the greater complexity of the combo device means there’s many more potential points of failure, especially considering they are often on 24/7. If they are designed smaller to take up less space, there’s also greater potential for failure due to overheating issues due to inadequately designed cooling designs due to the small compact size.* </p>
<p>Especially considering the amount of heat generated by newer processing chipsets inside modems and routers to enable faster wired/wireless speeds to stream more data for extended periods. </p>
<ul>
<li>This is also a serious issue with smaller notebook computers and small-form factor desktops.</li>
</ul>
<p>The biggest thing I did to preserve cable modem life and router life was to get a ups unit (it was like 100 bucks), it covers the computer, my cable modem and the wireless router (btw, a cable modem is not technically a modem, it is a router as well, it has a mac address and sits on the cable companies network), and since I installed it, have not had either unit fail. I suspect the combined unit probably is no less reliable than separate ones, and unless you keep them covered up, as long as there is proper airflow, it will probably work fine. </p>
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<p>While a UPS unit will protect your electronic equipment from erratic issues with your power sources arising from erratic current, thunderstorms, electrical surges, brownouts, etc…it won’t protect them from overheating issues due to poor design due to obsession with aesthetics and compact size over adequate cooling design/components. </p>
<p>Also, UPS units have a finite lifespan and do need to be periodically replaced, especially after a serious electrical surge event. Saw plenty of folks learn that the hard way during my college years due to the erratic power sources provided by the local electric provider and its infrastructure. </p>
<p>Damage from overheating is one issue I dealt with when examining small form factor desktops, smaller notebooks, and even some routers/cable modem equipment. </p>
<p>You’d be surprised at how much manufacturers have been skimping on things like adequate ventilation design on the case, heatsinks, etc to ensure adequate cooling of smaller notebooks computers, small form factor desktops, routers, and yes, some cable modems rented/provided to end users. </p>
<p>Our router has been acting up lately. Have had issues with losing the network connection . DH redid our network and that seems to be fixed, but our wireless thermostats wont stay on line. We have another router around here somewhere so he may just replace it. I like the idea of a router/modem combo. Its like an oven/microwave combo. You run the risk of replacing both if one goes bqd, but so what.</p>
<p>I used separate modems and routers for more than 15 years and just switched to modem/router combo about a year ago. I threw away about 5 routers and asked ISP to replaced 3 modems (including the combo one).</p>
<p>When there is a problem with connection, an average user only needs to do this:</p>
<p>Step 1:</p>
<p>a) For combo modem/router: unplug power, wait couple seconds, plug power back
b) For separate modem and router: </p>
<ul>
<li>unplug router modem, wait couple seconds, plug power back.</li>
<li>unplug router, wait couple seconds, plug power back.</li>
</ul>
<p>Step 2: Check connection on one device. If it does not work, check connection on a second device.</p>
<p>If the above steps don’t help, call ISP to see if there is an outage in the area not. If there is no outage then either modem or router fails. </p>
<p>If it’s the modem problem, then call ISP to replace (the user has the burden to prove that the modem fails here if separate devices are used). I don’t see any need for further troubleshooting.</p>
<p>ISP technicians never troubleshooted anything in my house. They just simply replaced the modem. In the last incident, I simply brought the modem to the local service office to get the replacement unit instead of waiting for them.</p>
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<p>Wow! The only reason I replaced my routers over the years was because I managed to get more technologically capable routers at heavily discounted prices and I ended up selling my older routers off to friends/clients at a slight profit. </p>
<p>The oldest one…a Linksys WRT54G V5 is still running rock solid as my friend’s main wireless router after being in service with me and then him for 10 years. </p>
<p>While I’ve seen many folks with failing/dead routers which needed to be recycled<em>, I’ve yet to have that happen with any of the ones I’ve owned. On the flipside, I’ve had two junky ISP issued cable modems fail on me in the last 6 years due to the fact they are invariably used</em>* and had serious heat related issues, especially toward the end. Ironic considering the modem is located in the coolest part of the apartment close to the A/C and away from the room’s heating unit. </p>
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<li>Recycled one junky 54G Belkin router dumped on me by someone who had issues with it as the main wifi router by turning it into a working wifi extender with DD-WRT for a client so he could access wifi from the basement and one remote wing of his large brick pre-war home.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>** ISP issued cable modems are routinely recycled onto other customers when someone changes ISPs or relocates to another region. </p>
<p>I threw away routers because I needed more capabilities: wifi, speed, routing protocols,… I bought the last router because my son complained that he had interruptions when playing online games during Christmas break.</p>
<p>When calling ISP, always insist “I want the latest model”. When I traded my modem or DVR I always checked if the covers were broken or not. I may have strong voice because I am a long time customer.</p>
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<p>That doesn’t work with the cable ISPs in my area in NYC or those of friends in the greater Boston area. </p>
<p>Their policy seems to be to rent out older modems still in their inventory until they all wear out or the higher corporate execs finally allow for a systemwide upgrade in a given region. This is done even when the older modems are obsolete for the given service tiers of their mid-high end customers as it was in my case and those of many friends. </p>
<p>Anyways, there’s no way I’m paying a monthly modem rental fee…especially when they still insist on issuing obsolete modems for my service tier so I bought my own. </p>
<p>On the flipside, the router I’ve been using for a few years after selling off that old reliable linksys is still running strong. :)</p>
<p>My service provider (which I’ll refrain from naming) requires you use their modem. </p>
<p>But as others said, just go to Best Buy and buy a router. Instead of plugging the cord from the modem into your computer, you plug it into the modem. Then you have wifi. There’ll be instructions with it for how to add a password and such, but it’s not a complicated process.</p>
<p>Soo… our router has been acting up lately, and I mentioned the idea of a combo modem/router. DH didn’t want to do that, but went gaga over the features on some fancy new expensive router. I had a $20 off coupon, but it was still ridiculously expensive for a router. So, we are now the proud owners of a Linksys WRT1900AC router. I want to know why it doesn’t scratch my back and feed me grapes. Well, at least the thermostats are staying on line now. They kept going offline. No clue about the other features that DH was drooling over. Something about dual band and better connectivity all over the house and possibly being able to see who/whats on line when he is overseas. Well, unless anyone besides me is online at our house when he is out of town, Houston we have a problem.</p>
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<p>Seems like your H and I have one thing with which we’re in complete agreement.</p>
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<p>The high price is due to the fact it’s one of the first WIFI routers using the new AC wifi-standard which means much faster bandwidth between wireless devices on the same network than older 801.11 N or routers with older standards. That, the extra features, and the Linksys brand which has a great reputation among some hardcore techies…even if that company has released some duds over the years. </p>
<p>Incidentally, the first wireless router I got a decade ago was a Linksys WRT54G V5. Ended up selling it off to a friend* at a slight profit when I got a better featured version of that line for a great discount. Both are still running strong to this day. Replaced it some months back with an ASUS router with more features. :)</p>
<ul>
<li>Needed an emergency replacement after leaving his window open and rain got to the previous wifi router which was near the windowsill.<br></li>
</ul>