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People who write this kind of article grotesquely underestimate how hard these companies make this task. I use centurylink DSL, mainly because the local cable

People who write this kind of article grotesquely underestimate how hard these companies make this task. I use centurylink DSL, mainly because the local cable monopolist is mediacom, and I tried mediacom for two weeks of downright insulting lack of service[1], it was the only alternative. This[2] is the information centurylink provides about what modems are compatible with their service. Do I know whether I have ADSL, ADSL2, VDSL, GPON, or whatever the hell any of those other acronyms mean? No. Does it say so on the bill? Who knows, I haven't seen a paper bill for years, no idea when they stopped sending them. I suppose I could dig up some three-year-old piece of paper from a kitchen drawer somewhere that might say which, or that might say the unused landline number they hooked the DSL to so I can maybe try to figure out how to get into some online account (lord knows I've tried to find a username that they'll recognize to get a password reset). Or I could call them, and talk to a minimum wage, probably offshore, customer service person in a call center who might maybe give me accurate information as to which acronym I have. Or I could not look a gift horse in the mouth. Right now, I'm sending someone a not huge amount of money per month, and I actually have residential internet service that kinda works (and when I actually need reasonable speeds I can bring my laptop to the office). Relative to the standard condition of life in our third-world situation in the United States with crooked monopolists charging people for service they don't actually provide, I feel lucky being charged for service I actually do receive. And don't feel particularly inclined to rock the boat on that. I rather suspect a similar calculus is going through the heads of millions of American households. What we need is regulation for the monopolists, not more articles scolding captive consumers about buying their own goddamn modems. [1] This letter sums it all up. http://paul-gowder.com/pgmediacom.pdf http://paul-gowder.com/pgmediacom.pdf Needless to say, after receiving a "this is a lawyer who is clearly insane and extremely angry" letter they sent me my money back. [2] https://www.centurylink.com/home/help/internet/modems-and-routers/what-modems-are-compatible-with-centurylink.html https://www.centurylink.com/home/help/internet/modems-and-ro...

toast0 8y ago
If you really wanted to buy a modem for CenturyLink, the best thing to ask about technology is the current modem -- it will tell you somewhere. But you'll notice that almost all of the listed modems are customized for CenturyLink, that's what the C in the name means (and presumably the other letters too). That means you're more than likely stuck with whatever customization that you might have liked to get rid of, or features you might like to add. (Like a bridge mode that actually works). Not being able to realistically do better than what equipment you already have, you could probably just buy a new one of the device you already have, but then again, it's hard to predict how long that will be useful. If you move or by some miraculous force, CenturyLink offers an upgraded service, your device may be useless.

toast0 8y ago

If you really wanted to buy a modem for CenturyLink, the best thing to ask about technology is the current modem -- it will tell you somewhere. But you'll notice that almost all of the listed modems are customized for CenturyLink, that's what the C in the name means (and presumably the other letters too). That means you're more than likely stuck with whatever customization that you might have liked to get rid of, or features you might like to add. (Like a bridge mode that actually works). Not being able to realistically do better than what equipment you already have, you could probably just buy a new one of the device you already have, but then again, it's hard to predict how long that will be useful. If you move or by some miraculous force, CenturyLink offers an upgraded service, your device may be useless.