The availability and price points of the cable internet market have made this internet access technology a popular choice among businesses and private consumers alike. Cable internet speeds are sometimes as much as 5x faster than comparable DSL products while not requiring the installation or use of extra wiring making the choice of cable internet over competitors products easy for many consumers.

The question then becomes, "Should you rent or buy a cable modem?"

What To Look For In A Good Cable Modem

There are three main qualities to look for that defines the best cable modems. First, the cable modem should be easy to use. The best cable modems should be plug-and-play. There should be little to no installation configuration beyond a basic installation CD or DVD included with the packaging. Next, the best cable modems will adhere to the most current DOCSIS, or "data over cable service interface specification," standards.

At this time, DOCSIS is at 3.0 and any cable modem that supports 3.0 standards will be essentially future-proofed for the near future or at least 3 to 4 years. Lastly and in keeping with the theme of future proofing a cable modem purchase, the new cable modem should support IPv6. The internet uses IPv4 currently to identify all locations on the internet through IP address, but IPv4 is unable to contend with the exponential growth of the web.

The new IPv6 protocols will help alleviate the issues currently in IPv4 and all new cable modems should support the change. If a modem has IPv4 still it will have to be patched or replaced sooner than later.

Motorola SB6120 SURFboard

• Pros: Future proofed standards, easy to use, excellent support
• Cons: New version soon to be released

DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1, 2.0	Yes
DOCSIS 3.0 compatible	Yes
Gigabit Ethernet	Yes
USB connection	Yes
Warranty	1 Year
Tech Support	Live 24/7

Cisco-Linksys CM100

• Pros: Easy to use, excellent support
• Cons: Not DOCSIS 3.0, No gigabit ethernet

DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1, 2.0	Yes
DOCSIS 3.0 compatible	No
Gigabit Ethernet	No (Uses 10/100)
USB connection	Yes
Warranty	1 Year
Tech Support	Live 24/7

Toshiba PCX2600

• Pros: Easy to use, 2-year warranty
• Cons: Lacks DOCSIS 3.0, limited support, no gigabit ethernet

DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1, 2.0	Yes
DOCSIS 3.0 compatible	No
Gigabit Ethernet connection:	No (Uses 10/100)
USB connection	Yes
Warranty	2 Years
Tech Support	Online chat M-F

Zoom External Cable Modem

• Pros: Easy to use, 5-year warranty
• Cons: Lacks DOCSIS 3.0, limited support, no gigabit ethernet

DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1, 2.0	Yes
DOCSIS 3.0 compatible	No
Gigabit Ethernet connection:	No (Uses 10/100)
USB connection	Yes
Warranty	5 Years
Tech Support	Email (Mon-Fri)

D-Link Broadband Cable Modem

• Pros: Easy to use
• Cons: Lacks DOCSIS 3.0, no gigabit ethernet

DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1, 2.0	Yes
DOCSIS 3.0 compatible	No
Gigabit Ethernet connection	No (Uses 10/100)
USB connection	Yes
Warranty	1 Year
Tech Support	Live 24/7