I currently have cable internet service and use a Arris DG860 modem and router from the service provider.

I would like to purchase my own instead of paying monthly for the one they provide. I have no idea what to purchase.

My home has 1 desktop that plugs in directly to the modem and then has 3 laptops that use wi-fi and 2 tablets that use wi-fi. All are Mac OS.

I'm not really tech savvy when it comes to networking, but do want speed, reliability, and simplicity at a fair price. I would like a "set it and forget it" network.

Current speeds: 30mbps download & 5mbps upload

My internet service provider stated any DOCSIS 3.0 modem is compatible with their service.

I'm unsure if I should get an all-in-one modem/router or separate equipment?

Will I see significant performance improvements by going with separate equipment?

Would something like this get the job done:

Modem - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MA5U1FW?tag=vglnk-c102-20

Router - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R2AZLD2?tag=vglnk-c102-20

or - https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/product/ME918/airport-extreme

How big is your place?

cablemodem is a great option same with the router. I wouldn't get the apple one from what I have read they are getting rid of the airport line. 

Around 2,000 sq ft (2 story with finished basement)

One thing to keep in mind is if you do this you're responsible when something stops working.
If the modem fails you have to buy a new one.
If the service is upgraded and no longer compatible with the modem you have to buy a new one.
If the service is upgraded and your modem doesn't support one of the new features you're stuck.
If your performance is spotty, speed starts to go down etc, the ISP will not help you. They'll be able to check if your modem is alive and connected but probably won't do much more than that.

If you rent the modem from the ISP, when it stops working for any reason you just trade it in, no cost to you. This has saved me at least twice, maybe three times.  And when there are any problems they run a full test on the modem.  

So it may seem like you're saving money by buying your own modem, in reality it may not be that great a deal. In my opinion it's definitely better to rent than buy.  YMMV.

^^^ He's right OP. You've already stated you're not a technical guru, so unless you plan on becoming one and ready to troubleshoot issues (which you will have), you might want to consider staying with a lease. I have a friend who is extremely competent on network troubleshooting and works from home to support worldwide clients and he's often fighting the cable company on dropped channels and poor signal strength. Standard line from them is that it's his modem/router equipment at fault because their piece of the puzzle is fine. After he's proven them wrong and they address the issue, he gets to repeat the cycle again a month or two down the road.

I disagree with this entire post.

The last thing anyone should do is rent the modems from the ISPs. OP, how much do you pay per month to rent the modem? I'm guessing ~$10. That means that in 6.7 months, he's broken even, and by 12 months (when the cable modem warranty likely ends), he'll have save $53 which is almost enough to buy a new one if it fails out of warranty. Basically, at the price of the modem, even if it failed consistently at the first day out of warranty, OP would still save money.

Anyways OP, don't listen to these guys and go buy your own equipment. What you listed in the OP will work well for you.

1- Buy Your own Modem - They are stupid Cheap, Ive seen used ones for $15-$20, buy a few if you are worried
2- If your Wireless Sucks, then add a 2nd Wireless Router away from it.

I worked for a cable company and built, upgraded and maintained Cable modem DOCSIS gear for years...

I would buy a stand alone Cable modem  and a separate Wireless AP, something like a mid level or better NetGear or Cisco/Linksys...

Just make sure what ever cable modem you buy says its DOCSIS 3.0 and if it says 3.1 comparable or up-gradable even better...

Most of the Cable companies are either rolling out 3.1 are in the planning stages...

<TDLR Warning>
This will change the modulations profiles the modems use to send data up and down stream in relation to the CMTS chassis at the headed...  Under D3.0 I think they can bond onto like 32 (maybe 40) downstream channels and either 4 or 6 on the upstream, depending on the gear and licensing ...

With the 3.1 it uses something called Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, which uses many more smaller channels than 3.0 uses, for modems to bond across...  If the plant is decent at all, customers will be able to get 10G down and 10G Up... 

Sounds cool, but this is going to cause the cable companies and a lot of others to have to do a lot of infrastructure upgrades....

I mean think about it, on a given CMTS, there are anywhere from 18K to 30K DOCSIS devices...  Each now getting anywhere from 10-300 Mbps downstream packages...

The Chassis themselves many have a 10G uplink limitations (on a 10K, if configured with redundancy, 20G if not)
on an Arris E6K, it has a uplink limitation of of 80G with Redundancy or 160G without...  Then think of the Core routers that all the CMTS terminate on,
most of them have a few 10G uplinks around the core ring,Some have a few 100G rings, but not real common yet.

That will all need to be upgraded to handle the increased data loads the new D3.1 will create.

Plus, you have all these nerdy kids at home now with a gig or faster connection, all tryin to hit their favorite widesite or gaming resource at the same time
causing a bottle neck on that end as well...

I could go on...

But like Net Neutrality maaaaaaan

It depends on the quality of service in your area.  In my area we have power outages and network interruptions at least once a month. Sometimes it's obvious due to a big thunderstorm etc, you just wait patiently and service will return.  But other times it doesn't come back, and then you've got to convince the cable company that the problem is on their end. If you're not using their modem you won't get far with that argument.

Sure, you can find a cheaper solution by buying your own modem.  But then you've got to be willing to play technician when things stop working. I don't have the equipment to test modems, so if it happened to me I'd probably just have to shotgun it and run out and buy a new one.  I use my service for business as well as general home use, so I can't afford for it to be down for a day or two, arguing with the cable company or waiting for a new modem to arrive.  I can instead drive 10 mins to my local cable office and pick up a new one that I KNOW is always 100% compatible, with the latest features and is fully supported.

Regarding "standards", I've been through at least three versions of "standards" over the years.  No standard is stable for very long.  At one point the cable company even reached out and contacted me to inform me my modem was no longer compatible.  And regardless of what standard is in place at any given time, the companies almost always deviate from it in some way, trying to push the boundaries and keep ahead of the competition.  Again, if you're having problems and you tell them it's not one of their modems, good luck getting any help.  You can scream "but my modem meets standard XYZ" all day, you won't win.

For me, with the frequency of outages in my area, I prefer to spend a little more on average, knowing that I have support.  YMMV.

.

Who is your cable co???

When I left the one I worked for we had areas that still had D1.0 Modems in play in certain areas...   Would have made my job a hell of a lot easier if they were all D3.0 (Shit, even 2.0)...

1.0 Still don't support All ATDMA on the Ustream Channels, you have have to maintain at least 1 TDMA Port Per Service group, which is a lower bandwidth port...  If you go with ATDMA and a different modulation profile, you can double the port speed..

Plus there is upstream load balancing that the newer modems can take advantage for load balacing and even more bandwidth, that customers can never seem to get enough of..

I'd recommend getting the Arris SB6190 for your modem. It is more future proof, and I've seen it on sale at Costco locally for $80.

With the big push for gigabit speeds, it's only a matter of time that you will have that option. If you don't want to upgrade your modem to take advantage, you may as well do it now for a marginal cost. 

Hahahaha


I used the same modem for 4 years at my old house and my connection and service was upgraded at least 4 different times.

Modem was $60
60/4 =$15 a year to own

To rent from cable company
$5/m
$5x12x4 = $240 to rent for 4 years.

I bought a new modem when I moved. I am still ahead.

I just bought that modem and it's great.  Just hooked up to Xfinity  in my new place. Just deciding on a router now.