In an effort to compete in the marketplace (rip you off), ISPs are trying to squeeze as much out of their customers as they can with irregular pricing or selling you 1 BILLION Mbps of SPEED. The average household of 3-5 people won’t ever need more than 50Mbps of speed, or likely 30Mbps. If your internet is slow (with you laptop sitting right beside the wifi modem), it’s always because they are screwing you, not because you aren’t paying enough. You should check your bill regularly and make sure there aren't any "mistakes." You will be over charged whenever the sales person feels it appropriate. You may want to call and ask exactly what you are paying for on occasion. Is the charge necessary and can it be cheaper? Just keep checking their online deals, do your homework, play dumb and let them make it worth your while (considering how many commercials you have to watch and how much of your usage data they sell to marketers and undesirables). I would say a good deal for just internet from Comcast is $40/mo. $50 is average. If it is that good, try and get into a contract if you aren’t moving. If your internet isn’t really slow with Century Link, then that $40/mo is good. I will call them one night and if I don’t get a good deal try them in week or two. Their pricing is like prices in the hospital — whatever they can get away with.
Call at least once a year and ask, "how can my bill cheaper?" Do not get any internet plan that is slower than 25 Mbps (mega-bits per second).
This goes for every service you have: car insurance, health care, cell phone service, internet, everything you pay yearly for. The bean counters keep all the prices vague and fluid so they can increase their SPQ (screwed per quarter). Unfortunately, the more vigilant you are in distrusting these companies, the more you tend to save.
Do not rent a modem from your internet service provider. The cost adds up fast. Buy your own modem and don't give your ISP (Internet Service Provider) your money for free. This is another way they try to charge you for nothing. (Full disclosure: I rented a Comcast modem for 10 yrs. = $1200) :-(
They are no more than $150 to buy.
No matter how Comcast or Century Link tries to scare you there is no reason to rent their cable modem. Most people have a modem and a wireless router (2 different boxes). If you buy your own wireless cable modem then you don’t even need a second box. A wireless cable modem does it all in one box. Comcast is charging $12/mo rental of their boxes. Don’t give them that money. All you have to do is buy one, then call Xfinity and have them “provision it.” You can also provision a new modem using the Xfinity app. In most cases, it is not too annoying to do that.
— If your phones don’t come from Comcast then you can search on Amazon for Cable Modem with Wifi. Check the reviews and questions to make sure people have used it successfully with Comcast/Xfinity.
— If you phones don’t come through Century Link then search for a DSL Modem with Wifi. Same thing, check that people have used it for Century Link.
— If your phones come through your internet company, then add “with Telephony” to your search. Those modems can be harder to find and closer to $200-$300.
— I prefer the Netgear brand for network stuff, and Arris seems solid too.
Most modems come with two channels so you can get 5G! Oh boy! 5G! Really? 5G? Your internet modem is supposed to be smart enough to make your 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz channels look the same functionally to your devices. That is not always the case. If you are having printer problems make sure your devices are on the same network that the printers is on, be it 2.4 or 5G. Also, some older phones and computers cannot see the 5G network because their wifi hardware is too old. DO NOT BUY A NEW DEVICE. The 2.4G will do everything the 5G does.
SUPER BONUS TIP!
Ready?
Before you buy anything at Best Buy, Staples, Office Max (anyplace that price matches) look the price for the same item up on Amazon.com. If the product is "sold and shipped" by Amazon and cheaper, show the checkout person and Best Buy will match the price. How 'bout them apples?