my current cable company offer the option to buy a ` approve ' modem or rent one from they and pay a monthly fee . I have have to deal with the cable company 's rental modem before : after have my surfboard for a month I can attest that the upfront cost be absolutely worth it ! I have have this for a month and I have not have to call my cable company and sit on hold for hour wait for a reset on the line yet : my first month on a rental be a nightmare , I assure you . with a good router , this be a fast and reliable modem . it also happen to be a rather attractive and simple design - it be not over do and it be certainly not as unattractive as a lot of other modem : -rrb-