Quote:
Originally Posted by biker1
If you have fiber optics to the house then the box of electronics on the outside of your house provides an IP address to the wall jack. You can plug a computer directly into the wall jack but most people will have a wireless router if they have multiple devices that will access the internet. Essentially the "modem" is in the box of electronics on the outside of your house. What it really does is the optical to copper conversion - everything on the inside of your house is copper. That box also delivers a phone signal to phone jacks. If you want to save some money, buy one of the Voice-over-IP boxes such as Ooma or MagicJacks and drop your phone service with CenturyLink.
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I've had a Linksys E2500 router since the first day. I only said I can plug directly into the wall jack was an option. I have a smart TV and look quite often at both Netflix and Youtube. My computer is an all in one with a 21" monitor, so it's not that mobile and it sits in another room. I just mention all that because so many people are saying CL is making them take a modem, when I didn't need one five years ago.
I've been billed $59.99 a month plus tax since day one for 10 mpbs speed and telephone with unlimited long distance. When I signed up in 2011 that was the quickest speed available and it would only saved $20 to drop the telephone, I thought the convenience of a real phone was worth that.
Since then, they have upgraded to 40 mphs speed in my area. I called and for $40 I could get the faster speed with no telephone and then go with Magikjack. If Century Link had terrible service I would maybe think of changing, but I've only lost my internet once in 5 years and that was for about an hour. Another time I did lose it, but the tech came out that day and said a lightning strike had hit near my garage and the backup battery in the garage had shorted out. He replaced the battery and all was good. So, I guess I'm with 'Don't fix it, if it ain't broke' mentality.