Have you ever considered whether you should rent a router or purchase your own? What’s the big difference? Let’s take a look at owning your own versus renting one from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Are you technically savvy?

If you aren’t familiar with setting up a WIFI router, you want to take this into consideration. If you don’t feel comfortable with setting up a router and configuring the settings, you will either want to hire someone or research how-to with YouTube videos. Most routers, especially Apple’s AirPort Extreme, are almost a plug and play setup. You will need to configure the network name and security settings, but that is clearly explained in their instructions. Netgear and Linksys also make it easy to configure routers and you can view the best WIFI routers in 2020 from PCMag.

Is it worth an hour or so of time to save roughly $120 per year?

Most ISPs charge roughly $10 per month to rent their router and sometimes the pain and headache of buying your own router and setting it up isn’t worth all the pain and hassle.

Does your ISP allow you to purchase your own router?

Sometimes your ISP won’t allow you to purchase and configure your own router to their networks, requiring you to use the one they rent to you.

What are the benefits of owning your own router?

Besides saving some money, there are a few other benefits that you can gain from owning your own router. Most of them fall squarely into the “geeky” category and these generally involve processing capabilities. For example, if you are running a server and you need it to be able to handle more traffic than normal, owning your own router is the way to go. If you live or work in a large space, you might need a mesh network to keep a strong signal in all areas. Most internet providers won’t rent/provide a mesh network router, so this would be a good reason to purchase your own.

When it comes to internet access and a router, it’s important to look at all of your options: either using your provider’s router or purchasing your own. If you have questions about specific routers that we recommend, leave a comment below, and we look forward to chatting with you.