I had been using my own modem for a few years and it's been a good experience, especially when you're trying to save a few bucks off of the monthly bill. I quickly noticed some tradeoffs, most notably not getting the full benefit of increased network speeds since Comcast's technology is always evolving, which quickly made my purchase dated technology.
I've recently changed to renting the modem, which gives a few advantages: when Comcast makes any improvements, I can just swap the modem. They have also included quite possibly, one of the best new features at no additional charge - xFi, which is only available if you're using their latest rented, in-home gateway.
xFi gives you greater control through a simple, modern, easy-to-use experience so that you can choose who can access your network at any time.
You can download the enhanced xFi experience through your mobile device app store, available for iOS or Android, which enables you to see what devices are on your home WiFi networks, troubleshoot issues, and even pause your home WiFi connections during those times you want people to be focused on things other than the internet and screens.
One great feature is that you can assign a time allowance per device (think different lengths of time per iPad) so you can ensure your kids aren't spending too much time watching videos on Youtube.
Once your modem is installed by a Comcast technician, you have quick access to your home network and can customize things easily through the enhanced xFi experience. You can do things such as:
- Pause with a Tap: using the xFi app you can pause the network access by time, device or even user.
- Home Network information: you can view and/or edit the home network name and password
- Name and Organize devices: You can assign a name to each device and organize the devices
- Who's using a device: You can create users and assign devices to them