Is there anything special in a modem?

[ShinraCorp]

I seek the advice of everyone who knows a thing or two about modems and independent ISPs. I am moving to Gatineau this summer in a apartment building and looking around all the ISPs available there (via canadianisp.ca) so far they're 3 that interest me and all of them sell modems plus shipping so I was looking around Ebay to see if I can get it cheaper (you know since I'm on a tight budget) so before I actually go and pick one I guess I should ask what exactly am I supposed to look for in a modem,

it'll be Cable Internet because I rather not pay the Dry Loop fee every time and have a stable connection (read some reviews and a lot seem to have disconnects which is weird)

The 3 ISPs I'm interested in are:

ElectronicBox
TekSavvy
Heronet

Thank you

 

[KaptCrunch]

will you be using WiFi in your home then need more then a modem

 

[ShinraCorp]

I already have a Wireless router that I can use.

 

[enaberif]

A modem is a modem. Some companies provision them in a certain way to only work on their network.

 

[sswilson]

Pretty sure it depends a lot on the speed.... newer specs have a higher number of upstream / downstream channels. I know for rogers there are certain speed packages you cannot get unless you've got the latest model of modem (Docsis 3 I believe).

Just the first blurb I came across WRT 2 vrs 3.

DOCSIS 2 vs. DOCSIS 3 differences ? :: SG FAQ

edit: and as always... take anything in a wiki with a grain of salt, but what I noticed here is that they state there's no upper limit specified for number of channels under docsis 3, and I'm pretty sure my latest modem has more than my first rogers docsis 3 gateway.

DOCSIS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Arinoth]

Personally I prefer a dry-loop, sure there's the 5$ a month fee though it has a lot better uptime/reliable then cable (especially from third party sellers). Also, ADSL you'll get a much faster upload speed and never have to share your connection with your neighbours like you do with cable.

 

[ShinraCorp]

I thought that DSL had to be shared since it's all relied on a node outside then distributed to buildings?

EDIT: I've checked the availability for DSL and well maximum is their basic service so I don't have much of a choice it seems. I have to go Cable.

 

[JD]

With Cable Modems, it depends heavily on the incumbent provider (Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Videotron, etc). Each provider only supports a specific list of modems and they will not activate/register a modem on their network that isn't on the list.

That being said, I think the DCM476 is the one that most allow, but you also need to be careful with firmware revisions too as there's no easy way to flash your own modem.

 

[TheRealAndyCook]

[...] a lot better uptime/reliable then cable [...] ADSL you'll get a much faster upload speed and never have to share your connection with your neighbours like you do with cable.

Reliability is dependant on many factors not the underlying technologies. Cable and xDSL both have advantages and disadvantages. Best to talk to people locally who have the service if you want to have a quantitative answer.

Street to street you can have extremely different quality levels.