Cablevision, now operating under the Optimum (Altice USA) brand, provides cable and fiber internet service across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and parts of 21 states nationwide. If you are on an Optimum cable internet plan, you can replace the provider-issued gateway with your own compatible modem and eliminate the monthly equipment rental fee, saving you hundreds of dollars over the life of the device.

Why Buy Your Own Cablevision-Compatible Modem

Optimum currently includes the Gateway 6 with most plans at no additional charge, but the provider reserves the right to add equipment fees of up to $14 per month at any time. Owning your modem gives you full control over your hardware, often delivers better performance than ISP-issued equipment, and lets you choose a device tailored to your specific speed tier. You also avoid forced firmware updates and gain the flexibility to keep your modem if you switch providers.

Optimum Cable Internet Speed Tiers

Optimum's cable internet plans currently include Optimum 200 (200 Mbps), Optimum 500 (500 Mbps), and Optimum 1 Gig (up to 940 Mbps). All cable plans come with unlimited data and no annual contracts. When selecting a modem, make sure its supported speed rating meets or exceeds the download speeds on your plan.

Key Specs to Look For

Optimum requires any customer-owned modem to be a DOCSIS-certified DOCSIS 3.1 device for all cable internet speed tiers. DOCSIS 3.1 supports multi-gigabit throughput, lower latency, and backward compatibility with older DOCSIS 3.0 networks. Beyond the DOCSIS standard, pay attention to channel bonding configuration (for example, 32x8 for high-performance plans), the number and type of Ethernet ports (Gigabit vs. 2.5 Gigabit), and whether you need a standalone modem or a modem-router combo. Standalone modems pair well with a separate Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 router for maximum wireless coverage and flexibility.

Activation and Support

To activate your own modem on the Optimum network, call 877-694-9474 with your modem's MAC address and serial number. Note that Optimum does not provide technical support for customer-owned equipment, so choose a reliable brand with solid warranty coverage. Optimum fiber internet customers cannot use a third-party modem and must use the provider's Fiber Gateway.

Browse our selection of Cablevision-compatible modems below to find the right DOCSIS 3.1 modem for your Optimum cable internet plan.