How to Activate Your DSL Modem
A Changing World
At ModemGuides, we know first-hand how difficult it can be to activate your own modem without assistance from an in-home technician. Internet service companies in the US have had to adapt to the ever-changing climate caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and many are no longer offering in-home installations for customer-owned modems and technical support. As a result, DSL internet customers have had to rely more on over-the-phone technical support, customer service and remote assistance with activation. Luckily, we’ve been helping our customers get their customer-owned DSL modems activated with various providers for years!
Our Mission
Our mission has always been to improve the ease of access to customer-owned equipment in order to help our customers save on monthly modem rental fees, while simultaneously saving thousands of pounds of e-waste from entering our landfills. Even if you choose to purchase your DSL modem elsewhere, we’re still here to help you get it working with the hope that you’ll be able to save money on your internet bill and give less money to large corporations and media conglomerates. Here’s a brief rundown on activating equipment with most US DSL providers. If you’ve read through the instructions and still need more support, feel free to check out our product manuals page for model-specific information or, you can leave a comment below and one of our technicians will help you out as soon as possible!
AT&T Internet Service
Whether you’re starting new service or just replacing your old equipment, activating your customer-owned AT&T modem takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Make sure you’ve set aside enough time so that you don’t feel rushed while performing your activation as that can add stress and make the process more difficult. On the right, you’ll find a list of items that are required or are helpful during activation. We recommend having all of those items handy and ready to go before you start your activating process to ensure a smooth activation with AT&T internet service.
Step 1
Plug in your modem the same way as the one you are replacing. Wait ~5 minutes for the modem to power up.
Next, connect one end of the phone cord into the green “DSL” port on the modem and wait 4-6 minutes.
Step 2
Turn on or restart your computer. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into your computer and the other end into any of the yellow Ethernet ports on your modem.
Step 3
Next, open your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome or Safari are preferred) and try to connect to any website. Your AT&T’s activation portal should come up automatically. If it does not, you’ll need to call AT&T customer service for a manual activation. AT&T technical support phone number: 1-800-288-2020
Step 4
AT&T’s activation portal will walk you through activating your modem after you log into your account. Once finished, test that you have internet connectivity by going to any website while connected to your modem.
You’ll need these items to get started:
- AT&T Compatible DSL Modem
- Modem Power Supply Cable
- Ethernet Cable
- DSL / VoIP Cable
- (optional) Pen & paper or cell phone camera to record your modem’s serial numbers for easy access
CenturyLink
Activating your new CenturyLink modem usually takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on if you have additional devices that need to be configured, your level of tech savvy-ness and the services you are subscribed to from CenturyLink.
Step 1
Plug in your modem the same way as the one you are replacing. Wait ~5 minutes for the modem to power up.
Next, connect one end of the phone cord into the green “DSL” port on the modem and wait 4-6 minutes.
Step 2
Turn on or restart your computer. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into your computer and the other end into any of the yellow Ethernet ports on your modem.
Step 3
Next, open your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome or Safari are preferred) and try to connect to any website. Your provider’s activation portal should come up automatically. If it does not, you’ll need to call CenturyLink for a manual activation. CenturyLink customer service phone number: 1-866-642-0444
Step 4
CenturyLink’s activation portal will walk you through activating your modem after you log into your account. Once finished, test that you have internet connectivity by going to any website while connected to your modem.
You’ll need these items to get started:
- CenturyLink Compatible DSL Modem
- Modem Power Supply Cable
- Ethernet Cable
- DSL / VoIP Cable
- (optional) Pen & paper or cell phone camera to record your modem’s serial numbers for easy access
Verizon Internet Service
Step 1
Plug in your modem the same way as the one you are replacing. Wait ~5 minutes for the modem to power up.
Next, connect one end of the phone cord into the green “DSL” port on the modem and wait 4-6 minutes.
Step 2
Turn on or restart your computer. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into your computer and the other end into any of the yellow Ethernet ports on your modem.
Step 3
Next, open your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome or Safari are preferred) and try to connect to any website. Your provider’s activation portal should come up automatically. If it does not, you’ll need to call Verizon for a manual activation. Verizon Fios customer service phone number: 1 (800) 837-4966
Step 4
Verizon’s activation portal will walk you through activating your modem after you log into your account. Once finished, test that you have internet connectivity by going to any website while connected to your modem.
You’ll need these items to get started:
- Verizon Compatible DSL Modem
- Modem Power Supply Cable
- Ethernet Cable
- DSL / VoIP Cable
- (optional) Pen & paper or cell phone camera to record your modem’s serial numbers for easy access
Windstream
Step 1
Plug in your modem the same way as the one you are replacing. Wait ~5 minutes for the modem to power up.
Next, connect one end of the phone cord into the green “DSL” port on the modem and wait 4-6 minutes.
Step 2
Turn on or restart your computer. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into your computer and the other end into any of the yellow Ethernet ports on your modem.
Step 3
Next, open your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome or Safari are preferred) and try to connect to any website. Your provider’s activation portal should come up automatically. If it does not, you’ll need to call Windstream for a manual activation.
Step 4
Windstream’s activation portal will walk you through activating your modem after you log into your account. Once finished, test that you have internet connectivity by going to any website while connected to your modem.
You’ll need these items to get started:
- Windstream Compatible DSL Modem
- Modem Power Supply Cable
- Ethernet Cable
- DSL / VoIP Cable
- (optional) Pen & paper or cell phone camera to record your modem’s serial numbers for easy access
Frontier Fios
Step 1
Plug in your modem the same way as the one you are replacing. Wait ~5 minutes for the modem to power up.
Next, connect one end of the phone cord into the green “DSL” port on the modem and wait 4-6 minutes.
Step 2
Turn on or restart your computer. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into your computer and the other end into any of the yellow Ethernet ports on your modem.
Step 3
Next, open your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome or Safari are preferred) and try to connect to any website. Your provider’s activation portal should come up automatically. If it does not, you’ll need to call Frontier for a manual activation.
Step 4
Frontier’s activation portal will walk you through activating your modem after you log into your account. Once finished, test that you have internet connectivity by going to any website while connected to your modem.
You’ll need these items to get started:
- Frontier Compatible DSL Modem
- Modem Power Supply Cable
- Ethernet Cable
- DSL / VoIP Cable
- (optional) Pen & paper or cell phone camera to record your modem’s serial numbers for easy access
Did we answer all your questions about activating your DSL modem?
Let us know in the comments, or leave your own questions for our technicians to answer!