About

We are a small shop in Montana. We test and restore modems and routers so they stay in use instead of going to the landfill, and so you can stop paying a rental fee for equipment you could own.

ModemGuides is two people and two dogs. We source, test, and restore modems, routers, and related gear, then ship it to customers across the country with a 90-day warranty and support from the same people who tested it. We have been doing this since 2015. This page is the best place to get to know us before you buy.

• US small businessFamily run in Montana since 2015
• Ships from the USFast delivery, US-based support
• 90-day warrantyFree returns for 30 days
• Activation guaranteeOn supported modems

Where it started. ModemGuides began on the Oregon coast before moving to Montana.

What We Do

We specialize in Grade A refurbished networking equipment: cable modems, DSL gateways, fiber routers, WiFi routers, mesh systems, and modem router combos for every major US internet provider. Most of it is hardware with years of service left in it that would otherwise be scrapped. We bring it back into use.

Every device goes through the same process in our shop before it is listed. Each unit is tested and factory reset before it goes up for sale.

We have worked with refurbished electronics since 2014, and networking gear has been the whole business for over a decade. Last year we shipped more than 10,000 modems and routers to customers nationwide.

Why Buy From a Small Shop Instead of a Big Box Store

Most people get their modem one of two ways. They rent one from their provider for a monthly fee that never ends, or they buy a new one at full retail from a big box store. We offer a third option: the same models, tested by hand, at a refurbished price, from a small US business that answers its own support messages.

Why Refurbished Matters

Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world, and networking equipment is part of it. Devices get replaced when standards change, when a provider swaps gateways, or when someone moves, and most of them still work on the day they are thrown out.

Source: UN Global E-waste Monitor 2024, ITU and UNITAR. Figures converted from metric tonnes to US tons.

The gap keeps widening because there is no working circular economy for electronics. Recovering the copper, gold, and rare earth metals inside a circuit board is slow and expensive, so only a small share of discarded devices is ever processed, and the same report estimates that about 1% of rare earth demand is met by recycling e-waste. Global e-waste is projected to reach 90 million tons a year by 2030.

Reuse is the part of the problem an individual can do something about. A modem or router that has been properly tested performs the same as a new one. It handles the same speeds, activates the same way, and most of the time it sits in a closet or behind a TV where nobody sees it. Buying a refurbished unit gets you the same service, costs less, and keeps a working device out of the landfill for another several years.

What Grade A Means

You will see "refurbished" and "renewed" used across the industry, often to mean different things at different sellers. On our site both words describe the same process: the device was sourced, functionally tested, reset, and cleaned by us, in the US, before listing.

Grade A is our top cosmetic and functional grade. A Grade A unit passed every test, has no cracks, damage, or heavy wear, and ships with what you need to get online. Units that do not meet that bar are listed under a lower grade with the condition described, or are not listed at all. The condition grade appears on every product page.

Warranty and Support

Every device carries a 90-day full-coverage warranty. Returns are free for the first 30 days, and if something goes wrong inside the 90-day window we typically send a full replacement rather than asking you to wait on a repair.

Technical support is handled in-house by our US-based team, Monday through Friday. There is no offshore call center and no ticket queue. When you write in, you are talking to the people who know the equipment.

Shop by Category

Everything in the store is tested, graded, and covered by the same warranty. Start with your device type or your internet provider.

Cable ModemsFor every major cable provider DOCSIS 3.1 ModemsGigabit and multi-gig plans Modem Router CombosOne device, one power cord Wireless RoutersWorks with any provider Mesh SystemsWhole-home coverage Gigabit RoutersBuilt for fast plans DSL ModemsCenturyLink, AT&T, Frontier Xfinity CompatibleMatched to your speed tier Spectrum CompatibleModems and routers Cox CompatibleSkip the gateway rental CenturyLinkDSL and Quantum Fiber Bulk SaleBuy 10, get 10% off

Shop the full catalog

Meet the Team

ModemGuides is run by Rob and his fiancée Ivy from their home base in Montana, with quality-control supervision from their two bordoodles.

Beyond the business, we care about supporting local farms, regenerative and organic agriculture, and doing our part to build a better, more peaceful world. Refurbishing is one small piece of that. Good hardware gets a second life instead of a spot in a landfill, and a customer gets a fair price from a shop that will still be here next year.

Guides and Resources

We publish guides alongside the store because owning your own equipment should come with the knowledge to use it well. That includes setup guides, approved-modem lists by provider, troubleshooting articles, and ongoing coverage of hardware and provider changes that affect home networks.

Shopping Safely

Like many established shops, we occasionally see copycat websites using our name, photos, or content. Here is how to be sure you are dealing with the real ModemGuides.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for helping keep good hardware in service.