# Cable ISP charges a separate add-on fee for "wireless internet". Is this justifiable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2012, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cable-isp-charges-a-separate-add-on-fee-for-wireless-internet-is-this-justifiable/645101 "2012-12-25T07:03:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cable-isp-charges-a-separate-add-on-fee-for-wireless-internet-is-this-justifiable/645101/21 "2012-12-26T05:22:34Z")
(edit: not sure about the ISP in question, but my company also provides the software interface so you can port forward, parental controls, etc etc). So there are costs involved especially when people need to call our techs on the phone to figure out how something works. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cable-isp-charges-a-separate-add-on-fee-for-wireless-internet-is-this-justifiable/645101/22 "2012-12-26T17:34:25Z")
Yeah, I’m going to back up the idea that the service charge comes with the tech support if your wireless ever stops working. If you get your own modem or router that has wireless capabilities, if anything ever goes wrong with it (happens often with wifi stuff), don’t call your ISP because they will ask if your modem is connected directly to your computer or if it is going into another router, or what. Basically, you’re paying for more peace of mind and more tech support. Not entirely unjustified. Frankly, I don’t think it’s worth paying extra for. But I also don’t mind troubleshooting these issues when they come up. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cable-isp-charges-a-separate-add-on-fee-for-wireless-internet-is-this-justifiable/645101/23 "2012-12-26T17:41:42Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Actully, I can see a justification. If you have a wired connection, you have a fixed number of machines connected. With a wireless connection, you can have a dozen or more. There are wired hubs and switches. You could have lots of machines on a wired connection as well. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cable-isp-charges-a-separate-add-on-fee-for-wireless-internet-is-this-justifiable/645101/24 "2012-12-26T17:43:09Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Isn’t it the the truth is that I’m being hornswoggled? Should it not be possible for me to downgrade to non-wireless Internet service, save the extra four-fifty–and have wireless access anyway, just by running an Ethernet cable between my old wifi router and my new ISP’s modem? Legally speaking, your ISP can restrict your use of their signal- including prohibiting use of your own wireless router- but almost certainly doesn’t. So yeah, call them and tell them you didn’t ask for a wireless modem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cable-isp-charges-a-separate-add-on-fee-for-wireless-internet-is-this-justifiable/645101.md?page=1)