Xfinity charges $15 a month for the xFi Gateway, or $25 for xFi Complete. That is $180 to $300 a year to borrow a box that never becomes yours. Buying your own usually pays for itself, but there is one situation where it costs more than it saves and almost nobody warns you about it.

What the rental costs

• xFi Gateway — $15 a month, which is $180 a year.
• xFi Complete — $25 a month, which is $300 a year. This bundles the gateway with unlimited data.
• TV box — rose from $10 to $12 a month, which is $144 a year for each extra box.

None of it is a fee in the sense of something required. It is a rental, and the equipment stays theirs however long you pay for it.

What buying your own costs

A compatible modem runs $90 to $150. A router runs $80 to $150.

The pair pays for itself in ten to eighteen months at $15 a month, and after that the equipment is yours.

Check the compatibility list on Xfinity’s own site before buying. Not every modem works on every plan speed.

The part nobody warns you about

If your gateway is bundled into xFi Complete at $25, dropping it can cost you more than it saves.

That bundle includes unlimited data, which is worth about $30 a month on its own. Return the box to save $15 and the unlimited data reverts to a $30 standalone charge. You end up worse off.

Look at your bill and work out which one you are on before doing anything. If it says xFi Complete, the arithmetic is different.

One more thing worth knowing

Xfinity’s own bill-changes page says a promotional price protects the price of the service. Taxes, fees and equipment charges may still rise during that period.

So an equipment increase in the middle of a locked-in deal is allowed by their own terms. It is not an error, and calling to complain about it on those grounds will not work.

Questions people ask

How much is the Xfinity equipment fee?

The xFi Gateway is $15 a month, which is $180 a year. xFi Complete, which bundles the gateway with unlimited data, is $25 a month.

Can I use my own modem with Xfinity?

Yes. Check the compatibility list on the Xfinity site first, because not every modem works on every plan speed.

How long until buying my own modem pays off?

A modem at $90 to $150 plus a router at $80 to $150 pays for itself in roughly ten to eighteen months at $15 a month.

Is xFi Complete worth it?

It depends what you would pay otherwise. At $25 it bundles the gateway with unlimited data worth about $30 alone, so dropping the equipment to save $15 can add $30 back to the bill.