Renting or buying a router: when buying pays off

Since the introduction of router freedom (Routerfreiheit), you can choose your own device. Whether renting or buying is cheaper comes down to a simple calculation, and to the question of who you want to be responsible when something goes wrong.

The calculation

Divide the purchase price of a suitable router by the monthly rental. The result is the number of months after which buying pays off. If that point is well below the time you plan to use it, the numbers favour buying.

Bear in mind that a router you have bought can still be used after switching provider, as long as it is compatible with the connection type. That said, this is exactly where it sometimes falls down when moving between DSL, cable and fibre.

• Purchase price ÷ monthly rental = break-even point in months
• Is the device compatible with your connection type?
• Will it still work after a switch?
• Factor in power consumption and lifespan

When renting still makes sense

With a rented device, the provider is responsible for firmware, replacement and faults. If you don’t want to handle that yourself, or you change technology often, renting buys you convenience. That is a legitimate choice; just make it deliberately.

For cable and fibre connections, the range of compatible devices to buy is smaller than for DSL. Check your provider’s compatibility list before you buy.