Dear Scotty,
My 7 mpbs roadrunner seems slower and slower.  Also, my modem seems to go out such that I need to restart the modem and router too often.  I think I probably need a new modem since I think the one I have is at least 12 years old.  Do you have a favorite you would recommend?

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While I don’t recall what router you have, if it’s an airport extreme or Time Capsule then it’s very unlikely that device is at fault. What is more likely is that the modem is dying. Time Warner is pretty good at replacing old equipment without too much hassle. Meanwhile, to verify your speed here are a couple of sites to provide good indications of up and down speeds.

www.speedtest.net (choose a server other than Greensboro)
http://speedtest.twcnc.com/ (Time Warner’s actual download/upload speed testing site)