[jyl]

Hey guys, two quick questions on cable and phone services.

First, anyone tried the home phone options from your cellular carrier? AT&T will sell me another line to use as a home phone, for $10/mo. The box is basically a cellphone radio with a RJ45 phone jack, costs $99. This is the cheapest option I've found for a home phone line that we can use with our existing extension phone system. Vonage is $25/mo, MagicJack doesn't seem suitable. Since our AT&T signal at home is good, and we barely use the home phone anyway, I'm tempted.

Second, anyone bought a cable modem off eBay and installed it, instead of "leasing" the same cable modem from Comcast for $8/mo? I can buy the identical model of Arris cable modem for $20-30. Is installation simply a plug-it-in job, or will Comcast have to enable the new hardware, and do they give you a hard time? (I would simply call Comcast and ask the friendly live customer service operator, but I'm trying to save myself an hour listening to music . . . )