ApprovedModemwhat your ISP actually allows

AT&T Internet: can you use your own modem?

Own modem not allowed

No — AT&T Internet does not allow customer-owned modems. Its fiber service terminates at equipment AT&T Internet installs and owns, so there is no modem for you to buy. A modem bought elsewhere cannot be activated on the network, so buying one would waste your money. Everything below is quoted from AT&T Internet's own page, last checked 2026-08-25.

Connection
fiber (AT&T Fiber, via Optical Network Terminal) / fixed-wireless (AT&T Internet Air) / legacy copper DSL
Verified
2026-08-25
  1. Your modemyou buy it, or you rent it
  2. Your ISP's networkthey decide what connects
  3. The internetthe part you actually want
Your equipment has to satisfy AT&T Internet before it reaches the internet at all — which is why their published rule, not a retailer's compatibility claim, is the one that decides.

Can I use my own modem with AT&T Internet?

No. AT&T Internet does not permit customer-owned modems on this service; it provides the equipment. AT&T supplies the gateway. Verbatim: "Your Wi-Fi® gateway provides your connection to AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber. It connects from your home to our broadband network. You also get your Wi-Fi connection from the gateway. We provide the gateway when you set up internet at your home." and "If you cancel your internet service, you'll have to return your Wi-Fi gateway and it's power supply." PARTIAL EXCEPTION — legacy DSL only: a separate AT&T page (https://www.att.com/support/article/dsl-high-speed/KM1010411/) states "If you are using a DSL modem that was not provided by AT&T, there are special instructions for you to setup your equipment and register your account."

Do I have to return my AT&T gateway if I cancel?

Yes. AT&T states: "If you cancel your internet service, you'll have to return your Wi-Fi gateway and it's power supply." The same applies to the All-Fi Hub and AirTies 4971 extenders. No deadline is stated on the page.

What is the AT&T ONT and can I remove it?

The ONT converts fiber light waves into an electrical Ethernet signal for your gateway. AT&T states it is installed when service is first set up "and it should never be removed."

Which AT&T gateway models are current?

AT&T's equipment page names the BGW320, BGW210, Pace 5268, NVG599 and NVG589 as common Wi-Fi gateway models, and adds "You may have a different Wi-Fi gateway model."

Does AT&T Internet charge an equipment rental fee?

"Equipment Fee ... N/A* ... *Monthly recurring fee for a Wi-Fi Gateway when not already included in monthly service plan price. Home Internet Service Plans currently offered for sale do not carry an Equipment Fee. Certain older AT&T Internet and/or AT&T Fiber plans may carry a monthly Equipment Fee of $2, $4, $7 or $10, depending on the plan and date of purchase, which fee is in addition to the monthly recurring charge for the plan itself." (from AT&T Internet Fee Schedule (Consumer), https://www.att.com/legal/terms.ATTInternetConsumerFeeSchedule.html, "effective as of January 30th, 2025").

How do I activate my own equipment on AT&T Internet?

AT&T does not publish a customer-owned-gateway activation path. Its equipment page states plainly: "We provide the gateway when you set up internet at your home." For AT&T Fiber an installer fits the fiber path first — "We install an ONT when internet is first set up at your home, and it should never be removed" — and the ONT "changes fiber light waves back to electrical waves. Then, it converts the waves to an electrical signal over Ethernet line to your Wi-Fi gateway." AT&T also supplies the cabling: "We provide Cat6 Ethernet cables with our internet equipment." Gateway models AT&T names are the BGW320, BGW210, Pace 5268, NVG599 and NVG589.

What should I watch out for with AT&T Internet?

AT&T's minimum-equipment page lists the required device as a "Wi-Fi gateway or AT&T-compatible DSL modem" — the only customer-supplied option AT&T names anywhere is a DSL modem, and even there the qualifier is "AT&T-compatible". AT&T publishes no approved third-party gateway list for AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber. AT&T Internet Air uses a different AT&T-provided device again, the All-Fi Hub. One tell that the DSL path is real but narrow: the same page notes "You only need a CD-ROM drive if you bring your own modem."

Do AT&T Internet's requirements change with my speed tier?

AT&T publishes minimum connectivity requirements per speed tier at https://www.att.com/support/article/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1008461/, but these are requirements for the CUSTOMER'S COMPUTER and cabling, not for a customer-supplied modem — e.g. Internet 5000: "5 Gigabit Ethernet" NIC and "Cat6 / Cat6a Ethernet cable connected to the blue Ethernet port on your gateway"; Internet 2000: "2.5 Gigabit Ethernet" and "Cat5e / Cat6"; Internet 100 - Internet 1000: "Gigabit Ethernet" and "Cat5e / Cat6". Note every tier assumes an AT&T gateway is present.

What does AT&T Internet not allow?

The fiber terminating equipment is AT&T's and is not customer-replaceable. Verbatim: "We install an ONT when internet is first set up at your home, and it should never be removed."; of the Fiber jack — "This connects to your ONT. It should never be removed."; of the Ethernet jack — "It should never be removed." The All-Fi Hub for AT&T Internet Air is likewise AT&T-supplied and must be returned on cancellation.

Do I have to return AT&T Internet's equipment?

AT&T states the return obligation per device. For the gateway: "If you cancel your internet service, you'll have to return your Wi-Fi gateway and it's power supply." For AT&T Internet Air: "If you cancel your service, you'll have to return your All-Fi Hub and it's power supply." For Extended Wi-Fi Service: "If you cancel your internet, you'll have to return any AirTies 4971 extenders and their power supply." Two exceptions AT&T names: older AirTies 4920/4921 extenders "were available for purchase and won't have to be returned", and "You don't return cables you purchased to AT&T." No return deadline is stated on these pages.

Two boxes

  1. Modemtalks to the ISP line
  2. Routermakes the Wi-Fi

One box — a “gateway”

  1. Modem + routerone unit does both jobs
AT&T Internet treats the modem and the Wi-Fi router as separate questions. Read their wording below before assuming one box covers both.

What should I do instead?

Use the equipment AT&T Internet provides. If a retailer listing or a forum post tells you otherwise, trust AT&T Internet's own page linked below — a device they do not support cannot be activated, and returning it is your problem, not theirs.

Where does this information come from?

Every statement on this page is quoted from AT&T Internet's own published pages:

Last verified 2026-08-25. Approved lists and equipment policies change without notice — re-check the source above before you buy.

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