Post by Steve on Feb 13, 2018 6:49:43 GMT -8
Internet bundles provide TV as well as Internet for wi-fi; if you also have a phone line, you really are paying too much. You pay more to bundle the two types of signals,it is worth learning about what "cutting the cord" means. This is the phrase that means leaving standard TV off your bill and depending on an ever increasing supply of streaming TV services. Streaming means delivered over the Internet. The usual networks are available, and you subscribe to different options to get programs you want as collected services.for you watch at your choice of times. The reality is, if you are using a cable service for TV, you are probably paying too much for too many channels you don't watch. So cut the cord!
Options:
• Keep paying for cable but stop renting their modem. That $10/month saved would quickly pay for a $45 Netgear modem that you simply own. Comcast will tell you that you lose tech support for their modem, but honestly? It's not a big concern. BTW, a standard TV/Internet bundle costs almost $25/month in taxes and fees! That seems rather excessive, so maybe consider one of the following options...
• Go Basic! Buy an HDTV antenna. Not the old aluminum trees that went on the roof, now it's a small plate (about the size of a sheet of printer paper) with a 30-ft cable to connect to your TV. The plate sticks in a window. There are several tyoes, but a good choice would be this one for $50 from Amazon. It gets a signal from up to 160 miles. Sac stations, sure, but what about San Francisco? You would get all the major networks, just like the old TV antenna on the roof, but in HD, and you also get way more HD channels you didn't know existed. All free.
Full Disclosure: I almost always have personal use of something I suggest, but not this time. I was under contract to Comcast and only wished I could use one of these. Plus my window faces away from the signals I want!
• Be daring and drop TV from your bill. At least depending on a TV signal pulled in specifically to your flat screen. Go Internet only and go with streaming services only. Think YouTube or any other video you may be familiar with on your tablet or your desktop monitor. You will save some by dropping TV but you will spend some (or all) of that to subscribe to a package of programs. But your selections should be better than a bunch of shopping or kids programs. Check out Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, and more. Or just join PBS for Passport and you're set.
• Cable (Comcast or AT&T)? What do you NEED vs. what you will be sold.
An interesting comparison of DSL vs. Cable: DSL is a phone line delivery system and is much slower than cable. To test the download speeds, we used an iPad and visited speedtest.net. That runs a download and upload check. The results are illuminating. AT&T internet was 6.57 Mpbs for downloads, Comcast? Big difference: 70 Mbps. To be fair, for something as simple as watching movies and just browsing or shopping, even the slower speed is adequate. The mystery is why AT&T is about the same price as Comcast? It certainly should be cheaper. See the info below^
Maybe you qualify for low-income cable service?* Got SNAP food allowance? That opens the door for these low-cost options:
Both provide 5 Mbps. What can you do with 5 Mbps? Netfix provides this:
0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed
1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed
3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality
5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality
The problem with Comcast is that you can't get their low-income service until you have been without Comcast for at least six months! No easy downgrade? That's nuts. I plan to just quit Comcast and go to AT&T. There is no equipment charge and no contract. I found nothing to say you can't downgrade from existing AT^T service! So g'bye Comcast, hello AT&T.
* UPDATE: I got my SNAP card and then filled out the online forms, took photos of my SNAP card and submitted it. Result? NO REPLY since October. 2018. No word coming back! But I also found that the special offer maybe has a limited time left, so that's all I know. This is a FAIL.
Options:
• Keep paying for cable but stop renting their modem. That $10/month saved would quickly pay for a $45 Netgear modem that you simply own. Comcast will tell you that you lose tech support for their modem, but honestly? It's not a big concern. BTW, a standard TV/Internet bundle costs almost $25/month in taxes and fees! That seems rather excessive, so maybe consider one of the following options...
• Go Basic! Buy an HDTV antenna. Not the old aluminum trees that went on the roof, now it's a small plate (about the size of a sheet of printer paper) with a 30-ft cable to connect to your TV. The plate sticks in a window. There are several tyoes, but a good choice would be this one for $50 from Amazon. It gets a signal from up to 160 miles. Sac stations, sure, but what about San Francisco? You would get all the major networks, just like the old TV antenna on the roof, but in HD, and you also get way more HD channels you didn't know existed. All free.
Full Disclosure: I almost always have personal use of something I suggest, but not this time. I was under contract to Comcast and only wished I could use one of these. Plus my window faces away from the signals I want!
• Be daring and drop TV from your bill. At least depending on a TV signal pulled in specifically to your flat screen. Go Internet only and go with streaming services only. Think YouTube or any other video you may be familiar with on your tablet or your desktop monitor. You will save some by dropping TV but you will spend some (or all) of that to subscribe to a package of programs. But your selections should be better than a bunch of shopping or kids programs. Check out Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, and more. Or just join PBS for Passport and you're set.
• Cable (Comcast or AT&T)? What do you NEED vs. what you will be sold.
An interesting comparison of DSL vs. Cable: DSL is a phone line delivery system and is much slower than cable. To test the download speeds, we used an iPad and visited speedtest.net. That runs a download and upload check. The results are illuminating. AT&T internet was 6.57 Mpbs for downloads, Comcast? Big difference: 70 Mbps. To be fair, for something as simple as watching movies and just browsing or shopping, even the slower speed is adequate. The mystery is why AT&T is about the same price as Comcast? It certainly should be cheaper. See the info below^
Maybe you qualify for low-income cable service?* Got SNAP food allowance? That opens the door for these low-cost options:
Comcast offers Internet Essentials • AT&T offers Low-Cost Access. Both are $10/month!
Both provide 5 Mbps. What can you do with 5 Mbps? Netfix provides this:
0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed
1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed
3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality
5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality
The problem with Comcast is that you can't get their low-income service until you have been without Comcast for at least six months! No easy downgrade? That's nuts. I plan to just quit Comcast and go to AT&T. There is no equipment charge and no contract. I found nothing to say you can't downgrade from existing AT^T service! So g'bye Comcast, hello AT&T.
* UPDATE: I got my SNAP card and then filled out the online forms, took photos of my SNAP card and submitted it. Result? NO REPLY since October. 2018. No word coming back! But I also found that the special offer maybe has a limited time left, so that's all I know. This is a FAIL.