About ready to cut the cable cord

[Cameramonkey]

No, not on residential models. Business models allow that.

Nothing shows up at my house on the wifi map, and no Xfinity wifi shows up on any of my devices until I get near the businesses that do show on the map. In my house, no xfinity hotspot shows up on any of my devices, including my work laptop that was never set up on my home network.

I got nothin then.

 

[doddg]

I've finally had enough with the cable bills always rising and since mines about to go up significantly I'll probably just do the internet thing and start streaming. I have had Xfinity for several years and except for the cost my service is actually pretty good but I'm thinking I might be better off with another provider. So far I'm considering Metronet or AT&T. I know speed is a factor and it looks like Metronet's speed and pricing may be the way to go. Anybody have anything good / bad experiences with any of the above to sway my decision.

I did that in December with Xfinity cable after my 2 yr. contract was up that had increased by $30 in 2 yrs, a 20% increase while being under contract!
Previously, I had ATT but the 25 Mbps that I was supposed to have would go down to 2-5 (or less) Mbps in the evening b/c the neighborhood would leach your speed.

I was thrilled to get Xfinity after that experience b/c I got 200 Mbps.
My bill for cable & internet with Xfinity was $160 2 yrs. ago & went up to $190 months before the contract ended & was going to go up to $220 (or more) after the 2 year "trial."
I dropped cable.

I kept the Xfinity for internet for $75/month with 50 Mbps & has handled my streaming just fine.
I looked into T-Moble but the signal was not strong where I lived.
It would have been $50/mo since I wouldn't have to pay $14/mo modem rental.

We got YouTubeTV streaming service for $65/month & like it very much with its unlimited recording allowed.
I would have been paying over $220 with Xfinity & now I'm paying $135 with Xfinity for cable & youtubetv streaming.
I'm happy with it.
My son got me Disney+ & Paramount Plus for Xmas for a few months so I could stream some Star Wars & Star Trek series.

If I get poor in retirement I can get a cheaper service for streaming but the YouTubeTV is a good transition since it had every channel that was important to us.
The beauty of it is that I can switch the streaming service & switch to another to try out since there is no contract.
There is even one service that has our "essential" channels for $25.
I've learned some people rotate the streaming service they use seasonably.

 

[doddg]

One more thing, we have an antenna in attic and get all the major and minor OTA broadcasts.

When I dropped cable I got a streaming service & also bought an antennae for local channels & it worked fine but with the streaming channels including local news I never need it.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

you know the millions of free Wi-Fi hotspots across the country they advertise? Your router is one of them. Any other customer within range of your modem can use the private Wi-Fi on thr router and leach your bandwidth as if it was their own.

Supposedly it doesn't leach your bandwidth, there are allegedly 2 separate routers in the box neither connected. Or something like that. And you can turn it off if you want. I believe you have to do it online.

No, not on residential models. Business models allow that.

Nothing shows up at my house on the wifi map, and no Xfinity wifi shows up on any of my devices until I get near the businesses that do show on the map. In my house, no xfinity hotspot shows up on any of my devices, including my work laptop that was never set up on my home network.

At least some residential models do. Mine doesn't show up on the map, but xfinitywifi shows up at my house at the same strength as my home wifi.

 

[JohnP82]

Grateful that I "live under a rock" as many say.
I haven't had cable or any tv in over 10 years now. I've never streamed anything. Back then I had cable, got tired of the prices switched to direct tv, eventually got tired of that bill for how little I used it. I have had nothing but the channels that come in on my tv. Get local news, weather, and some shows...good enough for me.
Never have a clue what half the shows are people are always talking about at work, but it doesn't bother me one bit.
I know people that spend two or three hundred bucks a month on cable, dish, or streaming or whatever...no way I can do that.
Nothing against anyone that does, hey do what makes you happy, but personally I'm fine with being "out of the loop" and saving the cash.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Supposedly it doesn't leach your bandwidth, there are allegedly 2 separate routers in the box neither connected. Or something like that. And you can turn it off if you want. I believe you have to do it online.

At least some residential models do. Mine doesn't show up on the map, but xfinitywifi shows up at my house at the same strength as my home wifi.

Odd. I'm assuming they told you up front that was the case? Maybe it's location specific? Based on speed available or something like population density?

I have the 600mbps plan. You?

 

[Bugzilla]

I know a few people with just an antenna that are satisfied with it. I am jealous of their monthly bills!

 

[bigretic]

I did this within the last year, and here's my experince.
1. the "DVR" factor. If you like pause, or record and watch at will, you are going to find it is not the same in many cases.
2. the learning curve. If you were on comcast or whatever, now you will have a different interface for every service to learn and it will be moderately frustrating at first to do some seemingly simple tasks.
3. no being able to watch the current channel in a small screen while channel surfing is a huge annoyance but obviously not a deal breaker.
4. be prepared to try and change services.
5. it's not as cheap as you think unless you are really going down in service and sticking to it.

Anyway - the reality is my wife dictates what is needed for the boobie tube so i just go along. I will tell you this. I think Hulu sucks and they can stick an egg in it. "No Adds" is BS and a total lie and they should be class actioned, but it's apparently against the user agreement. F them. The most expensive package with live TV add on still forces adds on recordings you cannot fast forward through. /rant F hulu. /rant really.

I have landed on Youtube TV, and am an on/off subscriver of disney. Others like paramount + come and go depending on content. And yes i have a 130" rooftop antenna for real live networks even though i get them on Youtube.

 

[jspy5]

I have 600 Mbps for $50 (inclusive of taxes, etc) through Xfinity. Internet only, and they provide the Gateway (actually more expensive to use your own or I would) Never tried metronet. If you call Xfinity to cancel the account, you can probably get the same deal.

I should try this but I actually went into the Xfinity store the other day and inquired about deleting the cable but keeping the internet only and was told the price would be $125. You suppose they were just testing me ?

 

[jspy5]

We got YouTubeTV streaming service for $65/month & like it very much with its unlimited recording allowed.
I would have been paying over $220 with Xfinity & now I'm paying $135 with Xfinity for cable & youtubetv streaming.
I'm happy with it.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I should try this but I actually went into the Xfinity store the other day and inquired about deleting the cable but keeping the internet only and was told the price would be $125. You suppose they were just testing me ?

I never deal with the stores. The 'account retention' people are the ones who have the authority to deviate from standard pricing, but you have to call the mothership threaten to cancel to get to them. Just be prepared with your backup since if you're bluffing you have less pull.

 

[jspy5]

My bad, I must say currently I record about 95% of what I watch and also use Netflix, Disney+, and HBO max. So is there a recording option with YouTubeTV ? I am somewhat familiar with some of the channels on there but not a DVR capability.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Odd. I'm assuming they told you up front that was the case? Maybe it's location specific? Based on speed available or something like population density?

I have the 600mbps plan. You?

They told me about it when we got a box that would do that, but it was a few years ago. Latest "new" install nothing was said. When I say new, it wasn't supposed to be. Had a house fire and when we moved back from the rental they were supposed to transfer service but instead had it listed as a new install. From my understanding it doesn't effect my speeds and supposedly has no security risks because the two wifi networks aren't linked in any way.

Current plan is the same 600mbps, when we first got the "hot spot" box it was slower around 50 iirc and possibly lower.

It seems they don't list residential hotspots on their map, it's meant for when "friends and family" stop by. Here is some info about it.

Xfinity WiFi Home Hotspot FAQs

Get the answers to some common Xfinity WiFi Home Hotspot questions.

www.xfinity.com

 

[BehindBlueI's]

They told me about it when we got a box that would do that, but it was a few years ago. Latest "new" install nothing was said. When I say new, it wasn't supposed to be. Had a house fire and when we moved back from the rental they were supposed to transfer service but instead had it listed as a new install. From my understanding it doesn't effect my speeds and supposedly has no security risks because the two wifi networks aren't linked in any way.

Current plan is the same 600mbps, when we first got the "hot spot" box it was slower around 50 iirc and possibly lower.

It seems they don't list residential hotspots on their map, it's meant for when "friends and family" stop by. Here is some info about it.

Xfinity WiFi Home Hotspot FAQs

Get the answers to some common Xfinity WiFi Home Hotspot questions.

www.xfinity.com

Dunno, mine may predate it, then. I just doublechecked with two devices and neither shows the xfinitywifi or XFINITY SSID mentioned in the articles. You'd basically have to be in my yard or parked directly in front of my house to use mine anyway, though. Might be a concern if I lived in an apartment building or tightly packed subdivision.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Dunno, mine may predate it, then. I just doublechecked with two devices and neither shows the xfinitywifi or XFINITY SSID mentioned in the articles. You'd basically have to be in my yard or parked directly in front of my house to use mine anyway, though. Might be a concern if I lived in an apartment building or tightly packed subdivision.

I just noticed that my xfinitywifi doesn't show up on my wifi menu anymore. Wonder what changed? I've had to reboot several times in the past couple of weeks though, so I wonder if they pushed some kind of update to eliminate it.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Dunno, mine may predate it, then. I just doublechecked with two devices and neither shows the xfinitywifi or XFINITY SSID mentioned in the articles. You'd basically have to be in my yard or parked directly in front of my house to use mine anyway, though. Might be a concern if I lived in an apartment building or tightly packed subdivision.

Doubt if it predates it (equipment wise) if you're on the 600mbps, but it might not be turned on. My router has had the capability for I've guessing 10ish years maybe more.

It can be turned on/off through the advanced settings on the xfinity website. And yeah the range isn't great but I've been able to pick it up across the street in a couple of places.

I just noticed that my xfinitywifi doesn't show up on my wifi menu anymore. Wonder what changed? I've had to reboot several times in the past couple of weeks though, so I wonder if they pushed some kind of update to eliminate it.

Mine shows up on my computer, but not my phone. But my phone shows more networks. . I guess one of my neighbors could have a comcast business account and they are close enough to get "full" signal strength as my router, but that's iffy. Only neighbor I have that I think might have one I know his wifi's name and it's a much lower signal strength.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Doubt if it predates it (equipment wise) if you're on the 600mbps, but it might not be turned on. My router has had the capability for I've guessing 10ish years maybe more.

It can be turned on/off through the advanced settings on the xfinity website. And yeah the range isn't great but I've been able to pick it up across the street in a couple of places.

Mine shows up on my computer, but not my phone. But my phone shows more networks. . I guess one of my neighbors could have a comcast business account and they are close enough to get "full" signal strength as my router, but that's iffy. Only neighbor I have that I think might have one I know his wifi's name and it's a much lower signal strength.

Well, I just looked again, and it took a few seconds, but it finally showed up. I guess I just wasn't looking long enough.

 

[bgcatty]

Just do it! You won’t be sorry. Just use the internet and you will find numerous ways to see what you want for practically nothing compared to your cable tv monthly bills. Best of luck!

 

[Chalky]

I know a few people with just an antenna that are satisfied with it. I am jealous of their monthly bills!

Yep, I was surprised how many channels my tv picked up with a cheap indoor antenna. The picture quality is very good. I had to use the amplifier though. Money well spent.

 

[Ingomike]

Yep, I was surprised how many channels my tv picked up with a cheap indoor antenna. The picture quality is very good. I had to use the amplifier though. Money well spent.

And if you have a newer smart TV connected to the internet you may have hundreds of additional channels free. My Samsung has near 200 free channels. Check out the list.

Samsung TV Plus - It's free TV. Just switch on.

All the entertainment you want at zero cost. Stream 350+ live TV channels, and 1000s of movies and shows on demand, all for free.

www.samsung.com