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Author Topic: Cutting the Cable  (Read 1411 times)

Offline cultartist

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Cutting the Cable
« on: August 28, 2020, 09:22:32 AM »
I'm sure this has come up before but I was wondering if anyone has advice for an alternative to Spectrum for reliable internet connection.  I live in a landmark building so, sadly, FIOS isn't an option.  Grateful for any information that any you can offer.  Thank you! 
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Offline ljr

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2020, 11:58:50 AM »
I don't think being in a landmark building means FIOS is not an option. It goes building by building, but I am pretty sure some landmarked buildings now have FIOS. Ours doesn't yet, but that's just because we could not get Verizon to act on our desire to get it. Last I heard there was a recent meeting with representatives from buildings in our complex that are interested in getting FIOS--but I need to follow up and find out what was said at the meeting. It was with a Verizon rep, I believe.
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Offline jh35

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2020, 01:36:58 PM »
Quote from: ljr on August 28, 2020, 11:58:50 AM
I don't think being in a landmark building means FIOS is not an option. It goes building by building, but I am pretty sure some landmarked buildings now have FIOS. Ours doesn't yet, but that's just because we could not get Verizon to act on our desire to get it. Last I heard there was a recent meeting with representatives from buildings in our complex that are interested in getting FIOS--but I need to follow up and find out what was said at the meeting. It was with a Verizon rep, I believe.

We got FIOS at Washington Plaza recently and I am very happy with it. The picture quality, the assortment of channels and the speed and reliabilty of the internet are better than Spectrum.

Verizon, though, is very unreliable about billing and following through on what the initial agreement called for. They even change the channels available with no refunds. You have to watch the bills for the first few months to make sure they are not over-billing. As the salesman said to me, "Everyone gets a different price."  They also do not accept credit cards for discounted automatic billing. When I think of Verizon I think of unnecessary dishonesty. A great product with bad billing and customer service.

The fiber optic cable is smaller than Spectrum. It is less intrusive in the building. They used to have a large box that they would install in each apartment but not any longer. Now, you just get the 4k canister shaped modem-router. 

The hold up for years here was that the management would not sign off on it. Once they did, it was installed fairly quickly. They sent in specialized teams to install each phase.

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Offline lindsey

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2021, 10:43:11 AM »
Hi folks. For Fios customers in the neighborhood, was wondering what package other people are paying for. We have 2 adults and 2 kids working/schooling from home, and were having trouble with Zoom lag/dropped video calls at the cheapest plan (200 Mbps, $39.99/month). Called customer service and they pitched me on the priciest plan of course (Gigabit, $79.99.month). Have others found the need to upgrade their plan with multiple folks working at home?
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Offline theplanesland

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2021, 12:12:08 PM »
Quote from: lindsey on February 19, 2021, 10:43:11 AM
Hi folks. For Fios customers in the neighborhood, was wondering what package other people are paying for. We have 2 adults and 2 kids working/schooling from home, and were having trouble with Zoom lag/dropped video calls at the cheapest plan (200 Mbps, $39.99/month). Called customer service and they pitched me on the priciest plan of course (Gigabit, $79.99.month). Have others found the need to upgrade their plan with multiple folks working at home?

Yes. We have three people and went to the 400 plan, and it's good. Also make sure that the problem isn't just your WiFi. The walls in our old buildings really block WiFi and you may need to use a USB adapter or a wireless extender to get around corners.
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Offline Ecrivain

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2021, 08:52:44 AM »
The Wall Street Journal, in a fascinating report on Internet speeds, found that the high speeds offered by most providers are a waste of money. Most people, even entire families streaming all the time, use only a fraction of what is being paid for (which in turn isn't always being provided). Of course FIOS tried to sell you their most expensive plan. Here's an excerpt from the WSJ coverage of this, taken from probably the most relevant story (https://www.wsj.com/graphics/faster-internet-not-worth-it/)

Quote
“For many people they are not going to see huge differences between 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps and a gigabit per second,” said Nick Feamster, a University of Chicago network-performance expert and part of the research team on the Journal project. Some 61% of U.S. households had speeds of 100 Mbps or higher as of December 2018, according to research firm Kagan.

We found similar results across our 34 testers who ran five, six or seven streams at once. The eight users with speeds 100 Mbps or higher who had seven streams going used only about 7.1 Mbps of capacity, on average.

People who paid for even faster speeds still streamed video at about the same speeds as everyone else, resulting in their using a smaller portion of available bandwidth. One person with a 300 Mbps connection streamed at a median of 7.2 Mbps, using 2% of the capacity she pays for.
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Offline hum@njukebox1

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2021, 12:11:15 PM »
Big business ripping off the little guy.  Typical.
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Offline JHResident

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2021, 02:00:02 PM »
Make sure you are actually getting the speeds you are paying for already before moving up to a new level. I'm paying for 200 mbps on Spectrum, but find the speed usually no better than 80 mbps when using WiFi or ethernet. You can start at speedtest.net but I've heard there are more accurate options also. On T-Mobile 5G I get double that speed.
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Offline Chingwa

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2021, 07:02:56 PM »
Whatever Fios plan you get will start creeping northward after a couple years and the "rebates" expire.  But this goes the same for all of these companies... always raising their rates.  Always.  The good thing is that Fios is the best internet I've ever had so is worth the money, even with the price increases.
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Online dssjh

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Re: Cutting the Cable
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2021, 02:10:47 PM »
i've never had any major issues with Spectrum. well, no more than i've had with Cablevision or DirecTV in previous residences. Yes, they're overpriced. Yes, the service can be spotty at times. But they do have some of the best customer service i've experienced, regardless of field. one hour appointment windows set up within 24 hours, and really good techs. just my two cents
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