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Originally Posted by 62SkiDoo
I work from home. I have Quantum's base lifetime plan. I'm constantly on Zoom, Teams and Slack, I am uploading and downloading code and large image files and editing resources on line. I'm simultaneously streaming SiriusXM over my own laptop on the same network and periodically checking the news on Roku when I take a break, not to mention checking email and streaming on my phone. In the evenings, I stream over Roku and on my laptop.
Bandwidth is the least of my problems.
Why does anyone need all that bandwidth and speed? Gaming? Well, then maybe. Anything less, start with the base plan and only increase it if actually needed. Applications will scream and providers will always be happy to sell more bandwidth.
As for Comcast, they exemplify corporations out of touch and out of control. I patronize these characters only when I must, when there is absolutely no other choice. I ditch them at the first opportunity when fiber or anther cable provider arrives.
The extraction is always the worst. They seem to keep their hooks in for as long as possible, to really drag out the pain of their Kafkaesque customer service, to make leaving as aversive as possible. This time, just as I thought I was free, I received a bill for an obsolete modem for which they had sent me a replacement over a year ago! I had to go back a second time to the service center and sit there in line for an hour to get that straitened out. They'd have gladly charged me $150 for scrap heap junk had I not pushed back.
Comcast possesses a corporate culture with no conscience.
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Very plainly said. Most know I've been helping people sign up for Quantum and helping with installation and wiring needs so, I've met a lot of people here in the Villages especially when Quantum ran that $35 1Gbs offer in December. I was busy every day. What I've found meeting a diverse group of Villagers is almost all are price driven. Meaning, they want the best deal for the longest time and don't often consider the consequences. There is no right or wrong here and I also found many in the Villages have very little choice. In some cases, Xfinity was the only choice along with Dish and fixed wireless services.
In reality, as many have stated, if you don't have a lot of data use, meaning, basic streaming, basic internet surfing, checking your e-mail, 100 Mbs, if that's what you actually get should be adequate. With Xfinity it's $30/month and Spectrum $20/month. Basic router and wifi devices.
I have a friend who got Xfinity Now and it does work. Nice and slow but it works for them. Depending on the night at prime time they do get a little buffering but not much and it's not a problem for them. Where he lives many have Xfinity so being a shared system it get's overloaded sometimes at peak times. Depending on where you live you may not have this problem. The issue he does have is with wifi coverage. Being a basic wifi device the coverage is not great so his lanai TV often looses connection. Same with his computer in the far bedroom. Xfinity does offer a really good Wifi7 device but it's $10/month extra and I'm not sure he can get that with the NOW service. I could also set him up with a nice wifi7 mesh wifi system but he doesn't want to layout the money for that. So in his case he is going back to Quantum becasue for $50/month he doesen't have any of these issues. He get's the Wifi7 mesh network, more speed than he will ever use and he doesn't have to worry about the bill every year. The extra money he's paying for Quantum is so small that it's not worth the aggrivation.
Another person I know can't get Quantum so they use Verizon Fixed wireless. It works pretty good. The Verizon wifi device is excellent so although the internet speeds are not stellar, they get enough bandwidth and wifi coverage and they are happy. But as many have stated you need to be fairly close to their tower for the service to work. Verizon and other's must be expanding because at my home in Osceola Hills, my Verizon phone is getting the faster service recently.
Finally, the other things I see are people moving their perfectly good cell phone service to the cable company. When you do this, the cable company does give you more discount on Internet and TV but now you have your phones bundled so when you go an try to make change, people are more resistent becasue it involves their cell phones. The cable companies know this and make it harder to make changes. Today as an example, at Consumer Cellular, you can get a slightly better cell plan than the cable companies offer at a slightly cheaper price with unlimited data so you don't have to use hot spots, etc.. There are other "discount" providers that have even better "deals".
Sorry for the long post but just wanted to share my experiences to maybe help other's who may be struggling with their services and trying to figure out what to do. At the end of the day you have to get the service that best fits your needs and budget.