Internet/TV providers

[Finley13]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.

[tvbound]

One of our rental's had Dish and the other Comcast.

When we move there, between the two, Comcast will definitely be our choice.

[kathyspear]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.

Depends where in The Villages you move. Some areas only have one provider, others have a couple.

kathy

[sdeikenberry]

You'll have to ask your new neighbors what providers supply your area as different ones in different villages. Personally, I would avoid Comcast at all costs. I use CenturyLink for internet only and have internet TV otherwise. I cut the cable years ago and haven't looked back. Much cheaper, no customer service hassles, and I'm in control.

[birdiebill]

I use Comcast for high speed internet only. I have had no problems with Comcast/Xfinity. I have 200 mps for $73.00 per month. We stream our tv with You Tube TV and Amazon Prime. Also have Apple TV free for one year due to purchasing new iPhones. Cable tv through Comcast was too expensive.

[dewilson58]

spectrum

[John_W]

Since you didn't mention the area you'll be living, here goes. Comcast, which is now calling itself Xfinity. I guess since they were voted worse customer service in America I would change my name as well. Xfinity has cable tv and internet available everywhere. Century Link internet is available above 44, they use to offer Prism TV but discontinued that service and some new homes have said they have CL, so you'll have to find out yourself. Spectrum internet and TV is available below 466A and north of 44, basically the Brownwood/Pine Ridge areas.

Since the newest trend is streaming TV, the internet is the most important. I've had Century Link since 2011, in my area around Seabreeze Rec Center we have fiber optic, no modem and I get 100mpbs for $49 a month for life, it actually speed tests at 80mpbs and I've only had one outage in 9 years. I still with satellite TV for viewing, Directv since 2008. You can get Directv or Dish TV anywhere in the Villages, and for streaming the two most popular are youtube TV and Hula TV are the best options for live TV channels. You can add additional apps to your streaming service for other content. If your smart TV is probably 3 years or older, you might need a ROKU Stick in order to get all the apps for streaming, that's a one time purchase of about $35 per stick.

[wlasowicz]

I have comcast/xfinity but I have spectrum in the area now. For the one person paying $73.00 for 200 Mbps is a lot Unfortunately everyone is paying what the cable companies can get a way with. In my primary home in upstate NY I have fiber optic which I have the base plan of 500Mbps for a flat rate of $50.00. My place is used as a rental so i prefer a basic cable tv and internet package but the cable companies force you to take a high price plan.

[Finley13]

Thank you so much for your help. We are moving to the village of Poinciana.

[Dgizzi]

Thank you so much for your help. We are moving to the village of Poinciana.
It depends your realtors should tell you each area is different. I use Spectrum. Awesome service and customer service. I work from home and have had no issues

[John_W]

Thank you so much for your help. We are moving to the village of Poinciana.

So you're between 466 and 466A near Cane Garden, not far from me, maybe a mile. You've got Century Link and Xfinity for internet, but no Spectrum. You can stream TV over the internet with youtube or Hula, or get Xfinity cable or Directv or Dish for satellite.

[AnneS]

Spectrum is the best

[chenault55]

We love Dish and have had it for several years. We love the automatic commercial skipper.

[Kegarn]

Who can I call to determine if I have fiber optics south of 44? We are ready to cut the cable cord.
Thanks

[Bethwill]

We use Century Link for internet only and Hulu with live tv and DVR and no commercials, Amazon Prime and Netflix. Since our TVs are old, we had to get Fire Sticks to stream but we'll worth the price difference from cable. Many more choices and no crazy cable bills.

[RoadToad]

You'll have to ask your new neighbors what providers supply your area as different ones in different villages. Personally, I would avoid Comcast at all costs. I use CenturyLink for internet only and have internet TV otherwise. I cut the cable years ago and haven't looked back. Much cheaper, no customer service hassles, and I'm in control.

Sorry, NOT CHEAPER for Basic Internet; which is all you need for streaming services. (Actually, Cheaper (yes); less expensive (no way).

Been there, done that....

We left Century Link ($45 @ Mo) 7Meg service.
And went to Comcast ($20 @ Mo) 28 Meg service.

Also, Century Link's installers play "whack-a-mole" in grabbing your line pair and using it on another new install to quickly "earn" there contractor fee.
Leaving you to report the problem and get a repair to your service in about 3 or 4 days. SUCKS!

Frankly, Century Link sucks on all levels!

The Comcast $20 @ Mo is a one year promo rate, BUT at the anniversary you can go to Villages Comcast store and leverage its renewing at the same $20.

Century Link, on the other hand, has NO STORES for customers to go to.
They are strictly an internet business Model company. All installers are "independent Contractors" ergo, NO tax liability to Century Link. And, ergo, NO RESPONSIBILITY to the customer.

Again, can not stress it enough,
Century Link sucks on all levels!
:boxing2::boxing2::boxing2::boxing2:

[RoadToad]

I use Comcast for high speed internet only. I have had no problems with Comcast/Xfinity. I have 200 mps for $73.00 per month. We stream our tv with You Tube TV and Amazon Prime. Also have Apple TV free for one year due to purchasing new iPhones. Cable tv through Comcast was too expensive.

200 Meg is enormous overkill for most residential uses.
If you run a "Server" function, maybe.
For normal streaming, it takes about 3 Meg per device for typical 4K video.
Comcast's basic 28 Meg service for $20 Mo will accomodate several devices simultaneously streaming.

YMMV

[Dgizzi]

We love Dish and have had it for several years. We love the automatic commercial skipper.
Do you lose connection a lot do to clouds, rain? When I lived in Ohio we had satellite and constantly lost TV when it was cloudy or rained. Thanks

[Pedrocarrasco01@yahoo.com]

So you're between 466 and 466A near Cane Garden, not far from me, maybe a mile. You've got Century Link and Xfinity for internet, but no Spectrum. You can stream TV over the internet with youtube or Hula, or get Xfinity cable or Directv or Dish for satellite.

We switched to Comcast Xfinity, great speeds on WiFi and great channel line up on TV. Yes their service at one time was horrid, but they have changed a lot, (I guess they needed to do that to stay in business) I called them for issues and it was cordially resolved within minutes and they called back to make sure that I was ok and resolved (my modem was frozen).
The others cannot compare in quality of service, also if you have their service, you qualify for their cellular service, I was a Verizon customer for over 40 years and went from $90 plus for 2 lines to $12 per Gigabyte of data plus the customary taxes, my highest bill for the past year has been $28.00 for 2 lines, Xfinity uses Verizon Towers so I have not seen any difference in service only a ton of Savings. :boom: :boom: :boom: :bigbow: :bigbow:

[Pedrocarrasco01@yahoo.com]

Who can I call to determine if I have fiber optics south of 44? We are ready to cut the cable cord.
Thanks
Misunderstood Aspect that companies don’t really want you to know is Fiber optical cable is what is in your Nearest box in the yard, however the cable that goes to your home and the cable in your home that connects to your WiFi and TV, is NOT FIBER OPTICAL CABLE but regular wire cable, big misunderstanding, companies touted Fiber optics But Your home and the buried cable outside your home is regular wires.

[Guitarman1951]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.
In the Village of Caroline, we are told that we can only get Xfinity or CenturyLink. We had CenturyLink for a long time at $45/mo but it was only 25 MBPS and it rarely tested out anywhere near that. The streaming would stop and start constantly. We switched last year to Xfinity at 60 MBPS for $39/mo. Their streaming rate constantly tests out at or above 60 and sometimes as much as a 100 MBPS(using a separate app I downloaded for free, not their app)and we never have a problem. However, we were told that our cost would only go up $10 at the end of the 12 month intro rate but they've raised it to $72. I've tried contacting a live person to talk about his via online and calling and all I can get is their "virtual asst" which is worthless. Went to their office in Lady Lake where I first went and it is closed due to the virus. Since my sister-in-law bought this service at the same time & price as us but only had an increase to $60, something is not right.
So good internet service but a bait and switch tactic and lousy customer service, take your pick.

[biker1]

Sorry to hear about your issues but it would be unfair to say they are typical. It sounds like you are in an older area that is only supported by the older DSL technology over copper wires. In that case, I would not have selected CenturyLink. I have had CenturyLink internet only via fiber optic cable to the house for 6 years with no issues. The price is fixed at $45 per month for 80 megabits per second download, which is actually overkill since I retired and stopped moving around multi gigabyte tarballs.


Sorry, NOT CHEAPER for Basic Internet; which is all you need for streaming services. (Actually, Cheaper (yes); less expensive (no way).

Been there, done that....

We left Century Link ($45 @ Mo) 7Meg service.
And went to Comcast ($20 @ Mo) 28 Meg service.

Also, Century Link's installers play "whack-a-mole" in grabbing your line pair and using it on another new install to quickly "earn" there contractor fee.
Leaving you to report the problem and get a repair to your service in about 3 or 4 days. SUCKS!

Frankly, Century Link sucks on all levels!

The Comcast $20 @ Mo is a one year promo rate, BUT at the anniversary you can go to Villages Comcast store and leverage its renewing at the same $20.

Century Link, on the other hand, has NO STORES for customers to go to.
They are strictly an internet business Model company. All installers are "independent Contractors" ergo, NO tax liability to Century Link. And, ergo, NO RESPONSIBILITY to the customer.

Again, can not stress it enough,
Century Link sucks on all levels!
:boxing2::boxing2::boxing2::boxing2:

[600th Photo Sq]

You'll have to ask your new neighbors what providers supply your area as different ones in different villages. Personally, I would avoid Comcast at all costs. I use CenturyLink for internet only and have internet TV otherwise. I cut the cable years ago and haven't looked back. Much cheaper, no customer service hassles, and I'm in control.

Totally agree with this post. We did exactly the same. Century " Was " very good. For us Century Link internet and Phone Line only. :)

[biker1]

Not exactly. You will use about 3-5 megabits per second bandwidth for 1080p Hi-Def. 4K (2160p) streaming via a source such as Netflix will consume 15-20 megabits per second bandwidth. I agree that for the vast majority of people, something around 20 megabits per second download bandwidth is more than enough.

200 Meg is enormous overkill for most residential uses.
If you run a "Server" function, maybe.
For normal streaming, it takes about 3 Meg per device for typical 4K video.
Comcast's basic 28 Meg service for $20 Mo will accomodate several devices simultaneously streaming.

YMMV

[Bill1701]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.

If you can get AT&T FIOS, get that. I have seen it advertised for $65/month for 1GB speed. You don't mention TV. If you need that also, xFinity has a decent bundle. Stay away from anything that requires a dish. The problem we have had with xFinity lately, in the Pine Ridge area at least, is that service stops for 1-3 hours once in awhile for no reason. There is no 800 number listed for them anymore. No internet means you can't contact them at all.

[biker1]

Not exactly. Pretty much all of the backbones are fiber with coax for the run to your house. The exception is CenturyLink in many, but not all, parts of The Villages. I live between 466a and 44 and I have fiber optic cable to the house. It goes into the ONT box bolted to the outside of my house. From the ONT box , there is a home run of cat5 (Ethernet) cable to an RJ-45 jack in a room that we specified. Typically you will plug a router into the RJ-45 jack as CenturyLink is delivering a dynamic IP address to you at that point. No need for a “modem” as that functionality is handled by the electronics in the ONT. From a practical point of view, whether that last 100 feet to your house is coax (as with Comcast and Spectrum) or fiber optics ( as with much of CenturyLink) is most irrelevant. What I do like about CenturyLink is that I only need a router (any router) and not possibly specific models of a “modem/router” since the ONT handles the “modem” functionality as part of the fiber to cat5 conversion.

Misunderstood Aspect that companies don’t really want you to know is Fiber optical cable is what is in your Nearest box in the yard, however the cable that goes to your home and the cable in your home that connects to your WiFi and TV, is NOT FIBER OPTICAL CABLE but regular wire cable, big misunderstanding, companies touted Fiber optics But Your home and the buried cable outside your home is regular wires.

[PaulinTV]

We are in Fenney, south of 44. Internet only with Centurylink have 1GB service and costs $65/month for life with no data caps like some of the others. Slower speeds are less $$ but we stream and up/download a lot. I've typically seen if you put your address into a services website they will tell you if it's available at your address and the cost/speed/package offers.

[OhioBuckeye]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.

Well, it’ll be pretty cheap no matter who you go with the 1st yr. but every yr. after that it’ll go up little by little. In 6 to 9 yrs. you be paying about $200. a month for Cable & Internet unless they force you to take a phone line too.

[John_W]

Who can I call to determine if I have fiber optics south of 44? We are ready to cut the cable cord.
Thanks

With Century Link, you won't know until they hook it up if you have fiber optic because their customer service doesn't even know. I've had CL since 2011, the first 8 years I had 10mpbs, never had problem with internet speed, watching youtube, it was all that I needed and never thought about getting more speed.

Then with the thought that I might want to stream TV someday, I called and asked about a faster speed, they set me with 100 mpbs, but it tests out at 80 mphs, but still more than enough at $49 a month for life. When I on the phone setting it up, I told the rep I have fiber optic and I have no modem. She said, you may need a modem at this faster speed and put a $150 addition to my order for a modem purchase. The tech came that afternoon and in 2 minutes the speed was changed, he did nothing except a couple of things on his smart phone. I told him, they had charged me for a modem, he said I'll take that off.

When the bill came it was about $175 higher than expected. I called customer service and they finally removed the modem from my bill. They're very friendly and nice on customer service and the field techs, but no one ever seems to have a clue about what is going on.

[OhioBuckeye]

Do you lose connection a lot do to clouds, rain? When I lived in Ohio we had satellite and constantly lost TV when it was cloudy or rained. Thanks
Yes, satellite TV anywhere you’ll lose the signal when the weather is bad. Cable you won’t lose connection hardly at all. I lost connection only 4 times in 8 yrs. Twice I lost lost connection because of digging at neighbors & 2 other times cable company had electrical issues!

[prntxpresn]

Direct TV has 2 year specials. I got Internet 2 years ago I got a $35 special. I

[biker1]

Not exactly. CenturyLink has a “price for life” internet service - the price is fixed unless you change your level of service. There are numerous internet streaming services such as YouTubeTV and Hulu that will provide you with plenty of content. You don’t need to pay your internet provider for their TV service. The streaming service prices will increase with time. If you really want a “land phone line”, subscribe to one of the voice-over-ip services such as Ooma - about $5 per month.


Well, it’ll be pretty cheap no matter who you go with the 1st yr. but every yr. after that it’ll go up little by little. In 6 to 9 yrs. you be paying about $200. a month for Cable & Internet unless they force you to take a phone line too.

[OhioBuckeye]

If you can get AT&T FIOS, get that. I have seen it advertised for $65/month for 1GB speed. You don't mention TV. If you need that also, xFinity has a decent bundle. Stay away from anything that requires a dish. The problem we have had with xFinity lately, in the Pine Ridge area at least, is that service stops for 1-3 hours once in awhile for no reason. There is no 800 number listed for them anymore. No internet means you can't contact them at all.
OUCH, that could be problem! Hope it never goes out for several days or weeks!

[aallbrand]

I would call Sky Sat 20 they handle all the providers and can get prices lower then any other company . I have used them for years for Cable Phone and internet . Call Marc at 352 775 1152 he been at this for 40 years tell Marc Irving the pilot refered you

[banjobob]

Call Century Link they should b,e able to know.

[FromDC]

Just cut the cord today. Called Spectrum to delete the cable service and keep the 'internet only'. For an existing customer, 'internet only' is $74.99. At that price, I am searching for a better deal. When I dropped off the cable box at the new Spectrum Store, I asked for the 'internet only' price for existing customers and I was told $74.99 again. I was told I could cancel my internet and have my husband create an account and then the internet price would be $49.99, for new customers.

I live in Collier. Looks like Centurylink is $49 and Xfinity is $40 according to their websites (for new customers), but I have not called them yet. I'll keep monitoring this thread to get more ideas. Any additional suggestions would be helpful!!

[John_W]

...Looks like Centurylink is $49 and Xfinity is $40 according to their websites (for new customers), but I have not called them yet. I'll keep monitoring this thread to get more ideas. Any additional suggestions would be helpful!!

Put in your address.

Internet Service - Affordable High-Speed Internet | CenturyLink (https://www.centurylink.com/home/internet/)

[yankygrl]

Put in your address.

Internet Service - Affordable High-Speed Internet | CenturyLink (https://www.centurylink.com/home/internet/)
I recently switched back to Centurylink for internet. I also have a landline, cost guaranteed for life $85+ tax. Have Spectrum for TV and very satisfied at this time with service and cost, which is dependent on what channel package you want. Lived here for 10 yrs and have had Comcast, spectrum, centurylink and dish. After 1 or 2 yrs they all mess with pricing and some mandate contracts. Many have gone to streaming, Roku. Good luck

[Spsmith444]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.
I use CentryLink. $45/month. Internet only. I’m a snow bird so I have the option to stop/start anytime without penalty.

[Bellavita]

only comcast is worth it

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

If you can get AT&T FIOS, get that. I have seen it advertised for $65/month for 1GB speed. You don't mention TV. If you need that also, xFinity has a decent bundle. Stay away from anything that requires a dish. The problem we have had with xFinity lately, in the Pine Ridge area at least, is that service stops for 1-3 hours once in awhile for no reason. There is no 800 number listed for them anymore. No internet means you can't contact them at all.

The phone number for XFinity is the same as it's always been: 1-800-Xfinity. It's listed.

[Curtisbwp]

Hi,
We are moving to TV in 3 weeks, what internet providers are in this area. We use Wow at present, but believe they do not supply here.
Many thanks.

I use xfinity and am very pleased

[FromDC]

Put in your address.

Internet Service - Affordable High-Speed Internet | CenturyLink (https://www.centurylink.com/home/internet/)

Just signed up with Centurylink for the $49/mo price. I said I had my own modem, but the technician is bringing one anyway and I have already been charged an extra $10 for the monthly modem fee. Customer Service said...oh, just mail the modem back and we will credit you back. I hope this great monthly price of $49 (for life) is worth it compared to the $75 (until the next price hike) Spectrum price!

[Stu from NYC]

Just cut the cord today. Called Spectrum to delete the cable service and keep the 'internet only'. For an existing customer, 'internet only' is $74.99. At that price, I am searching for a better deal. When I dropped off the cable box at the new Spectrum Store, I asked for the 'internet only' price for existing customers and I was told $74.99 again. I was told I could cancel my internet and have my husband create an account and then the internet price would be $49.99, for new customers.

I live in Collier. Looks like Centurylink is $49 and Xfinity is $40 according to their websites (for new customers), but I have not called them yet. I'll keep monitoring this thread to get more ideas. Any additional suggestions would be helpful!!

Strange when a new customer is more valuable than an existing loyal one.

[dewilson58]

Strange when a new customer is more valuable than an existing loyal one.


Discount the rate to seduce new customers. The $49 rate is good for a year. Now mine is $65/mth.

[dewilson58]

J

I live in Collier. Looks like Centurylink is $49 and Xfinity is $40 according to their websites (for new customers), but I have not called them yet. I'll keep monitoring this thread to get more ideas. Any additional suggestions would be helpful!!


Watch for modem costs.

[Kilmacowen]

Watch for modem costs.

Also installation costs. I believe century link is self installation with instructions.

[Stu from NYC]

Watch for modem costs.

We purchased our own pays for itself within a year

[John_W]

Just signed up with Centurylink for the $49/mo price. I said I had my own modem, but the technician is bringing one anyway and I have already been charged an extra $10 for the monthly modem fee. Customer Service said...oh, just mail the modem back and we will credit you back. I hope this great monthly price of $49 (for life) is worth it compared to the $75 (until the next price hike) Spectrum price!

If you get a good tech, he won't even leave the modem. I have no modem since I have fiber optic, but when I increased my speed six months ago the customer svc rep charged for a modem, $150. Then he came, he changed the speed in about ten seconds using his smart phone and said he deleted the modem. When the bill came, it was $150 high, so I called customer svc and they knocked it down $175 for the inconvenience.

[FromDC]

If you get a good tech, he won't even leave the modem. I have no modem since I have fiber optic, but when I increased my speed six months ago the customer svc rep charged for a modem, $150. Then he came, he changed the speed in about ten seconds using his smart phone and said he deleted the modem. When the bill came, it was $150 high, so I called customer svc and they knocked it down $175 for the inconvenience.

Is fiber optic (the line that runs from the outside box to your house) an option over DSL? The installer is coming next week and I just want to appear knowledgeable and to ask the right questions!

The same day I signed up for Century Link, the first installer came and set up an outside box on the house. I was impressed that they came out so quick. Hope the end product is impressive too!