Internet services
 

We recently moved to TV of Charlotte. We got HughesNet as our internet provider. Big mistake, it was installed 1/31 & we have had our 2nd service call to no avail. We are supposed to get 25mbps, but that is very sporadic. We can’t get amazon or Netflix or restart a movie on direct tv. They didn’t bother to tell us that the speeds wouldn’t work very well for streaming. Now we have a 24 month contract that I am trying to cancel without a penalty. Does someone have any recommendations for a reliable internet provider?

Comcast is love hate relationship. However since 07 it’s still the provider we use

This is very unfortunate, and I hope you get it worked out. Next time though you'll need to do a little digging before you commit to any kind of contract.

25mbp is not all that high speed, anymore. It used to be, back when 5mbps was typical. But now we're into gigabyte speed and 60mbps is the most common for people who "just" want to stream TV and aren't hard-core gamers, or using their computers as servers for a network.

Also, hughesnet is satellite service. That means you're dependent on the weather. If it's a lousy day, your internet won't be very good. If the weather is clear and crisp, it'll be better. But still, the fact that 25mbps is a selling point - means they really don't have much to offer. What's even worse, is that if you go over whatever limit your plan is at, they will slow your service down to just 1-3mbps. That isn't even enough to load twitter without hiccuping.

For $50 you can get "all that" with only 20gb hard data limit (if you go over you don't get cut off, they just slow it down so it's nauseatingly slow). And that's just for 6 months. It goes up to $70 after that. Plus another $10 to lease the dish - if you want to buy it, it's another $500.

Compare to Comcast, where you can get 60mbps for the same $50, it's (mostly) reliable, and very very very rarely ever slows down. Their data cap is 1 terabyte. For the average person who streams AND games, it's basically impossible to ever hit that cap. Renting a modem is around $12, buying one is under $100.

Might also check into Spectrum....easier to deal with than Comcast and pricing competitive. No contract.

Thank you Jomar

Thank you orangeblossombaby

CenturyLink has one-price-for-life with no contract. For about $50 per month you will get 100 megabits per second download via fiber optic cable to the house. Your price won't change as long as you don't change the service. They don't appear to implement data caps.

Unfortunately, wired internet has us captive weather we like it or not. Satellite or cellular internet works for basic stuff, but most websites push so much data and video through that it is just way to slow without wired cable or fiber optic service. And if you want to cut the cord and stream your television viewing experience, you need a wired Internet connection.

Spectrum at one time used to buy people out of their contracts. I would give them a call and check it out.

We have century link. One price guaranteed as long as we have it. Service has been great.

Comcast seems to be the best of a bad lot. Mostly reliable and their customer service has improved significantly in the last 2-3 years. Buy your own modem and save the rental price.

Not fiber optic in all areas of the Villages. I am in Sunset Pointe and have DSL at 25 MPs. Uses 2 dsl lines to get that. Pay $50 a month for this.

In Buttonwood got 100 MPs on DSL for $55.

Agree.


Great service.............if you want, you can walk in Wildwood and talk to a live body.

Yes, that is true. However, I believe all areas south of 466a (and possibly other areas also) have fiber optic to the house and I was responding to the OP who lives in Charlotte, and does have fiber to the house.

Comcast or Spectrum
 

Just got 100 Mbp from Spectrum for $49.99 and $5 for modem and router, no contract. Was ending a Comcast contract that included cable and they wanted over $70. Live in Sanibel.

CenturyLink
 

I live in LaBelle and have service with CenturyLink at 65 month for life but no contracts. Lucky to have fiber and upload and download speeds range from 120 to over 300. Very fast.

We use Spectrum usually they are really good. The last week or two it is intermittent and yesterday didn’t work at all. I called them last night they said they have been having issues the last couple of weeks but are working on it. Maybe there’s something else going on. Just weird it’s happening the same time you are having issues. Maybe not related.
Just a thought.69.00/month

We both "telecommute" and must have reliable internet access.

Xfinity

has been both reliable and fast.

We did experience one hiccup. Upon renewal of their special pricing for new users, Xfinity jacked our monthly bill. I called and complained. The CSR related that we need to call a month or so before each renewal phase and the rate will be adjusted back to the special offer rate.

"Compare to Comcast, where you can get 60mbps for the same $50, "

Must be nice. I just dropped Comcast because they were charging me $97. I went to a "bonded" line from CenturyLink for $49 per month. I get a consistent 35-38 mb.

I think spectrum will buy out an existing contract.

We live just south of 466A, tried Spectrum 1G (overshoot due to work) but on weekends couldn’t stream a movie or connect to workplace. Tried Centurylink fiber optic at 100 DSL and cannot complain, already almost a year with them and still no regrets.

We had Comcast for the first year here (2012) and it was a nightmare. Switched to Brighthouse and it was awesome. They were bought out by Spectrum and the internet service is still excellent. Comcast has apparently gotten better, likely due to more competition. Whatever you do, if you want to stream, don’t settle for less than 100Mbps service. Keep in mind that you will not get 100% of whatever Mbps you get 100% of the time.

I cut the cable about a year ago. Moved to CenturyLink from xfinity. 80 MB/sec at $45/month with paperless billing. I think I have reset (powered down) the router twice in that year.

Streaming video services such as Netflix have modest bandwidth requirements. For example, 1080p Hi-Def from Netflix consumes about 3-5 megabits per second. 4K streaming from Amazon Prime consumes about 15 megabits per second. Modest internet bandwidth services, such as 40 megabits per second, is more than enough for streaming a couple of shows at the same time. My wife and I used to stream 1080p Netflix on two different sets with a 10 megabit per second service.

Xfinity. A little pricey, but it works.

Our company used Hughes Net years ago when that was the only high speed available in some areas. Our experience was the same as yours. I went from DSL to Spectrum to bundle phone, internet and TV last December. They promised I could keep my phone number as I work from home. After installation, they told me my old number could not be "ported". L:uckily I had not cancelled my phone with my old carrier. The TV quit the first day as did the internet. After 4 days of sporadic TV and internet service, I cancelled them. I went back to Dish TV and Century Link for DSL and phone. No problem since switching back. Good luck!

We also have Comcast Internet (only) and are happy with it. I believe it is the fastest available here. We stream on all 3 of our TVs as well as using on our computers and phones, and have had no problems. You might want to check out the "Cord Cutters Club" for additional information and advise. We use Fire Sticks on our TVs.

I agree

As can be seen below, television service in TV can be a challenge. We currently use Comcast and it is love/hate. I currently view a large number of "special/streaming/ networks and channels. I use the Comcast applications and also access them directly from the internet using one of my televisions browser feature. However; the internet feeds occasionally (twice per every three weeks) do go down and/or freezes as does the cable service itself. I then enter troubleshoot mode and correct most of the issues myself. My point is that even though my experience is with Comcast, I am sure there will be issues with any of the approaches you select.

Comcast is expensive but we love it

We are very satisfied with Spectrum.

Spectrum is the best experience I've had since arriving in TV in 2013! My experience with Comcast was absolutely the worst customer service relationship I've had with anyone and anywhere in all my life. Also, I bought for about $40.00 an RCA ATTIC/Outdoor
Compact design HD Antenna. 70 mile range. Mounted in the attic and receive 59 channels and all cable clear.If you buy, make sure you also purchase the transformer. Receives NBC/CBS/ABC/PBS and yes a lot of junk stations. Doesn't receive CNN or MSNBC.

I stream many tv’s computers and so on and have 400 speed with spectrum It works beautiful and I can’t say enough good about them. Includes modum router and it’s 69.99 including tax.

Do not use infinity Comcast! It is impossible to speak to someone that speaks clear English and they have screwed up my bills ($$$$ over) and after more then 11 hrs on the phone to them ( everyone in my house tried to help by calling too) and I still have not been able to fix the mess ups

Get Century Link Internet service, they offer up 1 G/B on fiber cable right ito the house for $65/mo, they have slower speeds for less $ then get Youtube TV

[s]They claim that they upped me to 100mbp, which means I should be seeing averages around 70-85, give or take (100mbp is the maximum expected, not the average). But I'm averaging around 40-45, which indicates that I'm still only 'set' for 60.[/s] My modem can handle up to 250 but I'll never need that.
I just read the instructions on Xfinity to learn more about my speed. I'll have to guess that the reason it's "slow" (compared to the 100mbp I'm actually supposed to be getting) is because I have the TV on in the other room and we stream with a Roku, plus we have two cell phones both connected to wifi when we're home, plus I have a wireless printer that's on 24/7. So I'm getting ALL these devices connected through a single router and modem, with a 100mbp maximum speed. There's quite a bit of traffic going through so it bottlenecks.

If you're getting close to 40mbp consistently, you're doing fine. And as long as you aren't streaming 18 hours a day 7 days a week, you're not likely to ever go over the 1TB data cap.

If you have billing problems you can always just go to the Xfinity store and talk to someone in person. They can check on your account and correct any errors.

Satelite internet is for areas that do not provide a wired internet service provider. It is no where near what a cable ISP is. Why would anyone go with a satelite service when a wired connection is available?
Satelite is slower, more expensive, and less reliable.

Here is a lnk where you can make an appointment to have a live person handle your issue at the Xfinity store in Lady Lake near Best Buy. It's very easy.

Xfinity Store by Comcast 870 North US Highway 27 Lady Lake, FL