Tech Geek moving to the Villages questions on Internet
 

Hi I am a Tech geek. I am looking for a house in the Villages and hope to move in soon. I am SOOOO sad that I cannot get ATT&T Gigabit service in The Villages as I have had them for a few years now in GA and love the service. No problems and great price with free HBO Max as well.

Looks like the new houses seem to only have Xfinity so I will likely have to go with that but how are the speeds as it is my understanding with Cable internet you share with other customers so you are never really getting the Highest speed advertised.

Also if and when other services become available it is worth changing?

Thanks in Advance :)

Up in the "historic section" (far northeast corner, on the other side of 441/27), we can get GB service with xfinity.

Most of us don't, but it's available.

I have 100mbps service, which is sufficient for streaming, browsing, and gaming if you're into that. I just did a check with speedtest.net and it's pinging at 25, downloading at 90.78 (connected directly to my router, which is then connected to my modem - I own both, I don't rent), and upload on the slow side at 6.01 but that's about as good as you can get with this plan anyway.

I pay $50 a month for internet only, and we Roku with Youtube TV.

We’ve been happy with Comcast/Xfinity for years. And I’m a bit of a tech geek too. 😁

Comcast works well. Getting the full speed promised by the plan purchased

Some areas have fiber (was CenturyLink) not sure who the provider is now. If you are after a NEW house, then you will be limited to the service in those ares, if you are looking at resales, you may have more options.

I just did a download speed test on my Xfinity internet. It was 380 mbps. I don't know how much speed you need but, I have never had a speed issue.

Paying for 400Mbps getting almost 500Mbps without fail on Comcrap. Other than the fact I can't stand the company I have had no problems with their cable & internet service since I am able to resolve any issues this side of the demarc. There are some areas with Century Link 1Gbps fiber here and you can tell by the ONT on the side of the house even if not subbed. My sister's home has it about 2 miles south of me. I am just on the North side of 466A and Comcrap is my only option for better than 20Mbps service (Century Link circa 1999 DSL) she is just on the south side of 466A. Note that Xfinity also has a 1.2Tb data cap so I also took their unlimited service which alacarte cost big bucks ($50iirc) but if you lease their modem it costs only $10 extra which is cheaper than using your own modem and paying the unlimited data fee by about 1/2. And YES, I do need the unlimited service for those who are going to tell me I don't.

The only downside to comcast that I've personally experienced, is having to renegotiate the price before your year of "discounted promotion" ends. Trying to talk with anyone there requires more patience than I have, so I end up annoyed by the time someone actually answers the phone.

I always get what I want from them though. It's just an hour of aggravation every year that I would prefer to do without.

I never talk to them (or Fios or DirecTV or Dish in those days) at renewal time. That's the biggest mistake. ONLY online. I always make sure I have 2 years "new subscriber" contracts by switching between my name and my wife's name every 2 years. Service has never been out for more than an hour when switching accounts, in fact last time (Feb 2021) never had any downtime. Been doing that without issue here and for as long as cable/dsl/fiber had been available up north when we lived there. Was a DirecTV MDU tech support trainer up north for 5 years so never paid for that anyway but learned lots of tricks. :)

Depending on where you end up, Spectrum might also be an option

Well I can't say you are alone. We are also relocating and I faced the same problem I have high end requirements for my needs. At our current house I had to put in 4 runs of cat5e just to guarantee the coverage in a 2 story.

So while my wife picks houses by "Christmas Decorability" mine is based on 3 things 1 being "what's my speed" Due to my job plus some other items I can't accept 1GB "maybe" which is Xfinity read the fine print. So basically over the last couple months I saw a listing, ran the address and most times moved on.

Centurylink provides 1GB fiber without degraded speeds due to having me living next door. (trust me I can and have soaked a line) I'm also upgrading my wifi routers so that I can rely more on wireless rather than hard wired since coming back to Florida I find that getting someone to snake a wall isn't all that easy to find.

As for service, I've had comcast/xfinity, spectrum, AT&T, etc have not had CenturyLink. I can say that xfinity was the worst of those. I have a habit of when there are issues I troubleshoot it myself and then call them to tell them where they have a problem - Spectrum will listen if you get above Level 1 support, AT&T doesn't really listen to anyone, and xfinity didn't even get it on level 2 support.

Good luck with it, I find it frustrating. I did find out that there is additional fiber being and to be laid by CenturyLink in areas that currently do not have their fiber. I would assume that with that there will be others at the same time.

Comcast/Xfinity can deliver the goods and they certainly will deliver a hefty bill. Speed isn't super important to me but an unlimited data cap is, they are getting $130 a month from me ( internet only, unlimited data and reasonably good speed). They had no better offerings at the time i needed service but suggested i call back to see if i could get a better rate in the future. I will be looking into the t-mobile home service when it becomes available.

Comcast upload speed
 

The biggest obstacle with Comcast is the limit imposed on upload speeds by cable. I have their 200mb service and it consistantly meets that (with almost no downtime). However, upload speed is generally around 10-11 mb. When you're trying to sync between your devices and the cloud, for example, it really hobbles you.

If you are in an area where CenturyLink has fiber installed, you can get 1GB service for a flat rate of $65 for life, no contract, no taxes, and they give you the modem.

I've had both Xfinity and CenturyLink. Both work very well. When my contract ran out, Xfinity raised my rate by over $50/month... and offered me a "deal" at only $25 more than I was paying. I declined, and got 1GB service for $10 less than Xfinity was offering for 200GB service.

I get 930MB speeds over a hard wired connection, and 560MB over wireless.

I specifically asked CenturyLink a couple of months ago if the 1 gigabit per second service was "one price for life" and they said "no". They went on to explain that the "one price for life" was limited to their 100 megabit per second or lower service. Do you know if they had a change in policy and you are grandfathered in?

What are "you" doing to need speeds greater than, say, 100mbps???


:posting:

Have enjoyed Spectrum for years.

FYI - The new areas have fiber to the post and coax from the post to the house.

Sounds like Century link will be my best option IF it is available at the new address. I am looking to buy NEW so I might not have that option but hopefully it would become available at a later date.

I work from home and have lots of smart devices so I need good speed and reliable service. I had Comcast in the past and they were not as reliable as I would like and the customer service was the pits but looks like I might be stuck with them at least for awhile

Comcast, Spectrum, depending where you are located, also Verizon and T Mobile now offer wireless internet in the Villages.

I work from home and I have a lot of smart home devices. I don't need over a Gig but I do need reliable service and good speeds with unlimited data as I stream all my TV as well.

Based on this thread I decided to do a speed test. We have Xfinity "up to 400 mbs" and my computer (wireless, NOT connected wired) achieved ~ 420 download speed last night.

In two homes over a period of 3 years we have had zero issues with the actual service. Customer support leaves a lot to be desired (more so since the pandemic but it was never great) but once it up and running it works beautifully.

We had Spectrum in Pinellas County (both when it was Brighthouse and after it became Spectrum) and I was very happy with both the service and the customer support. If they were available in our area I would choose them over Xfinity for the customer support.

You should be fine with either of these two companies, once services are up and running. Good luck with your move.

kathy

We gots the smarties as well. We stream as well. Gaming is great.

BUT WHAT is the need for 200, 400, 800 mbps speed??? What drives this??

number of devices, type of devices, etc. example I run 4 laptops myself, add to that webex video and voice, then you can add the TVs, cloud, etc. You also have to consider fall off and 'guaranteed rate of speed' .

In my experience with a lot of devices on the network and streaming TV if you do not have high enough bandwidth you get a good amount of buffering and slowdowns. I also need unlimited data which usually only comes with the higher speed packages.

High crazy speeds are over sold and lots of people fall for it.


What can I do with megabit speeds?
Megabit speeds are the standard measurement for broadband connections. Here’s how you can stream, game and work from home with certain speed ranges:

Streaming
Typically you can stream in standard definition with speeds up to 3 Mbps. To stream in 4K or Ultra HD, you’ll need speeds up to 25 Mbps. Streaming services will offer speed recommendations to enjoy the platform in the highest quality. Here are the minimum speeds you need to stream uninterrupted using some of today’s most popular streaming services:

Netflix

3 Mbps to stream in standard definition
5 Mbps to stream in high definition
25 Mbps to stream in HDR or 4K
Hulu

3 Mbps to view on-demand titles
8 Mbps to view live TV
AT&T TV NOW

2.5 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps to stream in HD via mobile device
12 Mbps to stream via web browser at home
YouTube TV

3 Mbps to stream in standard definition
7 Mbps to stream on one device in HD
13 Mbps to stream in HD on multiple devices
Gaming
Speed recommendations for gaming will vary by the types of games you typically enjoy, but you’ll at least need a minimum of 4 – 8 Mbps in a single user household. A great gaming experience is often dependent on the quality of your internet connection and data transfer rate, so experienced gamers will often go for the fastest speeds they can afford and a connection type with historically low latency.

See more details on minimum speed recommendations by gaming type and how you can maximize your gaming experience.

Working from home
The right internet speeds are paramount to a successful work from home setup, especially during COVID-19’s social distancing restraints. The speeds you require will depend on the type of work you do, but if you plan on video conferencing, checking emails or transferring large files, there are some minimum speed requirements to ensure you can successfully make your home office work for you:

2 Mbps to host a single, dual or triple screen Zoom call
3 – 4 Mbps to email and utilize basic computer programs like Microsoft Word
10 Mbps to host a group Skype video call
40+ Mbps to transfer large files

If you want a used house with spectrum, cable of fiber, hard wired throughout, with 8-9 drops, 4 gang outlets at 1/2 the drops, wifi from a ceiling access point, 1 gb router and switches, and whole house surge protection, I have one for sale just for you at $799K

two years old, its a steal with today's availability!

sportsguy

LOL if only I could afford that price tag :) As soon as I hit the lotto I will let you know.

Any hidden cameras??
:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

To determine what is really available at a given address within The Villages you have to use the individual service provider websites with an address. Comcast Xfinity has the most coverage, Spectrum is available in some areas, CenturyLink is available in some areas and I believe AT&T is available in some areas.
Be careful what type os service is being offered — cable vs fiber optic vs DSL.
Only 2 services are available where I live — century DSL (far too slow) and Comcast cable. I have Comcast 200MB service and it has been fine.

Really? You should rethink what you are getting from them. Take basic TV even if you don't use it. I have Xfinity "double play" (TV/ISP) I pay $165 inc all taxes with 400Mbps ISP (in reality 500) 125 channel TV, 1 4K DVR in L/R, 1 4K remote box for B/R, their Gateway router rental AND NO DATA CAP then I get a $10/month discount off that for having Xfinity Mobile (Verizon MVNO) for 2 phones at about 1/2 what any of the others charge for a total of $155/month.. This was actually $5/mo CHEAPER than my first 2yr contract here for identical service plus got a $250 Xfinity Mobile cash rebate AND a $100 Xfinity cash rebate (this was in Feb which was my 2nd 2yr contract here). Could have gotten the gig service for another $15 but that I didn't need. Rinse and repeat in 2 yrs.

We just closed on a place that is 11 years old that has both fibre and Comcast cable available. We are going with the fiber service. (Which is no longer centurylink but quantum). I have had lots of reliability issues with Comcast in the past so won't use them for Internet service. The install is tomorrow so I can at least let you know my initial thoughts after some testing.

If you haven't figured it out yet I'm in IT, don't really need an explanation. I think after 43 years on all levels I have a good grasp on what I need.

By the way those numbers are nice but not real. it leaves out much other data that is required to know what line someone needs.

Thanks.

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

What all that leaves out is the amount of **TIME** it takes to download (as an example) a 32 Gigabyte file or a 1 Gigabyte file for that matter which has absolutely no bearing on what devices you have. If one downloads a lot of files higher speed is most important if time is important. Also the price difference was $10 on my plan from basic 100Mbps to 400Mbps and since I don't smoke, drink, gamble, pay for hookers or buy illegal drugs the $10 was well worth the diff. Why do people buy $50,000 cars instead of $24,000 cars or Million Dollar homes vs. $300K homes or jacked up Golf Carts instead of old fuddy duddy Yamamama ones? Because they can. Do they REALLY need them? In 99% of the cases I think not.

I work in IT as well, and the time factor is noticeable during my work during the day, meaning the amount of time it takes to transfer files and data i can tell if the speed is low or high. . . because fiber is generally NOT assymetrical, meaning cable is high transfer down, and slow transfer up, and sending large files up requires the high bandwidth. . . fiber is much prefered when sending multi gigabyte files to the office servers. . .

that's the reason why IT people sometimes need/want/desire high internet speeds. . . which most retired people generally don't require. . . sorry dewilson. . .

finance guy in IT

Yea, and I soooooo miss Fios!

I have had bad experience w/Xfinity - when I moved south of 44 - so happy to discover they have Spectrum - not one issue - and no contract.

We have two streaming devices (2 TVs and no cable. Just internet). Husband works from home with zoom calls. We each have our own iPads and phones all in the same network. Which is spectrum 200. But sometimes I can get up to 300 on speed test.

We stream 7000 live channels on our sticks. Works pretty good.

I have Century link fiber Gigabit. Get about 400 mbps off wireless. Free equipment, free install, no problems ever. Had for three years. Cost 65 per month. Check their website to see if your address is served with fiber gigabit. Also they guarantee never to raise the price. I live off Buena Vista north of Savannah Center. Also a geek. Best regards.