Thinking about Cutting the Cord
 

Currently have Xfinity Internet and TV. Min package but $210 per month. Plan to go T-Mobile internet and some live streaming such as Sling or UTube TV.

Wanted to test the usability of Sling and even though I see The Sling app on my TV, when I speak to my Exfinity Control and ask for Sling TV, I get a message "This app is not supported with your current TV Box".

When I request other apps like Netflix, UTube, Hulu etc, the TV goes to third party and allows access.

Has anyone experienced this condition and how do you get by this hurdle?

My ultimate goal is to switch off of Xfinity, but wanted to keep it while I test the proposed change.

My Xfinity boxes are attached to HDMI port 1. Is it as simple as disconnecting the Xfinity box. I have also installed Firestick controls but they have limited functionality when Xfinity box is installed.

I remember seeing a similar message for an app when I tried loading it onto the Xfinity Flex box. I did not have Xfinity cable TV and assumed the message was a way of "encouraging" me to buy Xfinity's TV service rather than using a competitor's app.

There are two YouTube apps: YouTube for playing short videos and YouTubeTV for live television. I would be surprised if you did not receive the same message when you tried loading YouTubeTV. For that matter, the Max or Showtime apps might also be unsupported.

I haven't tried Sling but I am currently having very a very good experience with T-Mobile internet and YouTubeTV, Netflix, Hulu, Max, and a couple of others. I use a firestick though others prefer the Roku box which I might try if my firestick ever goes bad.

One important note: As far as I know, Hulu Live will not work with the T-Mobile box. This has to do with the way Hulu Live attempts to determine your location. Whatever protocol it uses, the T-Mobile box does not support it. Since the app cannot determine your location it refuses to provide live channels. Fortunately, YouTubeTV works and has everything I need.

Sorry, missed this part.

If you only have one HDMI connection on your television then yes, it is as simple as disconnecting the Xfinity box and connecting the firestick or Roku box.

If you have multiple HDMI connections then you could leave the Xfinity box on HDMI 1, connect the firestick or Roku to HDMI 2, and use the TV remote to switch between inputs and compare side-by-side.

How old is the fire stick? We have some that are 8-10 years old, and the latency is bad.
I prefer smart TVs, with the apps built in.

Try using your TV remote. Xfinity controls it's content not your tv’s content.

A huge advantage to new homes in the new villages is prewired gigabit Fiber Optic internet connections. Sucks to have to be slaves to Comcast and Spectrum type thieves as well as cellular providers. You should at least pony up for the latest firestick when on sale. The firecube is really quite nice with extra inerds and built in Alexa

Pretty much all homes built between 466A and 44 have fiber optic cable to the house. This means houses built probably 13 years ago. Many areas south of 44 do also as well as some areas north of 466A. I know several people with internet via cellular and are happy with it. I also know many people who are happy with Spectrum and Xfinity although the apparent need to periodically call to renegotiate the price seems to be a disadvantage. When asked, I encourage people to switch to Quantum Fiber (aka CenturyLink), if possible, partly because of their fixed pricing.

That and $2.10 will get you a small cup of coffee, at most any Dunkin' Donuts.

Might as well tear down the rest of the homes in TV.

Be. careful with TMobile. Over the air internet needs a clear shot to the nearest tower. We had problems with buffering. Keep your old hard wired internet for a week while you try TMobile. Cancelled last May, still waiting for a $45 refund.

Good advice about the T-Mobile. Location matters.

We switched recently and have had a very good experience with it here in Hillsborough. My father in central NY has had a good experience for over a year and my brother has moved his between central NY and Wildwood with success in both places.

T-Mobile internet can work, but it doesn't work for every location.

Verizon also offers over the air internet. Some of my neighbors have them and like it.

If your whole house is pre wired with Cat 6 (circ 2010) or better to allow gigabit networks, good for you...but if you're using cable tv cables with moca adapters, not so much. New homes have an advantage in today's environment with all the tech available for smart home toys, entertainment systems, and for some, working from home

iptv
 

Get a fire stick, and subscribe to IPTV for approximately $10-$25 a month and absolutely everything is included, if you do a search for IPTV on Facebook there are many places that will come up. Read the reviews find a highly rated service pay them with a Visa gift card that you can buy at Walgreens or Walmart and you are set. You can get a free 24 hour test sample from most any of these to check them out. It is unbelievable what you can get for a small amount if you are looking for a real bargain for Internet access, do not call on the phone go up to the Xfinity store and cancel your current Xfinity account and then put the account in your wife’s name to receive the latest promotional deals. At this point I have Xfinity Internet high-speed for $25 a month for the next 36 months. Calling them on the phone is like talking to your two-year-old grand kid. Good luck you cannot believe what is out there for free. By the way, some of them have some nice adult channels if you’re into that

The only ethernet cable that is used in my house is from the fiber ONT in the low-voltage panel to the RJ-45 jack in the room where my router is located. All the devices in the house use Wi-Fi. The rest of the ethernet cable and coax cable in the walls is not used. Those using coax-based services such as Spectrum or Xfinity are probably using Wi-Fi for most everything also. There is probably a small minority that use ethernet cables from their routers to their devices. Those using cellular internet access aren't using any cable in the walls unless they chose to hardwire some devices. You only need an internet "pipe" into your home. I worked from home for several years running software projects after moving here in 2014. By the way, cat5e supports a gigabit per second.

Verizon will throttle you once you hit a data cap. This is easy to do if you are using it as a hotspot to stream TV and Movies. Not sure about T-Mobile. Something to look into.

I recently got rid of Xfinity internet and TV. Went to fiber optic and YouTube TV. Paying about $150/month. I work remotely so need high-speed Internet 24/7/365.