Snowbird TV/Internet
 

Just bought a house and don't plan on being here all year. Wondering what other snowbirds do for cable and internet service?

Is there a temporary suspend feature?

Direct TV has a sleep mode as long as it is activate for 6 months out of the year.

We've got DirecTV in OH. We had DirecTV install a satellite dish at our TV home - we bring our receivers from OH when we come down to TV.

Antenna in TV is installed for free (roof-mount.....pole mount in the ground is extra) and we pay no additional monthly charges on our bill. We make a phone call to DirecTV when we arrive in TV - they switch our service address over to our TV address so we can receive the local FL stations out of Orlando. We call them again when we get back to OH so they can align us with the local stations out of Columbus.

Contact their Movers Connection for details:

DIRECTV Movers Connection

(888) DTV-MOVE

They don't mention this feature explicitly in their marketing. But they are the people within the organization who handle it.

Bill :)

Brighthouse turns off your service and there is no bill while you are away and you keep the box at your house. Simple and easy.

What about internet?
 

Bill, what do you use for internet in both locations?

Comcast charges $10 per month to put both internet and television "to sleep".
You keep the modems and there is no reconnect charge.

However, you can only put Comcast to sleep for 6 months, after which it switches on again and begins charging you at the full rate brighthoue has the best deal as you can turn them on and off at will, but their availability in TV is very limited--mostly south of 466A.

In OH, we have DSL via our local landline provider (Windstream). DirecTV partners with them but we've opted to keep the services separate.

In TV, we're only there for short periods of time so I rely on going to the rec center(s) occasionally and at various locations that provide free wi-fi/internet access.

Sorry I didn't mention all that in my previous post.

Bill :)

How I wish we had a snowbird alternative to Comcast!! We live south of CR 466, but I guess Brighthouse only services the newer areas. Watch out Comcast, if a viable alternative ever arrives on the scene!

I agree Barefoot. I had Comcast and their service is a minus 5 on a scale of 1-10. Never have I delt with so many arragant people in my life. I, in a long list of phone calls to management, I spoke to three managers trying to work things out and each manager was worse than the other. Stay away from Comcast if you can.

We cancel....
 

We have Comcast in MA and FL. When we migrate we go through the effort of canceling the service in the place we are leaving (return the equipment) and ordering new in the place we are headed.

Why?

• I just hate giving someone money to keep my line activated.
• Max vacation length is 6 months, we gone for 8 from MA.
• Since Comcast has no contracts, we look for specials when we activate. This year our package was about $75/month for three months and then $90 for the next 3 months and then recently went to $120 where it will stay. Who ever remembers to cancel free HBO :doh:

Anyway, a bit of a hassle, but we feel it is worth it.