Talk of The Villages Florida

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-   The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)
-   -   $$ For Internet only?? (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/-internet-only-81247/)

dotti105 06-29-2013 04:49 PM

$$ For Internet only??
 
We already are using Magic Jack for home phone and love having no phone bill.
Where we live now each home has WiFi via fiber optics into each home. It is part of our HOA fees. So we are only paying for Direct TV.
We hope to get rid of the dish when we move to TV and have a HDTV antenna and use Hulu plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix etc for viewing options via Apple TV or Roku.

Do any of you have Internet only? Rather than bundling services?
If so, what can we expect the monthly cost to be for broadband WiFi only?
Thanks!!!

Hoosierb4 06-29-2013 08:07 PM

We have comcast/xfinity cable for internet only and have been paying only something like 35 or 40 dollars per month on some kind of extended introductory offer. Don't know how long that will last. I was unable to get anything with an over-the air antenna inside the house, even with an amplifier. Perhaps you might get some stations, depending on where your house is located. We use Directv for TV.

wendyquat 06-29-2013 09:25 PM

We have Internet only with Centurylink and have been very pleased. STarted with a $40 promo rate for a year and when it expired it went to $75. I called and told them I would not pay $75 so they put me back down to $40!

Quixote 06-29-2013 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wendyquat (Post 699938)
We have Internet only with Centurylink and have been very pleased. STarted with a $40 promo rate for a year and when it expired it went to $75. I called and told them I would not pay $75 so they put me back down to $40!

I did something similar. No one can figure out when I say the only bundle I want is phone and Internet. How can I live without television? they ask. Well, easily! I had only local phone service (I too use Magic Jack, but I don't feel it's wise for me not to have a land line) and the slowest Internet available on DSL. I had some service problems and made it clear that I was ready to walk, at which time I was offered country-wide unlimited phone service along with the local AND the highest Internet speed available on DSL, which has worked out well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dotti105 (Post 699841)
We already are using Magic Jack for home phone and love having no phone bill.
Where we live now each home has WiFi via fiber optics into each home. It is part of our HOA fees. So we are only paying for Direct TV.
We hope to get rid of the dish when we move to TV and have a HDTV antenna and use Hulu plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix etc for viewing options via Apple TV or Roku.

Do any of you have Internet only? Rather than bundling services?
If so, what can we expect the monthly cost to be for broadband WiFi only?
Thanks!!!

I've been told that HDTV antennas do not work in this area, irrelevant to me since I have no interest in contemporary television. Since it is just not wise for me not to have a land line (long story...), I have unlimited long distance and the highest speed for Internet through DSL and pay about $60/month. The Magic Jack serves as an extra line, and I also travel with it and a tiny but full-featured phone available on ebay for about $3. See this link:

Mini Handsfree Home Telephone w Head Phone Microphone | eBay

jnieman 06-30-2013 12:02 AM

I also pay around $60 through comcast and I also have Direct TV. I've found it to be reliable and the speed is good most of the time. I have found if you call and ask for an introductory rate because the normal rate is too high they may give it to you for about 6 months. After that you have to call again and ask. Sometimes you have to speak to a supervisor.

Parker 06-30-2013 05:07 AM

A family member here in The Villages has a Verizon WiFi hotspot. It is awful! It is slow, requires frequent fiddling to reset or to address various connection problems, and required a 2-yr contract. To cancel service would cost a $350 cancellation fee. He couldn't be more unhappy with it.

firebiker 06-30-2013 11:17 AM

We use the Verizon MiFi card and love it. It's a 4G LTE, and we consistently have a 4 bar/4G signal. I think a lot of it has to do with where your home is located. The MiFi card is great to use when travelling...I don't have to rely on hotel and/or public connections. I pay $53 a month.

zcaveman 06-30-2013 01:16 PM

You get what you pay for. I would check out Comcast.

Bosoxfan 06-30-2013 03:02 PM

We have Century Link
 
Lately it has been down 3 times.Mostly late night early morning .This is happening since We've moved to Gilchrist.Also we have a wifi set up and I'm not happy with the bandwidth. When trying to watch Direct TV on demand on my tablet I get a message that the bandwidth isn't sufficient enough for video that audio would be the only thing playing.I don't know enough about wifi . Is the problem with my ISP or is it in my router?

Bosoxfan 06-30-2013 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan (Post 700401)
Lately it has been down 3 times.Mostly late night early morning .This is happening since We've moved to Gilchrist.Also we have a wifi set up and I'm not happy with the bandwidth. When trying to watch Direct TV on demand on my tablet I get a message that the bandwidth isn't sufficient enough for video that audio would be the only thing playing.I don't know enough about wifi . Is the problem with my ISP or is it in my router?

I was hoping for some input . Please if anyone has knowledge in this area I could use some insight...thanks!

Bosoxfan 07-01-2013 11:00 AM

We Have Century Link
 
Lately it has been down 3 times.Mostly late night early morning .This is happening since We've moved to Gilchrist.Also we have a wifi set up and I'm not happy with the bandwidth. When trying to watch Direct TV on demand on my tablet I get a message that the bandwidth isn't sufficient enough for video that audio would be the only thing playing.I don't know enough about wifi . Is the problem with my ISP or is it in my router?

doccrocker 07-01-2013 10:50 PM

First, you need to check the router model. If it's 802.11B it's old and slow. G is faster and N is even better. BUT your network will drop to the slowest device on it. Also, signal strength drops greatly the further you get from the router. Try to get the router up high (like on top of a cabinet) to help.
Second, DSL speeds are dependent on distance from the phone company hub. In a given neighborhood (village) the residence closer to that hub will get better signal than one at the far end. (Understand this is simplistic and there is much more technical stuff involved)
Centurylink claims "up to 40Mbps". Comcast claims "up to 50Mbps. I can guarantee that you won't come close to that. Google "bandwidth tests" to get a number of free test sites. (speedtest.net, cnet.com/internet-speed-test, etc). Comcast gets a lot of bad rap here, but cable will probably give the highest bandwidth and speed. DSL and cable both can give high rates, but both (providers) can and will cap the bandwidth in order to accommodate more customers and higher use at certain times. As ZCaveman said,You will get what you pay for.
I have Comcast and Directv, and usually get download near 30Mbps, but tonight I'm only getting 15.

Bosoxfan 07-01-2013 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doccrocker (Post 701248)
First, you need to check the router model. If it's 802.11B it's old and slow. G is faster and N is even better. BUT your network will drop to the slowest device on it. Also, signal strength drops greatly the further you get from the router. Try to get the router up high (like on top of a cabinet) to help.
Second, DSL speeds are dependent on distance from the phone company hub. In a given neighborhood (village) the residence closer to that hub will get better signal than one at the far end. (Understand this is simplistic and there is much more technical stuff involved)
Centurylink claims "up to 40Mbps". Comcast claims "up to 50Mbps. I can guarantee that you won't come close to that. Google "bandwidth tests" to get a number of free test sites. (speedtest.net, cnet.com/internet-speed-test, etc). Comcast gets a lot of bad rap here, but cable will probably give the highest bandwidth and speed. DSL and cable both can give high rates, but both (providers) can and will cap the bandwidth in order to accommodate more customers and higher use at certain times. As ZCaveman said,You will get what you pay for.
I have Comcast and Directv, and usually get download near 30Mbps, but tonight I'm only getting 15.

Thanks Steve 2wire.com
says I'm getting 2.5 MBPS...not goood!

natickdan 07-03-2013 07:09 AM

RE: HDTV antenna. I tried several expensive HDTV antennas' in our Buttonwood home and none were able to grab a signal. My guess is most stations that broadcast over the air are from Orlando and it is too far away from TV.

Radioman41 07-03-2013 07:45 AM

We can pick up the Fox station in Ocala with an indoor directional antenna with two pre-amps. We are in St. James and get some drop outs from time to time. We finally went with Comcast.


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