[donfey]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

After over five years, we are finally considering getting high speed internet service at our Villages home. Xfinity offers a budget internet only plan that is 25 Mbps for $20 per month for the first year, then it jumps to $43 per month based on current pricing. They also stated that part time residents can turn the plan on and off based on when they are at their homes. When the plan is turned off, they charge $8 per month to keep the plan on hold.

My two questions are: 1) has the putting the plan on hold thing worked as seamless as Xfinity claims? Can you simply call if you are flying down for a couple of weeks at various times throughout the year and easily turn the plan on and off? 2) are you able to stream video content, without buffering, from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime with 25 Mbps? I would greatly appreciate feedback from anyone who has experience using this service. Thanks : )

Century Link, if it's available in your area. $50 a month for life.

[lmack]

We've been doing the seasonal hold for years at both The Villages and our PA house and it has worked great. Even when we changed our return plans and called in just a few days to a week prior to return, it was up without a problem. There is a time limit on the turn off, just as others have said, as well as the small monthly recurring charge.
Regarding the 25m plan, it was not sufficient for us and we increased right away. We do some work from our home so are both on internet, email during the day plus we did experience some buffering during downloads and movies.

[RoadToad]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

You may want to clarify it with Xfinity. Several posters on other internet sites have said that the minimum Xfinity seasonal hold period is 90 days and the maximum period is 215 days. Also, I wouldn't trust 25 mbps for streaming. When you pay for internet service they say that the speed is "up to 25 mbps". So, they don't guarantee that speed.

Have had 25 Mbps service for 2 years and it has always "speed tested" at or above the 25 Mbps. Never a buffering issue. And we have a lot of IOT devices sharing the stream including multiple Tvs.
No problems here.

[RoadToad]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I only understood some of that (I'm a software and component PC person, not much of a network person). But my network is just xfinity with my own Netgear modem and router. My desktop computer is plugged directly into the modem. Our TV (which has a Roku stick) is in another room, the laptop is on a desk on the other side of my office. We have two cell phones (which are set to wifi when we're home since we don't have unlimited data on our cell plan), I have a tablet in the bedroom that I use for news, the weather, alarm clock, and e-book, and I have a wireless printer in another part of my office that all devices except for the TV have access to. My sister also has access to the printer remotely from Connecticut.

With all those things running on a fairly low-end high-ish speed Netgear modem and router, we have only very rare hiccups on the TV. Other than that, we can do everything we need, and I can watch movies on my desktop (I have a 26" monitor and wireless in-ear headset).

If you have your computer plugged directly into your Modem, how are you connecting the Router?
If via the Computer, you are creating a bottleneck by invoking the Internet sharing protocol.
With the speed and computing power of modern Routers, you are best served by going directly from Modem to Router and having all devices access via the Router.
The hardwired Ports are capable of higher bandwidth than the wireless Radios within the Router.
By employing Giga-bit switches, you can expand the wired Network extensively thus maintaining a higher connection quality.

[RoadToad]

Originally Posted by dhdallas

I have Spectrum Internet (only) for $49/month with up to 200 mbps. On a good day it is only 3/4 of that (and there are few good days). I have 2 TVs streaming Netflix, Hulu, etc. and I still could use more bandwidth. A streaming channel can buffer forever until I exit out, go to my wireless connection, disconnect and then reconnect. I have to do this at least 2-3 times per day if not more. I really wanted CenturyLink with their fiber optic service but they said our new build in Bradford wasn't covered.

Trust me, do NOT get their 25 mbps! You will be sorry.

PS: Not to be rude but if you can afford to buy a (I assume 2nd) home here with all the fees and so on and fly back and forth to here, don't be a cheapskate and skimp on the Internet.

"...A streaming channel can buffer forever until I exit out, go to my wireless connection, disconnect and then reconnect...."

In all probability, your issue is your wireless integrity in the configuration; not your Spectrum service.

As a simple test get a Cat 5a (or Cat 6) "patch cable (extension cable) and connect your device that is buffering directly to a Router port and see if the buffering quits. They make these cables in varying lengths; get one long enough to reach any device you have and you can test any one whenever you wish.

[RoadToad]

Originally Posted by Carla B

Re: Century Link: The service you can get from them is location-dependent. We are between 466 and 466a and they are only able to supply 10 mbs in our area. So Comcast is our only choice for anything faster, as far as I know.

Be aware Century Link has two types of Internet service.
DSL and Fiber.
Fiber is lovely.
DSL uses the old old telephone lines (POTS) to send data.
DSL is an absolute disaster. Low speeds, forever getting "Circuit Problems" you are better off using Cellular HotSpots.
AND, yeah .... CL lies ...

[RoadToad]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

If you're paying for 50MB and you're only getting 25, then plug your device directly into your modem, and don't use a wifi router. The speed is for direct connection to the cable, NOT to a router that acts as a go-between for all your devices.

You keep saying "..plug your device directly into your modem.."
Is your Modem a combination Modem/Router ( as are the ones provided by Xfinity)?
OR is your Modem separate from your Router?
If they are two separate boxes, you should not advocate to "plug your device directly into your modem".
NOT the way to go.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Yup they do. And all you have to do, to mitigate that, is wait til your last month of your yearly contract and tell them "I want the current deal for new customers." If they say it's not available for existing customers, you tell them "Okay then I don't want to renew my contract next year. Please cancel my service. BUT - before you do that, just keep in mind the second you do, I'll be signing back up as a new customer so I can get the new customer deal. So how about we just save everyone time and energy and you renew my current contract and pricing for the next contract period?"

That's exactly what I did, and continue to do, every time the contract is up for renewal.

. You’re exactly right, all of these cable Co.do the same exact thing but they’ll give you a song & dance why theirs is the best but the consumer want a fixed cable bill, forget it, it’ll go up every yr. I know what I’m about to say has nothing to do with cable bills in TV but where we live now we get FREE Cable & Internet through our HOA. Our daughter has live here in the same Subdivision for 8 yrs. & it’s never cost her nothing YET. We were paying $165. a month when we lived there.

[Garywt]

We have cable and internet totaling $130 a month. Not sure the speed but it works good. I did not turn it off but hope to this summer. I was under the impression you could only do this once a year but if they let you do it all the time that will save a lot.