Would appreciate advice on where to get best deal for broadband currently.

[Cheetah-kins]

Hope this thread gets some traction. I did search the site but didn't come up with much. Anyway our household had been using Spectrum internet for a the last few years and it just keeps going up, up, up. Grace told me yesterday we're now paying $90(!) a month. Was hoping to get some suggestions from others as to how we can find a better deal. I'm posting some details about our situation below:

* Zip is 27407
* Must be reliable service with preferably few to no slowdowns
* Wife uses it for work related things sometimes, including using her VPN
* We don't do any gaming and only occasionally stream movies
* We have several devices - 2 phones, 2 laptops
* Our cell service is currently provided by T mobile which we might be eventually be changing for something cheaper after our contract uns out.

I've tried to find some reviews about the services in our area but it seems difficult to find legitimate reviews. So yeah if anyone has any suggestions we'd love to hear them. If you need more info please ask. Thanks everyone.

 

[Rmay635703]

Got spectrum for $35 all in after tbs went up to $68

 

[JMJNet]

This is very location specific. You need to research YOURSELF on what is the alternative to Spectrum in your area.
May be check with the neighbor or pay attention on what is hanging on your neighbor wall for the boxes that goes into their houses.
For example, in my neighborhood, there are Spectrum and Frontier. So, you can see Spectrum boxes and Frontier boxes around the neighborhood.

There is also a trick where you can call Spectrum to cancel, then sign up with another person in your household.
Like, if currently under your name, cancel it and sign up under your significant other.
Sometimes calling their cancellation department can reduce the cost also.

 

[Pew]

Google Internet provider in your area. Most of their websites will have an address search - that's critical because your neighborhood could have one provider but be unavailable in the neighborhood next to you.

 

[JMJNet]

By the way, criteria no 3 to 5 depends on the router you use.
Assuming you have good ISP.

As a side note, I have tried the so called T-Mobile 5G internet.
This one depends a lot on their strength signal and it is difficult to add a router since their box act as a router.
I cancelled it within 3 days.

 

[Creekside]

There is no broadband access in our area but Star Link is by far the best internet we have ever had. We've tried a few different things in the past- Hughes Net, Verizon Hotspot, etc. but Star Link blows all of them out of the water.

 

[CKN]

Hope this thread gets some traction. I did search the site but didn't come up with much. Anyway our household had been using Spectrum internet for a the last few years and it just keeps going up, up, up. Grace told me yesterday we're now paying $90(!) a month. Was hoping to get some suggestions from others as to how we can find a better deal. I'm posting some details about our situation below:

* Zip is 27407
* Must be reliable service with preferably few to no slowdowns
* Wife uses it for work related things sometimes, including using her VPN
* We don't do any gaming and only occasionally stream movies
* We have several devices - 2 phones, 2 laptops
* Our cell service is currently provided by T mobile which we might be eventually be changing for something cheaper after our contract uns out.

I've tried to find some reviews about the services in our area but it seems difficult to find legitimate reviews. So yeah if anyone has any suggestions we'd love to hear them. If you need more info please ask. Thanks everyone.

There is usually about three choices in any given area.
It's not too hard.
Upload/download speed and price. If you explain to the provider-they can suggest a(speed) package. You can (usually) rent or buy a modem. It sounds like you have very little experience in this area-if so-I would recommend renting the providers modem for the first year.

Others-please don't cloud the issue with latency and the like-it doesn't matter-as you can see the intended purpose of his use.

 

[SC Maintenance]

$90 per month doesn't sound awful. I am paying $105 now I think for Spectrum?

Signing up at my daughters new apartment. Looking at the lowest speed - 300mbs. Can always go up. Mostly will just be her there so should be enough - hopefully? Have these three options

HomeTelecom - $70 / month must have in person install which is another $40

Xfinity - used to be Comcast I think. Very difficult / deceptive website. I "think" unlimited data is $60/ month at 300MBS and $100 installation fee. More on Xfinity below.

AT&T Uverse or AT&T internet - $55/ month is you do direct withdrawal for payment, they send you $150 rebate of some sort I don't quite understand, and its a self install - they ship the hardware.


Spectrum - so Spectrum does not service this apartment, so it kicked me to a different Xfinity / comcast website that said I was elegible for a special deal at that apartment complex, but when I tried to see what it was it asked if I was an existing customer, and then said I would have to call. So I suspect the current occupant has Xfinity maybe?

I think my next move is to call these clowns - let them give me an offer on the phone which I will reject - and see if they will give me a better offer.

Why has the entire world become a sales racket?

 

[CKN]

$90 per month doesn't sound awful. I am paying $105 now I think for Spectrum?

Signing up at my daughters new apartment. Looking at the lowest speed - 300mbs. Can always go up. Mostly will just be her there so should be enough - hopefully? Have these three options

HomeTelecom - $70 / month must have in person install which is another $40

Xfinity - used to be Comcast I think. Very difficult / deceptive website. I "think" unlimited data is $60/ month at 300MBS and $100 installation fee. More on Xfinity below.

AT&T Uverse or AT&T internet - $55/ month is you do direct withdrawal for payment, they send you $150 rebate of some sort I don't quite understand, and its a self install - they ship the hardware.


Spectrum - so Spectrum does not service this apartment, so it kicked me to a different Xfinity / comcast website that said I was elegible for a special deal at that apartment complex, but when I tried to see what it was it asked if I was an existing customer, and then said I would have to call. So I suspect the current occupant has Xfinity maybe?


I think my next move is to call these clowns - let them give me an offer on the phone which I will reject - and see if they will give me a better offer.

Why has the entire world become a sales racket?

A new tenant will be entitled to their new customer packages. These prices usually don't go lower. If they are the only high speed provider-the prices are what they are.

 

[SC Maintenance]

A new tenant will be entitled to their new customer packages. These prices usually don't go lower. If they are the only high speed provider-the prices are what they are.

Yes, these are all 12 month deals, or one might be 6 months then went up another $10. After that I am sure they raise prices regularly. Doubtful she will live in this place more than a year. If she does i'll just switch.

 

[Brett776]

I live in a fairly new neighborhood (built 2020). We only have one option as this company paid for and installed all the fiber optic for the new development. It appears there’s some type of deal with the developers at least until they recoup the cost of infrastructure. Not sure, just know they own all the new lines and it’s all fiber, no cable here. Pretty sure no traditional phone lines for dsl as well. I pay 68 a month and get pretty fast internet.

I say all that to say your options may be quite limited I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews on these 5g home internet’s. Best of luck.

 

[Cheetah-kins]

Thanks for everyone's input and confirmation of what I thought was likely: we're probably stuck with Spectrum. Oy. I've been doing a bit of comparing the different providers and as another poster said 'deceptive' and confusing is the name of the game with these services. I'm sure most people just give up and go with whatever their neighbors have.

A 'sales racket' is a very good way to put it alright.

 

[Cheetah-kins]

Oh one thing I forgot to add is that the price we're paying Spectrum is just for internet. We don't get any kind of cable services at all, we just do over the air TV. That's what's annoying about what we're paying. Keeps going up but we're getting anything more for our money.

 

[DuckRyder]

it appears you have a number of fiber providers including ATT... in the 60.00 range? Question do you have Spectrum TV/Phone?

 

[Cheetah-kins]

it appears you have a number of fiber providers including ATT... in the 60.00 range? Question do you have Spectrum TV/Phone?

Nope, no tv or phone service through them. Just internet.

 

[Rand]

if you want to stay with spectrum
Trim will negotiate a lower price for you they charge a (15% of yearly savings) fee.
www.asktrim.com
I dont know if they have the secret indian (from india) handshake or what but it saved me about 25%

 

[mk378]

Strong T-Mobile signal? Seldom stream videos?
I don't know if the T-Moblie "unadvertised" deal still exists but it is $10.00 - $15.00 for 30 GB per month. If you exceed 30 it drops to 600 kb which is on one hand dog slow, but on the other hand better than no Internet. You could also subscribe multiple plans and switch the SIM cards around.

 

[eljefino]

Yeah your choices are cable, DSL, fiber, Musk, or Cellular.

I remember when cable TV had a "rate card" for your town and everyone paid the same price. Now Spectrum makes you type in your address to see "your" real price. (And if you have service at your address they know.) The prices advertised are teaser rates that go up.

This question is probably better answered on a local forum like (shudder) your towns FB gossip page.

 

[andrew_j]

Locally a company called consolidated / Fidium is cheaper. However the outages are pretty amazing and often. Seems like you get what you pay for as Xfinity is $$$ however network barely down even in power outages they set Honda inverters to power their pole equipment.

 

[Cheetah-kins]

Thanks for all suggestions, we'll be looking into them over the next few days. I kind of figured the 'you get what you pay for' rule probably applies to this but thought I'd ask anyway.

As an aside, I've always put broadband/streaming services in the same category as mattress stores and used car lots. Why does it have to be that way? That was a rhetorical question..