5 Tips to Save Money On Home Internet After You Cut The Cord

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  • Опубликовано: 29 янв 2025

Комментарии • 36

  • @optionstraderman
    @optionstraderman 5 лет назад +4

    Before your call your ISP to negotiate a better deal, you probably should know what kind of "DEALS" your ISP is offering "New Customers"!
    To do so, you MUST login to your web browser using the "Incognito" function or similar. If you don't do this, you will be provided with the prices that "Existing Customers" pay for the same services, and it's usually much higher!
    To see "New Customer Pricing", open a Google Web Browser then simply click the 3 vertical dots located in the upper right corner of your browser and select "NEW INCOGNITO WINDOW" from the drop down menu. A new browser will open. Now type in the web page for your current Internet Service Provider and when asked for an address, simply type in the address of anyone in your neighborhood that DOES NOT CURRENTLY subscribe to their service. Once you do that, you will be allowed to see "New Customer Pricing". If you do it any other way, the browser you are using lets the company know you are already a customer, and they will generally only show you only packages and options better and more expensive than what you currently subscribe to, and want to "up-sell" you to something bigger and more expensive than what your currently using and paying for.
    I just checked in my area of east Central Florida, and "New Customer Pricing" is shown on my screen for many packages. I look for "INTERNET ONLY" Prices because if you add ANYTHING but INTERNET SERVICE, you will get hit with a ton of extra FEE's, TAXES, Service Charges, etc. For the best price, look to purchase the "INTERNET SERVICE ONLY". DO NOT ACQUIRE OR RENT YOUR EQUIPMENT FROM YOUR SERVICE PROVIDER!!!!! You can purchase your own equipment and generally recoup your investment in less than a year and have much much better equipment in your home network than the equipment they provide!!!!
    Once you see the pricing, you have ammunition to negotiate as a "Good Customer". I negotiate with Comcast/Xfinity every year and RECENTLY REDUCED the cost of my 25 Mbps down/2 Mbps up INTERNET ONLY Service. I was paying 29.99 per month and negotiated down to the "NEW CUSTOMER" price of $20 per month including all taxes and fees. This price requires Auto Pay and a 1 year contract which I'm just fine with.
    If I wanted 100 Mbps down, the price is $40 per month and if you want 200 Mbps Down, the price it $50 per month. All have a 1 TerraByte Data Cap per month and you can go over your Cap 2 times before you get billed for it. Additional Data costs about $10 per extra 50 Gigabytes up to a limit, of I think $200 for the month, then the limit disappears.
    I own a very old Motorola / Arris SB6141 DOCIS compatible Cable Modem which is rated for about 284 Mbps download speed. It incorporates an 8 x 4 Channel Binding DOCSIS compatible hardware and works just fine. I connect it to my personal Router/Firewall/Switches to service my entire home. I have had the faster internet speeds, but after doing a ton of research and actual measuring, I discovered that the 25 Mbps is way more than what is needed for our use, and this speed is really the sweet spot for us. Streaming services like RUclips, Playstation Vue and Netflix and most others have adjustable resolutions, so you can select from around 144p up to 1080p resolution and sometimes even a little higher if your device can handle it. On a PC, phones, tablets and laptops, 480p resolution is the sweet spot for streaming video. On a big screen TV 720P looks great (Remember how good DVD's looked, they are usually only 480P), and nearly every streaming service you subscribe to will provide around 720p live streaming TV video which only consumes about 3 to 5 Mbps of your bandwidth while streaming!!. NOT the 25, 60, 100 or 200 Mbps your being SOLD!!!! It's pretty much all smoke and mirrors for the average home user.
    Also, the way the internet services work, they literally "Blast" a chunk of Data at a time to your TV or other device when streaming rather than providing a nice smooth continuous stream of data. They do so at the highest speed the "CONTENT SUPPLIER" has determined and can provide, and not necessarily the maximum speed of your internet connection that you are paying for. For example, Playstation Vue provides a 720p video stream and it consumes about 3 to 4 Megabits Per Second of Bandwidth, but only intermittently. This service works just fine on a 6 Mbps Download speed DSL Connection using about 1/2 of the available bandwidth. Adding more TV's streaming concurrently will consume a little more bandwidth, but not consume all of it because of the way they send content in "Chunks" at a time. As your TV presents the content to you, the next Chunk is sent to your device and over a short period of time it is processed and you see it on the screen.
    Comcast/Xfinity service usually comes with 1TerraByte per month Data Cap, but in 5 years+ of service, I have never gone over. You can monitor your Monthly data usage for free from your Tablet, PC or Phone using their application. Typically I use about 60% of the 1TB Cap and we watch a ton of streaming TV every evening and weekends via Playstation Vue and RUclips on 3 big screen TV's. I also Trade the Stock market so I have charts running all day on my PC's and I typically stream CNBC or another market related channels most of the day during the week.
    You will likely need to talk to "Customer Retention" department to get the BEST Deal as they have the "authority to negotiate". Usually the first person that you talk to that answers the phone has very limited negotiation power or authority. One of the keys to getting what you want is to be very polite, patient and respectful. It usually takes me about 30 to 45 minutes to agree on a new deal each year. If you find you just are not able to come to an agreed price, KINDLY thank the rep and hang up and call back tomorrow and try again. You WILL get the deal you want, but you may have to talk to several folks in the Customer Retension Department before you get it.
    While there are only 2 of us in the house, we each have desktop PC's, Tablets, Cell phones, Free VoIP Home Phone via an Obihai Device connected to Google Voice and 3 big screen TV's. I also use a 20 year old Over The Air outdoor Antenna (btw, there is no such thing as an HD, or 4K TV Antenna, all marketing hype!) with a SiliconDust Quad Tuner device combined with a Plex home built Linux Media Server for watching and recording our local TV channels. The Plex software running on one of our PC's provides our DVR service and also holds all of the Music and Movies we ripped from our library of old CD's and DVD's. This setup allows me to watch local channels and anything else stored on the PLEX Server on any device I own at home or out on the road. Everything just works fine I also Skype with my kids half way around the world an a regular basis and they say we look great on their 65 inch TV at their home.
    Most typical families should be very happy with 25 Mbps internet service. From my experience, anything more is really just throwing money away! If you are not sure, start with the slower speed. You can test it and if you find it's not enough, you can always upgrade to the next level, and its much easier to do so than trying to downgrade when talking to sales people.
    Hope this helps!!
    Happy Streaming my Friends!!

  • @WiseSilverWolf
    @WiseSilverWolf 4 года назад +1

    Comcast will usually penalize you if you try to remove Cable TV they will raise the price of your internet only package.

  • @wilcalint
    @wilcalint 5 лет назад

    Luke is really correct here. I have a Centurylink twin feed DSL connection and it does a consistent 80Dn/11Up and never wavers. That's way more then enough to sustain a 4K HDR video stream, or two. I bought the Modem from CenturyLink for $100.

  • @Flexin010
    @Flexin010 5 лет назад +3

    I had frontier for 79.99 for 200/200. spectrum was offering 400 for 44.99. I asked frontier if they match and said no, so i left. Now i get fliers from frontier for 200mps for 39.99. Spectrum was so hard up for my business, they gave me free modem, wifi router and 3 year price lock. contract free.

  • @yvettesienkiewicz5552
    @yvettesienkiewicz5552 5 лет назад +1

    We currently have Fios and my cable bill (triple play with phone/internet/cable) with no extra pay channels is approaching $200 a month! To change it to just internet is still $100 a month, plus all of the "extra" fees. All said and done, it would still be about $120 a month for just unlimited internet. I have looked into DSL, and I am amazed that there is nothing available in my area (except CenturyLink at 3mbps.) This is SO frustrating! I hate paying for hundreds of stations I will never watch.

    • @adriankap2978
      @adriankap2978 5 лет назад

      How would I find out if we have DSL in our area? I live in a rural area and our only option is Dish type or Comcast but have no idea if there's DSL available. thanks for any help you can provide.

  • @regthebackyardjackofalltrades
    @regthebackyardjackofalltrades 5 лет назад +1

    I want to get rid of digital cable tv but my wife wants to get Direct TV. Right now I know that I’m using a lot of bandwidth with 3 cable boxes, one phone line, a wired office for working at home, WiFi garage opener, 16 channel Security DVR and 3 separate WiFi cameras. Direct TV’s sales pitch price is very close to the price we are paying except for the discounts. The issue are the discounts and that I would have to call every 12 months to see the if they will lower my monthly payment. Is there a cheaper way to get a high bandwidth Internet service without paying a lot of cash. Why do I have to plead my case for a low monthly fee every year? I hardly watch cable tv and 90% of the time I’m on free digital tv. I recall the days when there was no cable tv or WiFi and now 25+ years later I’m paying $250+ a month for the convenience of watching infomercials, terrible commercials and shocking news. Please help.

  • @hilaryweiner893
    @hilaryweiner893 5 лет назад +1

    For the last 9 years, Cox has had a monopoly over internet fast enough for streaming video for my condo building. We do have DSL, but none of the supercharged options available in other places. So I am looking forward to the competition Verizon Fios will provide when they finish wiring the building. It will cut the cost of my internet almost in half and increase the speed.

    • @ccateni28
      @ccateni28 5 лет назад

      Same here, frontier haven't helped in our area.

  • @Scott-DJ
    @Scott-DJ 5 лет назад

    Here's a tip I use since AT&T wouldn't give me a decent renewal so I canceled both internet and U-verse on them. Granted I'm going to get something soon but in the interim look into your cell phone provider to see if they offer mobile hotspot. My particular plan is 10gb hotspot and I think it's $15 to get another 20. Up to that point it is full speed of at least 20 megabits per second...and even if you go over it still works but drops to a considerably less speed of under 1 megabit per second. However, If you get individual TV apps on your phone (use a friend's provider information if you have to) and mirror them to your TV, you'll only use your mobile data. Then just be judicious in your downloads and streams using the hotspot on your regular computer and you can make it last quite a while.

    • @adriankap2978
      @adriankap2978 5 лет назад

      Hi Scott, I still have my actual Unlimited plan from Verizon that I got in 2011 before it was gone and till this day it still doesn't exist so I'm Grandfathered in. I'm paying $91/mo and about $2/day to use the hotspot. I can literally stream any amount I want. If I wanted to stream 100/150/250g/mo it's still the $91 plus $2/day or $150/mo. My husband wants me to dump it ... long story. So my question is, if I'm able to convince my husband to keep it because we want to dump Comcast cable ... do you know if there is a phone on the market that has a great hot spot better than any other? I'm older so it's hard for me to keep up with all the gadgets. Is there anything I should look for and avoid certain things in others? I'm sorry for asking...

    • @kellyknockout143
      @kellyknockout143 4 года назад +1

      Did you get a reply? I'm curious myself. I've got Xfinity and with covid restrictions and re organization near impossible to get a real person for support without having to duck and dodge, they are forcing calls/chat requests thru resetting modem after I told them I did that just before calling, then tell you t to call back.... Duck and dogde some more .... I'm too frustrated thinking about it now but I am determined to get satisfaction one way or another... If they don't want my money which goes automatically never late for 4 years..... Another company does!

    • @janebarnespoetandnovelist7320
      @janebarnespoetandnovelist7320 3 года назад

      Have spectrum internet for $59. Fire Stick 4. But Fire Stick says to remove apps, and don’t want sports or kids and others . Can’t get rid of them! Help!

  • @bobb88
    @bobb88 5 лет назад +1

    I'm under the impression that you want at least 15 Mbps for one 4K stream according to Amazon and 25 Mbps per Netflix. If you have other items connected, you also need to account for them. I had DSL with verizon that was fine until Frontier took over and then I had constant buffering issues. I've had great internet from Cox since then, although I'm sure they are going to start raising prices as they do with their cable products.

  • @rustychain9518
    @rustychain9518 5 лет назад +2

    Be careful when buying your own modem, most inexpensive modems only last a couple of years and if you have Comcast and you use you own modem you will lose sytem functionality. When calculating speed requirements be sure to include ALL devices that will be using your router, that includes phones, tablets, TV's, security systems, printers, etc.

    • @bman3020
      @bman3020 5 лет назад +1

      I highly recommend buying your own modem. Quick payoff.

    • @chrisfamos
      @chrisfamos 4 года назад +1

      Almost always worth the cost regardless. If the modem is $160 for example which is on the higher end, it’d pay off in less than a year under Comcast who charges $14/mo. So - even if - it lasts ‘a few years’ it’s still worth it.

    • @bertb659
      @bertb659 3 года назад

      @@chrisfamos I bought a modem from Comcast’s “approved list” from a company in Utah, an Arris combined modem/router/telephony. After two weeks of daily calling Comcast customer service to get the modem to work, I finally got the internet and voice to work but the “Gateway” would not connect to give me the mesh network I needed in my house. I finally gave up, returned the modem, and re-activated my old modem for $14.00 a month.

    • @damiangrouse4564
      @damiangrouse4564 3 года назад

      You hinted on the fix in your own comment. Save money on services and spend the savings on top of the line hardware. I’ve lost track of how long I’ve had my modem and when an upgraded router became available the old router was still useful as a wifi repeater. My 1960 house walls are made of “adamantium” so wifi has always been a problem

  • @Spokenfan
    @Spokenfan 5 лет назад

    We have Century Link for our internet that now we rent the modem from them. We purchased 2 modems from them at $100+ each that broke right after the warranty and we couldn’t find a modem anywhere in the stores to work with it. So we went to renting it for $12 a month and no problems with it at all. It does seem odd that the ones we purchased broke but the rental doesn’t. Thank you for sharing and we hope you had a Great Easter 🐣✝️

  • @jeannieclark1240
    @jeannieclark1240 5 лет назад

    we use Spectrum and have 245, 235 go my machine, speed mbps. it works well.

  • @LaBeast337
    @LaBeast337 5 лет назад +1

    I’m an online gamer and want to cut the cord. What’s my best option to have good online gaming and good hd streaming without lag and buffering??

  • @rlwrgh
    @rlwrgh 5 лет назад

    spectrum no longer has a retention department so no price lowering.

  • @jerriehall6662
    @jerriehall6662 5 лет назад +1

    On slide #2, what does "10 down" mean?

  • @jerriehall6662
    @jerriehall6662 5 лет назад +2

    What does "100 down" mean?

  • @goodcommunitylife
    @goodcommunitylife 5 лет назад +1

    I have AT&T Internet assist for $10.03 a month.

  • @streamingjunkie4397
    @streamingjunkie4397 5 лет назад

    I had to deal with this issue today. There are many speedtest sites around but I could not find one that can give me a list of speed test per isp in my zip code. Would anyone know of such a site? seems most of them only sell that info to other companies and government agencies. I want to know if Frontier Communication Vantage 90/5 lives up to their advertising. In the small print on their website it says they don't guarantee performance which makes me wary switching to them from Cox Communications.

  • @BMar1andonly
    @BMar1andonly 5 лет назад +1

    Tip #1 bundle with cable 😘

  • @tonebonebgky2
    @tonebonebgky2 5 лет назад

    I bought a Google WiFi best thing ever!

  • @pugkingmn1651
    @pugkingmn1651 5 лет назад

    Or instead of doing all this you could bundle with cable and not pay for all the streaming services, comcast has an exceptional stream app.

  • @joancarlopimentel3263
    @joancarlopimentel3263 4 года назад

    Wth Im getting scammed then I’m getting 4mps up and down for $50 bucks oh hell no

  • @snintendog
    @snintendog 5 лет назад

    Point 5 is horrible advice data caps are disgusting and highly damagaing saying they wornt run you the first few times over shadows if you do it not a 10$ a gig anymore its reaching 70$ a gig its a freaking scam.