Hello all-
My parents are getting absolutely crushed with the price of their internet and cable from Comcast/Xfinity...about $250 per month.
About 4 years ago, I cut the cord and now stream exclusively, mostly through Hulu. They would do the same, but my grandmother lives with my parents and she would not be able to figure out streaming options....so unfortunately, streaming is not feasible.
As a cost-cutting option, they are looking to buy their own cable boxes, modem, and router to avoid the monthly rental cost from Comcast/Xfinity.
So my question is, has anyone purchased their own Comcast/Xfinity compatible cable boxes? If so, which one?
They will also need a modem/router. Any options for a combo unit? My mother works from home, so she will need a landline for the modem/router.
Any info or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
We're new to Xfinity having moved in Aug. I think its one piece, combo modem/router works quite well, includes landlineservice.
I was also told by a friendly rep (aren't they all?) that once service is established that, if you keep the MAIN STB, you can achieve pretty much the same level of service if you give back the other STBs and stream only to those monitors. We haven't gone that route yet
Aa for the modem and router or modem/router combo it has to be compatible to Xfinity. It also has to have enough speed for whatever speed you are signed up for.
I've attached a link, to an Xfinity page that will give you compatible modems and routers once you sign in to your account.
link - ( New Window )
Having used it a couple of months, were I trying to save dough and duplicate cable, I'd get a Fire TV, Prime video, and a good HD antenna. That provides unlimited content options with an even easier interface than cable boxes I see. Local channels are in boxes the top so you see what's on, streaming content shows up on the same screen, one interface to all streaming channels, all integrated into the home screen.
It can get confusing when you tack on Hulu, Netflix, HBO and Disney -- especially when the power saver comes on. But with just Prime and OTA it's simple. $10/month for prime (paid annually) plus whatever channels you tack on in Prime.
To your point about your parents paying $250 per month: You always used to be able to call in every year and threaten to take your business to a competitor, at which point the retention dept would step in and give you another 1-year promo price. I found that they were no longer offering these promos. The cable guy who swapped out our router last month to accommodate the higher-speed internet told me that all the big cable companies know that the days of cable TV are numbered, and none of them are giving discounts anymore. He said that they are aggressively jacking up their prices to squeeze every dollar they can out of those who don't mind paying and older people who are set in their ways.
Good luck trying to find a box. I know with Frontier, that's how they make their $$. When we said goodbye to cable last month, they didn't even want their HD boxes back, and the zombie phone rep told me I was free to recycle or do what I wish with them. As would be par for the course, I figured I'd get hit with a bill for not returning the boxes, but again, the cable guy confirmed that Frontier doesn't even want the cable-related equipment back anymore. With all the money I paid to "rent" those boxes over the years, I felt like I should have had them bronzed and displayed in the living room.
Aa for the modem and router or modem/router combo it has to be compatible to Xfinity. It also has to have enough speed for whatever speed you are signed up for.
I've attached a link, to an Xfinity page that will give you compatible modems and routers once you sign in to your account. link - ( New Window )
The only time I tried to get a compatible modem, it did not end up working even after they came out a couple of times to my house. So I just ended up continuing to rent one from them.
Our city has a franchise contract w/ Comcast, so no competition.
Our service includes Xfinity Stream with allows you watch all your channels on computer, phone and Roku / Fire etc. Allows me to watch TV in bedroom, den without having additional cable boxes
This is much cheaper than what I paid when I lived in the sticks w/ a local Internet Coop, DirecTV, landline phone and no cell service.
You could probably whittle down the cost by down-grading your internet and dropping premiums. Good luck
Link - ( New Window )
With an HD antenna, you can get a lot of free HD local channels (depending on where you are). With my Roku TV, I can easily switch between Over the Air, and then get all the movies and old TV shows I want with Tubi, Pluto, Amazon (if you have Amazon Prime), Xumo, etc.
The key is finding out what they want to see. Most people don't watch 90% or more of what's offered.
Our city has a franchise contract w/ Comcast, so no competition.
Franchise agreements don’t preclude competition. They set the terms of operation, which includes offering service to every household in the covered jurisdiction. There’s nothing legally stopping another cable company from signing a franchise agreement and offering service. But practically this rarely happens due to the cost of cabling up all the neighborhoods. Verizon was doing this with FIOS in many areas but stopped.