How To Tell Your Cable Company To Kiss Off
**Warning: This is going to be a long one.
I’ve recently reached my limit with Comcast. In the past twelve months, my cable bill has literally fluctuated between $198 and $276. I’m cutting the cord, I’m done. I’d looked into doing this before, but I remember feeling somewhat overwhelmed so I stuck with the devil I know. Not any more.
Here’s what I did.
Requirement: fast internet access, and reasonable data rates
You need a fast internet connection and a liberal data usage plan. Don’t fall into the trap of paying for the fastest speed available, the point is to save some money by paying less than what you’re paying now.
Consider the number of devices connected to your network at any given time (desktop pcs, laptops, tablets, gaming systems, cell phones). Also, consider peak usage in your area, like the evening when all you and your neighbors are all online at the same time. Think of the internet like a big expressway. The more people and devices being used at one time (these are the ‘cars’), the more congested the highway is going to be. Click here for a pretty easy to understand explanation of it all.
If you can watch videos smoothly (no buffering or pausing), you should be fine. You can check your speed here. Test at different times of the day, and when you only have one device connected, to get the most accurate results. 10-25Mbps (download speeds) could be sufficient for a low usage household, but I suggest at least 50Mbps for a multi user/heavy use household. Don’t forget about data usage fees. Call your internet service provider (ISP) for more info to avoid overage charges.
Requirement: an antenna (to view local channels)
If you don’t care about local channels, you can skip this step. It’s probably the trickiest step in the entire process. Remember back in 2009 when the FCC forced television stations to stop broadcasting in analog and go digital? That’s a bonus with this step. You need to buy an HD (high-definition) antenna to view local channels, and it’s going to take research. To get you started, I’ll have redirect you to this FCC page which does a decent job explaining it all, and it has a link to a DTV reception map which will come in handy.
The number of channels you’ll be able to pick up will depend on your local terrain, architectural surroundings, the type of antenna (indoor, outdoor, amplified, etc), and where each tower is located. You can try this site, but it was very random for me. One time it would say I could pick up 50 channels, the next time it would say six. It may take some trial and error, so save your receipts. Also, FYI for you old heads, you either get the digital channel or you don’t. It’s not like back in the day when you had to move the rabbit ears around to get the clearest picture.
Requirement: An HD (high-definition) tv with at least one HDMI port
There are ways to set up older televisions but you’ll have to research that on your own. If you have a smart tv you’re even better off.
Requirement: Streaming device
There are several devices available, and the best one will depend on your needs. If you own Apple devices, maybe it’s Apple TV. Loyal to Amazon? Maybe Fire TV is best. Do your homework to come up with the best choice for you. Get started here and here. Don’t forget about gaming systems, which have the ability to stream media as well.
Requirement (optional for some): home phone
Yes, I still have a home phone. Call me sentimental but I’m torn about getting rid of it. I’ve had that number fifteen years. Most of my friends and family have it, and it’s the only number I give out to people I owe money to. If you still have a home phone, and it’s bundled with your cable services, you’ll have to decide to get rid of it or, if you want to keep the number, port it to a different service. Here are a few options: Ooma, MagicJack, Vonage, Broadvoice, and Lingo. You could also port the number to a ‘burner’ phone like TracPhone, T-Mobile, or AT&T GoPhone, but you’ll have to make sure you keep the phone active or you could lose your number.
What I Did:
Internet: Unfortunately I have to stay with Comcast for this. They have the best internet services in the area, hands down. Trust me, I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is.
Antenna: I was able to pick up about six or seven channels with an indoor amplified antenna, including ABC, CBS, and ABC. I’m going to hang on to it, but I probably don’t need it. There’s only one channel I’m interested in for local news, traffic, and weather, and I found an alternative (which I’ll point out in a minute). I will say the Best Buy associate was pretty knowledgeable when it came to finding the right antenna.
HD Tv: I have two.
Streaming device: Roku 3, hands down, best for my situation. I have two televisions, so I needed two devices. I got one through a Best Buy Black Friday deal online, and a second one through a streaming service package deal (which I’ll explain later).
Home phone: I settled on Broadvoice. One of the main reasons I went with this service is because they didn’t charge me a fee (usually about $40) to port my number over. I chose a one year contract at $9.95 a month.
The set up:
I decided to give this all a trial run while I still have cable. I have 20 days left in the billing cycle. I set the antenna up first and scanned for local channels. Like I mentioned before, digital channels either come in clearly or they don’t. There’s no snow or interference like the ‘old days.’
Next, I set up the Roku. You’ll need an HDMI cable, it’s not included. The Roku is wireless, so if you’re set up with wi-fi you’re good. It has an ethernet port if you prefer to hard wire. The set-up is super easy and only takes minutes. I suggest you have a laptop or tablet nearby as you’ll have to do some registering on the internet before being able to use some of the services.
Think of the Roku like a cell phone. It has a ton of ‘apps’ that are used to view digital media like shows and movies. You can also play games, and the remote can be used for motion control (similar to the Wii). You can also access things like Facebook and Twitter. Music services like Pandora and Spotify are available too. The device also has a USB port so you could, for example, share your vacation pics on the big screen. For those who go to bed early, but sleep with night owls, the Roku comes with earbuds that can be plugged into the remote so you can get a good night’s sleep.
There are lots of services available, many are free, but some require a monthly fee. Most fee services do not require a contract, and most have free trial offers. If you are already using streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, all you have to do is ‘register’ your Roku with the service and you’re good to go (no additional fees required). You can also use Roku services on your other devices like pcs, tablets, and phones, for free.
Remember I mentioned I was only interested in one local channel? It’s CBS, and they have a streaming service called CBS All Access for $6 a month. I signed up for the trial offer (one week) and was able to watch the evening news cast, live, just like I normally do every evening. They are also offering a special right now for a free one month trial by going here and using the promo code THANKS. Unfortunately I found this code after I signed up. 🙁
I already have a Netflix subscription, so all I had to do was register the Roku device and in less than a minute I was able to stream through Roku.
Remember I mentioned I have two televisions? I found a deal through Sling TV. I paid for three months of service up front, and they gave me a Roku 3 at 50% off (about a $40 savings). They have specials on other devices, but I don’t know how long they’ll last. There’s a free seven day trial for the service as well. Let’s get into what’s so special about SlingTV.
Sports fanatics, this is where you’ll enjoy your live sporting events. Sling TV offers ESPN and ESPN2. Walking Dead fans, never fear, Sling TV has your back with AMC. For $20 a month, you get about 23 channels (at the time of this writing) which includes the three previous mentioned channels plus favorites CNN, A&E, TBS, The Travel Channel, and HGTV. See a full list here. For an additional $15, you can add HBO. They are other a la carte packages you can add for $5 each, like movies, sports, or world news. This is a month to month service with no contracts, cancel any time. You should know only one person (one device) can access SlingTV at a time. So you can’t watch AMC in the bedroom while your sweetie watches the game in the living room. I’m sure I’ll find other little caveats like this as I get deeper into my new venture.
The Verdict (so far, I’ll provide an update later)
Getting your entertainment through a streaming service may take some getting used to. For me, it’s perfect. I hardly ever watch shows when they air. I usually binge watch on the weekend using OnDemand to get caught up on a season. So why am I paying over $200 a month for the privilege of watching shows live when I’m not watching them live??? And just an FYI, you can usually watch the latest episode of a show for free by going directly to the network’s website, if you don’t mind waiting a day or two.
Cutting the cord is perfect for me because it forces me to be very deliberate about what I watch. Roku has a function that makes it easy. The voice search function is great, so I can search for and “follow” my favorite shows. When a new episode is available, it’ll show up in my “feed.” The same goes for movies. If it’s still in theaters, I’ll get an alert when it’s available, and it’ll even notify me of a price drop for rentals or purchase. Deliberate watching means I don’t get hooked on shows that kill brain cells, like Real Housewives, because it happened to come on in the background while I was surfing the internet.
When I think about all the money I’ve wasted over the years, with the tv on in the background, or settling for a show just because it was on, it makes me sick to my stomach. I’m constantly trying to tighten my belt so I’m not in debt the rest of my life (it feels like a losing battle sometimes). This was a perfect opportunity to reevaluate my monthly bills, especially the nice to have ones like cable, to free up more money (to pay off debt faster).
Let’s look at the bottom line. You’ll have to spend a certain amount of ‘up front’ money to get set up, and for me it was about the equivalent of two months of cable service. You can always do this a little at a time. You’ll also have to add up your recurring payments to see if you’re actually saving some money. With all of the pay services available, they can add up very quickly. I suggest the free trials until you find what you really like. Here’s the breakdown for me. I’ll be saving $95 a month ditching most of Comcast’s services.
I’ll try to keep track of the pros and cons and provide an update in a few weeks.
Angela