Cutting the cord (this again!)

JPark

Well-Known Member
o_O

So a accurate review of our current cable/internet bill indicates we pay $138 for full basic (236 channels) + internet. Then all the fees (not taxes) bring the total up to $217. Now I’m trying to figure out what channels we can stream for free, and/or what individual Apps will cost. If I drop the cable portion and save $142 I don’t want to throw that back at 10 different Apps. We don’t really need broadcast TV or local channels, and only watch Premier League and Rugby.

Also, we recently replaced an old TV with a new smart TV, which has a lot of this stuff built in, I just have to figure out what it costs.
If you have Comcast/Xfinity you can drop your cable boxes but keep the cable service. You use the xfinity stream app on Firestick (or whatever device you use) and it's basically the same as cable. I actually saved about $50 and have all the same channels and even the DVR. The cable boxes and taxes add up.
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
still checking in on my ustvgo.tv with nordvpn, paid for 2 years of the VPN, i think it was $85, still 95% of the time working great.
also use streameast.live for sports, no VPN needed, gets just about anything i could ever watch.
 

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
is this thread still running ?
we are up to close to 250 a month for the dvr main box and 2 room boxes we have no real premium channels.
just the internet will be 117 a month for 300Mb or 102 if we buy our own modem the TV's are smart and have built in netflix-hulu and the other assorted streaming services.
I just set a small windows PC up for Pluto tv and to stream my apple tv stuff.
The only thing i don't have is standard channels .
Does anyone know of a digital antenna that works ? I have been thru 3 from amazon and none picked any channels
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
Does anyone know of a digital antenna that works ? I have been thru 3 from amazon and none picked any channels

did you check which channels are available where you are?
There is a website - you might be able to get NY and Philly.

The good antennas are directional - so needs a rotor mount - and high up too.
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
still checking in on my ustvgo.tv with nordvpn, paid for 2 years of the VPN, i think it was $85, still 95% of the time working great.
also use streameast.live for sports, no VPN needed, gets just about anything i could ever watch.
Still doing this btw
 

MadisonDan

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
is this thread still running ?
we are up to close to 250 a month for the dvr main box and 2 room boxes we have no real premium channels.
just the internet will be 117 a month for 300Mb or 102 if we buy our own modem the TV's are smart and have built in netflix-hulu and the other assorted streaming services.
I just set a small windows PC up for Pluto tv and to stream my apple tv stuff.
The only thing i don't have is standard channels .
Does anyone know of a digital antenna that works ? I have been thru 3 from amazon and none picked any channels
What service provider you have?

My FiOS 1Gb service is like $90/month with modem/router thingy.
 

trailhead

JORBA: Wildcat/Splitrock
JORBA.ORG
"Digital Antenna " is a scam to sell more easily packaged and profitable pieces of garbage. Use the typical log periodic Antenna, roughly 3 foot long, and yes point the narrow end towards NYC
 

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
"Digital Antenna " is a scam to sell more easily packaged and profitable pieces of garbage. Use the typical log periodic Antenna, roughly 3 foot long, and yes point the narrow end towards NYC
I kind of expected it not to work that well but if it picked up the big 3 that would be good.... And this is the reason any of these type devices are ordered through Amazon...
 

Frank

Sasquatch
I kind of expected it not to work that well but if it picked up the big 3 that would be good.... And this is the reason any of these type devices are ordered through Amazon...
I did the same thing! Ordered from Amazon, setup, watched as my tv would not pick up one lousy station, repacked and sent back to Amazon. Down here in Bricktucky there are no signals unless we get a huge antenna and mount it 100ft above our roof. I have FIOS now and am contemplating getting Xfinity only because of the savings but am hesitant because it’s a 2 year deal. With the amount of ads I see on TV for other providers trying to rope folk into contracts makes me think something better is coming soon….at least I hope so.
 

jmanic

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
Staff member
JORBA.ORG
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Yeah, the issue for you two there is being so far from antennas.

Plug in your coordinates here, and you can see what you can expect to get.
I wouldn’t get your hopes up though.

As I sit, 5 crow miles from Gotham, I get like 80 channels, most in languages other than English though lol.

Pearl’s suggestion of ustv will get you the big three though without VPN buy in, so you may want to try that.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Sometimes I just feel like going back to cable would be easier. Comes up often as my son watches Philly sports now, which the local sports thing was never an issue previously, since I don’t watch. Good thing my in laws have fios and he just uses their
Log in. Otherwise, I would just go back to cable
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Sometimes I just feel like going back to cable would be easier. Comes up often as my son watches Philly sports now, which the local sports thing was never an issue previously, since I don’t watch. Good thing my in laws have fios and he just uses their
Log in. Otherwise, I would just go back to cable
Streameast has every game doe, no VPN required
 

onetracker

Well-Known Member
Cut cable years back. Don’t watch much TV. I bloody hate Optimum; those clowns are thieves. Just switched 1yr ago to Fios for interwebs at 300mbps for $35 per month with autopay; no contract. Own our own equipment; scored a sweet Asus router NIB on Marketplace. Also have an older Apple TV for screen mirroring. Mohu HD antenna ($20) because my wife likes the local news; probably pulls in 25 channels from 30 miles away from NYC. Free VPN with our Norton Anti-Virus Protection package (like $25 per year for 3 computers).
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I have a perfectly fine Docsis Cable Modem for anyone who wants it for the cost of shipping. Works fine, my new company doesn't charge for their router.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I'm waiting for the Giants to lose in the playoffs and then cable is getting cancelled. I'll figure out what I need once the cord is cut. I have peacock for TV and flixtor for movies. We've already been transitioning to peacock for everything but live events so we are ready to make the change. I can't wait to see that bill go down and get rid of the annoying/expensive boxes!
 

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
so on a side note has anyone had any experience with the "mesh" wifi stuff ? looking to upgrade the router as well and debating on this and wifi-6
something to this
Amazon product
 

JPark

Well-Known Member
so on a side note has anyone had any experience with the "mesh" wifi stuff ? looking to upgrade the router as well and debating on this and wifi-6
something to this
Amazon product

It's definitely the way to go if your house has a lot of deadspots.
I just set up a Poor-man's mesh network by adding a 2nd router as an access point with my original router.
 

Magic

Formerly 1sh0t1b33r
Team MTBNJ Halter's
so on a side note has anyone had any experience with the "mesh" wifi stuff ? looking to upgrade the router as well and debating on this and wifi-6
something to this
Amazon product

If you don't want to run wires through your walls for a proper network, the mesh stuff is great. Eero is probably the one I've seen least issues with, otherwise I like TP-Link myself but have no experience with their mesh. I have their full Omada network at home. From supporting smaller clients, Eero is good and Orbi is shit. Haven't dealt with many others.
 

ebarker9

Well-Known Member
If you don't want to run wires through your walls for a proper network, the mesh stuff is great. Eero is probably the one I've seen least issues with, otherwise I like TP-Link myself but have no experience with their mesh. I have their full Omada network at home. From supporting smaller clients, Eero is good and Orbi is shit. Haven't dealt with many others.

Out of curiosity, what don't you like about the Orbi setup? My brother upgraded and I got his older Orbi. Been very reliable, good speeds and coverage.
 
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