"Electronics" for new apartment? (Austin, Mart: apartment complexes, rental, movies)

[NC_newcomer]

Hi -

I'm trying to figure out what to do in my soon-to-be Austin apartment. FYI, I figure that in the next three years, I will live in at least two places in Austin, so I'm interested in services that won't charge me a fee to move, if possible.

INTERNET: choices that I know about are TWC and AT&T. I have RR-Lite in NC, which is just fine. How is TWC cable service in Austin, and are there other cost-effective solutions I should consider?

PHONE: I'm leaning toward Vonage, which seems cost-competitive on a monthly basis, and does not have a charge for moving address. Does anyone have any experience with this?


TV: I don't need much -- if I can't get a decent over-the-air signal, I'll just do the TWC Basic -- but gosh! it costs twice as much in Austin than NC! Any other options for simple TV?

Thanks!

[atxcio]

You should see if Grandecom is available in your part of town: Grande Communications – Digital Cable TV, High-Speed Internet and Local and Long Distance Telephone Service .. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

TWC is what I use, but their customer service is bad, their pricing is only good if you can get a special, and they always seem to be getting into conflicts with local stations, nfl network, viacom... we've had to deal with them dropping the channels because of contract issues. Usually it gets resolved pretty quickly though.

On the good side, my TWC internet service has been incredibly reliable & fast. I don't think it's ever gone down noticably in the last 3 years.

AT&T is cheaper, but the internet is a bit slower and their customer service isn't great. The U-Verse package (TV and internet) seems interesting. The phone part is a complete ripoff, though.

Of course, some apartment complexes don't let you use those services -- they have an exclusive deal with DirectTV/DirectPath or similar.

I wouldn't hesitate to use Vonage or MagicJack or similar internet phone service, especially if I was starting with a new number (instead of porting your existing one). Seems like regular land lines are a thing of the past, and are a useless expense in most situations.

[NC_newcomer]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Alas, Grande Communication is not available at this location, so that's off the boards.

I'll research U-verse, which I'd not heard of.

I've just begun to learn about MagicJack, which seems to much more economical if you just need to make domestic calls -- rather than $25/month for Vonage, it seems to be $20/year. I know people who are pleased with Vonage, but do not know anyone who has tried MagicJack -- sure would like to get some first-hand feedback.

Thanks again!

[xtalman]

I went through some of these considerations with my mother a while back, when she moved. Here's what we settled on. Price was a major factor for her, as she's nearing retirement.

Internet:
ATT DSL plus metered phone service. About $38/month after taxes/fees.
She has the 1.5 Mbps tier DSL, and the phone service is really only for emergency/backup use. In the past DSL was not offered without a bundled landline.

Phone:
Vonage. About $20/month after taxes/fees.
This is the basic residential plan that allows 500 outgoing/unlimited incoming minutes. Going over 500 outgoing minutes costs 3.9 cents per minute. She typically does not hit these limits.

TV:
Broadcast signals + Netflix + Redbox
Free + ~$20/month + $1/rental.
I'm sure you've heard of Netflix, but they also offer streaming movies over internet. Roku sells a device that lets you stream these movies to your TV as long as you have a membership. Great for impulse viewing, not many newer titles though. Redboxes are DVD rental kiosks that are at McDonalds/Wal-Mart/Walgreens. You can reserve new releases over the internet for $1/day.

My mother used to get all these through TWC. She got an introductory package at $99/month, but after 6 months it quickly went up to $140/month. They also botched an installation when my mother moved, and she lost her phone number that she had for over 10 years.

[NC_newcomer]

Thank you for describing your mother's setup.

I've pretty much decided on Vonage (VoIPo looks like an interesting competitor, but is still in pre-launch). I had figured that meant I'd be forced to go to TWC for internet, but if AT&T will unbundle DSL from a landline, that presents a new option.

As for TV, if I can get a good over-the-air signal that's what I'll do. If not, I guess I'll have to do the TWC Basic (seems to be about $20/month). I don't trust their pricing policies, though.

For movies, I'll probably continue renting DVDs, either at Blockbuster or Vulcan. I rented six DVDs in 2008, so this isn't a major consideration.

[i29gtaylor]

I've got the MagicJack and love it; can't beat no monthly phone bill. I think Vonage needs to revise their business model. Who in their right mind would pay $25 per month for the same service that you can get for $20 a year. MagicJack all the way! Sorry I can't help with the other components; I am just researching our move right now.

[rneteo]

MagicJack is great if you are connected to your broadband (or your neighbors). I rented a digital tv from http://www.pcforrent.com and hooked up an off air antenna. I get 32 channels perfectly (although some of them suck content wise) and pay zip for cable or satellite.