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That's interesting. I would have said I had the 15MB service but apparently they only offer me 30MB service. I'm still not sure what type of service I have from them. The only thing I could find on the charter site are special offer pricing with no indication of what the price is after the introductory period. I guess I should play the game and call and tell them I'm going to switch everytime the introductory rate expires but, just as they expect, it is too much work.
I've done speedtest and actually get about 20MB on the system connected directly to the router. Lower speeds on the devices connected via WiFi. So either I'm getting 30% more or 30% less bandwidth than I'm paying for.
If I thought it would really help I'd consider their 100MB service but I don't think that would be worth the trouble or the price. That would only be worth it if I either switched to a wired network or moved up to wireless N on my network.
We decoupled our internet and TV almost 2 years ago and got better pricing that way (TV through Dish and internet through Charter). Dish has been great price-wise and service-wise but I still think we will just cancel TV service altogether when our contract is up. We just don't watch enough stuff that we have/need to watch LIVE or that we can't just wait and watch on DVD or netflix.
We'll probably just use Netflix and Hulu Plus if we want to watch something on the TV and keep Charter internet and come out around $50 for everything.
We decoupled our internet and TV almost 2 years ago and got better pricing that way (TV through Dish and internet through Charter). Dish has been great price-wise and service-wise but I still think we will just cancel TV service altogether when our contract is up. We just don't watch enough stuff that we have/need to watch LIVE or that we can't just wait and watch on DVD or netflix.
We'll probably just use Netflix and Hulu Plus if we want to watch something on the TV and keep Charter internet and come out around $50 for everything.
Just install an outside antenna and preamp, and you will receive all local TV channels and most Charlotte channels.
Just install an outside antenna and preamp, and you will receive all local TV channels and most Charlotte channels.
Yeah we did that at one point in between dumping cable and picking up Dish but what we realized is that we hardly ever watch anything live. The only TV show that we really watched live regularly this year was Game of Thrones on HBO. The other few current TV shows that we watch, we almost always watch them off of our DVR since we don't like to be tied down to a TV shows schedule. So stuff like Hulu Plus and Netflix works out great for us since it's all on demand.
That's interesting. I would have said I had the 15 Mbps service but apparently they only offer me 30MB service. I'm still not sure what type of service I have from them. The only thing I could find on the charter site are special offer pricing with no indication of what the price is after the introductory period. I guess I should play the game and call and tell them I'm going to switch everytime the introductory rate expires but, just as they expect, it is too much work.
I've done speedtest and actually get about 20MB on the system connected directly to the router. Lower speeds on the devices connected via WiFi. So either I'm getting 30% more or 30% less bandwidth than I'm paying for.
If I thought it would really help I'd consider their 100MB service but I don't think that would be worth the trouble or the price. That would only be worth it if I either switched to a wired network or moved up to wireless N on my network.
I had the 15 Mbps service and the same thing happened to me. What I found out from a neighbor who was a Charter installation sub-contractor is that the regular modems can't handle the higher speeds, so I had to swap out the Ubee modem for a Cisco one that could do the job. After the switch, you should be able to see a speed increase. You're going to have to lease the proper modem from Charter (less than $10/mo). I wouldn't advise buying your own, because they're changing things so fast now that you could be left with an expensive paperweight.
Just call and tell them you need to swap out your current modem for one that can handle the 30 Mbps speed. They'll give you a time window for a install tech to come out, make the switch, and "provision" the new modem for your account.
I wouldn't advise buying your own, because they're changing things so fast now that you could be left with an expensive paperweight.
I have to disagree 100%. Renting a modem is a waste of money. There is no scenario where they are increasing technology so fast that the cost of owning vs renting a modem is getting outpaced by their overpriced service charge.
I bought a nice *used* modem for $50 5 years ago and I am still using it today and handles our 20 Mbps service just fine. Even from the not-truly-20Mbps service Charter sends and the wifi hop to my laptop i still register something like 17Mbps download usually (and that's more than enough right now, even considering how much media we stream in HD).
If I rented a modem for $10/month for the past 5 years I would have spent $600 where I only spent $50. If I have to get a new modem in the next couple years, so be it. I'll spend another $50-$100 max and be set for years while it would pay for itself in 5-10 months. I would also never get cable internet service from someone who doesn't let you provide your own modem unless it is included for free in an already competitive price. IMO it's just one of the areas where cable companies try and make extra money (like "wire-maintenance" fees). If for some weird reason you DO rent a modem from someone like Charter, make sure you are getting a new model modem. I've helped people set up routers before (people that weren't comfortable doing it themselves) after they signed up for new Charter service and the Charter tech installed a 4 or 5 year old modem. If you're going to overpay that much you might as well push to get a very new one when they initially set up the service at least.
Last edited by Sunbather; 08-29-2012 at 02:08 PM..
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