New Resident. Please help me with internet and cell service. (Phoenix: new house, neighborhood)

[rebelcork]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are moving to the north side of Phoenix. We are in transition over the next few months, going back and forth, until we can fully move here (hopefully in March). I currently have Verizon, but I’ve noticed that the service is slow in our home. We are out of contract and ready for new phones. Any recommendations or tips for us?

Here’s the trickier one: We’d like to get fast internet. We will primarily be using it to stream from Netflix, Hulu, Sling...and to have good connection to provide WiFi for our phones. What/who would you suggest? Do any of them offer a plan that you can put on hold (we may not be here a couple of times for six weeks)?

Thank you very much for your help.

[DetroitN8V]

Cox is really your only choice for internet. Century Link is the alternative which seems to have poor reviews. My Verizon service is great here.

[teeej]

Centurylink is fast enough to stream a few devices. I'm on 40MBdown/4 up for $35/mo. Cox is super expensive.

Check Centurylink first and see what speeds they have for your address.

[rebelcork]

Originally Posted by teeej

Centurylink is fast enough to stream a few devices. I'm on 40MBdown/4 up for $35/mo. Cox is super expensive.

Check Centurylink first and see what speeds they have for your address.

Thanks. Does it stream Netflix without ‘buffering’ issues?

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by rebelcork

Thanks. Does it stream Netflix without ‘buffering’ issues?

iI've been on Century Link 40 for 3 years now. My actual speed is closer to 50 with speedtest. I have never been buffered in a Netflix show that I can recall and I have also watched Amazon shows with 4K UHD with no problems. Century Link has price for life now - no prices increases ever - and I would get 60 or even 100 if it is available at your new house as today's 40 may not be adequate for future needs. (not sure they even offer 40 anymore). The CL price is also no contract so if they disappoint you, you can switch to Cox at any time.

[LBTRS]

Cox is where it is at for fast reliable internet. Century Link gets terrible reviews but there are some people that find them acceptable.

Verizon has the best coverage in the valley.

[Dewey59]

I think the ISPs vary by location.... Best bet is to speak with some of the people in your neighborhood. I have had CenturyLink for 3 years and have had zero problems - but I live in Sun City West. Several people I know here (including 2 of my neighbors) have had a lot of outages with Cox. Again, it varies by location. I have 20 Down / 2 Up and have never had any problems streaming Netflix or Sling.

A friend recently told me she checked into CenturyLink because they were so much cheaper than Cox, but they did not offer a hold service while she was gone for the summer, so for her, she was better off just staying with Cox.

As for cell service, I had Verizon when I first moved here and experienced similar poor coverage in certain areas - especially my house! I switched over to Consumer Cellular who uses T-Mobile and AT&T towers and have not noticed much of an improvement in signal strength, but it's half the price so I am living with it!

[cactusland]

Centurylink isn't bad in some areas. In other areas, it's hellish. It depends where you are. It might be worth it to try it out and then switch due to lower pricing plans and just to see.

[wase4711]

I'm in far northwest phoenix, and my t mobile service is 100% perfect; I have Cox gigablast service, and its allways up, and fast as lightning

[KurtAZ]

Going to echo what others have said...it is really going to depend on where you live. Cox and CTL are the primary choices for broadband in the valley. Some like one over the other. Like wase4711, Cox Gigablast was available in my neighborhood and I jumped on it. From the router I can measure 900Mb/s bidirectional most of the time. Both providers have a qualification tool on their websites, so if you are worried about bandwidth at a certain address, just put the address into the websites and see what you qualify for.

As for Mobile service, we have had Verizon for years and have never had a problem. My parents on the other hand, had issues with all mobile services the short time they lived in Litchfield Park and ended up installing a repeater at their house.