best internet, phone, and cable in JAX? (Jacksonville, Bell: house, neighborhood)

[kenner1aimee]

We're looking for suggestions on cable, phone, and internet service in Jacksonville?

[EricBoyd]

I use Comcast for my internet and cable. Vonage is my home phone.

[fsquid]

DirectV for TV, but I hate cable

[GadgetRick]

Best Internet is relative. Unfortunately, you're kinda stuck with Comcast on that front.

I use DirecTV because I can't stand Comcast although I'm stuck with them for Internet.

I use my cell phone for phone service. No need for a wired phone these days.

[NYVAFLtransplant]

As much as I hate Comcast, I will have to switch to them for internet service in August. AT&T has too many billing issues, rude customer service, and mediocre ISP. I should be satisfied with at least one of the three.

[mawipafl]

We have DirecTV (yes, it goes out on some occasions briefly during certain storms, but we really like it); AT&T for phone and internet. For the same reasons that NYVAFLtransplant states (and in our case mostly because of ridiculous billing practices and rude customer service), we'll probably switch from AT&T back to Comcast. Sheer laziness has stopped me from doing it already. We had Comcast (switched to AT&T when our "new customer" discounts expired for the second time ... much better customer service - they renewed our "new customer" discounts for a second year). For us Comcast was a much better ISP than AT&T is. Verizon isn't an option for us in our neighborhood, so I can't comment on it.

[wb3690]

we just switched to direct TV from comcast. We had alot of problems with comcast customer service and well the PRICE! We have ATT for internet/phone. It is what it is.....

[Robyn55]

I don't know what's best - but below is what we have. Note that we are in NE St. Johns County. Don't know how things are in various parts of Duval County. For reports from lots of people - take a look at:

DSLReports Home : Broadband ISP Reviews News Tools and Forums

Very active website/chatboard.

We have Comcast for cable. Works fine (on 6 televisions). Isn't cheap. Can't use DirectTV - too many trees on the property. Took a look at AT&T UVerse and prices are about the same once the introductory offer is over. Converter boxes are all clunky (some Comcast boxes aren't). No reason to change IMO.

We use AT&T for internet (we're old MediaOne customers - Bellsouth bought MediaOne - then it bought AT&T - then it changed its name to AT&T). Internet works fine. I actually ran AT&T and Comcast side by side for internet last year on 2 computers (got a "try it for peanuts for X days" offer from Comcast) - and they were almost identical in terms of speed - service - etc. Didn't find any reason to change. One advantage with AT&T. You can still use a dial-up connection if the system goes down in a storm (assuming you have a computer where you can plug in a dial-up modem connection - my 1 year old Thinkpad does). Also note that our house is in one of the first areas in the US to have fiber-optic cable for internet (built in 1995). The quality of your service will depend on how your neighborhood is wired - and how your place is connected to the "main grid".

We have AT&T for phone. Two "no-frills" land lines. With 2 retired people at home a fair amount - we need 2 phone lines. There are days at home when I'll spend 2 hours "on hold" trying to get stuff done (using a hands-free speakerphone).

When we leave the house - we like to be "out of touch". So we only have 2 cheap pre-paid "dumb" cell phones. Mostly to call one another or to use when we're out of town. One from Boost - one from T-Mobile. Both work fine and are cheap for infrequent users (I am not sure our plans are available these days - my husband pays $100/year for 1000 minutes).

Finally - our set-up at home is somewhat primitive in terms of what some people do these days. We have a wireless home network on 3 computers - and some wireless phones around the house. That's it. If you're interested in talking about the more complicated stuff - this is a great place to do it:

AVS Forum

So - in a nutshell - we are happy with the service from all of our providers. And I believe - "if it ain't broke - etc.". Robyn

[Robyn55]

Somewhat OT but nevertheless important IMO. We do get hurricanes and tropical storms in Florida. And they can knock down/knock out most means of communications. After Hurricane Andrew - the only thing that worked for a long time after was old-fashioned land line telephones (all the cell towers in south Dade were down). With old fashioned non-electric phones that plug into the wall (we didn't have electricity either). Even if you don't plan to use it - I'd recommend 1 no-frills land line and keeping one old-fashioned phone on hand. If only for emergency purposes. Robyn

[cricketfan]

For me it is about saving money by bundling providers. The problem with Vonage VOIP is it doesn't support house alarms, at least not mine.