Cox going all digital (Sun City, Sun City West: renting, living, price)

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by gbpakrfan

Any time I read someone saying Cox internet is fast, I have to laugh. We were just saying how slow our internet with Cox is. In fact, I hope I'm able to get this message typed and sent before it freezes again.

Oh, yeah, painfully slow. Sounds like a personal problem.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

Oh, yeah, painfully slow. Sounds like a personal problem.

Are you saying yours is bigger?

[smittycdm]

Lol, I was just advised I agreed with Bummer too often & had to spread "my luv" around (my words). I remember during the Football Playoffs, & of course our cable went down. My husband called the Cox HD Cust Service #, unbelievably, he got through. They worked it out, the Rep was really chatty & my husband said (he's from Huntington Beach, altho an Upper-Level professional) "Dude! You really need to take of your customers!" Rep: "Huh?" Hubby: "It's the (whichever division) Playoffs!!" Rep: "Oh, maybe that's why I have 503 waiting calls..." Seriously! No sense of priority.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

Are you saying yours is bigger?

No, just challenging the assumption that there is something wrong with the internet speeds offered by Cox. You might argue that they are too expensive but that is another issue. If his experience is really as bad as he says it is, there is clearly something wrong on his end.

[wase4711]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

Oh, yeah, painfully slow. Sounds like a personal problem.

what high speeds does cox offer out there?
we will be moving soon, and I am spoiled with Comcrap in chicago, getting 125/25 internet...

also, how many OTA channels can you get with a good antenna? I have some decent indoor antennas here, around 30 miles SW of Chicago, and we can get around 50 OTA stations...do you need a rooftop antenna out there, or will a good indoor one do the trick?

we are planning to move to the Stetson Valley area, so I think I will be around 25 miles North of central Phoenix area..
thanks!

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by wase4711

what high speeds does cox offer out there?
we will be moving soon, and I am spoiled with Comcrap in chicago, getting 125/25 internet...

also, how many OTA channels can you get with a good antenna? I have some decent indoor antennas here, around 30 miles SW of Chicago, and we can get around 50 OTA stations...do you need a rooftop antenna out there, or will a good indoor one do the trick?

we are planning to move to the Stetson Valley area, so I think I will be around 25 miles North of central Phoenix area..
thanks!

I am on their Preferred internet package which says "up to 150 Mbps" and I typically get a little more than that. There is a higher tier called Ultimate. They also have a "Gigablast" option in select areas that claims up to 1 Gbps

You will find a comparable selection of OTA stations. Even if you weed out the Spanish and religious channels there is a nice selection. I get them all with an indoor antenna, but it sounds like you will be in the boondocks. Suggest checking antennaweb.org.

[wase4711]

thanks; do you just have their internet, or a bundle with tv/phone, etc?

any idea where the actual tv transmittertpwers are, in relation to central PHX?
I am about 25 miles from most tv transmitter towers in chicago, and get everything pretty much with indoor antennas; isn't stetson Valley about the same distance from "central phoenix", or am i reading the map wrong?

thanks!

[pbenjamin]

I have had a variety of bundles. I ditched the phone because there were some features available on CenturyLink that I couldn't seem to get on Cox. The service itself was solid. Right now I have internet and TV. I had the whole home DVR setup until about 3 months ago. I cancelled it and went through a period where I had just an OTA Tivo, PlayStation Vue and HBO Now. PS Vue actually got me all of the channels I wanted but the user interface is just plain awful and became very unpopular within the household. Went back to Cox for TV but this time bought a Tivo Bolt and a Mini for the kitchen. A lot cheaper that way, after the initial investment, and the Tivo is a lot nicer than what Cox offers.

The towers are on South Mountain, which is south of downtown. I hadn't heard of Stetson Valley, the map puts it at Happy Valley Road which sounds like a long way out to me, but I've never tried to get a TV signal out there so who knows.

[wase4711]

thanks for the info!

I was a cord cutter for a long time, then comcrap offered me a super bundle for less than I was paying for internet alone, so I am "stuck" with phone/internet/TV until September, or until we move out there..
When we get out there, I intend to just go with internet and OTA antenna; I have a chromecast, and a Nvidia shield, so, we have plenty of stuff to watch without paying ransom to Cox for their boxes/dvr's/ whatever they try to force on you.

Hopefully, they will sell me just high speed internet, since we dont need/want tv or landline type phones any longer; hopefully, I can get the local channels from up there on Happy Valley Road, but, if I need to, I will get a roof mount antenna, assuming the HOA that we end up in will allow that! Google maps says Happy valley road is about 30 miles away, I should be able to get reception, but I will check antenna web and see what they say.

If the towers are south of downtown, that might be difficult, but we will see!

Thanks for the info!

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by Bummer

After receiving a bunch of those "threatening" e-mails and letters . . . I finally surrendered / succumbed.

I am totally convinced it is nothing more than a way for Cox to exert their "monopoly power" and force customers to upgrade (their term, not mine) and pay more money. I kept hearing, "We are giving you so much more." One huge joke as I am certain my bill will increase regardless if I want and/or will ever watch these extra channels.

Although I have three TVs, I was only allowed to order two Mini-Boxes so time will tell what will happen to the third TV after the final switch over.

I find it extremely interesting Cox will not allow an active customer to purchase an extra Mini-Box but, once again, they have a monopoly and know it.

In the meantime, I am researching a Roof Antenna plus something like an Apple TV streamer, just in case.

Their not a monopoly, you have options. Most Cable providers encrypted all their channels YEARS ago when the Feds mandated all digital transmission. Running unencrypted digital channels means duplicable equipment at their headend and it makes it a nightmare for the cable company and their network. I used to be a headend tech.

As far as cutting the cord, it can be done very successfully. Look into TiVo OTA DVR's. Antenna powered and with TiVo's menus and guide system. You still have a DVR, HD from your antenna and it integrates Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, almost all the big players. I pay for my Internet, $14.99/mo to TiVo and my streaming services. I'm saving over $100/mo from when I had full cable service. Their are free roads to get around paying TiVo's service fees, but it's well worth it. The free alternatives aren't as seamless and don't offer the streaming integration. I would recommend not going cheap on an antenna, and don't bother with an indoor unit unless your in a great reception area.