Internet Question

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

Hi Everyone,

I live alone and find I watch more and more tv, I don't eat right, or exercise etc, and I'm considering making a major life adjustment and kicking the ol' TV to the curb. Which if you knew me, is a MAJOR change.

However, I do need to keep internet access, and can't steal a signal.

What is the cheapest/most reliable for a fast internet connection in the davis square area for just high speed internet? Currently I have comcast, but if i get rid of cable my internet rate will go up to 46.00.

Any thoughts would be great.

Comments

[livingadream.livejournal.com]

Congrats on taking the first step to major life changes! Peace out TV.

Not sure if RCN is in your area, but it looks like they're doing a deal right now for high speed interwebz at 16.95 a month (with a 12 month contract).

http://www.rcn.com/specialoffers/offer.php?id=1

[fanw.livejournal.com]

Your sanity and health is worth it! Yeah, they rake you over the coals if you don't get the cable "package", but I'm still happy I pay only for phone and internet!

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

we have rcn wireless (the box was free with the service) and i believe it runs $30/month

[tarkap.livejournal.com]

You could always go the other way and get a DVR.

You record only what you really care about, you get to ff through commercials, and you also don't have to plan around when the shows are aired.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_meej_/]

You could always keep the cable service, even though you get rid of the TV, so that your internet service is cheaper; there's no need to have the thing hooked into the wall to get the rate.

(This sounds ridiculous from the outside, I expect, but my wife and I have a cheaper package for Comcast cable + internet than Comcast has for just internet. In other words, we'd pay more for the privilege of not having cable, so we let them bring us cable even though the TV's in the attic.)

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

We combine this comment and the one above -- no TV, but it was easier to get the complete package, so now we have a dvr running on the computer, because life would be sad without House.

[phoenixy.livejournal.com]

RCN is pretty good and aside from two downtimes last year and very long hold times (~30 minutes) when calling customer serivce we haven't had any problems. We pay 40/month for a 10 mpbs connection. The equivalent service from Comcast is 56/month.

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

good for you! just don't spend all your time watching you-tube! :-)

They tend to like "bundles" its the new black for marketing, and was their way of "getting around" the price increases, because people feel like they are getting more, for more money... instead of getting less for less money.

I've got RCN, and they seem ok... but I got shilled into landline and internet. Oh well.

[beezy515.livejournal.com]

And don't spend all of your time on hulu.com!

[ryanwanger.livejournal.com]

I don't have a ton of personal experience with this, but it sounds like they will do a lot to keep your business. Tell them you are quitting because you only want internet. See if they give you a good deal.

If they won't, then switch!

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

Are you getting rid of the TV entirely, or just don't want cable anymore? Because you can reduce your cable down to just network stations, and I think it's only like $10 per month, and then you get to keep your cheaper internet rate, and you have a clear picture on your network channels.

[prog.livejournal.com]

I did exactly this a year ago, and have no regrets. I use RCN to gimme just the internet via cable and nothing else, and have had no issues with this.

(My problem wasn't TV addiction, but more wondering why I was paying for this massive TV pipe when I felt like I was consuming maybe .001 percent of its output. I now just watch the few shows I want via the internet, whenever I have the time and inclination, and it's great.)

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm addicted to tv, although I can see how it sounds like it from my message. Its more I'm paying a lot of money to have a distraction piped into my house, like someone above said. I think with streaming tv shows on the internet, netflix etc, I would be more apt to go out and do stuff instead of being sucked into tv. I've been reading alot about how much healthier life is for people who don't watch so much tv, I find that I have it on a lot but i'm often not really paying any attention to it, so why pay!

So it sounds like staying with comcast or checking out rcn are my best internet options, thanks everyone.

[ron_newman]

(returning from 24-hour LJ 'strike')

If 768K is high-speed enough for you, the cheapest bet is probably DSL from Verizon, Earthlink, Galaxy, Speakeasy, or some other DSL company. I tagged this post 'internet', so you may want to click on the tag and see what people have said here in the past.

[kelkyag]

I have verizon DSL (dry loop, no extras). It's $26.99/month presently, not considering discounts. The speed is sufficient for my purposes, and it's been pretty reliable.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Why the strike?

[ron_newman]

Why are we holding the Content Strike?

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Do you think it had an affect?

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

I've had Speakeasy in several places and cities. They are wonderful. The price is more expensive but the service is, IMHO, absolutely worth it.

The only problem is that they do not own their lines and so rely on Verizon and Covad for some things included help with setup and they tend to be treated poorly by both. Every problem I've had has been with Covad. Speakeasy does what they can to make it work but it's sometimes difficult.

Agreed on speakeasy

[capt-morrison.livejournal.com]

I think their national size gives them some leverage over Covad. When I've had problems they've been resolved quickly.

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

Are you sure there's no unsecured wireless in your neighborhood?
Such dense living, I can usually snag a signal wherever I am.