Making the Switch to U-Verse
Ok the switch is already done but been waiting to see how things go to post...
Found out about 6 weeks ago that U-Verse was available in my area (I have been watching hoping to be able to move from DSL 3.0 to DSL 6.0). After much, and I mean much, research I finally decided that we would make the switch...
$40.00 a month savings (not including any incentives) when bundling 2 telephone lines, Internet (12 Mbps versus 3 Mbps) and TV over our previous AT&T 2 line package, At&T DSL 3.0 and Comcast HD Television.
Internet 12 Mbps versus 3 Mbps
Television was a concern as it actually costs more for U-Verse TV versus Comcast to get our required channels (ESPN and Speed for NASCAR were musts) and have to have a Box for every TV at a cost of $7.00 per box after the initial box...
However after much hand wrangling and searching and talking out loud to myself and disappointment that U-Verse TV actually costs more then Comcast, I finally decided that the overall savings and much higher Internet speed were worth the plunge and I placed the order...
Now I have read a number of U-Verse installation horror stories, and a number of positive ones, and even heard of a Friend of my Sister taking 3 weeks until they got his all connected properly, however mine went exceedingly well :)
At 8 AM on the appointed date a AT&T field tech showed up to test the line to be sure we could get U-Verse, he had to make a change in the line that fed the house from the pole but otherwise he said we had an excellent signal and no problem.
At 9 AM Albert, the AT&T U-Verse Technician showed up, very polite and nice guy and after a bit of mucking around outside at the box he and I walked the house and I pointed out what was where and my thoughts on best way to make the connections, which he whole heartily agreed with.
Overall it took about 5 hours, had a bit of an issue with the final connections which were the telephones but he called another U-Verse Technician and decided that a filter was needed at the connection to the U-Verse Modem and bang we had telephone.
The only wires that required changing was a couple of cable runs from the wall connection to the TVs, they were old cheap cable wires and Albert replaced them with digital cable runs. Our main TV, the 56" HDTV did not require any wire changes, which will become a point later when comparing Comcast and U-Verse TV signals...
Ok so after all was said and done some observations...
1: Albert, the U-Verse Technician was outstanding and very communicative as to what he was doing and how things were going. He also left me his Cell number which I have read other U-Verse Technicians doing.
2: Internet is 100% better, what a difference going from DSL 3.0 to U-Verse 12... WOW :)
3: Telephone is mostly unchanged, except when someone calls Caller ID pops up on the TV screen if we have it on, which I never thought much about until it happened and it is a pleasant extra feature IMHO.
4: Television is unbelievably improved over Comcast, we get all the channels we used to get and a few more, the picture quality is Exceptionally better including all TVs and the 56" HDTV (even though no wire was ever changed on that TV). We went from mostly watching Nascar on ESPN non-HD because ESPNHD almost always was pixelated during races to watching two complete races on ESPNHD without any glitches whatsoever.
Overall TV quality is improved on all TV's as I mentioned, noticed by all members of the house, and hardly any issues with pixelation which was a daily occurrence with Comcast. The DVR recording abilities are great, record up to 4 shows at once, set recording from any TV or Online and watch any recorded show on any TV, 80 hours storage, another really unanticipated bonus that I doubted our use of but have found to to be used extensively already.
The bottom line, for us, is a Savings of $40.00 a month (plus incentives totaling almost $325.00), much improved Internet and Television and same Telephone service.
For us this was a change well worth making, better service from U-Verse TV, 4 times increase in Internet Connection speed and long term $40.00 a month savings.
Your mileage may vary, as well as any savings depending on what you are paying now and for what level of services, but it is worth looking at for anyone not completely happy with Comcast or looking to increase your DSl connection speed...
-Bob
Found out about 6 weeks ago that U-Verse was available in my area (I have been watching hoping to be able to move from DSL 3.0 to DSL 6.0). After much, and I mean much, research I finally decided that we would make the switch...
$40.00 a month savings (not including any incentives) when bundling 2 telephone lines, Internet (12 Mbps versus 3 Mbps) and TV over our previous AT&T 2 line package, At&T DSL 3.0 and Comcast HD Television.
Internet 12 Mbps versus 3 Mbps
Television was a concern as it actually costs more for U-Verse TV versus Comcast to get our required channels (ESPN and Speed for NASCAR were musts) and have to have a Box for every TV at a cost of $7.00 per box after the initial box...
However after much hand wrangling and searching and talking out loud to myself and disappointment that U-Verse TV actually costs more then Comcast, I finally decided that the overall savings and much higher Internet speed were worth the plunge and I placed the order...
Now I have read a number of U-Verse installation horror stories, and a number of positive ones, and even heard of a Friend of my Sister taking 3 weeks until they got his all connected properly, however mine went exceedingly well :)
At 8 AM on the appointed date a AT&T field tech showed up to test the line to be sure we could get U-Verse, he had to make a change in the line that fed the house from the pole but otherwise he said we had an excellent signal and no problem.
At 9 AM Albert, the AT&T U-Verse Technician showed up, very polite and nice guy and after a bit of mucking around outside at the box he and I walked the house and I pointed out what was where and my thoughts on best way to make the connections, which he whole heartily agreed with.
Overall it took about 5 hours, had a bit of an issue with the final connections which were the telephones but he called another U-Verse Technician and decided that a filter was needed at the connection to the U-Verse Modem and bang we had telephone.
The only wires that required changing was a couple of cable runs from the wall connection to the TVs, they were old cheap cable wires and Albert replaced them with digital cable runs. Our main TV, the 56" HDTV did not require any wire changes, which will become a point later when comparing Comcast and U-Verse TV signals...
Ok so after all was said and done some observations...
1: Albert, the U-Verse Technician was outstanding and very communicative as to what he was doing and how things were going. He also left me his Cell number which I have read other U-Verse Technicians doing.
2: Internet is 100% better, what a difference going from DSL 3.0 to U-Verse 12... WOW :)
3: Telephone is mostly unchanged, except when someone calls Caller ID pops up on the TV screen if we have it on, which I never thought much about until it happened and it is a pleasant extra feature IMHO.
4: Television is unbelievably improved over Comcast, we get all the channels we used to get and a few more, the picture quality is Exceptionally better including all TVs and the 56" HDTV (even though no wire was ever changed on that TV). We went from mostly watching Nascar on ESPN non-HD because ESPNHD almost always was pixelated during races to watching two complete races on ESPNHD without any glitches whatsoever.
Overall TV quality is improved on all TV's as I mentioned, noticed by all members of the house, and hardly any issues with pixelation which was a daily occurrence with Comcast. The DVR recording abilities are great, record up to 4 shows at once, set recording from any TV or Online and watch any recorded show on any TV, 80 hours storage, another really unanticipated bonus that I doubted our use of but have found to to be used extensively already.
The bottom line, for us, is a Savings of $40.00 a month (plus incentives totaling almost $325.00), much improved Internet and Television and same Telephone service.
For us this was a change well worth making, better service from U-Verse TV, 4 times increase in Internet Connection speed and long term $40.00 a month savings.
Your mileage may vary, as well as any savings depending on what you are paying now and for what level of services, but it is worth looking at for anyone not completely happy with Comcast or looking to increase your DSl connection speed...
-Bob
posted by Bob at 2:24 PM
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