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Cable TV – Cut the Cord
If you’re like me, in some parts of the country the local cable company being a monopoly has hosed us with high rates and increases. In my case it’s now Spectrum, formally Brighthouse.
So I have kicked their bundled TV service to the curb and kept the high speed internet which is 100 mps. Purchased Roku streaming devices for all TV’s and signed up for Hulu with live TV including DVR. It works great and I’ve cut my internet/TV monthly cost by 50%.
Spectrum could care less, I called threatened them with canceling my service and switching to Satellite if they didn’t lower the cost and they just asked what date I wanted to cancel. I asked if they had a retention dept and the answer was nope.
So, if your being hosed by your cable company, there are many options as long as you have good Wi-Fi service available. Some say cable will one day be a thing of the past.
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15 Replies
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It seems the long term plan has been for cable companies to convert to high speed internet providers. This way, they don’t need to pay the fees to the networks when they are only providing a customer with internet service.
However, over the next few years you’ll see wireless services expanding to the point where you may not even need a wired connection at home and achieve streaming speeds that rival many wired connections. (I think we discussed this in a previous thread). 5G service is on the horizon and as this service expands, you’ll see wireless speeds increase up to 10X over 4G. Yes, it’s much less expensive for the providers to upgrade a tower than it is to replace coax with fiber.
We’re becoming a nation where subscriptions to specific channel services will become the norm. While consumers have been screaming for the ability to cherry pick channel line-ups and only pay for the services they watch, we’re starting to figure out that it was more cost effective to purchase things in a bundle.
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440 -
Andy, did you ever explain how you were able to watch Netflix through your phone while on your entertainment system in the bus without accruing data charges?
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Andy, did you ever explain how you were able to watch Netflix through your phone while on your entertainment system in the bus without accruing data charges?
I’ve been busy with a move to a new home and haven’t uploaded any new stories the past few months. I’m hoping to do some new videos at the Prevost Expo and after those are edited, I hope to get to this one. As you’ll see, it requires an explanation and a demo.
The short story is that T-Mobile has a plan that allows data-free (no additional charge) usage of Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, but the video must be viewed on the device and cannot be tethered to another display. So, I setup an Apple TV on the bus that is not connected to the internet and creates an in-bus wireless system that acts as the bridge from the phone to the TV. There’s a static IP address in the mix (this will require a demo) that forces the phone or tablet to prioritize the cellular data over the non-existent WiFi Internet connection and this is the key to making this work. This allows me to use the data free plan of the phone to stream the services and allow the video to play on the bus’s TV’s without using any wired connections.
The techs at Marathon said it couldn’t be done…until I gave them a demo. The hitch to the plan is that it needs a decent T-Mobile signal to stream HD video and as I’ve learned in my travels, Verizon seems to offer better coverage in the USA than T-Mobile. T-Mobile also offers an enhanced hotspot program that’s somewhat hidden and it’s like a secret menu at In-N-Out.
I know it sounds complicated, but it’s really not. When I have the time to put together a step by step video, you’ll see the skill level for setup is fairly low. It’s a heck of a lot easier that attempting to understand battery cable connections!
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It sounds simple enough… I just didn’t know that an Apple TV could create a wireless network. I’ve never had a reason to do that. I’m guessing you create a network with the Apple TV, then enter a static on the Apple TV in the range of the phone’s WAN IP. Then by having the phone join the Apple TV network the Apple TV can use the WAN through the phone It just surprises me that the phone would pass/route a WAN IP through the wireless connection. What kind of phone is it?
Very inticing none the less….
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I’m originating the content from an iPhone.
Honestly, it’s been quite a few months since I set this up and I’ll need to get back on the bus to remember exactly how I did it!
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I had the same experience with Directv. When the prices got over $150/month for tv I threatened to cancel and there response was the same. “When would you like to cancel”. If you could get the channels you want without paying for 150 channels you don’t, it would be better. Then, if We could have real unlimited bandwidth on the road. Then netflix and Hulu would be awesome and we’d be done with cable.
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Except for those who are full timing or spending a season in their coach I don’t fully understand the importance of getting 100% access to every source of TV content.
With few exceptions we all have access to cable at an RV park, over the air local TV, usually satellite TV like Dish or Direct, and I am sure DVD’s. When we are in the bus I just cannot imagine having so much free time that we need all that content.
We have never watched a movie in the bus because we just haven’t wanted to sit in one place for such a long time. I have slack adjusters to polish and a lot of other better things to do.
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Except for those who are full timing or spending a season in their coach I don’t fully understand the importance of getting 100% access to every source of TV content.
Very good point Jon and basically it shows that this lifestyle has grown to the point where it attracts a wide variety of participants with various definitions of desirable bus travel.
With few exceptions we all have access to cable at an RV park, over the air local TV, usually satellite TV like Dish or Direct, and I am sure DVD’s. When we are in the bus I just cannot imagine having so much free time that we need all that content.
We live in a connected world and with modern coaches offering just about all the conveniences of home (including the kitchen sink), some users consider being connected as part of the luxury lifestyle.
We have never watched a movie in the bus because we just haven’t wanted to sit in one place for such a long time. I have slack adjusters to polish and a lot of other better things to do.
As I stated in another thread, based on the owners I’ve met, you can place us in two categories: Those who enter the Prevost lifestyle to get dirty and those who buy a Prevost to stay clean. While you prefer to polish slack adjusters, others may have different priorities.
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You all need to be very aware of what the overturning of “net neutrality” will mean to your said set up. By overturning this, ISP’s can now monitor your streaming content and charge appropriately. So if you are watching “Hulu” and streaming a great deal, your ISP will have the ability to ratchet back speed and/or charge you for streaming of “hulu”.
That is one such example. The overturning is to benefit corporations, such as “Spectrum”. and you know darn well they will charge for whatever they can.
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While I’m not an expert about Net Neutrality issues, I can say we didn’t have these problems before Net Neutrality and should they arise now that it’s gone, then there’s a reason to get it changed. I’m a big fan of not fixing things unless they are broken.
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Andy, I assume you realize polishing slack adjusters is not on my agenda, but was a tongue in cheek way of saying when we are in the bus it is to bring us to new places to visit and explore as an alternative to sitting in the bus watching TV.
Unless I am really in trouble I will not work on the bus when we travel and it is used to bring us to new places as opposed to just carrying us to a new place to watch TV.
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Unless I am really in trouble I will not work on the bus when we travel and it is used to bring us to new places as opposed to just carrying us to a new place to watch TV.
That’s one of the benefits of being a bus owner…there’s no rules on how we use them.
While I spent decades living on airplanes and traveling all over the place, I’ve never been much of a tourist. While it may sound strange to some, when I travel by bus, I basically do the same things I would do at home, but have a different environment and on many occasions, a breathtaking view. Having a bus that offers me these things was a major factor in my purchase. I’ll add that living in Florida, over the Summer months I can pick locations that provide a much lower level of humidity and as I did last Summer, I can find routes that dodge hurricanes.
I had no idea that during my first year of ownership that I would log more than 10K miles and that’s only traveling a few months of the year. While that’s a small number for some owners, to me it shows I enjoy being behind the wheel.
To some it’s the destination, to others it’s the trip. As the old saying goes, half the fun is getting there. And when I arrive at the destination I can say, There’s no place like home.
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If all you want to do is go to a new venue and sit and watch TV when you get there, let me be the first to tell you there are cheaper ways than in a Prevost.
But you likely know that already.
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If all you want to do is go to a new venue and sit and watch TV when you get there, let me be the first to tell you there are cheaper ways than in a Prevost.
But you likely know that already.
Yup! But I like traveling with my own bed, bathroom, generator and Lucy the Dog!
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Our bus is my only escape from my kids to try and watch a movie. So much so I’ve installed a new re-capped Sunfire Subwoofer that can shake the house down! A 4K curved Samsung – Mac Mini media server – and am about to figure out a better center channel setup. That M&K in the ceiling isn’t cutting it. I love watching a show in the bus It’s our best home theater.
These buses are toys… and they can serve up a lot of fun in different ways. Plus… just the process of adding technology, lighting, etc… is fun. my kids enjoy watching a movie sitting in our driveway on the outdoor TV. When we visit the family all the kids love to sit around and watch a show while roasting smores outside the bus.
I like spending time in the bus… it’s just so cool!
Tradewinds Coach
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