sirchief
Premium
join:2001-12-14
Cromwell, CT
| Thinking of moving to comcast....
Hey everyone! I currently have AT&T for phone, internet, and DISH TV.
Soon to be getting a HD TV and wanting to add HD service. I've called DISH a few times to try to get accurate pricing and I seem to be getting the run around. This has caused me to explore other options.
I am looking into Comcast for phone, internet, and TV.
My main concern is changing the phone over to them.
Has anyone done this? What can I expect? Should I stay with AT&T???
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve |
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P Ness
You'Ve Forgotten 9-11 Already
Premium
join:2001-08-29
Mineola, NY
clubs: 
| don't dooooooooo it.
i have been holding out HDTV/DC to see how the ATT fiber rolled out this year...boxes are set...god only knows if we will ever see service.
let me know how it goes i am still in the market and would not mind doing a full change to finally get my digital hi def tv.
--
www.stopfcc.comI do not think the government needs to restrict free speech especially on a device that has an off knob. |
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sirchief
Premium
join:2001-12-14
Cromwell, CT | I'm definitely not holding my breath or my TV waiting for UVerse. If it goes anything like the DSL rollout, I'll have a 42" paper weight before I see fiber! |
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DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium
join:2001-07-23
West Hartford, CT
 ·Stephouse Networks
 ·magicjack.com
·EarthLink
| reply to sirchief
I wouldn't switch my home phone service to a 'digital phone' provider for all the tea in China. If you have two phone lines, you could switch one line to take advantage of the free long distance, but still have the AT&T line in place to call Comcast when their service goes down. |
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orion940
Paralyzed By Confusion
Premium
join:2001-12-23
Windsor, CT | reply to sirchief
I happened to hear on the news last night about Comcast and 911. It's probably VOIP, but you might want to check into it.
O.
--
In Windsor CT, Home of The Decorative Zamboni |
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sirchief
Premium
join:2001-12-14
Cromwell, CT | I'm fairly certain their phone service is VOIP.
Thanks |
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Rick
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-06
Waterbury, CT
clubs:
1 edit | reply to DrStrange
said by DrStrange  :I wouldn't switch my home phone service to a 'digital phone' provider for all the tea in China. If you have two phone lines, you could switch one line to take advantage of the free long distance, but still have the AT&T line in place to call Comcast when their service goes down. Service goes down here?
Couldn't prove that by me. 
Comcast has a great service here in Ct.
I currently have all their services..dvr..hd..all the premiums..hsi..and couldn't be happier.
Comcasts digital phone is delivered via their own network.
While it's voip technology..it's not like other providers in that it's not via the internet.
In fact..it's so good that they recently had to introduce noise into the lines because people didn't even know they were on a phone connection.
Their hd is literally jaw dropping. I'm sitting here watching the christmas in Rockefeller center special in HD and it's truly amazing how crystal clear the picture is.
Quite a bit more HD is coming this month and there's also on demand both HD and non hd.
As for HSI..I regularly see speeds of 20Mb + with powerboost and even up to 30Mb in off peak hours.
Folks can compare for themselves this against the "competition".
I just don't see any competition at all. |
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Grumpy
Premium
join:2001-07-28
99999
clubs:
·AT&T Yahoo
4 edits | reply to sirchief
Rick, I'm clueless how Comcast does long haul VoIP without benefit of the internet's backbone etc. Please explain. Thanks.
`````````````````````````````
Depending upon your LD call geography & volume, it's often a better deal to roll your own VoIP. To go from clueless noob to getting a $60 VoIP device up and at'em that will use your existing telephones takes around an hour or two worth of research. (Even I did it! ;+/ )
Another way to look at it --
At $0.03 per minute for POTS LD, (»www.saveonphone.com/)
and free cell calls after 19:00, I could never justify the math & cost for a flat rate LD charge from any type of provider. If an AT&T POTS line costs $15 per month, and for the other $15 for a flat rate, at 3 cents per minute, that's a comparative 8.33 hours of POTS LD per month to make any provider's $30 flat rate phone service worthwhile. For some, the deal is perhaps a dream come true. For me - you would have to force me at gunpoint to spend 8.x LD hours on the phone at home per month.
Your mileage may vary. |
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Rick
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-06
Waterbury, CT
clubs:
| said by Grumpy :Rick, I'm clueless how Comcast does long haul VoIP without benefit of the internet's backbone etc. Please explain. Thanks. As I understand it, Comcast has a network for phone traffic that spreads coast to coast. Comcast to comcast customer calls are handled totally on that network, while other landline calls are handed off to the telco's networks from whatever closest point they can be coming off comcasts network.
And so, there's no internet involved.
--
The Coyote captured the RR! Roadrunner Rick is now Comcastic! |
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Grumpy
Premium
join:2001-07-28
99999
clubs:
·AT&T Yahoo
| You could well be right, but I'm having a hard time believing that each and every Comcast facility in every state is connected by a common or dedicated to Comcast cabling system, or that they rent bird space just to handle their own internal VoIP traffic. I would believe that a VoIP signal from the Comcast caller's house to the local Comcast office is on their dedicated cabling, but a call from NY to CA handled exclusively by Comcast infrastructure? Hmmmm...
I could be wrong. |
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Rick
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-06
Waterbury, CT
clubs:
4 edits | Here's the answer. It's as I thought.
»www.comcastphoneoffers.com/1/faq.php#q11
Btw..as you can see from the post jbob made..he's saying he and dadkins can also trace right to each other (arkansas to California) without ever leaving comcasts network.
»Re: Minneapolis up on ibone
In the same thread, EG is saying he can stay on Comcasts network from NJ to california.
Obviously..comcast has been VERY busy lately!
IMHO..it's all part of a few things.
Docsis 3.0 is coming...and some REAL Big speed increases.
I also think that they'll enter the lower speed HSI game and take on DSL with some new pricing.
Will they?
We'll see. But i wouldn't be surprised at all to see new triple play pricing in the near future, composed of lower hsi tiers as well. And, if they get into the 1.5 to 3Mb Hsi game..they could perhaps shave 20.00 /month off their 99.00 triple play price taking it down to perhaps the sub 80.00 range even.
Take what i'm saying as the ramblings of a comcast fanatic but..what's stopping them from doing just that?
Nothing that I can see.
Edit..oh..btw...LOOK at the latency they're seeing coast to coast!
Amazing. But..then again..if it's all under comcasts control now..this is probably to be expected.
Welcome to the "IBone".
Edit again..holy crap..Apparently Ct. is now on the Ibone as well.
Just ran a tracert to San Francisco..never left comcasts network..and never topped out over 100ms anywhere..not even once..at a single hop.
WOW! |
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MrFixitSC
Premium,VIP,ExMod 2001-06
join:2000-12-01
Moncks Corner, SC
 ·Comcast Formerly ..
·AT&T DSL Service
2 edits | said by Rick :Take what i'm saying as the ramblings of a comcast employee  |
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dresq
join:2002-09-20
Essex, CT
| reply to sirchief
OK, I'm not a Comcast employee, and who knows what I'll do when my $99 a month "triple play" deal is over and the prices jump, but so far, I'm sold.
I keep expecting problems with my broadband connection or my phone, but so far, the phone has been rock solid, and the only broadband connection problem was after a power outage, and it turned out to be my WRT54G and not Comcast at all. Rebooted the router and was back in business. (BTW - the cable modem/phone box supplied by Comcast has buit-in battery backup, so you could still use a phone that doesn't require line power during a blackout.)
My SNET phone service was no more reliable than my Comcast service, with both the only problems I've had has been with my flaky phone wiring around my house.
Why only get VOIP or Comcast phone if you have a second landline? I have awful cell reception here, but I can get a call through from the garage. Get a cell phone if you don't have one - the lowest priced prepaid phones are far cheaper than a land line.
Can't comment on the HDTV quality, as I haven't gotten one yet. |
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Grumpy
Premium
join:2001-07-28
99999
clubs:
·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to Rick
That's impressive. |
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meskinct
Mad Scientist at Work
Premium
join:2002-01-07
Danbury, CT
clubs:
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
| From the front page this morning »tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/20···nosaurs/
This article really bashes them. I don't think they are all that terrible.
Bottom line: Find the solution that you find works best for you. Good luck.
--
Rich. My Website including the AT&T/SNET Status Page |
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