AT&T U-Verse

[ProudMarineDad]

I am thinking about switching our TV/Internet service from Charter cable to AT&T U-Verse. Does anyone else have U-Verse? If so, what are your likes and dislikes for each part? How does the internet perform for online gaming? How's the TV part?

[CoderGuy]

Will be interesting to see if anyone has it. I have been wanting to check out U-Verse or FioS but neither are available in my area. My choices are Comcast, DirectTV, or DishNetwork

[ratcheer]

I checked it out, yesterday. First, it is not available to me, even though I live in an affluent neighborhood in a high-growth area.

When you have U-Verse installed, they push very hard to force you to uninstall your POTS line (i.e., they tell you it is required, even though it really isn't). This means that all of your telephone, television, and internet service is dependent on your IP line and router. If you lose power, you lose your telephone. The same goes for if there are IP network problems. I don't really like this, as one of the crowning achievements of the old Bell System was a telephone network that was independent of the power grid. Yes, the phone is occasionally out, but it seems much rarer than power outages and is (or was) almost always repaired much more quickly.

The next thing I don't care for is the way the services are bundled. None of the offered packages are Internet service, only. Per the above, I prefer POTS for my telephone service, and I do not want television service. I am stuck with 3 mbps DSL service, so I would love to have the U-Verse 12 mbps Internet service, but it is only offered as a part of their greatest package at $200 per month. Way beyond my budget, especially when I do not want two out of three parts of the package.

But, I am just an old curmudgeon.

Tim

[sgreger1]

It can't be worse than Charter. Are they still around?

[internope]

When you have U-Verse installed, they push very hard to force you to uninstall your POTS line (i.e., they tell you it is required, even though it really isn't). This means that all of your telephone, television, and internet service is dependent on your IP line and router. If you lose power, you lose your telephone. The same goes for if there are IP network problems. I don't really like this, as one of the crowning achievements of the old Bell System was a telephone network that was independent of the power grid. Yes, the phone is occasionally out, but it seems much rarer than power outages and is (or was) almost always repaired much more quickly.

Verizon FiOS pulls the same crap. They will remove the copper to your house as part of the upgrade in order to freeze out the CLECs. I had two POTS lines with DSL and an old ISDN BRI. I don't recall exactly what the magic words were to keep my copper, but as I recall I made up some BS story that I was just a roommate in the house and that the FiOS was only for me and the owner wanted to keep POTS. Since the phone bill is my wife's name, I had to order by credit card to get it done this way.

I kept POTS for a couple of years, but since nobody calls us on the landline any more I finally canceled it and ported that number to an inexpensive VoIP provider. The unused copper lines still run to the house, so if I ever do need them I won't be paying a fortune to get a drop.

Regarding U-Verse, check out the site Broadband Reports. You can probably find reviews from people that live in your area and that will give you a good idea of what to expect.

[Snusdog]

I've got uverse.

ratcheer..........I'd check again...............it may be different in your area but here in SC you can bundle the services or buy them individually..........Thus I have TV/DSL but not the phone service

Likewise, I have had about every other provider on the planet.

In the end they are basically the same (with the exception of Charter....which just plain sucks).

The thing I like and dislike about Uverse is that there is no contract................thus I can leave at any time..............but it also means that I am locked into the lower price for only 6 months.

The other thing is that the DVR for both Uverss and Direct can be watched from any room in the house. Dish's DVR can only be viewed from the one TV where it is stationed.

Other than that..............it's TV and Internet

When they jack the price I will go to the next company in line...............get the new customer price and a few perks and watch the same shows and serf the same internet sites as I did with the last company.......................

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[raptor]

I have cable tv/broadband DSL with U-Verse. Great introductory price coming over from TWC, but they're slowly jacking up prices. Soon once my discounts expire I will have to switch again. Still have POTS installed as part of the condominium, was never pressured to get basic phone or to remove the copper cabling.

e: U-Verse is the fastest cable in the area (15/1.5mbit) and U-250 is more TV than I can ever have time to watch.

[ratcheer]

ratcheer..........I'd check again...............

It doesn't matter. Like I said, U-Verse is not available to me, anyway.

Tim

[Snusdog]

It doesn't matter. Like I said, U-Verse is not available to me, anyway.

Tim

Touché