Cut the Cable
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When I do the wireless shops, I ask the same question. The suggested alternatives have been too costly and required rigmarole, which I have no patience for. If you find something viable, please come back and update this thread.
If you have a cell phone, you should be able to get rid of the landline. That is what I did. I was able to save a few bucks doing that and it adds up. I don't miss it at all. I instead use google voice/hangouts to have new phone numbers linked to the cell. It has so much more functionality and ease of use than a regular landline.
Plmccut, when you said "cut the cable" I was thinking it was a reference to getting rid of your internet service provider. Haven't found an alternative yet. If you mean TV, I got rid of that earlier this year. Everything I care to watch is on youtube or hulu. I almost always watch either on my laptop or phone, but an HDMI cable lets me watch on the TV. Sometimes I miss the ease of just turning on the TV, but overall, I'm glad I did it.
I looked into getting rid of cable and didn't find a good alternative for all the channels I watch (live sports, AMC, local channels, Fox, ESPN, MLB, etc) so I decided to keep the cable portion for now. Of course I still use internet. But getting rid of the landline portion was a no-brainer. I'll evaluate again next year. ATT coming out with their DirecTV offering and some other live TV offerings by various companies may influence me later on.
I think it's really a personal choice as to what you want to see live and/or on-demand to help you make your choice.
I think it's really a personal choice as to what you want to see live and/or on-demand to help you make your choice.
I assume we're talking about cable TV?
I have not had cable TV in 3-4 years. I've tried most of the streaming services and currently I'm very happy with DirecTV Now. I'm grandfathered in at $35 a month for their top lineup including HBO. Prior to DirecTV Now I used Sling. Sling worked well but I found their interface clunky and hard to use. The DirecTV Now interface is much more similar to a cable box you're probably already familiar with. Depending on your location you could get local channels. I get my local Fox streamed but do not get ABC/NBC/CBS. I get all the sports I want, including ESPN Go access for streaming only SEC content.
As for hardware, I have both a 4th Gen Apple TV and a Roku 4. I am able to watch DirecTV Now as well as all of the channel apps (ESPN Go, etc) on either and they both have their strong points. Either will work fine. You can also load up the PBS, YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon apps. Really as much TV as you could ever want to watch. I like the apps because you watch when you want as opposed to live TV, which I rarely watch.
I have not had cable TV in 3-4 years. I've tried most of the streaming services and currently I'm very happy with DirecTV Now. I'm grandfathered in at $35 a month for their top lineup including HBO. Prior to DirecTV Now I used Sling. Sling worked well but I found their interface clunky and hard to use. The DirecTV Now interface is much more similar to a cable box you're probably already familiar with. Depending on your location you could get local channels. I get my local Fox streamed but do not get ABC/NBC/CBS. I get all the sports I want, including ESPN Go access for streaming only SEC content.
As for hardware, I have both a 4th Gen Apple TV and a Roku 4. I am able to watch DirecTV Now as well as all of the channel apps (ESPN Go, etc) on either and they both have their strong points. Either will work fine. You can also load up the PBS, YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon apps. Really as much TV as you could ever want to watch. I like the apps because you watch when you want as opposed to live TV, which I rarely watch.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
I was talking about the TV. I use Verizon Home Connect for my landline and would drop that except that I do Medicare compliance calls and sometimes I have to have agents return my calls. I prefer they call back on the landline rather than my cell phone. I'm experimenting on my bedroom TV as I don't use that unless I'm sick or working in that room.
I weaned from television years ago. I still have the television itself, but I watch things on it that are not televised. I get what I want at three great price points: for free, at low cost, and at what I consider a reasonable cost. Overall, I pay next to nothing for what I want and nothing for what I do not want. This will work for as long as my current and backup equipment lasts. 
After that... well... we won't think about that now.
It sounds like you have a plan and are working it. Let us know how it goes!
After that... well... we won't think about that now.
It sounds like you have a plan and are working it. Let us know how it goes!
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu
Every time we think about getting rid of our land line we get a call from a long-lost friend or relative. If we had cancelled the phone number we'd have missed out on some priceless moments.
@7star wrote:
If you have a cell phone, you should be able to get rid of the landline. That is what I did. I was able to save a few bucks doing that and it adds up. I don't miss it at all. I instead use google voice/hangouts to have new phone numbers linked to the cell. It has so much more functionality and ease of use than a regular landline.
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
KathyG - Think of it this way, you can get rid of the landline to save money, and in the process call your relatives, far and away, and tell them your new phone number. Then you can catch up with them.
People really hate landlines for some reason. I have one and will continue with it as long as it is available. I also have one traditional phone. If the power goes out for an extended period of time, I have a back up.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
We got rid of Dish/cable years ago. We stream with Roku device and get Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. We also have a jailbroken Amazon Firestick which helps. I honestly don't miss cable, and I save over $100 a month.
I love both my Roku and AppleTV. My biggest issue was sports. I have to have my college sports. In the past I have used my brothers' logins for ESPN app.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
I have not paid for TV for close to 10 years. I have an Apple TV, Kodi installed on my laptop, and a list of sites bookmarked.
@bgriffin, for sports, try Googling "Reddit + team."
@bgriffin, for sports, try Googling "Reddit + team."
We've still got a landline. It's not bundled with our cable and internet and turned out to be cheaper that way. We keep the phone in another room and any telemarketers or shopping companies that I don't want to give my cell phone number to (some MSCs have it, some don't) leave messages on the answering machine. I'm addicted to CNBC and won't be cutting the cable.
I went to Home Connect from Verizon for $25/mo which gives me long distance as well as local. I do some phone shops and prefer callbacks on that phone rather than my cell. I do use the cell for shopping but not phone shops.
My parents pay for Comcast, as they're technologically incompetent. But the benefit, though breaking terms and conditions, is that me and my sister's family utilize her account for remote live TV through the apps. I have it set up at the house using those cheap Android boxes and also on all of our devices. So it's like cable TV at a severe discount.
In exchange, my parents are bundled together in a large family plan. Then we also pitch in and share the Amazon Prime account, Netflix, Hulu, Sam's Club, etc.
In exchange, my parents are bundled together in a large family plan. Then we also pitch in and share the Amazon Prime account, Netflix, Hulu, Sam's Club, etc.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
@bgriffin wrote:
I love both my Roku and AppleTV. My biggest issue was sports. I have to have my college sports. In the past I have used my brothers' logins for ESPN app.
If you're OK with stealing and being unethical, just Google 'firstrow sports stream,' then you'll find an array of sites to 'struggle stream' sports.
I do this occasionally if there are too many accounts on the NBA app, or want to watch multiple games simultaneously.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
Currently on Sling, Netflix, a borrowed Hulu account, connected to a friend's Plex server, and now I stream a lot of YouTube fishing shows. Saving $100 + a month now. Like Bgriffin, I need my sports... especially college football.
I kicked Comcast cable to the curb two years ago. No regrets here. I use an Amazon Firestick, Roku and an antenna..
Angel - Which antenna do you use? I bought a Mohu which is supposed to be one of the best and supposed to have 50 mile radius and am only able to get UHF channels even though I am no further than 20 miles max from the towers on the mountain just east of me.
I purchased a RCA antenna from Walmart $19.99.......no mountains or skyscrapers where I live. I have about 12-15 clear channels.
If all you do with Home Connect is use it for shop calls, you can do that with Google Voice and an internet connection. With GVoice you can have the call ring on your pc or your cell phone. I use the Google Voice to do precalls for shops. It'll save you $25/mo. I don't miss my landline at all. Plus I get emails and voice-text of all the missed calls. And you can set up a couple of different phone#'s for free. I don't miss my regular landline at all and save each month.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2017 01:11AM by 7star.
@plmccut wrote:
I went to Home Connect from Verizon for $25/mo which gives me long distance as well as local. I do some phone shops and prefer callbacks on that phone rather than my cell. I do use the cell for shopping but not phone shops.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2017 01:11AM by 7star.
7star - Does Gvoice take voicemail messages?
Yes, it takes voicemail messages and if you set the feature to not have it ring, then it will record the call and send you an email with the text of the call AND a voice file of the call. You can listen to it too. So if you have gvoice linked to your cell phone, u get a gvoice number you pick from and then you set it so when people call the gvoice #, either your computer rings or your cell phone rings. You can set this up now before you cut the cord on uour verizon home. That's what i did while i had my regular verizon home service before i got rid of it. You will need to set up google voice first and then google hangouts. Let me know if you havr further questions.
@plmccut wrote:
7star - Does Gvoice take voicemail messages?
@KathyG wrote:
Every time we think about getting rid of our land line we get a call from a long-lost friend or relative. If we had cancelled the phone number we'd have missed out on some priceless moments.
@7star wrote:
If you have a cell phone, you should be able to get rid of the landline. That is what I did. I was able to save a few bucks doing that and it adds up. I don't miss it at all. I instead use google voice/hangouts to have new phone numbers linked to the cell. It has so much more functionality and ease of use than a regular landline.
It is very easy to port your landline number to google voice, a cell phone or just about any other carrier or device. If you do so, you keep the number and will not have to update anyone or risk missing any calls.
Another option, and one we use every other year, is to switch from Comcast to Verizon for $80 a month for a triple-play service (TV, internet, and phone). We never use the phone and rarely the cable TV. Currently we have gigabit (1000 megabits) of internet service for $80. Right now, Verizon is offering the triple-play gigabit service and a $400 gift card, so it's a no-brainer to switch.
If you use this option, you can port your landline to the carrier and still have the long-lost callers' calls come through. Or, get a free google voice number and attach it to your cell phone.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2017 07:35PM by gukka.
@Tarantado wrote:
@bgriffin wrote:
I love both my Roku and AppleTV. My biggest issue was sports. I have to have my college sports. In the past I have used my brothers' logins for ESPN app.
If you're OK with stealing and being unethical, just Google 'firstrow sports stream,' then you'll find an array of sites to 'struggle stream' sports.
I do this occasionally if there are too many accounts on the NBA app, or want to watch multiple games simultaneously.
I actually have a legal login since I got DirecTV Now, but prior to Sling I sometimes used it. It didn't work well to me, plus I like the ability to play it through a Roku instead of having to string up a cable from my laptop. And all the ads, and spyware.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@JASFLALMT wrote:
I'm addicted to CNBC and won't be cutting the cable.
I'm *fairly* certain you can watch live CNBC through their Roku app but I'm not certain. Either way I cut the cable years ago and I have access both trough the DirecTV Now app and the CNBC app.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
Yeah...I don't pay the bill. That's my husband's area and he doesn't seem to care.
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