Install strategy help--when to cancel comcast

[iceman9677]

Alas, my 6 month promo rate for Comcast ends soon, so I revisit u-verse.  Install lead time for me in CT is about 3 weeks.  Should I schedule Comcast termination for my u-verse install date? Anyone with big issues in Central CT (Wallingford). Thanks

[Tstorm1]

Personally, I had planned to keep Comcast for a full month to coincide with the U-verse "money back" promo.  I was a bit cautious over the new technology and the types of problems I'd read about.  After the first week, I hadn't used my Comcast service at all, so I cancelled it then.

I suggest going with whatever suits your own comfort level.  Personally, I'd go for some overlap in case of problems with the U-verse install, but that's just me.

[FuzioN_1]

I suggest go for the free trial of 30 days first before deciding which one suits your comfort level as what Tstorm1 says. Do not disconnect from comcast yet coz maybe you'll find it better than uverse.

[iceman9677]

Thanks for the input. Any technical issues maintaining both since, I assume, the techs will be using my coax lines.  I have cat5 for my phone lines, but not geographically where I want my tvs located.  Also, any thoughts on difficulty going back to Comcast if coax is used and U-verse doesn't work out?

[randyl]

---

iceman9677 wrote:
Thanks for the input. Any technical issues maintaining both since, I assume, the techs will be using my coax lines.  I have cat5 for my phone lines, but not geographically where I want my tvs located.  Also, any thoughts on difficulty going back to Comcast if coax is used and U-verse doesn't work out?

---

        yep yep bet the installer will want to use the cable coax....  imho

        some posted they  have the installer run new coax as well ??  i think that will be a hard sell to the installing tech imho  (some say the installer did) ymmv

        for sure ask the installer to unscrew not cut your cable connections ...  (also cap the cable connector)

        if the installer uses existing coax he will put new connectors on each end and even behind wall plates (or should)  imho

        most likely u will get a diff brand type of splitters as well.. (ask installer for what he takes out for u to keep)

        if done (install) properly should be easy to reverse the process if u feel the need to go back to cable tv ..  bet u dont

        http://www.uverseusers.com/components/com_openwiki/lib/exe/detail.php?id=faq&cache=cache&media=purec...

        a slant

        randy

Message Edited by randyl on 12-01-2008 02:32 PM

[GWrider_1]

I just had an install last week and told the installer I wanted to keep my Comcast service.  He ran all new wires for the uverse install.  Just cancelled comcast, but the wires are still there in case I want to go back.

YMMV

[iceman9677]

GW, just curious--did they run cat5 or coax?  Thanks

[GWrider_1]

He ran coax.  Said coax is best for TV and cat5 is best for HSInternet.  Seems to work fine so far.

[Datalyss]

AT&T ported my phone number  from Comcast15 days before my install date. That left me with no phone service. It took a week to get reconnected to Comcast. Needless to say I canceed my U-verse install.

[devilsden]

"He ran coax.  Said coax is best for TV and cat5 is best for HSInternet.  Seems to work fine so far."

 Both cables work fine for Uverse, but it is IPTV so ethernet is best for internet and TV.  Coax is easier and quicker to work with.

[djrobx]

Comcast, like most cable companies, will credit you for unused days of service when you go to cancel.   So no planning or strategy is really needed, just cancel Comcast when you no longer feel you need them.   I would at least wait until I knew my U-verse service was up and working to my satisfaction.

-- Rob

[Telman2]

I wouldn't cancel your comcast until U-Verse is installed and running properly. It took rescheduling twice to get the tech to the house and then 3 visits to get everything working properly.

[Datalyss]

I was complaining about AT&Tporting my phone number 15 days before my U-verse install date leaving me with no phone service.

Come to find out - AT&T sent the porting request but it was Comcast who executed the request before they should have. I have to apologize for my negative remarks about AT&T

[randyl]

 

---

tim4008 wrote:

I was complaining about AT&Tporting my phone number 15 days before my U-verse install date leaving me with no phone service.

Come to find out - AT&T sent the porting request but it was Comcast who executed the request before they should have. I have to apologize for my negative remarks about AT&T

---

       started to suggest that but u sounded like u just wanted to rant rant

        

[Datalyss]

I must reverse my critisism of AT&T for porting my number 15 days before my install date. It turns out they merley requested the porting for my install date, but Comcast executed the request before they should have. I received a nice call from AT&T explaining this - so I feel much better about AT&T than Comcast right now

[RCSMG ACE - Expert]

Good to see credit went to whom credit was due.  Let us know how the install goes.

[Steve_2]

I canceled my crapcast the second I had confirmed internet and picture in my house!  Happy I did, and saved me over 100 bucks on my comcast bill.

[Pip_2]

---

Steve wrote:
I canceled my crapcast the second I had confirmed internet and picture in my house!  Happy I did, and saved me over 100 bucks on my comcast bill.

---

Ditto, except with us, it was TWC.

Installer was here by 8:30AM and left around 3PM. 30 minutes later, we were on our way to the local TWC office with all of their equipment ready to be returned.

Haven't looked back and have not been sorry either.

Note to tim4008........good to see your post on what happened.  Too often, people just rant, find out it was not AT&T's fault, but don't bother to say anything about it and make it right.

[wase4711_1]

yes, even though ATT has been making alot of people unhappy when it comes to installation issues recently, its obvious that sometimes it really isn't 100% their fault..

I shut off comcast 30 minutes after the installer left as well, and am on week 8 of perfect Uverse service! 

[JaD_JcB]

Here is my little story regarding comcast - and porting issues -

  Comcast was "re-coding" their billing codes, and someone deleted my phone account.  This created a nightmare of a situation, and took over ten days to resolve.  First comcast said they had a port order from at&t.  Well, sure they did, but it was dated to happen two weeks later.  Then after talking to about 20 different people who didnt know their head from their arses, I get the story of the "coding" issue, and since they disconnected me, my phone number has reverted back to the original carrier.  Well since I was scheduled to have my number ported to at&t, they could not port a number that was "in limbo", and comcast could not re-connect the number due to at&t having issued a port "hold" on the number.  A true nightmare.  Thanks to some very helpful AT&T people, we got it worked out that I had to cancel the port order, have comcast re-instate that number, then the next day, have AT&T re-issue the port authorization, thank fully, I didnt have to cancel my install date.  But of course, comcast went and screwed up my internet connection when they "re-instated" my phone number, so I went from one issue with them to another.  15 days later.  I now have U-verse and other than some static issues on my phone line am happy with their service.

[wase4711_1]

Sometimes Comcast is like a STD...you think you have gotten rid of it, but it just won't go away!!

[JaD_JcB]

Exactly, now I have to wait 6-8 weeks for the money they owe me! HA! I wont hold my breath on that one!

[ChoochMohony]

---

devilsden wrote:

"He ran coax.  Said coax is best for TV and cat5 is best for HSInternet.  Seems to work fine so far."

 Both cables work fine for Uverse, but it is IPTV so ethernet is best for internet and TV.  Coax is easier and quicker to work with.

---

Devilsden,

Hi! I am a AT&T U-Verse Premise Technician

I agree with one thing! "Both cables work fine for Uverse,"

Ethernet is NOT always best for Internet and TV, have you ever heard of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) 

I have install over 150 U-Verse customers and anytime that I run full CAT5e would be on newer houses; because older electric lines in the older houses cause TONS of issues from this very thing

Reason is AT&T doesn't provide shielded (STP)CAT5e, we get unshielded (UTP)CAT5e, which depending on the house can/will cause headaches

We're however provided with tri-shield RG6 coax which doesn't cause hardly any problems unless not grounded properly

This is coming from field/premise experience just because you hear someone say that it's better doesn't awalys make it so...

Read up on it here...

http://www.connectworld.net/syscon/support.htm

http://www.lanshack.com/cat5e-tutorial.aspx

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Expert]

---

ChoochMohony wrote: 

Reason is AT&T doesn't provide shielded (STP)CAT5e, we get unshielded (UTP)CAT5e, which depending on the house can/will cause headaches

---

Ethernet wiring specifies that Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is to be used for 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T.  Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) is not allowed, and is out-of-spec for Ethernet installations.  The only widely deployed networking technology that ever used STP was 4Mbps and 16Mbps Token Ring.

Twisted pair gets its noise immunity from the fact that each pair is twisted together and using differential signaling.  Any EMI or RFI affects both wires of the twisted pair equally, and because the signal is sent with differential signaling, the equal noise on each wire cancels out at the receiver.  Thus a shield is not necessary.

Although coax can handle much higher frequencies than UTP, this is not a problem in the U-Verse implementation because what we're concerned with the data rate, not the frequency.  As long as we can get 100 Mbps through the media, we're good.  100BASE-TX Ethernet does this with frequencies that don't exceed 100MHz, which runs fine on UTP.  The coax will carry signals up to 1-2GHz, but that's overkill to send HPNA around.

UTP is used in corporate installations for enterprise Ethernet networks, and is run through plenum spaces directly over and around fluorescent lights with their notoriously noisy ballasts.  Generally, Ethernet handles this type of noise very well.

[spd2demun ACE - Expert]

 That gave me a good laugh and is so true!  It should be a slogan for their commercials!!! 

---

wase4711 wrote:
Sometimes Comcast is like a STD...you think you have gotten rid of it, but it just won't go away!!

---

[wase4711_1]

it is true though; I get AT LEAST 4 mailings PER WEEK from them now, offerring me the sun, the moon, and the stars to come back..

[mkjarett]

You should take a look at video on it http://www.serverracksandcable.com/Cat5EVsCat6Video.php

There is more about it http://www.serverracksandcable.com/articles.php

[duckyponder]

Hey so comcast even with their "redone promo" begging for me to stay can't beat ATT prices.  Question is, they offered to cut money off this past months bill meaning I don't want to disconnect until I already have Uverse connected so I can pay less for this past month's bill.

That said...can I do that?  Can I have comcast running through my cable line and still have Uverse installed and work properly? And then cancel comcast next week sometime? Uverse is coming Thursday....

[RCSMG ACE - Expert]

You can have the tech run new cables (I recommend Cat5) and leave your Comcast cable up and running.  That way you can do a side by side comparison of the two services.