Monday, March 13, 2006
Telephone and Internet and TV - Oh My!
Having already become addicted to really fast internet service from Verizon's FiOS that we had in PA, I was thrilled to discover that FiOS was also available at our new house, so I ordered both phone and internet service back in January, but asked them not to install until mid-February, when we'd be down here.
Verizon offers a nice "Freedom Essentials" package that give you unlimited local, regional, and long distance calling for 39.95 a month. Now that we're so far from home, this plan will allow us to keep in touch with our families without running up huge phone bills.
That "Essentials" package also qualifies us for a price break on the FiOS internet service, so for another 39.95 a month, I'm also getting their 15Mb service, which included a free wireless router. That's the same price I paid for the 5Mb service up in PA.
The kicker, which I didn't get until this past weekend, is their FiOS TV service - basically it's cable service via the FiOS network. Did I mention that Comcast's service really, REALLY sucks down here? I mean it's really horrendous - we couldn't get through one show without experiencing freezing and pixelization - like a satellite dish on a stormy night - except it was clear and calm outside. It's a real shame. Our service from Comcast in PA was actually very good, with very few outages over the 6 years we were there, and the picture quality was always very good. Anyway, I initially ordered service from Comcast, but in less than a week, I knew we had to try something else, and a couple guys at work said they had FiOS TV and that it was really nice. So I order it up, and the installer came by yesterday and hooked us up.
What a difference! The FiOS service is even better than our Comcast service was back home. It's crystal clear, very responsive, and so far (it's only been a little over a day) absolutely no freezing or pixel artifacts. The hi-def channels are gorgeous, and even the standard channels are pretty clear on the big screen. The pricing is even better than Comcast. Back home, I had pretty much everything they offered - all the premium channels, hi definition, DVR, the works. That came in at around $120 a month, and they were just about to raise the rates when we left, so it's probably up to $125 or more by now. FiOS, on the other hand, for the exact same package - in fact, I got three set top boxes from Verizon while I only had one from Comcast - my bill will be around $90 a month. That's 25% less.
So, I'm heavily invested in Verizon down here, but I really can't complain as their service has been excellent. The installers were nice, professional, yet easy to talk to. Must be the Texas twang. Makes 'em all sound so polite.
Verizon offers a nice "Freedom Essentials" package that give you unlimited local, regional, and long distance calling for 39.95 a month. Now that we're so far from home, this plan will allow us to keep in touch with our families without running up huge phone bills.
That "Essentials" package also qualifies us for a price break on the FiOS internet service, so for another 39.95 a month, I'm also getting their 15Mb service, which included a free wireless router. That's the same price I paid for the 5Mb service up in PA.
The kicker, which I didn't get until this past weekend, is their FiOS TV service - basically it's cable service via the FiOS network.
What a difference! The FiOS service is even better than our Comcast service was back home. It's crystal clear, very responsive, and so far (it's only been a little over a day) absolutely no freezing or pixel artifacts. The hi-def channels are gorgeous, and even the standard channels are pretty clear on the big screen. The pricing is even better than Comcast. Back home, I had pretty much everything they offered - all the premium channels, hi definition, DVR, the works. That came in at around $120 a month, and they were just about to raise the rates when we left, so it's probably up to $125 or more by now. FiOS, on the other hand, for the exact same package - in fact, I got three set top boxes from Verizon while I only had one from Comcast - my bill will be around $90 a month. That's 25% less.
So, I'm heavily invested in Verizon down here, but I really can't complain as their service has been excellent. The installers were nice, professional, yet easy to talk to. Must be the Texas twang. Makes 'em all sound so polite.
Where Is Everyone?
It's been over a month since I posted last, and no one else seems to be participating. The whole idea was to keep in touch.
Well, we've been in Texas for three weeks now, and we're settling in nicely, in my opinion. As of today, we have only four more boxes to empty - one half of our garage is filled with boxes full of used packing paper and other boxes that I've broken down. As soon as we empty those last four we'll call the movers to come pick everything up and dispose of them.
It's going to take quite some time until we get the house set up just right, but the majority of the work is done. I still have pictures to hang, we need end tables yet, and I'm still shopping for either stereo or home theater equipment, and the office is a mess (we're consolidating three rooms of stuff down to one).
Well, we've been in Texas for three weeks now, and we're settling in nicely, in my opinion. As of today, we have only four more boxes to empty - one half of our garage is filled with boxes full of used packing paper and other boxes that I've broken down. As soon as we empty those last four we'll call the movers to come pick everything up and dispose of them.
It's going to take quite some time until we get the house set up just right, but the majority of the work is done. I still have pictures to hang, we need end tables yet, and I'm still shopping for either stereo or home theater equipment, and the office is a mess (we're consolidating three rooms of stuff down to one).
