Getting Wifi for my apartment

MakMan44

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Aug 22, 2009
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So I'm moving out in a really short time frame and I want to find out how I can get my new place hooked up with wifi.

I've never had to do anything like this before so any advice, such as how to check for the best company in my area for wifi, to how to make sure I'm not screwed on pricing would be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance.
 

cgori

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Oct 2, 2004
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As far as I know, no one gives you "wifi" - you get internet service. Your options depend on where you live, but basically:

-Fiber: Verizon FiOS or equivalent - you don't share the bandwidth here (at least I don't think you do)
-Cable: Comcast or equivalent - the bandwidth is partially shared, but can still be very fast
-DSL: AT&T or equivalent - you don't share the bandwidth here

Usually these services are bundled with TV and/or landline phone ("triple play"). In some cases, combined with mobile phone, if you have AT&T or Verizon, but I think they have stopped doing this, largely.
Most internet service is priced competitively in the bundle and far-less-competitively outside of the bundle (sometimes it costs almost exactly the same to get internet service by itself as it does to get internet + phone + TV).

You'll need to look at their websites, type in your address to see if service is available, and then compare the prices.

Once you get signed up with one of those (or something else), then you can get a router with wifi. Of course, you could pre-order the router now and have it ready to go for the day you move in. There are whole threads in this sub-forum on routers, I won't try to summarize but would suggest you search them out.
 

smastroyin

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You can ask about getting a wifi modem, essentially the cable/fiber modem with a built in wifi router. I would personally stick with my own router hardwired to the modem, but if you are trying to save a few bucks, it's an option.
 

MakMan44

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Is there a difference between signing a 2 year agreement or no annual contract? Prices don't seem to be different.
 

Foulkey Reese

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Is there a difference between signing a 2 year agreement or no annual contract? Prices don't seem to be different.
Usually it's cheaper if you sign the contract, but then you would have to pay an early termination fee if you moved before the 2 years were up.

And you can definitely get your own modem router, but for 95% of people it's just easier to use what Comcast (or whoever) gives you. Most of them give you a modem/router combo that gives you wifi. You just have to pay the $5 a month "rental" fee for it. That's what I did because it was just easier.
 

edoug

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Jul 15, 2005
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Where are you moving to? Knowing what city or town may get you some suggestions what internet provider to choose.
 

MakMan44

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Where are you moving to? Knowing what city or town may get you some suggestions what internet provider to choose.
I'm moving like 10 minutes away from where I currently live, lol. Huntington, NY.
 

SumnerH

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And you can definitely get your own modem router, but for 95% of people it's just easier to use what Comcast (or whoever) gives you. Most of them give you a modem/router combo that gives you wifi. You just have to pay the $5 a month "rental" fee for it. That's what I did because it was just easier.
A new DOCSIS modem (for cable/whatever) is like $60-65, so you start saving money within a year by buying your own. And it's usually faster and more featureful than the leftover stock they give you.

But the biggest upside is that if you're moving a place that's already had service in the past and have your own modem, you can often do a self-install; that means you just hook it up yourself and they activate it remotely, rather than having to take a day off work and wait around for their 8am-1pm installation window.
 

Foulkey Reese

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Apr 12, 2006
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A new DOCSIS modem (for cable/whatever) is like $60-65, so you start saving money within a year by buying your own. And it's usually faster and more featureful than the leftover stock they give you.

But the biggest upside is that if you're moving a place that's already had service in the past and have your own modem, you can often do a self-install; that means you just hook it up yourself and they activate it remotely, rather than having to take a day off work and wait around for their 8am-1pm installation window.
Yea I know. In the moment though it was just one less thing to worry about when moving.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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In addition to cable and DSL internet service, you can get internet service these days through ATT / Verizon / etc. AFAIK, they are basically run on the 4G bandwidth and should be moderately less expensive than cable internet. However, from what I understand they are not as fast and not as reliable.

I don't know a ton about this stuff but I have looked a little bit into it as the cable internet service costs a bundle (arf!) once the teaser rate goes away. So anyone who knows more about this than me please feel free to correct any bad information in the above. I for one would be very interested in hearing whether one can get reliable and fast internet access without paying cable rates.
 

glennhoffmania

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Also another plus is that if the modem breaks or if a newer, better model comes out, all you have to do is call Comcast or whoever and they swap it out. I'm on my third modem in four years. If I had bought it I wouldn't be so quick to upgrade it.
 

derekson

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In addition to cable and DSL internet service, you can get internet service these days through ATT / Verizon / etc. AFAIK, they are basically run on the 4G bandwidth and should be moderately less expensive than cable internet. However, from what I understand they are not as fast and not as reliable.

I don't know a ton about this stuff but I have looked a little bit into it as the cable internet service costs a bundle (arf!) once the teaser rate goes away. So anyone who knows more about this than me please feel free to correct any bad information in the above. I for one would be very interested in hearing whether one can get reliable and fast internet access without paying cable rates.
If you call the cable company up and negotiate you can usually avoid most of the rate hikes by threatening to switch to another service. They'll either give you the starter deal again or at least a better deal than the one you're automatically shunted to after the initial deal ends.

In my experience, FIOS usually has the best service with the best TV picture if you can get similar pricing to cable. Comcast has been hit or miss for me over the years depending on the location, as it seems many of the local regions still run more like the companies Comcast absorbed than like a unified corporation in many ways.
 

8slim

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Huntington is Optimum, right? Their broadband is fantastic. You probably won't need this much bandwidth, but I can steam 3-4 HD shows at the same time with no buffering or noticeable degradation in picture quality.
 

JakeRae

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Jul 21, 2005
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Also another plus is that if the modem breaks or if a newer, better model comes out, all you have to do is call Comcast or whoever and they swap it out. I'm on my third modem in four years. If I had bought it I wouldn't be so quick to upgrade it.
Honestly, for a modem, there really isn't much need for a "newer, better model." The reigning optimal cable modem for anyone without extremely fast cable internet (over 100mbps download speeds), the Arris Surfboard 6141, has been on the market for 4 years now. It's great at what it does, and it's hard to really imagine an "upgrade" being needed unless using a faster connection. (The 6141 costs a little under $70 new and $40 refurbished on Amazon.)

Routers have a shorter upgrade cycle. But, the vastly overpowered router I just bought is close to 2 years old. It's hard to predict the future, but I expect it to remain more router than I need throughout its lifespan. My service provider charges $16/month for modem and router rental (although it's "only" $10 with my current package if I were paying for it). At either rate, I should save a fairly significant sum of money over the life of the products I bought and I get the benefit of a much better router than what I would be getting from TWC.

At the same time, it's worth noting that some promotional deals don't charge for a modem or router at all in the first year. If that's the case, you obviously shouldn't consider purchasing.

Back to advice on WiFi/Internet, the big things to think about are 1) how much speed do you need? and 2) do you want cable and, if so, how much is it worth to you? The first question determines both your provider options and your price point. The second matters because, as others have noted, cable (TV) might not cost that much extra. (I assume you don't value a landline, although if you do, you can probably get it basically for free.) The last thing to keep in mind is that you should assume you'll be paying about $20/month more than the advertised price if you get a package that includes TV. If not, I'm not sure how many fees you'll end up paying, but there will definitely be added cost.
 

SumnerH

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And the cable company's new router is generally much older than the one you buy off the shelf. They have a lot of old stock they're throwing out there to meet minimum specs. If you want newer equipment, you're almost always better served buying what you want than using their drek.
 

MakMan44

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Aug 22, 2009
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I originally did not want cable but my fiancée really wants it so I may end up going with what she wishes.

Unless I'm reading their offers wrong Optimum seems to offer a 25$ a month deal on Internet only while Verizon is 50$ a month for the same package so it's in flux. Probably end up getting cable though.

It's just going to be the two of us in a small place so I basically need speed enough to play video games online, steam stuff like Netflix and that's about it. Don't think more the lowest package is needed for that, right?
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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And the cable company's new router is generally much older than the one you buy off the shelf. They have a lot of old stock they're throwing out there to meet minimum specs. If you want newer equipment, you're almost always better served buying what you want than using their drek.
I said this in another thread, but it is worth repeating:

Comcast "new" Modem & Wifi = 20 mb of bandwidth
Threw out the comcast modem, bought a surfboard and used an old Asus DD-WRT router = 30-60 mb of bandwidth
Threw out old router = 200mb+ of bandwidth.

I was paying Comcast $10 a month to get basically 1/8 of what i pay for (20mb on a 150mb claim) now i get 100-215mb depending on time of day etc. The setup is dead simple and anyone could really do it. Spent $140 out of pocket, break even in 14 months or so and it's a better experience by far.
 

TomTerrific

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I said this in another thread, but it is worth repeating:

Comcast "new" Modem & Wifi = 20 mb of bandwidth
Threw out the comcast modem, bought a surfboard and used an old Asus DD-WRT router = 30-60 mb of bandwidth
Threw out old router = 200mb+ of bandwidth.

I was paying Comcast $10 a month to get basically 1/8 of what i pay for (20mb on a 150mb claim) now i get 100-215mb depending on time of day etc. The setup is dead simple and anyone could really do it. Spent $140 out of pocket, break even in 14 months or so and it's a better experience by far.
Huh, that's interesting. At home I get pretty much what Comcast advertised in their blast service--130 Mbps through the WiFi, as well as when connected directly to the modem. I have a vacation house, also Comcast serviced, and there I get 25 Mbps, also what Comcast advertised. I always thought they metered the throughput of this service remotely, but you make it sound like they may do it purely through the modem. In which case, I need to go check this out...
 

SumnerH

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Huh, that's interesting. At home I get pretty much what Comcast advertised in their blast service--130 Mbps through the WiFi, as well as when connected directly to the modem. I have a vacation house, also Comcast serviced, and there I get 25 Mbps, also what Comcast advertised. I always thought they metered the throughput of this service remotely, but you make it sound like they may do it purely through the modem. In which case, I need to go check this out...
They do cap it remotely, so you're not going to get extra bandwidth with your own modem. But if you get an older model rental modem (not uncommon) you'll get far lower throughput than you should.
 

IpswichSox

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Jul 14, 2005
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Never use the company supplied router. They'll turn it into a hotspot.
I get what a hotspot is -- I can turn my iPhone into a hotspot so my laptop can access the internet and not have to use public wifi somewhere -- but what's the practical difference between wifi through a modem/router and having your router be a hotspot?
 
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MakMan44

stole corsi's dream
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Aug 22, 2009
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I think he means other people can use/access your router.

Also, I ended up getting a deal for $106 a month. I feel thoroughly fucked over but hey, they'll install by the time we move it.