Questions about AT&T Uverse

[Homerboy]

Thinking about making the switch over from Time Warner to AT&T but have a quick couple of questions that I couldn't find answers to online:

#1) I'm trying to find a direct comparison between their U200 and U300 packages. I know that U300 comes with a pile of premium channels (HBO, Showtime etc) but does it include any additional, non-premium, channels over U200?

#2) I know AT&T likes to just set up a wireless LAN for everything. Is it still possible to use hard-wired connections too? Or do they just drop a wireless AP and all computers now HAVE to use wireless? Long story short, does their router allow for wired AND wireless PC connections?

 

[Lamont Burns]

In regards to number 2, yes. I believe the hub I have allows for 5 wired connections.

 

[Homerboy]

In regards to number 2, yes. I believe the hub I have allows for 5 wired connections.

Figured as much, but had to ask. Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[Lotheron]

Thinking about making the switch over from Time Warner to AT&T but have a quick couple of questions that I couldn't find answers to online:

#1) I'm trying to find a direct comparison between their U200 and U300 packages. I know that U300 comes with a pile of premium channels (HBO, Showtime etc) but does it include any additional, non-premium, channels over U200?

I have U200 and it appears to have everything that U300 has minus the movie channels included in U300

#2) I know AT&T likes to just set up a wireless LAN for everything. Is it still possible to use hard-wired connections too? Or do they just drop a wireless AP and all computers now HAVE to use wireless? Long story short, does their router allow for wired AND wireless PC connections?

Yes. In fact your TV boxes can be hooked up using Ethernet as well. I wired my house with CAT5e and using that with the boxes.

 

[Homerboy]

I have U200 and it appears to have everything that U300 has minus the movie channels included in U300



Yes. In fact your TV boxes can be hooked up using Ethernet as well. I wired my house with CAT5e and using that with the boxes.

Can the TVs use Coax? I have 1 CAT5e and 1 coax run to my upstairs bedroom. I need the CAT5e for a HTPC up there, so the AT&T cabel box would have to connect to COAX from the basement "router".

 

[Lotheron]

Can the TVs use Coax? I have 1 CAT5e and 1 coax run to my upstairs bedroom. I need the CAT5e for a HTPC up there, so the AT&T cabel box would have to connect to COAX from the basement "router".

Yes they can use coax. However, since its still IP based though (HPNA) each TV needs a box. The standard install comes with 1 Residential Gateway that takes the VDSL signal and splits it into TV/Internet/VOIP. It backfeeds the IP network in your house through coax and also works through Ethernet. Wireless is also provided by this box.

The DVR is available throughout the house though (multiroom viewing)

 

[Homerboy]

Yes they can use coax. Its still IP based though (HPNA). The standard install comes with 1 Residential Gateway that takes the VDSL signal and splits it into TV/Internet. It backfeeds the IP network in your house through coax and also works through ethernet. Wireless is also provided by this box.

Good info and exactly what I wanted to hear.
Thanks!

 

[Lotheron]

Good info and exactly what I wanted to hear.
Thanks!

Depending on the quality of your cable installed in the house, I would put a switch on the cat5 where the HTPC is hooked up and put both the IPTV box and the HTPC on the switch. From what I hear HPNA is not always the best (even though it works well enough for them to use it)

Remember, ATT Uverse is IPTV and works just like any other IP network 🙂

 

[Homerboy]

Depending ont he quality of your cable installed in the house, i would put a switch on the cat5 where the HTPC is hooked up and put both the IPTV box and the HTPC on the switch.

Remember, ATT Uverse is IPTV and works just like any other IP network 🙂

So you're suggesting NOT using the COAX up to the bedroom? I should just use the 1 Ethernet port in the wall and some small switch up there and split to HTPC and UVerse box in the bedroom?

 

[Lotheron]

So you're suggesting NOT using the COAX up to the bedroom? I should just use the 1 Ethernet port in the wall and some small switch up there and split to HTPC and UVerse box in the bedroom?

You can do either. Depending on the age of the coax you might get better results over the ethernet. None of this matters as the Uverse installer will check your lines. HPNA speed and quality are affected by the entire run of coax in your house, not just point to point. There have been cases where a splitter hidden somewhere in a wall was causing issues. If none of this is applicable to you, by all means use the installed coax. But since you already have a cat5 ran to where you want it, you can always use that if you run into quality issues down the road.

 

[iamwiz82]

there are a couple of other channels pulled out of U200. Smithsonian, I believe, just a couple, though. I moved from U300 to U200 as there is never anything good on those movie channels.

 

[Homerboy]

You can do either. Depending on the age of the coax you might get better results over the ethernet. None of this matters as the Uverse installer will check your lines. HPNA speed and quality are affected by the entire run of coax in your house, not just point to point. There have been cases where a splitter hidden somewhere in a wall was causing issues. If none of this is applicable to you, by all means use the installed coax. But since you already have a cat5 ran to where you want it, you can always use that if you run into quality issues down the road.

Gotcha.
yeah the coax and cat5 running to that bedroom are less than 4 years old (house addition) and should be in good shape. Rest of the coax throughout the house is solid too.

 

[Homerboy]

there are a couple of other channels pulled out of U200. Smithsonian, I believe, just a couple, though. I moved from U300 to U200 as there is never anything good on those movie channels.

Hmmm thats one channel I always wanted on TW cable, was the Smithsonian channel
I can always downgrade too I guess they said. I get a $200 VISA gift card with the U300 bundle and it costs $15/month more. Though the lady on the phone said I can downgrade at any time and keep the $200 GC... though if it sounds to good to be true....

 

[iamwiz82]

Hmmm thats one channel I always wanted on TW cable, was the Smithsonian channel
I can always downgrade too I guess they said. I get a $200 VISA gift card with the U300 bundle and it costs $15/month more. Though the lady on the phone said I can downgrade at any time and keep the $200 GC... though if it sounds to good to be true....

The downgrade is very quick and easily done via the website. One oddity is that my cost for internet is $10 less than the price on the site, so if I change anything I get stuck with that new, higher price. Therefore, I changed my plan over the phone.

 

[Lotheron]

Hmmm thats one channel I always wanted on TW cable, was the Smithsonian channel
I can always downgrade too I guess they said. I get a $200 VISA gift card with the U300 bundle and it costs $15/month more. Though the lady on the phone said I can downgrade at any time and keep the $200 GC... though if it sounds to good to be true....

It's true.. I got $350 for TV/Internet when I signed up on New Years. I just received both both of the gift cards (split between $200 and $150 Prepaid Visa Cards)

When I signed up I signed up for U450 and then quickly realized I didn't' need it and went all the way down to U200. Still got my gift cards. And I'm not under any contract....

 

[Homerboy]

This is what I was just offered on the phone:

AT&T Phone
U200 (3 TVs)
12Mbps Internet
first 6 months: 112.00
next 6 months: 126.00 (thought she state I could call after 6 months and they would revert to 112.00)

or

AT&T Phone
U300 (3 TVs)
12Mbps Internet
+$200 VISA gift card
$127/month

 

[Lotheron]

This is what I was just offered on the phone:

AT&T Phone
U200 (3 TVs)
12Mbps Internet
first 6 months: 112.00
next 6 months: 126.00 (thought she state I could call after 6 months and they would revert to 112.00)

or

AT&T Phone
U300 (3 TVs)
12Mbps Internet
+$200 VISA gift card
$127/month

Obviously I'd go for the one with the GC that will more than pay for the extra bill for 6 months.

I'm suprised they're honoring this over the phone, usually they require it to be ordered on the internet.

I think I'm paying the same price, but I get 18Mbit internet instead of 12 (Since they just lowered the price of the tiers in my area)

 

[Homerboy]

Obviously I'd go for the one with the GC that will more than pay for the extra bill for 6 months.

I'm suprised they're honoring this over the phone, usually they require it to be ordered on the internet.

I think I'm paying the same price, but I get 18Mbit internet instead of 12 (Since they just lowered the price of the tiers in my area)

well I couldn't register online (trust me I'd prefer to do so) as there was some AT&T service already listed at my address (never had AT&T). This is the 1st time in like 5 calls over the past 18 months or so that somebody on the other end knew what to do with my "Account" since the data was wrong.

 

[Lotheron]

well I couldn't register online (trust me I'd prefer to do so) as there was some AT&T service already listed at my address (never had AT&T). This is the 1st time in like 5 calls over the past 18 months or so that somebody on the other end knew what to do with my "Account" since the data was wrong.

Sounds like a good deal, let us know how it goes! Who are you switching from? I switched from DirecTV and I would say DTV is better quality but more expensive when you have to get an internet provider on top of it.

I would give DTV a 8.5-9/10 and Uverse a 7-8 out of 10 for HD quality.

 

[Homerboy]

Sounds like a good deal, let us know how it goes! Who are you switching from? I switched from DirecTV and I would say DTV is better quality but more expensive when you have to get an internet provider on top of it.

I would give DTV a 8.5-9/10 and Uverse a 7-8 out of 10 for HD quality.

Time Warner / RR. I'm more concerned with saving a few greenbacks really. TW was/is charging me $165/month (after taxes) for 2 TVs and 8Mbps. Their UI is horrendous and slow their boxes big and hot. They haven't evolved in a decade around here, and hopefully with some competition and people leaving them in droves (I'm one of the last ones I know still on RR and by the looks of the wireless networks around me everyone is 2WIRE) they will start to sharpen up. But for now its $$$ and service.

Boy is my wife going to be POed when she finds out though. She's had the same RR email for 10+ years. I was one of the first ones to sign up for RR around here. Our emails are our first names 🙂

 

[Lotheron]

Time Warner / RR. I'm more concerned with saving a few greenbacks really. TW was/is charging me $165/month (after taxes) for 2 TVs and 8Mbps. Their UI is horrendous and slow their boxes big and hot. They haven't evolved in a decade around here, and hopefully with some competition and people leaving them in droves (I'm one of the last ones I know still on RR and by the looks of the wireless networks around me everyone is 2WIRE) they will start to sharpen up. But for now its $$$ and service.

Boy is my wife going to be POed when she finds out though. She's had the same RR email for 10+ years. I was one of the first ones to sign up for RR around here. Our emails are our first names 🙂

Yeah I had DirectTV / RR combo. Both DTV and RR went up in price for a total of $15 between them in monthly service charges. Uverse ended up being about the same ( or even a bit cheaper ) and I got a $350 GC. That in itself makes it worth it. When you start and add in that I now have 18Mbit Internet rather than 7MBit and multiroom viewing it gets even better. And trust me, MR viewing is awesome. We regularly finish shows in the upstairs bedroom that we started in the living room.

 

[BoomerD]

A couple of the AT&T "managers" were out walking the neighborhood last week. The sweet little lady who looked SO much like Allysa Milano managed to sign us up for U-Verse with the U300 package, bought out our Dish contract, plus some credits and a gift card. My wife made her work for the sale. I was willing to roll over and let her "rub my belly like a dog" and would have signed almost anything for her. 😛

Installation is sometime tomorrow.

 

[Homerboy]

A couple of the AT&T "managers" were out walking the neighborhood last week. The sweet little lady who looked SO much like Allysa Milano managed to sign us up for U-Verse with the U300 package, bought out our Dish contract, plus some credits and a gift card. My wife made her work for the sale. I was willing to roll over and let her "rub my belly like a dog" and would have signed almost anything for her. 😛

Installation is sometime tomorrow.

Let me know how the install goes. When they were first rolling out here (when most my neighbors signed up) it was taking literally ALL DAY for 4+ "technicians" to get them up and running. I imagine they have it streamlined by now though.

 

[rockyct]

I can't stand Time Warner's box UI. It can literally take five seconds for a single action to happen. Our old box was ok, but when it broke they replaced it with a same looking device but now the lag is incredible.

 

[BoomerD]

Let me know how the install goes. When they were first rolling out here (when most my neighbors signed up) it was taking literally ALL DAY for 4+ "technicians" to get them up and running. I imagine they have it streamlined by now though.

Install went pretty well, considering.

The techs had to do battle with crappy previous installations from
(a) the cable company (pre Comcast)
(b) A couple of Dish Network installers
(c) a couple of different alarm installers

Seems like none of them did things the same way, and a few of them cut corners to make their jobs easier, without actually doing the job right. (Yeah, I know...big surprise there)

I had two techs here for 2-1/2-3 hours working on things.

I felt kind of bad for the guys...it was raining cats & dogs outside while they were on the ladder running co-ax to the attic and to my office, (had to be done on the exterior...walls have fire-blocks so they can't just fish the wire down through the inside) plus they had to do a ton of outside re-wiring at the junction box...but they finally got things done, and I'm happy as hell with the end result.
TV signal is great and internet seems to be faster than before, even though I'm still on 6 mb service. (although the speakeasy test doesn't reflect any increase in speed...still about 5.8 down and .9 up.)