Spectrum (Charter) equipment

[tcsenter]

Anyone know the skinny on Spectrum will allow us to BYO Spectrum approved/supported HD receivers i.e. but not acquired from Spectrum? I know we can BYO cable internet modem e.g. DOCSIS 3.0+ I currently am using a non-Spectrum modem I purchased, but what about HD receivers? Non-DVR. One for each TV not a central streaming box that connects all TVs via WiFi.

 

[tcsenter]

Well Imma find out myself. I just bought a used Spectrum HD receiver seller swore Spectrum no longer considered 'property' of Spectrum that must be returned. i.e. the customer could keep it, do whatever they wanted after fulfilling their contract. So I shall see!

 

[mindless1]

I've never heard of any such thing where the customer keeps the set top box after fulfilling their contract. There is no contract, it's monthly and the boxes are rented.

Even if you get a new customer promo for a year or two, it's not a contract and their "free" modem is not yours to keep, and the regular set top boxes are never offered free for the new customer promos, AFAIK.

There are 5 main choices I'm aware of.

1) They rent you a traditional set top box, though they seem to be getting resistant to giving those to new customers and try to do #2 instead.

2) Rent you a Xumo streaming box, or sell you one, or you can buy it at retail for same $60, which has the Spectrum App on it. Some new customer offers include the Xumo free for some period of time, a year or two, then you rent, or buy for same $60.

3) Buy a 3rd party brand smart box or TV (or phone on the go) to run the Spectrum App. Ruku for example, or Samsung Tyzen TVs. They don't have an app for Google TV.

4) Hook up a HTPC which uses browser based Spectrum TV.

5) Cablecard box like a Tivo or other brands like Samsung had something... GX-SM530CF, but this may only be for existing cablecard renters, AFAIK they will not issue cablecards to new customers or add to an existing customer plan. Ironically some of their older set top boxes, literally have a hidden cablecard inside, hidden until you shine a flashlight in to see it.

Could they get their abandoned equipment working again? In theory yes if it's not too old, but in practice, their system may not be set up to provision something that's been MIA and could still be tied to a past account as an outstanding debt - they want a pretty penny for equipment not turned back in, far more than the equipment is worth, but I don't think you can get a reward for turning it in yourself if it was not issued to your account.

BYO cable modem is a limited option as well. Any regular account gets their Docsis 3.1 modem as a loaner for free, while a few legacy account types may have to pay to rent it monthly. In some areas you won't get anywhere near your full internet speed with a Docsis 3.0 modem (even if the modem should, in theory based on # of channels, be able to support the internet speed tier you have) and the 3.0 modems can't do symmetrical upload speeds.

In my case, they wouldn't even troubleshoot my speed issue unless I abandoned my Docsis 3.0 modem and took their free Docsis 3.1 modem. Unfortunately a significant down side of using their modem is you have no access to the logs or signal strength like you would on most cable modems bought at retail.

I wouldn't have bought that Spectrum set top box until after I called them to ask if it can be used, and first I would have asked the seller for the serial # and any other ID #'s on the sticker on it, so when calling Spectrum they can see the state of the equipment.

I have several phone #'s for Spectrum, not sure if this is the best one to use, but the others seem less appropriate: 1-800-892-4357

 

[tcsenter]

I've never heard of any such thing where the customer keeps the set top box after fulfilling their contract. There is no contract, it's monthly and the boxes are rented.

I presume it may have been an upgrade to higher feature equipment e.g. from non-DVR to one with DVR or more features. Like this letter that came with our self install packages upgrading our receivers:

 

[mindless1]

Hmm, if they don't want it back, it seems a lot like end of life equipment that they are no longer deploying, making me wonder how long it will be viable, if the area switches to high split for example. When my area did that, they sent me a high split adapter for the one cablecard box I have, to replace the tuning adapter the cablecard box formerly used.

I have seen the opposite, that they want it back, just so they can charge an exorbitant amount if they don't get it back, which can be doubly disturbing in that equipment I've returned, still shows up as on my account on Spectrum's website, so I always return equipment to the local store and make a scan of the return receipt.

Then again it might be some kind of cost calculation involved, that they know the true value of the equipment is low, and if you self install, this saves the cost of rolling a truck out.

I have had to laugh at the size of every self install package they've sent me in recent years, with the shipping box about 20X larger volume than it needed to be.

 

[tcsenter]

It not the first I've head of them not wanting the equipment back. Particularly if the entry level boxes or receivers, or if customer is long term, has been paying rental on them for 4+ years. I am gonna find out if it works! I'll only be out $46 shipped if not.

 

[mindless1]

I've been a long term customer and for many years had their analog (output, still digital/coax input) mini-boxes for TVs without HDMI input. When it came time to replace them, they wanted them back. Granted that's been a while, possibly their policy changed.

More recently I retired one of the self-owned cablecard boxes, and I don't recall if they wanted the cablecard itself back (which was a rental), but they did want the tuning adapter back that the cablecard box was hooked up through, and then for my 2nd cablecard box, they wanted the tuning adapter back when it was replaced with a high split adapter.

If Spectrum still considers it their property, get a refund from the seller if they won't let you use it without reclaiming and a rental charge. Then again I don't know the legality of that... if they claim it's their property and you received stolen property and they want it back but you instead return it to the seller for a refund... ? I doubt it would be a problem but never the less, good luck!

 

[tcsenter]

I have had to laugh at the size of every self install package they've sent me in recent years, with the shipping box about 20X larger volume than it needed to be.

I confess I'm a bit of a hoarder collector/aficionado of stuff and it has been an issue in the household. When the other member of the household saw the GINORMOUS box on the porch, they got pissed and exclaimed "There is a huge box on the porch, what did you buy THIS TIME."

I finally conceded my collecting was imposing on others, so two weeks ago I rented a storage unit! Got in on a good promo and paid for a year on 50 sq ft (plus ~7 foot vertical clearance). Have moved about 70% and working through the last 30%. I admit it is much better, I should have done this a couple years ago. And decompressed much tension around here.

 

[mindless1]

Yeah I hoard too, mostly raw materials and old tech that used to be worth something, but I have an unfinished basement that receives all of that and I rotate out what needs to go, based upon things being in the way of working in my workshop or walking around through it all. If I have to step around something to walk through the area, it has to go.

I still have the bed frame/parts from a waterbed I had as a teenager. Will I ever make a bed out of them again? No. It's easier to leave them sitting till I need the space for something else. Then again, I do some woodworking repair projects from time to time, so I see it as lumber.

I don't consider it true hoarding until you can't let go of something and that resistance causes other problems. Would I have turned my unfinished basement into a finished basement if I didn't use it for storage? Maybe, but I don't need the extra furnished area...

 

[DaaQ]

My company will mothball old equipment and not require it back. On the flip side if a service call is made (ours) says mothballed equipment to replace it.

Them one analog boxes are DTA's there are HDMI versions now, usually only issues in bulk accounts. Like a motel ect.

Now DirecTV when I was there, if ANY box was theirs, and had a past due on it they would not activate. Most of the time they still would not activate even older boxes. Alot of people got hung up on that back in the early HD days. They would purchase from a supplier and not read the fine print that they didn't actually own the box. But it was one was to get a certain model if you wanted.

It's not like the box will work without being activated anyway. The amount of unencrypted systems is quite low I would day.

The self purchased modems would kind of drive me up the wall. Especially the Surfboards that would start leaking capacitors. They would still function, but they would blast noise back into the system causing errors on the port affecting all customers on that port.

Glad our company is going back to regular modems and away from gateways. Although the Eero devices are required for wifi and the Xumo boxes are what everyone will end up with.

I am hanging onto my TiVo DVR as long as possible. Eventually it will all be IPTV, that is how they are getting spectrum efficiency. It will all be ODFM/A