So my question for everyone here, how much do YOU pay for your
cellphone and home internet? What do you get for those prices?
Another dad here, in the US on Cricket Wireless, an AT&T MVNO.
$130/month for 4 lines with "unlimited" data - meaning they might slow
down after 25
Whats this "4 lines" mean?
Does that mean you get 1 bill, and you can have 4 phone services (ie: a phone for each person) - all 4 people contribute to the phone usage and data usage (especially if there are phone/data limits?)
So I'm in Oregon, USA and I pay around $160/mo - but I have two iPhone 12's, I think one costs some $39/mo and I have a couple lines/data...
For Xfinity 400mb internet I pay $100/mo. I didn't sign the 1 year contract to get it lower, so thats about full-pull maximum cost in this area.
So my question for everyone here, how much do YOU pay for your cellphone and home internet? What do you get for those prices?
NBN (National Broadband Network) is pretty much the lowest common denominator here.. its resold by pretty much everyone...
For 20/50Mbps I'm forking out $AU89 a month.. I may well be able to
find a better deal than this costwise if not speed wise.. but I've remained reasonably happy with the provider I'm using.
Have you never had a (older style) phone that plugged into the wall? If you have more than one phone number, they typically say
each phone number has its own "line". I thought they still use that terminology for cell phones too (i.e., for family plans
where everyone has their own phone number/line), but maybe not.
I dont understand why somebody would want 2 (or 4) numbers for the
same service, so I was wondering if it ment something different in the
US.
IIRC, a long time ago Telstra offered this on the PSTN here (duet?) -
with the primary application being to allow you to have a voice and
fax service on the oneline. I think the secondary number had a
different ring cadence or something so that the fax machine could
grab the call.
Warpslide wrote to TassieBob <=-
We have something similar here called "Ident-A-Call" offered by Bell Canada, you had one physical line and could have a second phone number with a distinctive ring.
We sold a box at the computer shop I worked at that detected the distinctive ring and could direct the call to your fax machine (or
modem) while the normal ring went through to your phone. It worked
well enough but wasn't 100% if I remember correctly.
We sold a box at the computer shop I worked at that detected the distinctive ring and could direct the call to your fax machine (or modem) while the normal ring went through to your phone. It worked well enough but wasn't 100% if I remember correctly.
Yes, my understanding of "lines" - is a device that has two numbers.
I dont understand why somebody would want 2 (or 4) numbers for the same service, so I was wondering if it ment something different in the US.
I remember those - some people tried running BBSes on their home
phone that way.
I ran a dial-up BBS in 5 different houses, and always got lucky with
the wiring.
After that my family shared the main line in the house (my sister had her own number with Ident-A-Call) and I had
two (and later three) separate phone
lines in my room.
How much was a line back then, anyway? Wouldn't that run you about $200CAD/mon?
How much was a line back then, anyway? Wouldn't that run you about $200CAD/mon?
So one afternoon I "helped" my Dad dig the trench, [...]
After that my family shared the main line in the house (my
sister had her own number with Ident-A-Call) and I had two
(and later three) separate phone lines in my room.
We have something similar here called "Ident-A-Call"
offered by Bell Canada, you had one physical line and could
have a second phone number with a distinctive ring.
[...] It worked well enough but wasn't 100% if I remember
correctly.
How deep was your trench?
I have an underground feed from a pole on my property to my house (roughly 60ft perhaps?) If I recall correctly, the trench was
nothing more then a thin "scoring" along the ground about 1 foot
down. I had extra cables put in to theoretically give me 8 pairs
(or 8 lines) back in the pre-2000 days.
[...] It worked well enough but wasn't 100% if I remember
correctly.
It worked extremely well for me.
My only mistake was that I would occassionally go to lift an extension while in another room and not check if there is an active BBS caller.
In the past, with phone lines, if you wanted to be able to use dialup on your computer while still being able to talk on the
phone, you would need at least 2 phone lines - One for your telephone and one for your computer.
IIRC, a long time ago Telstra offered this on the PSTN here (duet?) - with the primary application being to allow you to have a
voice and fax service on the one line. I think the secondary number had a different ring cadence or something so that the fax
machine could grab the call.
But I dont understand why on a mobile/cell device. When I first got a mobile, all those decades ago, it was possible to have multiple
numbers on it
$100/month seems expensive for 400 megabit internet. I'm also in
My only mistake was that I would occassionally go to lift
an extension while in another room and not check if there
is an active BBS caller.
My sister would purposly do this to me when I was dialed
into a BBS, this is how I ended up getting my own line,
which then enabled me to start my own board. So, uh,
thanks sis?
Warpslide wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
After that my family shared the main line in the house (my sister had
her own number with Ident-A-Call) and I had two (and later three)
separate phone lines in my room.
deon wrote to Nightfox <=-
But I dont understand why on a mobile/cell device. When I first got a mobile, all those decades ago, it was possible to have multiple numbers
on it - where the 2nd number was to receive fax (I never understood why people wanted a fax service on a cell phone), but I dont think that
took off.
...ëîåï
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: I'm playing with ANSI+videotex - wanna play too? (21:2/116)
TassieBob wrote to deon <=-
These days I use my personal phone for everything and my current
employer just reimburses me the monthly costs. Back then though, my (previous) employer would only cover the cost of mobiles if they were
on /their/ account, and to put your personal mobile on the company
account you had to waive any rights to your personal number - so when
you left, your number stayed with them. I'd had that number for around
25 years, so that was a hard no.
Oh, I understand multiple lines on a "landline" - it was available in OZ,
But I dont understand why on a mobile/cell device. When I first got a mobile, all those decades ago, it was possible to have multiple numbers on it - where the 2nd number was to receive fax (I never understood why people wanted a fax service on a cell phone), but I dont think that took off.
$100/month seems expensive for 400 megabit internet. I'm also in
That about what I pay. Keep in mind they charge extra for unlimited. So if you need more than 1.5TB a month then you will pay extra for that. You could also get a business connection but thats even more expensive. Believe me I've been tempted quite a few times to switch to another provider but Its just been so rock solid I and I would have to change over so many places my email exists. -=sigh=- yeah probably won't happen anytime soon
Ah.. I've heard of people who run a business (or service) using
multiple phone numbers on the same phone so that one of them is their personal phone number and the other one is for their business. That
way, they can more easily know who is calling for their business or for personal reasons.
Was/is sis younger or older?
In anycase, perhaps if you could have provided a valid reason for her
to appreciate the tech, them maybe she would have respected your
efforts. BBSes were kinda like the first "social media" out there..
and what young girl would be able
$100/month seems expensive for 400 megabit internet. I'm also in
Oregon, and I thought Xfinity had gigabit internet for less than that.
I currently use Ziply Fiber for my internet service and am paying $60/month for 200 megabit service, but they also offer gigabit internet for $80/month. And that's the same speed for both upload & download (whereas with Xfinity, which is cable, your upload is a lot slower than your download).
nblade wrote to Nightfox <=-
I've sort of did that at one job, where instead of giving out my
personal cell number, I had a google voice number that rang my desk
phone and my cell phone.
the 1 year subscription... I guess its about time to devote 2 hours to calling Xfinity, signing for a year and getting it closer to $50 again. Hmph.
I took my work number with me when I left a job back in 2016; I was surprised I didn't get more work calls after I left. Always been
concerned about that withgiving out a personal number for work.
Xfinity.. :/
I called Comcast to have them cancel my basic TV service (and only keep Ni> the internet), but they said my bill would increase if I did that. Ni> Dafuq? The things they do
When I moved, I switched to fiber internet service and only got internet service. I also like that fiber is the same speed for both upload and download.
look as sharp as a modern digital TV image). I called Comcast to have
them cancel my basic TV service (and only keep the internet), but they said my bill would increase if I did that. Dafuq? The things they do
are weird.
Lulz - trust me I know too well... out here in St. Helens its the only [decent] player, so you use them or you don't have bandwidth. My GF in portland uses... I forget the name but they offer fiber - 1GB up/down... the same company up here literally only had a 12MB up/down offering!!
I so want a 1G fiber solution... one day my area will get it. :/
When we lived in both SE Georgia and Chicago, it was the same deal with Comcast. It was cheaper to get the lowest tier cable tv along with internet than just the internet.
My last job was very strict, no personal devices on the company network & no work accounts on personal devices. Period.
So no work email on personal devices and no personal devices on the company wifi. So with that job I had two phones, which I hated.
My last job was very strict, no personal devices on the company network &
no work accounts on personal devices. Period.
So no work email on personal devices and no personal devices on the
company wifi. So with that job I had two phones, which I hated.
This job is way more (almost too) lax with BYOD. Instead of getting a
second
phone to carry around I opted to just expense my personal phone. To get around giving out my personal number I'm using a DID from one of our
offices which rings on my laptop & an app on my iPhone.
I so want a 1G fiber solution... one day my area will get it. :/
Warpslide wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
This job is way more (almost too) lax with BYOD. Instead of getting a second phone to carry around I opted to just expense my personal phone.
To get around giving out my personal number I'm using a DID from one
of our offices which rings on my laptop & an app on my iPhone.
That way when I'm on vacation I can just sign out of the app for a
better work/life balance.
I had gigabit fiber for a year when my ISP had a price deal. I thought the speed was nice, but after that year when the price went up, I
decided to have them step me down to the next tier, which is 200
megabits. The difference in price is $20 per month - It doesn't seem
like a lot, but I figured that's $240 per year I'd be saving. It seems kinda sneaky that they'd make the price difference so little though..
I'd think the price of internet service would be more proportional to
the internet speed. I've almost thought about going back to gigabit,
but it's been rare that I've been in a hurry to need things downloaded that quickly.
I pulled the trigger two years ago when I saw the price of $79.99/month for 1G/1G. Calling Comcast to terminate all services was the best call
I ever made to them.
You know, I rarely find myself needing the horsepower that say a gamer might need - most of the things I do on computers are retro, or low CPU
LOL, and it still took you an hour. And you felt like you won... the last hour ever. :P
I don't like that companies do bundling like that. Years ago, I had
heard there are laws in some European countries against bundling, in
order to keep prices low for consumers who might just want one of their services.
Nightfox
though I do not believe they have anything with out a digital signal
Weatherman wrote to Warpslide <=-
Our policy is personal devices go on the "wireless guest". No personal devices on the production network. The one main reason is for
patching, updating, etc. If we can't manage it, it doesn't go on the production network.
Weatherman wrote to Paulie420 <=-
I pulled the trigger two years ago when I saw the price of $79.99/month for 1G/1G. Calling Comcast to terminate all services was the best call
I ever made to them.
Weatherman wrote to Paulie420 <=-
LOL, and it still took you an hour. And you felt like you won... the last hour ever. :P
Back when I was still with Comcast, I spent at least an hour a year on
the phone with them to keep my endless promotions/deals going. Then Comcast started adding additonal random junk fees that you couldn't
remove no matter what promo you were on.
I'd love to do that, but AT&T Fiber is run on utility poles on my street.
I live on a curvy cul de sac with a long stretch between poles - they
cross the street right at my house. That means there's quite a bit of sag in the lines, and AT&T is the low cable on the pole. My neighbor's fiber from the pole to his house has been taken down by trucks 3 times in as
many years, and AT&T has taken 3-5 days to roll a truck and fix it. I
don't want to be down that long, so Comcast it is.
Now, I threatened to leave and they were nonplussed - they ended up
getting me a "promotion" that had all of the things I'd had for more
money! I ended up calling a couple of times before getting to someone who could make a deal. I'm on a month-to-month plan now, which ended up being less than my 1 year commit.
On Sat Jul 30 15:34:00 2022, Weatherman wrote to Poindexter Fortran <=-
Back in my yearly Comcast renegotiate my promo days, sometimes it took extra work. I am not one to give up easily at all.
There were times I would get all promos again right away on the 1st attempt/call. There were other times where it took 15+ calls over days to do it, but I always got it.
They probably had a note on my account to say that I was a pain in the ass and just give me the promos.
- Mark
Not that it really mattered, we moved from there to another
house in '98 to another area & bell wouldn't let me keep my
number (from 705-645-xxxx to 705-385-xxxx).
..but it didn't last long Nov '98 to Sep '99 according to:
https://nodehist.fidonet.org.ua/?address=1%3A2424%2F260
in the lines, and AT&T is the low cable on the pole. My neighbor's fib
money! I ended up calling a couple of times before getting to someone could make a deal. I'm on a month-to-month plan now, which ended up be
Weatherman wrote to Poindexter Fortran <=-
Tie-wrap the fiber on the pole to prevent the sagging :)
Weatherman wrote to Poindexter Fortran <=-
They probably had a note on my account to say that I was a pain in the
ass and just give me the promos.
IrishMonk wrote to Weatherman <=-
in the lines, and AT&T is the low cable on the pole. My neighbor's fib
Usually any "drops" to the houses techs can attach anywhere on the pole
as long as they are far enough from power. So even though the phone company is on the bottom, if they needed to j hook it above where the cable company feeder is to make sure they can get proper height in a situation like yours,, they do it all the time.
If you were to do the install, when the tech gets there, just let him
know that it needs to go higher where it crosses the street.
works if the partners name is not already on the account. And if you
cancel completely and try to restart service in your name, to get a good deal again, the computer will recognize this and red flag the account so
you dont get a promo deal. I think you have to not be a customer for 6 months when trying this method.
substantially. Like the "sports fee" in particular. I don't even watch
I've had good luck with the installers over the years. Swear all you
want at the carriers, the outside plant guys and some of the installers are what made the companies what they are today.
Glad to not have that old style TV crap anymore. Streaming is the way
to go and download the rest.
IrishMonk wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Thank you very much!! Been in the field for 21 years and wouldnt change for nothing. Was asked to get into a supervisor/manager role many times and would not make the change ever. I enjoyed working with 99.9% of the customers I had and most of the time , by the time I was done with the job, I even got along with the .1%.
Weatherman wrote to Irishmonk <=-
I never cancelled to get a promo or switch names, etc. I would always
be very nice, speak to retentions and eventually got promos every
single year I had Comcast.
The issue now is the junk fees. You can't get a promo to have them removed. There are LOTS of junk fees and they were going up
substantially. Like the "sports fee" in particular. I don't even
watch sports and couldn't get a package without it.
Glad to not have that old style TV crap anymore. Streaming is the way
to go and download the rest.
I hired a telecom tech that looked familiar back in the 2000s. We
There's another "fee" that they make sound like it's a mandated fee, but they just pocket the change.
Glad to not have that old style TV crap anymore. Streaming is the way to go and download the rest.
Yeah, I'm about ready to make the move.
Those fees (which you can't have removed or get a promo to discount) are what finally got me to dump regular TV and Comcast, completely. I pay less now and have way more - so I would like to thank Comcast for their insane junk fees that finally pushed me to dump them for something much better and less expensive.
I never cancelled to get a promo or switch names, etc. I would always be very nice, speak to retentions and eventually got promos every single year I had Comcast.
The issue now is the junk fees. You can't get a promo to have them removed. There are LOTS of junk fees and they were going up substantially. Like the "sports fee" in particular. I don't even watch sports and couldn't get a package without it.
Glad to not have that old style TV crap anymore. Streaming is the way to go and download the rest.
My brother in law worked for Comcast XFinity for a long time, and as soon
as he left the company and was no longer getting their service for free,
he cut the cord as well.
It's a bummer where I live there are no other options for high speed internet and their pricing model means I basically /have/ to pay for cable if I want decent internet speeds as well. :(
I haven't had cable TV in years, so I'm not entirely familiar with what you're saying here.. Also not quite sure what you mean by "old style TV crap" - but there are some TV shows I like to watch that are broadcast
over the air, such as local news, and sometimes a game show like Jeopardy, etc. There are also a couple TV channels in my area that play old sitcoms
& such (and by "old", I mean things from the 90s and newer) that I might watch when I'm bored. Over the air TV doesn't have any fees associated
with it, so I can't complain about that.
I feel like the TV content I like to watch is fairly sparse, so
subscribing to several streaming services doesn't feel very worth it to
me. And as you say, downloading works.. I have a Plex media server that I can put content on and watch when I want. I also have an over-the-air TV antenna connected to my Plex media server, and it can record TV conent if
I want (it can also skip commercials).
I have a large "data server" and use Kodi via several Nvidia Shields that are connected to each TV in the house. I really like collecting the old classic shows and am refreshing my collection to 1080p where available.
I have a large "data server" and use Kodi via several Nvidia Shields
that are connected to each TV in the house. I really like collecting
Comcast was about to start adding caps to their service here and charge extra, and then Verizon FIOS came along and that changed everything.
Not that I'm a huge fan of Verizon, but at least we have (2) real
players in the space vs just one.
At first, Verizon FIOS was fairly expensive. The price for 1Gbps was
over $300 a month at first. These days it is $89.99/month. I actually got it about 2 years ago when it was only $79.99/month.
That is all I need - just Internet. No extra forced channels of garbage with loads of junk fees.
Irish_Monk wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Its amazing if your in any field for long enough, people come in go, sometime they might work for you, then they might be the ones with a contract and you might work for them. I was always told to never burn bridges with anyone because you dont know what the future holds and
they might be your next way to get a pay check.
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