Checking in to cable and TV services, I learned about the next big thing. 5G wireless service for houses.

No cables - anywhere. No dishes. No cable box. No digging up the yard or making holes in the roof; just a little thing that looks like a flower vase you plug in to the wall. Everything runs off of wifi from there.

It's not available everywhere - yet - but it's going to disrupt the industry in a big way and probably very soon. In areas where it's available the cost is some $70/month - 150 Mbps, unlimited data.

Check availability at your address

Just heard about that recently. I checked then and it was not available at my address yet.

We also have some issues with cell service at our house; our best choice is Verizon and it can still be a little patchy. A lot of people end up connecting their cells to wifi when they're using them at home.

I'm in that price range with my Comcast internet, and I just did a two year agreement with them so I'll be sticking with that plan for now. But definitely watching the 5G options moving forward.

For the last few years there have been crews digging up streets for fiber optic service to homes. Now it looks looks like that technology will never be widely available - who needs it?

I think I heard that for T-Mobile your modem is included in that cost, another benefit. And no data caps (not that I ever come close to using my 1TB limit from Comcast, though I'm not streaming that much because we have cable TV).

I'd be looking at the T-Mobile 100 Mbps plan for $50.

But wait, isn’t 5G supposed to make us sterile or something?

quote:

isn’t 5G supposed to make us sterile or something?

No you're thinkig of the va-- nevermind

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
But wait, isn’t 5G supposed to make us sterile or something?

If it gives the stork a rest I am all for it.

We have fiber optic. I don't think we have 5G out here in the "five minutes from the city line" boondocks.

Do you have 5G on your phones? We do, but aside from the notification on the upper right corner of the screen I can’t tell any difference between that and whatever we had before.

George has it. I looked at it but not yet.

When we moved in to this house it was wired in 20 pair intercom cable and "twinlead" antenna cable, both worthless today. Over the years I ran coaxial cable and then Cat 5 cable to most rooms. I ran empty conduit from the attic to wall boxes in case technology changed and I had to put in a new type of cable. Now it looks like most of it will never be used.

The new house was completely wired in coaxial cable by the builder. I doubt I'll use any of it except the feed to the house. The TVs that aren't wifi compatible can be retrofitted with something like a Roku stick for some $40. Phones, computers and printers are already set up.

Time marches on...

Does anyone here have YouTube TV or another cable cutting service?

The website descriptions are vague - do you get local channels and sports?

You have to look at the various channel lineups for each service (YouTube TV, Sling, etc) for the area you'll be using it in.

I couldn't find a package that had WGN, which is local here in Chicago, or some of the PBS stations we watch. I think a lot of people rely on an antenna for the local stuff.

I tried YouTube TV but it didn't have a bunch of stations that Mr wtg watches so we didn't get rid of Comcast cable.

Comcast competes with ATT and WOW in our area, so maybe prices are more competitive. I haven't been motivated yet to switch, but I do re-check everything every couple of years when our Comcast agreements get close to expiring.

The “channel lineup” thing they talk about on the website may or may not be accurate. Roku advertises that you get ABC and NBC, but in reality what you get is a feed from an NBC affiliate in Manhattan KS or some such. You do get local news, if local for you is Manhattan.

When I was looking, my conclusion was that if you're cord cutting, for local stations you're best off using an antenna. That way you're assured of getting everything, including all of the local PBS stations. We watch them a lot.

I decided against the streaming services for a variety of reasons, local coverage being one of them. Stuff like this made me crazy. When I clicked on Locast (one of the local channel choices), turns out they're no longer operating; the broadcast networks sued and won.

The other reason... Mr wtg wouldn't be thrilled with all the hopping around he would have to do to watch anything if we dumped cable and cobbled together a bunch of other services to replicate what we have through Xfinity. They've done a good job of creating an integrated package that's easy to use. Live programming, On Demand, and the ability to stream on a phone or tablet with their app. There's a customer service center 5 minutes away so if I want to talk to a real person, I just hop over. No dealing with the hassle of talking to agents on the phone. It's stupid easy.

Yea, I know....."OK, boomer....."

I'll be keeping an eye out for 5G but I don't think it's there yet.

I'm reading that people using 5G for wireless internet service are getting speeds that vary greatly over time. Be sure to check out the signal wherever you're going to use it. There can be areas that don't get consistently good service and it can be a very localized problem.

I'm really close to a cell tower, but our Verizon (well, Xfinity Mobile and Tracfone) cell phones don't always get a strong signal. Lots of mature trees in our area and they mess with reception. (This also poses a problem for OTA for local stations, but I digress).

My immediate neighbors use wifi calling for their Verizon cell phones when they're using them at home. And people a block away (and across from a park) have no problems at all because there are no obstructions. The other carriers are even worse when it comes to a strong signal at my house. And I'm in a major market.

I'm sure you'll be checking out the internet and cable providers in your new area. As a new customer you might get some pretty competitive pricing if you're willing to lock in for a couple of years.

But please keep us posted! I'm very interested in following where some of these other technologies are heading....

edit: I found this chart that tells you where you can see your local PBS stations, if that's of interest to you. Also gives you an idea of your provider choices.

https://wviz.ideastream.org/ab...evision-channel-grid