Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[bUU]

Is TIVO still a subscription service?

Best bet is to buy lifetime service (it's called "All in" or something like that now). TiVos last far longer than the 3-4 year break-even period - generally, I've replaced TiVos due to technological advancements (like HD and MPEG-4 encoding) rather than mechanical issues. Up until last month I had two TiVos, one had been running for 12 years and the other for 6 years. And I only retired the 12 year old because of a special deal TiVo offered on a new TiVo to replace it.

 

[SmallCityDave]

Question for cord cutters who have also cut the phone cord, but still decided to have a central house phone.

What are you using? Ooma? Magic jack? Others? What is best?

I always thought that Ooma was the best but I've never tried it, I couldn't be happier with Magic Jack we've had them for nearly 10 years....


It's always been funny to me how Ooma's free service is twice as expensive as Magic Jack's paid service.

 

[JoeWras]

Thanks all for the VOIP solution discussion. Very helpful! I think I'm going to pursue Google Voice with an OBI200. Didn't know about that before. Details below...

Not sure if you are looking for something like this, but for awhile I used this bluetooth device that ties up to 3 cell phones into the house phone wiring. If someone calls your cell phone and you are at home, it can ring on any phone in the house.

Nah, the idea is to keep the 35 year old land line phone that DW and I share. We have cell phones, but still like the concept of a shared central number.

I signed up with Ooma before moving to NC and have been happy with it... The downside is service interruption, especially events like Hurricanes Florence and Michael. Can’t recall which but one knocked out service for about a day.

Well, we got used to that when we went to Uverse which dropped us from old fashioned POTs. AT&T's network is solid with power backup, but when your last mile or last 1000ft are digital instead of POTs, you have to have some sort of backup at the termination in your house. The network may be alive, but if your gateway is dead, it doesn't matter. I currently have the fiber termination and gateway on battery backup. It works for a few hours, which is good enough. Cell phone take over after that.

We have Google Voice with an OBI SIP adapter. $0/month, works great, screens morons out.

Nice!

What about E911? Do you have a service?

I am familiar with GV. I ported my Dad's number years ago, and it is still alive. I'm ready to cut it off and move my number to GV. The OBI200 device is exactly what I'm looking for. And it is officially supported by Google. I can't believe I didn't know about this. Thank you camfused!

 

[RonBoyd]

I rarely watch directly on our main TV (Vizio PQ65-Fi) -- using the AVR and "STB" for the 7.2 Surround Sound. In fact the only time it is switched to that mode is to scan the channels... just in case. (We, also, have a couple D32f-FI models -- Kitchen and RV)

Anyway, the only time I use the "SmartCast" is to use "Alexa" to turn the sets on/off and adjust volume. I was surprised to find this mode is quite impressive.

https://www.vizio.com/watch-free

For those that simply want to "cut the cord" and are not interested in a subscription service, this is perfect.

Free & Unlimited TV with WatchFree™.

Over 150 free channels including TV shows, movies, news, sports, lifestyle, trending digital series and even exclusive channels. Available on all VIZIO Smart TVs.

Looks like cable. Costs nothing.

The WatchFree™ experience is very familiar for channel surfers. Simply scroll through the guide, find a show and watch.

I gave it a quick run-through and found, for instance, the Major Network News shows -- Live!. The EPG is quite good. The Guide lists all of the 150 channels showing what is currently playing (high-lighted show playing in background) as well as what's next on each channel.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I am familiar with GV. I ported my Dad's number years ago, and it is still alive. I'm ready to cut it off and move my number to GV.

You can always open another Google account and keep your dad's number just for voicemail. My dad ported my childhood home phone number to his cell phone, and when he passed I ported that to a secondary Google account that I have. The calls are not forwarded, but the voicemails get emailed to that secondary Gmail account, which forwards them to my primary one. I never have to check that phone number or email account this way.

The problem is that you can only register an outside phone number with one GV number, so all my actual phones are associated with my primary GV number, and I want to keep it that way. I think I had to register that secondary GV number to at least one real phone to set it up, but then moved that phone back to my primary GV number right afterwards.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I rarely watch directly on our main TV (Vizio PQ65-Fi) -- using the AVR for the 7.2 Surround Sound. In fact the only time it is switched to that mode is to scan the channels... just in case. (We, also, have a couple D32f-FI models -- Kitchen and RV)

Anyway, the only time I use the "SmartCast" is to use "Alexa" to turn the sets on/off and adjust volume. I was surprised to find this mode is quite impressive.

https://www.vizio.com/watch-free

For those that simply want to "cut the cord" and are not interested in a subscription service, this is perfect.



I gave it a quick run-through and found, for instance, the Major Network News shows -- Live!. The EPG is quite good. The Guide lists all of the 150 channels showing what is currently playing (high-lighted show playing in background) as well as what's next on each channel.

WatchFree appears to be the same thing as PlutoTV. I've been watching it for a while now and tons of choices, I highly recommend it.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

You can always open another Google account and keep your dad's number just for voicemail. My dad ported my childhood home phone number to his cell phone, and when he passed I ported that to a secondary Google account that I have. The calls are not forwarded, but the voicemails get emailed to that secondary Gmail account, which forwards them to my primary one. I never have to check that phone number or email account this way.

The problem is that you can only register an outside phone number with one GV number, so all my actual phones are associated with my primary GV number, and I want to keep it that way. I think I had to register that secondary GV number to at least one real phone to set it up, but then moved that phone back to my primary GV number right afterwards.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

Google Voice with an OBI is a great totally free option, I've used it for many years with my house wiring. Rarely do I get Spam calls, they do a good job of keeping them out. I think the first time someone calls my number it's screened and they h have to give their name before the call gets to me and I can accept it or not. That has not happened in a while now so not sure if that feature still works.

 

[JoeWras]

Google Voice with an OBI is a great totally free option, I've used it for many years with my house wiring. Rarely do I get Spam calls, they do a good job of keeping them out. I think the first time someone calls my number it's screened and they h have to give their name before the call gets to me and I can accept it or not. That has not happened in a while now so not sure if that feature still works.

What about E911? Do you use a service?

 

[GTFan]

What about E911? Do you have a service?

GV does not have E911, have to use cell phones for that. But you can't beat free phone service, after you buy the Obi200 of course.

I used GV for many years when the old Obi100s still worked, but when that went away a few months ago we ditched it (kept our numbers forwarded to our cells) and switched cell service to Mint Mobile. They are a T-Mobile MVNO and it's just over $16/mo. per line for talk/text/3GB LTE a month, couldn't find a better deal out there than that.

No real need to keep a landline for us, even for free when cell service is so cheap.

 

[RunningBum]

A new thread would actually be appropriate for phone service, since this is 107 pages long and the title talks about cutting the TV cord. Someone looking for phone info later is not going to wade through a 107 page thread, and this thread doesn't need to be longer with off-topic discussion.

 

[pb4uski]

Question for cord cutters who have also cut the phone cord, but still decided to have a central house phone.

What are you using? Ooma? Magic jack? Others? What is best?

We have had Ooma since May 2011 and are very satisfied with it. We were able to port a home phone number that we had for 25+ years to Ooma when we moved about 25 miles away so friends and family could reach us using the same phone number. Cost is $5/month for taxes and we suscribe to the Premier service that adds another $10.50/month but is only billed once a year.... so about $15.50/month in total... even now less than 1/2 of what we were paying for a POTS line. According to Ooma we have saved $3,811 since we started.

Includes E911.

 

[Cobra9777]

+1 for GV + Obi-200. Totally free landline phone service. No E911 though. So either use your cell for emergencies (which is what the vast majority of people do, who have no landline), or you can add E911 to GV for as little as $15/yr with Anveo. That's $1.25/mo.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

What about E911? Do you use a service?

No but I have a cellphone.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

GV does not have E911, have to use cell phones for that. But you can't beat free phone service, after you buy the Obi200 of course.

I used GV for many years when the old Obi100s still worked, but when that went away a few months ago we ditched it (kept our numbers forwarded to our cells) and switched cell service to Mint Mobile. They are a T-Mobile MVNO and it's just over $16/mo. per line for talk/text/3GB LTE a month, couldn't find a better deal out there than that.

No real need to keep a landline for us, even for free when cell service is so cheap.

I don't always hear my cellphone when it's sitting on the kitchen table and I'm in another part of the house so my cell is set up to forward to my GV number if I don't answer it in 4 rings so it then rings to phones both upstairs and downstairs both cordless and wired
If Tello ever goes belly up which I don't think it will, I'll certainly check out Mint Mobile as an alternate.

 

[camfused]

What about E911? Do you have a service?

I pay $12/year (which of course is $1/month) for E911 from a service. GV911.com. So, I guess I am really paying $1/month for home phone.

Also, I have my GV on a separate google account, just for this. This allows me to have a custom contacts list, that does not mess up my regular google one.

 

[jim584672]

Any cell phone will work for 911 service, no service needed.

"FCC requirements state that ALL cell phones, regardless of status of service (or even the lack of service) must be able to dial 911."

 

[RunningBum]

Any cell phone will work for 911 service, no service needed.

"FCC requirements state that ALL cell phones, regardless of status of service (or even the lack of service) must be able to dial 911."

Sure, but you may not get the 911 you want. At our resort, we're told if we dial 911 that the very first thing we should say is "I'm at <resort name>." The 911 operator will then switch us immediately to our resort emergency service. Otherwise there may be delays as they try to figure out where your road is, and then realize it's a different (closer) emergency crew that needs to be dispatched.

 

[JoeWras]

Sure, but you may not get the 911 you want. At our resort, we're told if we dial 911 that the very first thing we should say is "I'm at <resort name>." The 911 operator will then switch us immediately to our resort emergency service. Otherwise there may be delays as they try to figure out where your road is, and then realize it's a different (closer) emergency crew that needs to be dispatched.

I prefer to not have smart phones in the bedroom. So, no cell phone. When the heart attack starts, the phone I pick up better tell 911 where I live. Hence the need for true E911 on the VOIP line, just to avoid the problem you mention.

Anyway, sorry to RunningBum and others about thread derailing strictly from cableTV. I see "cutting the cord" more as cutting "cords." Basically going from a system of Cable TV, Phone and Internet, which at one time were 3 different things no matter what you did. (Actually, most of us shared the internet with the phone through dial up.) So, I see "what to do with the phone" as part of the cord cutting calculus.

I appreciate the answers and they are here for the next search someone does. I don't have any more questions. When (or IF) I get my phone situation sorted out, I'll start a new thread with my experience.

 

[steelyman]

I appreciate the answers and they are here for the next search someone does. I don't have any more questions. When (or IF) I get my phone situation sorted out, I'll start a new thread with my experience.

The sidetrack off from video cord-cutting has been interesting and has motivated me to try to set up whole home existing phone jacks (this weekend). I’ve learned a thing or two about choices. Even though I use it, I’m not an Ooma evangelist. It just works well for me.

A separate thread might be good for the specific topic.

 

[jim584672]

I prefer to not have smart phones in the bedroom. So, no cell phone. When the heart attack starts, the phone I pick up better tell 911 where I live. Hence the need for true E911 on the VOIP line, just to avoid the problem you mention.

Anyway, sorry to RunningBum and others about thread derailing strictly from cableTV. I see "cutting the cord" more as cutting "cords." Basically going from a system of Cable TV, Phone and Internet, which at one time were 3 different things no matter what you did. (Actually, most of us shared the internet with the phone through dial up.) So, I see "what to do with the phone" as part of the cord cutting calculus.

I appreciate the answers and they are here for the next search someone does. I don't have any more questions. When (or IF) I get my phone situation sorted out, I'll start a new thread with my experience.

I didn't know there are types of 911 service. I have an old $15 cell phone, if I dialed 911 doesn't that go to 911 in my area?

 

[JoeWras]

I didn't know there are types of 911 service. I have an old $15 cell phone, if I dialed 911 doesn't that go to 911 in my area?

It does. Even if it doesn't have a plan in force.

The problem is they know your location only roughly. For a landline, your phone number is looked up in a database and your EXACT location is known.

With the cell phone, it is pretty close, but they may knock on your neighbor's door. In the case of a resort, like RunningBum mentioned, you can imagine access roads that end in cul-de-sacs or such. Even though they may be back to back, the access road could be completely on the other side of the resort because there is a golf fairway in between, or something. It is very important to give a location to the 911 operator when calling on a cell phone. And get a helper on the road to flag them down, if necessary.

So, 9-1-1 is 9-1-1, but behind the scenes, the location is determined differently whether it is a cell phone, or a landline.

VOIP adds a whole different problem to the mix that is a bit complex to explain here. In short, you have to sign up for a 911 service that tacks up your address to your VOIP device. Not all VOIP devices are stationary, etc. I'll stop here, since it is getting into the complexities.

 

[jim584672]

It does. Even if it doesn't have a plan in force.

The problem is they know your location only roughly. For a landline, your phone number is looked up in a database and your EXACT location is known.

With the cell phone, it is pretty close, but they may knock on your neighbor's door. In the case of a resort, like RunningBum mentioned, you can imagine access roads that end in cul-de-sacs or such. Even though they may be back to back, the access road could be completely on the other side of the resort because there is a golf fairway in between, or something.

So, 9-1-1 is 9-1-1, but behind the scenes, the location is determined differently whether it is a cell phone, or a landline.

Maintaining a landline just for 911 location ability seems cost ineffective. I haven't had a landline in 10 years.

 

[RunningBum]

I didn't know there are types of 911 service. I have an old $15 cell phone, if I dialed 911 doesn't that go to 911 in my area?

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what cell tower you are getting your signal from. Read this for more info: https://www.verywellhealth.com/before-you-call-911-on-a-cell-phone-1298351
For some it may only be a few minutes. For me, I think there's a very good chance it won't go to my local emergency crew less than 5 minutes away, but maybe one 1/2 hour or more, and they may not be familiar with my address.

As Joe says, on a landline they know exactly where you are calling from. From a cell phone, they don't, so you have to have your wits and health to be able to tell them.

I think even if you cancel your phone service, you can still call 911 from your landline. I actually disconnected the landline wiring to use that bluetooth device I mentioned earlier, but I need to reconnect it and put an old landline in my bedroom just for that type of emergency, so that all I really have to do is pick up my phone and punch in 911 and help will arrive. Considering that I forget to take my cell phone up to my bedroom some nights, I'm going to do that right now.

 

[JoeWras]

Maintaining a landline just for 911 location ability seems cost ineffective. I haven't had a landline in 10 years.

We've got the cost down to $15 per year including 911 service. I'm good with that.

 

[RonBoyd]

Here is fairly detailed guide to cord cutting from, of course... TVGuide:
https://www.tvguide.com/news/how-to...-best-streaming-services/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa2i

Kicking cable can be hard: There are a lot of streaming services to choose from, and the fear of missing out on favorite shows and live events makes cutting cable seem like it'll require complex calculations. It does, but we've done the tough stuff for you. This guide considers your TV-watching preferences and habits and then offers suggestions on how to build a custom package that gets you all the things you want without the things you don't. (Disclosure: Links to partner retailers may earn money to support our work.) ​

(My emphasis)


Pick Your Cord-Cutting Profile

Cable Junkie
I want to get as close to cable as possible, but without the cable headaches.
Broadcast Plus
I want the basic broadcast channels, plus a few cable networks I love.
Sports Fanatic
I want to watch the big game live — sports are the point of television!
Watercooler Popular
I want to stay caught up on the popular shows everyone is talking about.
Babysitter
I want family-friendly offerings to keep the kids entertained.
Cinephile
I really just want to watch movies from the comfort of my couch.
Throwback
Keep your Peak TV... Give me the classics instead.
Around the World
I want access to great international programming.
Empty Wallet
I want my TV to be completely free.​

​

​