Question about Cable Internet/Phone/TV

nico33 · Post by **nico33** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 8:50 pm

I have a cable company for cable tv, landline phone and internet. It started as a "triple play" and the package prie wasn't too bad, but now the bill is killing me, it is around $180 a month. I think I will give up the landline because I already have an unlimited use cell phone. I need internet for my job and personal life. The cable company charges $55 per month for internet access without a cable tv plan.
A friend told me that the internet cable can be split and the split can be connected to a tv and I will get basic tv channels, the channels I would get with an antenna. I tried an antenna, but in my area nothing seems to work. I am in a part of New Jersey that doesnt seem to pick up signals. My questions are- Can I get basic cable tv this way? If so, could I set up two tvs in this manner? What specific equipment would I need to do this? Is there a special type of splitter that has to be used?
Thanks for the advice.

justjohn · Post by **justjohn** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:01 pm

Have you checked to see what over the air stations you should be able to receive?
For example, http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
or
http://www.antennaweb.org/
I'd be surprised if any area of NJ doesn't receive something. Possibly you would need a larger, outdoor antenna.
We just use rabbit ears and pull in at least six stations, from as far as 40 miles away.

(sorry, can't help with the cable tv questions, haven't had that for over thirty years)

Seneca · Post by **Seneca** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:15 pm

Have you just tried no cable TV at all? You can always borrow DVDs from the library free, and even buying a whole season of a show is usually cheaper than a month of cable.
One of the best lifestyle upgrades I've ever made, I'd pay to keep cable out of my house now.

frugaladventurer · Post by **frugaladventurer** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:21 pm

Netflix costs about $9/mo and you can buy a Roku box for about 50 bucks. Hook the Roku box up to your TV and the split cable signal, you should be able to watch Netflix on your TV. Has movies to stream, a variety of old tv episodes (including all of How I Met Your Mother, first season of Downton Abbey, British shows like Luther etc.)

lilacorchid · Post by **lilacorchid** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:35 pm

Netflix FTW. We cut cable and my only regret is I took soooo long trying to figure out if I should do it or not. I don't miss commercials and when Game of Thrones comes out, we are going to hire a babysitter and make a social night of it at a friend's house. It's still cheaper then cable and HBO.

Also, in Canada, most of the major stations have their shows streaming online the day after the program airs for two weeks. I bought an apple TV so I could use the apps to push the shows to my TV instead of watching them on my iPad or phone.

mikeBOS · Post by **mikeBOS** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:38 pm

I pay for internet only and I get the basic channels for free. It goes through a home built DVR first, so I can record stuff. Between the DVR and streaming/downloading stuff, there's plenty to watch.

nico33 · Post by **nico33** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 11:50 pm

Thank you for the responses. I think I will look into that Netflix and Roku set up.

Ego · Post by **Ego** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:39 am

And if you really want to go frugal you can ask your neighbors if they want to share a wireless connection and split the cost. If you don't have any friendly-frugal neighbors you can make a wifi antenna and turn it toward an open signal at your local library....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCJOunPUgtw

Susan Marie · Post by **Susan Marie** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:00 am

I pay for internet only also and 20 tv stations still come in.

RealPerson · Post by **RealPerson** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:09 am

@Ego - the library would work if you are reasonably close. Libraries usually block VPN tunnels, so if you need VPN you are usually out of luck at a library.

Susan Marie · Post by **Susan Marie** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:37 pm

For those who like a home phone read about http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/07/25/ver ... /#comments

It is 19.99 for unlimited and works over the cell towers. I have had it for months with no problems. If you read the comments there are people who have used it as a mobile phone but I have not tried it.

Mo · Post by Mo » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:56 am

@nico33 I did this last year. It was a great idea. I was able to get basic SD (i.e. not HD) cable channels and only pay for internet service. All that was needed was a standard coaxial cable splitter and some coaxial cable, though that may not be true for all cable services. Buy a splitter in the TV part of wal-mart for $5ish and some cable and see.
Added bonuses: there are fewer taxes and fees lumped on the internet service. When they say $39.99/mo for cable tv, with taxes and fees it's like $57.32. $79.99/mo for top end internet is $79.99/mo.
I bought a tivo box-- it has two inputs on the back, one for my SD free cable and one for my antenna (mounted in my attic). The TV merges the two into a reasonably easy viewing experience, so I get the major networks in HD, basic cable in SD, and I can DVR anything I want. The tivo wasn't cheap, but I broke even in reduced cable fees in 6mo. You can make your own DVR-- look into mythTV, for example, but I didn't have the time.
The tvfool thing is fun too. I learned a ton about antennae and how to set one up and make it work. The forum over there is filled with helpful folks who can help you get an antenna working. You put in your location (roughly or exact) and tvfool generates a report of what you should be able to get. When you ask questions on the forum you link your 'report' and that way knowledgeable folks can offer specific advice based on your location, the distance to the transmitter, etc...