So I'm getting sick and tired of having to shell out cash every month to my cable/isp/phone company. In the past, I needed to get a 3 way cable/internet/phone bundle that would always be a minimum $80+ a month. The new apartment I'll be moving to in Somerville, MA is within RCN territory, so I can get access to their cable/1.5 Mbps internet for $60/month. Mind you that doesn't include parts like cable boxes and probably installation. It's also possible to get just their 1.5 Mbps internet for $31.
If you can't tell where I'm heading, I'd love to just pick up a Roku HD, get a few subscriptions, and then use the laptop to access other free streaming content. However it seems from first glance that this may be more hassle than it's worth.
For starters, the Roku is going to require 1.2Mbps. That may present a problem since that will be close to the 1.5 Mbps max especially if I was running multiple devices. Also, I wouldn't really be saving much if I factored $30+ for internet and then the costs of the different services.
Now, I've done some research on ISP's but I'm a complete neophyte. It "appears" to me that there are a plethora of ISP's aside from the normal Comcast/Verizon/RCN crowd. Can I use one of these ISP's? Are prices generally cheaper using merely an alternate ISP? And does there need to be some sort of infrastructure in place to set up internet with someone else or will there be a super expensive setup charge?
It would be great saving $400+ a year if I could ditch my current cable setup.
Anyway, any help or guidance would be appreciated.
If you can't tell where I'm heading, I'd love to just pick up a Roku HD, get a few subscriptions, and then use the laptop to access other free streaming content. However it seems from first glance that this may be more hassle than it's worth.
For starters, the Roku is going to require 1.2Mbps. That may present a problem since that will be close to the 1.5 Mbps max especially if I was running multiple devices. Also, I wouldn't really be saving much if I factored $30+ for internet and then the costs of the different services.
Now, I've done some research on ISP's but I'm a complete neophyte. It "appears" to me that there are a plethora of ISP's aside from the normal Comcast/Verizon/RCN crowd. Can I use one of these ISP's? Are prices generally cheaper using merely an alternate ISP? And does there need to be some sort of infrastructure in place to set up internet with someone else or will there be a super expensive setup charge?
It would be great saving $400+ a year if I could ditch my current cable setup.
Anyway, any help or guidance would be appreciated.
