Cutting the COX Cable cord.....

[stile99]

Yeah...got this month's bill and they are still honoring the current agreement and did not raise my internet bill even though I have no other services, as they threatened.

I don't think I'll be getting back into that cesspool.

[CloudDeckMedia]

A Cox phone tech agent tried to push Contour on us tonight because of continual problems with reception on one TV set.

Him: "Your equipment is old, so we recommend upgrading."
Me: "The equipment is two weeks old, installed when your tech was here last time trying to fix the same problem."
Him: "Oh - I don't mean THAT equipment, I mean the NETWORK equipment. If you upgrade to Contour you shouldn't have this problem."

So by failing to maintain their lousy equipment & network, it becomes an opportunity to upsell us to a higher-priced service. We already pay $242/month for a land line, mid-speed Internet and basic cable that gives us 500 channels of fake news, "reality TV" and sports teams we don't care about.

[u50254082]

You'd think Cox was about to go under based on how it's behaving. I seem to recall they weren't like this maybe 10 years ago?

So then the question I have is...which of our politicians have been bought out by their lobbyists so they can maintain their monopoly?

[CloudDeckMedia]

The tech arrived yesterday to investigate our reception problems, the solution to which - according to the phone tech person - was upgrading to Contour. The field repair person found that squirrels had chewed through the wiring, and a previous technician had stuffed coax into the outside box, crimping cables & connectors. So much for having to upgrade to Contour!

[stile99]

Oh, but the Contour would have fixed that, and so much more! It will walk the dog and take out the trash for you! When it gets back it'll do the dishes and mop the floors. If you've got nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea you can forget the Pepto...the Contour will cure what ails ya! Have that stupid song stuck in your head now? Contour's the solution!

[baralheia]

As luck would have it..... over the weekend my TV started displaying the dreaded "Your COX Cable Tuning Adapter Card Cannot Be Accessed."

This is about a twice a year thing for me and my TIVO. COX swaps it out for free, but it's a pain. I noticed my previous tuning adapter card was dated 2009. The replacement isn't much newer at 2010.

I just picked up a TiVo myself. We lucked out and all but one of the channels we actually watch aren't broadcast using SDV, so I didn't even bother hooking up the tuning adapter Cox gave me. That thing is bigger than my TiVo!

[FighttheGoodFight]

For all of you that are thinking of switching you can call Cox and get 40% off for 12 months.

https://www.cox.com/residential/spec...come-back.html

[BBatesokc]

For all of you that are thinking of switching you can call Cox and get 40% off for 12 months.

https://www.cox.com/residential/spec...come-back.html

Well, not really. The devil is in the details. You had to have already put in a disconnect order that is not older than 30-days. Plus, not good on the most basic TV package nor the better Internet speeds.

[barrettd]

I had AT&T Fiber installed Saturday, and I cannot wait to call and cancel Cox. They have screwed up my billing twice now after I called and got them to give me a few promotions. The latest time, my bill actually doubled as a result of my calling and getting a "better" deal.

I figure after a year, I can see what Cox has to offer, and maybe get a better rate then. I really wish they'd just give all their customers the same deal as they offer to new customers. I still would have jumped to Fiber, but I'd be more inclined to stick with one provider instead of jumping back and forth.

With AT&T, my deal is 12 months of fiber for $80/month, unlimited data. Cox couldn't come close to that last time I called. We'll see what attempt they make this time, not that it will matter.

[HangryHippo]

I had AT&T Fiber installed Saturday, and I cannot wait to call and cancel Cox. They have screwed up my billing twice now after I called and got them to give me a few promotions. The latest time, my bill actually doubled as a result of my calling and getting a "better" deal.

I figure after a year, I can see what Cox has to offer, and maybe get a better rate then. I really wish they'd just give all their customers the same deal as they offer to new customers. I still would have jumped to Fiber, but I'd be more inclined to stick with one provider instead of jumping back and forth.

With AT&T, my deal is 12 months of fiber for $80/month, unlimited data. Cox couldn't come close to that last time I called. We'll see what attempt they make this time, not that it will matter.

I would love to get AT&T Fiber because their current internet is sucking. But it's not in my area and no one can seem to tell me if and/or when it is coming.

[barrettd]

I would love to get AT&T Fiber because their current internet is sucking. But it's not in my area and no one can seem to tell me if and/or when it is coming.

You'll know when it's coming because they'll dig up the front yards in your neighborhood, if our install is typical. Once they had a presence in our neighborhood, it was a few months before the service was actually available. My neighbors across the street to the west of me do not have it; AT&T hasn't started laying the fiber there yet. I'm shocked they came to The Village so quickly.

[Pete]

Today, I was thrilled to see AT&T trucks in my neighborhood, seemingly in conjunction with laying fiber and street-repaving.

I live south of NW 50th and just west of Penn.

I am hoping beyond hope U-Verse is soon available for me and I can ditch Cox entirely.

I also hope this is part of a strategy on their part to bring their service to established neighborhoods.

[ChowRunner]

I think that fiber is being installed on Sara Rd just south of Reno. Lots of trucks out there burying large orange cable.

[BBatesokc]

Okay, finally did it and cut the cord for good. We got rid of Cox Cable for TV service.

I was going to put an antenna in the attic with a amplified splitter and run coax to each TV through the attic. Ended up not needing to go through all that effort.

We put an over-the-air Tivo in the living room (for DVR and streaming purposes) with free lifetime guide subscription and then each TV has it's own set-top antenna for only $13/ea. Works perfect for our needs and saves some cash too.

We also have Apple TV on a couple of our TV's with a Netflix and Amazon Prime Video subscriptions.

[MadMonk]

Okay, finally did it and cut the cord for good. We got rid of Cox Cable for TV service.

I was going to put an antenna in the attic with a amplified splitter and run coax to each TV through the attic. Ended up not needing to go through all that effort.

We put an over-the-air Tivo in the living room (for DVR and streaming purposes) with free lifetime guide subscription and then each TV has it's own set-top antenna for only $13/ea. Works perfect for our needs and saves some cash too.

We also have Apple TV on a couple of our TV's with a Netflix and Amazon Prime Video subscriptions.

What model of Tivo do you have and where'd you get it? I've been thinking about getting one. I miss the convenience of pausing a live show.

[mkjeeves]

What are you doing for internet? I've wondered what Cox will do for internet charges if I drop cable. I was paying Cox $100 a month for data at work and $200 a month for three business phone lines. I called them to drop a phone line (FAX) and they told me any changes and they would raise data to $200 a month.
(I moved to ATT. It was huge PITA but it's done.)


I've got a TIVO premier lifetime which has several streaming services but all of them work better with with Roku. I think the TIVO will work without cable.

[jerrywall]

Can't speak for him, but I have the TiVo Roamio OTA and love it. And I use it for Netflix and Plex streaming as well as recording from the antenna. And the picture quality is better than cable ever was.

[baralheia]

What model of Tivo do you have and where'd you get it? I've been thinking about getting one. I miss the convenience of pausing a live show.

Based on the description, it sounds like a Tivo Roamio OTA; This model does not have a cablecard slot so it's OTA-only, but comes with the All-In Plan (lifetime service) out of the box.

I own a Tivo Bolt because I wanted 4k compatibility, and I absolutely love mine. Unified Search is really freaking awesome - tell it what you want to watch, and it'll tell you everywhere you can get it from, between OTA recordings and compatible streaming services. And the interface is way, way, way better than Cox's old Scientific Atlanta set top boxes (couldn't compare it to Contour, I never had one of those boxes). Especially if you get a model that doesn't include All-In plan, Tivo boxes can be expensive, but I think they're very worth the cost.

[BBatesokc]

What model of Tivo do you have and where'd you get it? I've been thinking about getting one. I miss the convenience of pausing a live show.

You really only have one choice for OTA compatible TiVo's - the TiVo Roam OTA 1TB DVR (retail $400). You'll want the newest version as they come with FREE lifetime subscription to their guide. Features: OneSearch - when looking for a show/movie, TiVo searches multiple sources (OTA, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) all at once. OnePass - Makes sure you don't miss a single episode of your favorite show (current or past seasons). SkipMode - No need to watch commercials on our recorded show and no need to hold down the fast-forward button. Skip mode seamlessly jumps past the commercials. QuickMode - Watch a show 30% faster than normal speed without distorting the audio. 150 hours of recording time. 4 built-in tuners - watch one show while you record 3 others. Or, stream one recorded show to the kids room while you watch another in the living room and record 2 more shows, all at once. Radio Frequency remote means you can control your TiVo from another room or put your TiVo inside a cabinet or closet. Stream anything your TV can air (live TV, streaming TV, recorded TV) to other TV's in your house or even to your mobile device when you are away from home.

I actually spent a couple of weeks scouring Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and social media selling apps looking for a newer model used system (I'm extremely frugal). I finally found the latest model with 3 minis (needed to stream to 3 other TV's - retail for $180/ea.) and accessories for $250 ($950 retail value). TiVo transferred and registered the ownership and lifetime subscription to me at no charge. Literally took about 5 minutes to install the hardware. You then call Tivo to complete the registration and 30 minutes later it was up and running.

Our biggest reservation about cutting the cord was the loss of a smart streaming DVR. I tried some 3rd party DVRs from Amazon, etc. and they just didn't work like advertised and I sent them back.

What are you doing for internet? I've wondered what Cox will do for internet charges if I drop cable. I was paying Cox $100 a month for data at work and $200 a month for three business phone lines. I called them to drop a phone line (FAX) and they told me any changes and they would raise data to $200 a month.
(I moved to ATT. It was huge PITA but it's done.)

I had to keep COX for internet. ATT is way to slow for my needs. What pushed me to cut the cord in the last couple of weeks was the fact, once again, my COX bill jumped by $30/month and I got tired of arguing every few months for a rate reduction. I'm now doing their 150MB for $70/month. For phone service we use MagicJake for the last 5 years with zero issues and it's only about $35/yr. with a promo code. To get more speed out of my Internet service I purchased a bulk roll of ethernet cable and did hidden runs to several of my stationary devices to get faster than wifi speeds.

I've got a TIVO premier lifetime which has several streaming services but all of them work better with with Roku. I think the TIVO will work without cable.

Unfortunately, as far as i know, it takes a OTA specific TiVo model to get antenna service. We have a Tivo series 5 with lifetime subscription (that we used with COX) and it won't work with OTA. So, it's soon to go on Craigslist.

Can't speak for him, but I have the TiVo Roamio OTA and love it. And I use it for Netflix and Plex streaming as well as recording from the antenna. And the picture quality is better than cable ever was.

Totally agree! We were shocked how great the picture quality is with just an antenna. We use the Tivo to stream, but we also have Gen. 4 Apple TV's and use them a lot too.


As for an antenna - I was so glad I didn't have to install one in the attic and run amplified coax lines to each TV. I didn't want one of those flat sheet style antennas you see everywhere that hang on the wall (ugly). I wanted a set-top style antenna that is inconspicuous. I've tried two models - one from GE and one from Monoprice. Both worked well. I settled for the GE model as an open box item on Ebay (bought 7 of them) and they were less than half the price Walmart and Amazon charges.

This GE model works well and is also available locally at Walmart ($35).

Also available 'open box' on Ebay for only $13.50.

This is a similar model that worked for us just as well and is only $14 new

[stile99]

You really only have one choice for OTA compatible TiVo's - the TiVo Roam OTA 1TB DVR (retail $400).

Please don't tell my OTA Bolt that.

That said, the Roamio OTA with built in lifetime is a very good bet. The Bolt does not come with it, but TiVo had a special where they wanted to migrate people from older devices so they offered the box itself for a steal and to transfer lifetime from the old device.

To address the working without cable: The series 5 (which is what the Roamio is) will happily work, just obviously you're not going to be recording. Watch anything recorded on it now, check. Stream online, check. Watch content recorded on another TiVo in the house, check. Same for the Premiere as well. Source: I cut Cox about 4 years ago and have continued to use every single one of my TiVos since. Including the series 3 before I accepted the lifetime transfer option.

[BBatesokc]

Please don't tell my OTA Bolt that.

That said, the Roamio OTA with built in lifetime is a very good bet. The Bolt does not come with it, but TiVo had a special where they wanted to migrate people from older devices so they offered the box itself for a steal and to transfer lifetime from the old device.

To address the working without cable: The series 5 (which is what the Roamio is) will happily work, just obviously you're not going to be recording. Watch anything recorded on it now, check. Stream online, check. Watch content recorded on another TiVo in the house, check. Same for the Premiere as well. Source: I cut Cox about 4 years ago and have continued to use every single one of my TiVos since. Including the series 3 before I accepted the lifetime transfer option.

I forgot the Bolt will do OTA - for some reason some of the online literature simply states... "TV Source: Digital cable and Verizon FIOS"

When I called TiVo about making sure a used TiVo would transfer any lifetime subscription they recommended if I was cutting the cable cord to do the Roamio OTA as it was specific to OTA.

I personally hate the Bolt's physical design. I have to stack my hardware near my TV and the Bolt doesn't play well in that environment with it's "hump."

[mkjeeves]

The TiVo forums seem to indicate some Premier boxes can be used with an antenna and some are cable only. My box has both inputs labeled cable and antenna. I have an antenna in the attic that works great connected to the tv but haven’t connected it and see if it works with the TiVo. The manual isn’t clear, says it may be connected to cable but will require a cable card, which it has. I’m glad to know there are other options if it doesn’t.

[BBatesokc]

The TiVo forums seem to indicate some Premier boxes can be used with an antenna and some are cable only. ...

Yeah, I got curious and plugged my antenna into my Tivo series 5 and it would not work. Apparently there were 3 or 4 different types of Series 5 Tivo's.

[jerrywall]

I do wish I had gotten the lifetime option. I paid $49 for my TiVo ota but pay the monthly fee. Still cheaper than cable.

[BBatesokc]

Anyone here using a Slingbox with a TiVo?

Our OTA Tivo setup is working great, but I want to be able to send the signal to other TV's, my iMacs and my iPad when I'm away from the house. Looks like the SlingBox M2 will do just that.

My previous cable version of TiVo would do all that, but the new OTA Roamio's do not appear to.

Initially I was going to use a TiVo Stream to send the signal to others TV's in my house, but since TiVo no longer supports the Stream you have to buy them used and the reviews are hit and miss. The other option was to run ethernet cable and I really don't want to deal with that and it won't solve my remote viewing needs.

Wondering if anyone here utilizes a SlingBox M2 with TiVo or another setup to achieve the same results?