Who has cut the cord?

So you guys have given me a renewed interest in cutting the cord from Direct TV ....but our WiFi is really bad through out the house. We have 2,000sqft per floor, 3 floors. The router is on the middle floor in the furthest corner in an office that I can’t move. So coverage Is not that great above or below in the areas opposite that corner.

If we were to cut we would have to fix that problem. A little bit of research suggests this would be a good fix for $299. Does anyone have experience with this google product or could recommend something else?

https://www.costco.com/Google-Wifi-4-Pack---Whole-Home-Mesh-Wifi-System.product.100406436.html
The google mesh is a great product. Easy to setup and
Hey good topic.

Who uses a Sling Box?

Where I normally overnight (near state parks) and the marina has good wifi so I'm thinking this might be a great alternative to watch my cable in real time while away from the house.
I have one and used it off and on when i first got it. It worked very well on your phone or ipad if you have a decent wireless signal. I first started using it with my apple tv to stream. It didn't work well then with the apple tv as i don't think airplay truly supported it. I think now things like Roku and Chromecast may work better with it but like i said haven't used it in a while.
 
As an update - we do use Roku on all of our TV's even though they're smart TV's. We have 3 different brands of TV's and they all have different menu systems. Hated them all so that's why we installed Roku's. Sling works well with the Roku. And BTW there's lots of free content on the Roku.
 
So you guys have given me a renewed interest in cutting the cord from Direct TV ....but our WiFi is really bad through out the house. We have 2,000sqft per floor, 3 floors. The router is on the middle floor in the furthest corner in an office that I can’t move. So coverage Is not that great above or below in the areas opposite that corner.

If we were to cut we would have to fix that problem. A little bit of research suggests this would be a good fix for $299. Does anyone have experience with this google product or could recommend something else?

https://www.costco.com/Google-Wifi-4-Pack---Whole-Home-Mesh-Wifi-System.product.100406436.html

My house is 2700 square feet on the main and second floors and the router is in the guest room/home office on the second floor. That router gives us great WiFi all over the house.
About 3 years ago I refinished a room in the basement, adding about another 900 sf. of finished space, and turned it in to a man cave with an 80” TV and some theater seats. The WiFi signal was non existent down there. My service provider, Verizon Fios, sold me an extender that gets connected to the coax coming out of the wall and plugged in for power. It gives me a solid 5 bars in the finished and non finished areas of the basement.
Dropping the coax in to the spot I wanted it in the basement wasn’t a problem.
The extender has their name on it, but I’m sure they didn’t make it.
If you’re interested, I can see if I can find any other kind of labels on it that might identify the actual manufacturer.
 
If you’re interested, I can see if I can find any other kind of labels on it that might identify the actual manufacturer.

My basement is finished drywall ceiling walls etc.... to make it work I need the router or the extender to be in the middle of the house on main. Joist run front to back... that is just too much work. So goal would be wireless. Costco has the google system with 4 repeaters for $299. I will probably go with that. Thanks for the help though.
 
How do these devices work on the boat? I have unlimited data and cell service I don't think is fast enough to stream video I also have an unlimited device connected to the wave rogue onboard but again cell service is not fast enough.
It's fine for browsing.
 
Installed the google mesh for a client that has sizeable square footage though its all on one floor. The setup was very easy and the coverage is great. If you are able to overlap the units at the edge of their coverage area you should be fine. It comes with an app that helps to ensure you are getting proper coverage.
 
I have an eero router system at the house, WiFi mesh network, super easy to setup. 3 devices, but you can add more if needed. You simply walk around the house and plug-in the extenders in a wall outlet, they act as night light if you want them to, and the app on your phone lets you know if it is too far away.
 
As an update - we do use Roku on all of our TV's even though they're smart TV's. We have 3 different brands of TV's and they all have different menu systems. Hated them all so that's why we installed Roku's. Sling works well with the Roku. And BTW there's lots of free content on the Roku.
Are you using the original Sling Box that lets you see your home TV on any remote TV or are using the new Sling that lets you pick what packages you want to buy?
 
I believe the amplfi series does the wireless mesh without wiring.

-Kevin

https://www.amplifi.com/

Use it at home, works awesome. You just need to locate them where they can still access the next closest point.

My router is in a basement room, I have one aplifi at the stairwell in the basement and another one in a room upstairs nearest the stairwell.
 
3 years of no DirectTV at $200/month. One Terk HD antenna in the attic that feeds all tv's for rarely watched local channels, hulu and Amazon Prime for 80% of our viewing and Netflix and Youtube for the remainder. Missed DTV the first few weeks, now not at all. Have Roku TV's in the boat and use a Verizon Jetpack for Internet. A WHOLE lot less money and still get what we want!
 
3 years of no DirectTV at $200/month. One Terk HD antenna in the attic that feeds all tv's for rarely watched local channels, hulu and Amazon Prime for 80% of our viewing and Netflix and Youtube for the remainder. Missed DTV the first few weeks, now not at all. Have Roku TV's in the boat and use a Verizon Jetpack for Internet. A WHOLE lot less money and still get what we want!
Thats my plan. I think i may try out the Playstation Vue service. Worse case we don't like it and we try another. Between that, netflix and amazon video i think we should be fine. I think all the kids need for now is access to Youtube and an easy way to get to it on the smart tv without flipping through inputs. I've only been to 2 locations (Block Island and CuttyHunk) in the past few years that had crappy cell data coverage. We'll have to break out the board games in those instances and chalk it up to quality family time.
 
How do these devices work on the boat? I have unlimited data and cell service I don't think is fast enough to stream video I also have an unlimited device connected to the wave rogue onboard but again cell service is not fast enough.
It's fine for browsing.
Joe, my plan would be to limit the number of devices using wifi when trying to stream. I think you should be able to stream content to your tv as some of the apps auto adjust the bit rate to maintain picture quality. I think netflix does a decent job of buffering as well. If others connect to your wifi while you're streaming I think you will see the reduction in quality.
 
Thats my plan. I think i may try out the Playstation Vue service. Worse case we don't like it and we try another. Between that, netflix and amazon video i think we should be fine. I think all the kids need for now is access to Youtube and an easy way to get to it on the smart tv without flipping through inputs. I've only been to 2 locations (Block Island and CuttyHunk) in the past few years that had crappy cell data coverage. We'll have to break out the board games in those instances and chalk it up to quality family time.
Should we start another thread on good board games to play (on or off the boat) or hijack this one? None is a valid answer of course. I think most agree hijacking is bad form...
 
How do these devices work on the boat? I have unlimited data and cell service I don't think is fast enough to stream video I also have an unlimited device connected to the wave rogue onboard but again cell service is not fast enough.
It's fine for browsing.

I’ve streamed Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on my boat via cell service with as few as 3 bars using my iPad many times with no problems at all.
Even without 5 full bars inside the fiberglass cabin cave of my express style boat I still have better streaming than I get with WiFi at the transient Marinas I’ve been to.
You’ve got big windows in your boat so it should work even better for you because you won’t have the deteriorated cell service I routinely have in my cabin.
My iPad has it’s own SIM card and an unlimited data plan. Never tried it with my iPhone, and not sure if the antennas in the iPads are better than the ones in the phones, but I know the iPad works great as a hotspot for streaming.
The smart TV’s on my boat have apps on them for both Netflix and Amazon so I don’t use any hardwire connection between the iPad and the TV I’m streaming to. I just turn on the hotspot, set the iPad on the counter in the galley, let the TV connect wirelessly, and I stream away.
 
We have a Verizion Jetpack Mifi that works very well for streaming on the boat. It seems to have a better connection than the phones or pads do. It probably has higher power since you will not hold it against your head.

MM
 
Should we start another thread on good board games to play (on or off the boat) or hijack this one? None is a valid answer of course. I think most agree hijacking is bad form...
Sure...should the title be "In lieu of sat tv, cellular data coverage, generator or battery power for that matter; What are good board games for the boat?". I kid with my wife that board games are for when we lose power at home.
 
I can tell you Jenga is a bad game to play on the boat when the Wifi goes out :). .... I apologize now if too soon for jokes.
 
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Sure...should the title be "In lieu of sat tv, cellular data coverage, generator or battery power for that matter; What are good board games for the boat?". I kid with my wife that board games are for when we lose power at home.

The best games start with "Admiral and Captain close the door and remove clothing..."

For other times backgammon...

MM
 
We cut the cable a couple years ago and just have Comcast internet service. For the first year we just used a antenna and Netflix but now I have Netflix, YoutubeTV and Amazon Prime Video. For the boat I installed a Ruku Stick and can stream the same services I have at home using the hotspot off my phone(Verizon) or marina WiFi. The boat has the KVH M1 but never use that.
 

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