COX v. UVERSE

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Irvinecommuter

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Moving into Saratoga and have an opportunity to get Uverse after getting stuck with Cox for the last 8-10 years.  To be fair, Cox has always been reliable but the pricing  :-\  They start rolling up the fees and costs every few months and TV is like $50 a month for the most basic cable package.  Their internet pricing is also high compared to Uverse.

With Uverse, there are a lot of forums/blogs that talk about them bait and switching.  That's not that big of a deal to me because Cox does that as well.  What I am concerned about is reliability and whether the download/upload speed is what is reported.

So...please advise if you have experience with Uverse v. Cox and what those experiences are.
 
I have Uverse just for the internet and have no issues.  But I dont stream alot of stuff.  I got a one year contract that im happy with.  Hopefully, they wont jack up my rates too much next year.  :-X
 
Cox all the way. As an IT consultant for small businesses and individuals, I've had too many bad experiences with U-Verse. First, what they don't tell you is, like DSL, your speed and reliability is dependent on how far you are from them. AT&T sales people have said "oh, you can get up to 24 mbps!" Then, after DSL has been replaced and U-Verse installed, we find that the max is about 1.5 mbps or 3 mbps because of the distance we are from AT&T. A couple clients had about 3-6 mbps on DSL reliably, then switched to U-Verse and have 1.5 unreliably. Worse, AT&T won't allow you to switch back to DSL because they're pushing U-Verse only now, so those clients are now looking at multiple T1 lines as their only option. AT&T's U-Verse is sad compared to Verizon's FIOS.

You also have to use AT&T's combo router/modem with U-Verse. They won't support/troubleshoot a third party router. With Cox you can use a standard cable modem and whatever router you choose so you can have the latest 802.11ac wireless and allow guest networks, etc. Also I've found that Cox can give you faster speeds than the tier you pay for.
 
I am happy with Uverse. When they installed it I found out my house was fairly close to the VRAD. My recommendation is to ask that question before moving forward (How close is your house to the VRAD). I think anything greater than 3000 ft might pose problems. Not sure on that number, might want to check.

Positives on the service:
Much cheaper than COX for the service we got. The price will go up after a year but it is still cheaper than Cox.
Love the DVR availability on all TV's in the house (This costs extra with Cox)
I initially thought it would take a second or two to buffer when changing channels, but to my surprise, very little buffer. As you change channels the show pops up right away (This is a pet peeve of mine)
Internet speed has been fine for us, no complaints (We don?t stream movies so I can't speak for that)
We had COX for 7+ years and I was ready to move away from them. I was sick of their service.

Negatives on the service:
Hasn?t happened in a while but we sometimes experience bandwidth problems with the cable. The show we are watching all of a sudden freezes and takes a few seconds to start up again. Almost like it is buffering and trying to continue. Does not happen very often but still a bit annoying. One time we had to restart the main hub in the house to reset the issue. It cleared it up.
Recording on the DVR is not as intuitive as COX. Took a little time to get used to. Once we got the hang of it, it became a non issue.
Way too many channels. Some channels are hard to find and remember. Was easier with COX. Channel line ups do not necessarily flow very well.
 
No Quarter said:
A Cox internet and DirectTV cable choice is what we have... seems to be the only way to get the best of both worlds right now.
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Yeah... my Cox internet is great... Cox cable TV, not as much.

If/when we move, I'll go satellite for TV, Cox for internet and OOMLA for home phone.

A relative of mine loves Uverse but I hate AT&T for anything home service related. Not only does it take forever to schedule appointments, but they rarely get the installation right the first time.

I also like satellite for TV because now they have all those multi-room DVRs and streaming on any device features. While Cox advertises device streaming, I have yet to find the app that does so.
 
SubSolar said:

Cox all the way. As an IT consultant for small businesses and individuals, I've had too many bad experiences with U-Verse. First, what they don't tell you is, like DSL, your speed and reliability is dependent on how far you are from them. AT&T sales people have said "oh, you can get up to 24 mbps!" Then, after DSL has been replaced and U-Verse installed, we find that the max is about 1.5 mbps or 3 mbps because of the distance we are from AT&T. A couple clients had about 3-6 mbps on DSL reliably, then switched to U-Verse and have 1.5 unreliably. Worse, AT&T won't allow you to switch back to DSL because they're pushing U-Verse only now, so those clients are now looking at multiple T1 lines as their only option. AT&T's U-Verse is sad compared to Verizon's FIOS.

You also have to use AT&T's combo router/modem with U-Verse. They won't support/troubleshoot a third party router. With Cox you can use a standard cable modem and whatever router you choose so you can have the latest 802.11ac wireless and allow guest networks, etc. Also I've found that Cox can give you faster speeds than the tier you pay for.
Click to expand...

I have U-verse and I am able to use my apple airport express with a guest network. it just depends on how you set it up
 
I have had Uverse for over a year after having previously had Cox and Time Warner Cable. My biggest complaint with the cable providers is that they were using DVRs that were 5-6 years old and slow as heck. The whole-home DVR from Uverse is awesome as well. With cable I had to record the same show on multiple DVRs if I wasn't sure where I'd want to watch it.

My 1 year promo with Uverse expired so I called and was able to get another year for a discounted rate (though a little more than my initial discount).

My only quality complaint with Uverse is that certain channels have choppy audio. In their defense I haven't reported the issue to them since it's not consistent so they haven't had an opportunity to correct it.
 
The current Cox system I have (Advanced TV) is also a whole home DVR but I have to pay extra for every extra box. I do like being able to access any show from any room that has the companion box.

Most cable companies are moving to that now to compete with Dish, DirecTV and UVerse. I just think Cox costs too much compared to the satellite providers.

 
How much internet bandwidth do you use at home?

If you're a T-Mobile customer, you can get a wireless hotspot device with $10/month credit toward your phone bill:http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/mobile-broadband-plans.aspx

This means, for $20 - $10 = $10/month you can get mobile hotspot service with 500MB/mo @ 4G speed + unlimited @ 3G speed, or $20/month for 2 GB @ 4G + unlimited at 3G speed.  Performance may vary depending on your distance to their tower.

If you're a low bandwidth user, this may be a good option for you as you can take the hotspot "on the go" as well.  This would be a cheaper option to cable modem.
 
I have heard only bad things about Uverse, but I don't have an first-hand experience I can share.

I have had Cox for Internet for probably over 10 years and have always been very happy with them. For years they would continually increase the maximum speed for no additional charge. My connection has always been super-fast and I've never had any real technical problems.

I have nothing but good things to say about their Internet service or pricing. Right now I'm on their maximum plan and getting ~65 Mb/s down and ~3 MB/s up, but that's only for 6 months until their special new-account pricing ends.

As far as TV, Cox is far too expensive, so I switched to DirecTV a few years ago. Upon moving to Saratoga, however, I switched over to Dish TV and I'm much happier with them because of their lower prices and much, much better, more advanced technology.
 
1st...Cell reception in Stonegate is miserable so hotspots are just not a smart choice for reliable internet.  I second SubSolar...Cox internet has better reliability and can maintain data transfer speeds way better than Uverse.  My mother has Uverse and her promises of 24megs only gets her 3 tops.  My wife and I both work from home a lot and having dropped connections and slow connections wouldn't be acceptable.  I do stream from Amazon video and Netflix and having that bandwidth makes a world of difference.

As for TV...Uverse menu system is slow to load, and that single unit box that controls everything is a pain.  It also comes with this clunky battery unit, and when that battery unit fails, internet, tv, phone all go out at the same time.  And it's guaranteed to fail.  The tech said they fail all the time when he replaced it.

Is cox over priced on their TV?  No doubt about it.  I'm too lazy to scroll down who said it by Direct TV and Cox internet is the best choice in my opinion as well.  Only thing I hate is the annoying calls from Cox to get me to switch back for their 6 month promotion to match Direct TV...i tell them match it permanently and I'm yours...and they usually tell me they cannot.

 
Another Cox tip, I called once and they bumped me a tier up in speeds for free for 6 months (went from 18 mbps to 24). The six months was coming up so last week I called to cancel the upgraded speed and they gave it to me for only 40 cents more a month than the 18 mbps plan so I kept it. Also if you are on the 18 mbps plan or higher they can activate their free basic cable. This is just connecting the coax directly into your TV, no set top box or dvr. I did this and surprisingly I get the major network channels in HD.

I agree that DirecTV is better but I'm a cord cutter except for the NBA playoffs (where I need espn/tnt). Cox allows me to just get cable tv for 3 months and then cancel the rest of the year, I don't think DirecTV allows this since you sign up for a year or two contract.
 
Thanks for everyone's input.  I think we may go with Cox internet and may strike out TV all together and go with Netflix, Amazon, and/or Hulu.  If that doesn't work, we may move to Dish/DirecTV.  I have heard stories of bad installation damaging the house though... :(
 
Irvinecommuter said:
Thanks for everyone's input.  I think we may go with Cox internet and may strike out TV all together and go with Netflix, Amazon, and/or Hulu.  If that doesn't work, we may move to Dish/DirecTV.  I have heard stories of bad installation damaging the house though... :(
Click to expand...

Good idea, a Roku, Xbox Live and HD Antenna/free basic cable may be enough for your entertainment needs. Don't forget the new Chromecast which adds more streaming possibilities.
 
SubSolar said:
Irvinecommuter said:
Thanks for everyone's input.  I think we may go with Cox internet and may strike out TV all together and go with Netflix, Amazon, and/or Hulu.  If that doesn't work, we may move to Dish/DirecTV.  I have heard stories of bad installation damaging the house though... :(
Click to expand...

Good idea, a Roku, Xbox Live and HD Antenna/free basic cable may be enough for your entertainment needs. Don't forget the new Chromecast which adds more streaming possibilities.
Click to expand...

So...now I have figure out how much bandwidth I need.  I think 18 megabits should be good...I can always upgrade to 24 if needed.  I also have to get an upgraded router and modem...I think my cheapo router and modem will explode if I ask them to do more. 
 
Irvinecommuter said:
SubSolar said:
Irvinecommuter said:
Thanks for everyone's input.  I think we may go with Cox internet and may strike out TV all together and go with Netflix, Amazon, and/or Hulu.  If that doesn't work, we may move to Dish/DirecTV.  I have heard stories of bad installation damaging the house though... :(
Click to expand...

Good idea, a Roku, Xbox Live and HD Antenna/free basic cable may be enough for your entertainment needs. Don't forget the new Chromecast which adds more streaming possibilities.
Click to expand...

So...now I have figure out how much bandwidth I need.  I think 18 megabits should be good...I can always upgrade to 24 if needed.  I also have to get an upgraded router and modem...I think my cheapo router and modem will explode if I ask them to do more.
Click to expand...

I think 18 should be fine, can always upgrade like you said. The ASUS routers seem to have the best performance. So good in fact that Netgear is suing them because they claim ASUS performs better because they are overpowering them and not complying with FCC standards:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...0-netgear-suing-asus-for-wireless-hanky-panky

I use this router and modem:

http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC1750-Gigabit-Router/dp/B008ABOJKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375220114&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+802.11ac

http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-Motorola-SB6121-SURFboard-DOCSIS/dp/B004XC6GJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375220321&sr=8-1&keywords=motorola+docsis+3.0+modem
 
lucky - what does dish tv do that direct tv doesnt do? i have the genie and can record 5 shows at once, do picture in picture, etc. just curious what Dish has that Directv doesnt.
 
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