Questions about FIOS
dido2
Enthusiast - Level 1

I'm currently a TWC customer for TV cable and Internet with phone (land and cell) service with Verizon.  I'm considering consolidating TV, Internet and Phone with Verizon FIOS, but I have some quesitions.

Quesition #1:

I have three (3) cable-ready televisions - non of which are HD or flat panels...yes I know I'm way behind tech-wise, but I'm getting there.  What additional equipment will I need (DVR boxes, etc.), if any and what will be the additional cost? This question also applies to any equipment required for internet access with wireless such as a router.

Quesiton #2:

I'm being offered the $99/month for 12 month package for all three services.  What will be the actual cost once the promotion period is over.  Customer support is vague in answering.

I just want to make sure I understand what I'm getting into.

Thanks!

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Correct answers
Re: Questions about FIOS
jmw1950
Specialist - Level 2

First of all, the $99 just covers the Verizon services and no STB's. It does not cover the multitude of fees/taxes etc that are imposed on the telephone service,sales taxes where applicable, or the franchise fee Verizon usually has to pay to the municipality in order to offer TV in the municipality. In otherwords if you are expecting to see a $99/month bill, you are in for an unpleasant surprise.

After the  12 months (or other contract period), you are going to be billed whatever the current Verizon price is for the services. In general only the telephone service is subject to regulation, so Verizon can charge pretty much whatever they want for Internet and TV. My guess is you are looking at an extra $45 a month or so after a year.

The HD DVR  with multi-room feature is  often free for the 1st year, then $10.99, the multi-room feature on the DVR is extra. The STB's are a few dollars a month each (HD is about $1 a month extra). A router is required for FiOS Television services even if you don't want Internet, and it is usually free, has 4 Ethernet ports, and Wi-Fi (usually 802.11g, not 803.11n).

The DVR is HD only, but does have S-VHS output and composite video output, so if your SD TV's have S-VHS and/or Composite video, you can use the DVR and watch HD channels. An SD STB will not allow you to watch HD channels. I believe the HD STB's also have S-VHS and composite video output as well.

The STB's and HD DVR actually use the Internet for on-demand service and program guide information and connect using MOCA over the Coaxial cable.  Because MOCA uses frequencies that cable systems generally don't use, it is often necessary to replace the existing splitters even if the house is already wired for cable. Because the router supports MOCA, you can have internet service in any room that has coax if you use a MOCA bridge. Generally MOCA supports data rates above 200mbps, so there is plenty of bandwidth (the router generally only supports 100mbps on the ethernet ports).

The other observation is that FiOS has a lot more bandwidth available than Cable, so FiOS TV tends to be better than Cable, and if you are willing to pay for it, you can have much faster Internet Service than Cable can offer. In my experienced, FiOS has had better reliability  as well.

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Re: Questions about FIOS
SabresFan1
Enthusiast - Level 3

Q#1- you will need a Standard box for your TV's. It is either 5.99 or 6.99 per box A month.  Q#2- the prices usually last 1 to 2 years depending on promotion that are offering. A fter the 1 or 2 year promotion price, you could call them directly to get the new or same promotion rate.

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Re: Questions about FIOS
SabresFan1
Enthusiast - Level 3

my router was free when I got connected. No monthly fee either.

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Re: Questions about FIOS
jmw1950
Specialist - Level 2

First of all, the $99 just covers the Verizon services and no STB's. It does not cover the multitude of fees/taxes etc that are imposed on the telephone service,sales taxes where applicable, or the franchise fee Verizon usually has to pay to the municipality in order to offer TV in the municipality. In otherwords if you are expecting to see a $99/month bill, you are in for an unpleasant surprise.

After the  12 months (or other contract period), you are going to be billed whatever the current Verizon price is for the services. In general only the telephone service is subject to regulation, so Verizon can charge pretty much whatever they want for Internet and TV. My guess is you are looking at an extra $45 a month or so after a year.

The HD DVR  with multi-room feature is  often free for the 1st year, then $10.99, the multi-room feature on the DVR is extra. The STB's are a few dollars a month each (HD is about $1 a month extra). A router is required for FiOS Television services even if you don't want Internet, and it is usually free, has 4 Ethernet ports, and Wi-Fi (usually 802.11g, not 803.11n).

The DVR is HD only, but does have S-VHS output and composite video output, so if your SD TV's have S-VHS and/or Composite video, you can use the DVR and watch HD channels. An SD STB will not allow you to watch HD channels. I believe the HD STB's also have S-VHS and composite video output as well.

The STB's and HD DVR actually use the Internet for on-demand service and program guide information and connect using MOCA over the Coaxial cable.  Because MOCA uses frequencies that cable systems generally don't use, it is often necessary to replace the existing splitters even if the house is already wired for cable. Because the router supports MOCA, you can have internet service in any room that has coax if you use a MOCA bridge. Generally MOCA supports data rates above 200mbps, so there is plenty of bandwidth (the router generally only supports 100mbps on the ethernet ports).

The other observation is that FiOS has a lot more bandwidth available than Cable, so FiOS TV tends to be better than Cable, and if you are willing to pay for it, you can have much faster Internet Service than Cable can offer. In my experienced, FiOS has had better reliability  as well.

Re: Questions about FIOS
dido2
Enthusiast - Level 1

Thanks Mattheww - very helpful. 

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