AT&T U-verse for Hi Speed Internet & TV....anyone?

[Touring5]

I've had U-verse TV, internet, VOIP since last October.

Overall, I have very few complaints since the initial install (took a week to get everything working properly). The price is significantly cheaper than what comcast could provide. As to future price increases: with no commitment or equipment purchase I don't see the problem.

ATT customer support is, however, the worst. Even makes comcast seem pleasurable. The installers/technicians were all competent and friendly - but even they have to battle the same lousy support system.

Some people complain about the DVR, but I find it superior to my HD-TiVo unit. The biggest problem I have with it is that it's simply incompatible with my universal remote (even when programmed using the learn function). I understand some of the Logitech Harmony remotes can be made to work, but very few will work with the Uverse box.

 

[mrsilv04]

To those who have the U-verse system.

How are the receivers for the additional TV's connected to the main receiver (that houses the DVR)?

Is it done with coax or Cat 5?

How extensive is the install as a whole?

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

I see UVerse as a technology that *may* work, but is a bit too bleeding edge for my tastes. I want TV to work 100% of the time. A $20 antenna will facilitate that. If hundreds of dollars, or more, of equipment can't give what a $20 antenna can provide, I'll pass.

DirecTV has been very reliable in the 11 years we have been a subscriber. Well, save for one month with Charter cable. Blechhh. They are awful as a provider.

 

[Touring5]

I only have one receiver/DVR, but I believe they prefer to do the wiring via Cat5. If you have existing coax they will usually go that route.

The installation can run from less than two hours to all day long. Mostly it depends on how much cable/wire they have to pull in your house and all the logistics to setting you up at the VRAD.

In my case they had to call a line tech out to fix a bridge tap between the VRAD and my house. They also ran into a problem provisioning the VOIP account.

Check out the Uverse peer-to-peer boards

http://utalk.att.com/utalk/

On the "equipment" board there are lots of discussions about installation.

Edited to add: I'm at just about the upper distance limit for Uverse (last pole on the block), but my picture is more reliable than OTA (albeit a bit more compressed). My next door neighbor dropped DirecTV for Uverse and was glad he did. It seems with Uverse either you get great reliability or poor - not much in between.

 

[mrsilv04]

There's a VRAD unit a half a block from my house.

I'm sure that will be a good thing.

Thanks for the site to look at.

 

[mrsilv04]

I just signed up for U-verse online.

The combination of it being cheaper than cable, no install fees, no contract, wireless service built into the gateway box, and a $300 rebate was all more than I could say "no" to.

If I'm not happy, I'll simply re-connect my Dish Network service.

 

[XS650]

Mrsilvr, do you have fiber to your house or are they stuffing that through copper part way?

 

[greenaccord02]

I thought FiOS from Verizon was the only 'fiber to the house' service out there, but I might be wrong.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: XS650
Mrsilvr, do you have fiber to your house or are they stuffing that through copper part way?


There's a U-verse VRAD unit about a half a block away, and there's a telco pedestal in my backyard, about 40' from the house.

What they do for that last half block is the question.

 

[Buffman]

It's still all copper up to the house. FO is only to the VRAD with AT&T service.

ALL DVR and TV receiver boxes hook into the Residental Gateway, that feeds, TV, Internet, Phone. TV box wired with Cat5e/higher becomes a device on the RG's netweork. I'm not sure how they do coax, with more than one unit, but I recall my friend saying they use a splitter. I wired up my house for the AT&T tech. Took 4hours because I had no signal from the VRAD because the outside line was bad. After getting the lineman out, the install lady said that I made her job really easy. I typically will run Cat 6 because it's what I get from work

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: Buffman
It's still all copper up to the house. FO is only to the VRAD with AT&T service.

ALL DVR and TV receiver boxes hook into the Residental Gateway, that feeds, TV, Internet, Phone. TV box wired with Cat5e/higher becomes a device on the RG's netweork. I'm not sure how they do coax, with more than one unit, but I recall my friend saying they use a splitter. I wired up my house for the AT&T tech. Took 4hours because I had no signal from the VRAD because the outside line was bad. After getting the lineman out, the install lady said that I made her job really easy. I typically will run Cat 6 because it's what I get from work


That's true in SOME areas. Like I said, our new subdivision is fiber to the premises and it's AT&T. In fact, when I tried to get Uverse and then later just telephone and internet, the "copper folks" said they couldn't provide phone service. I gave them my neighbor's number and said they have home phone service with AT&T, they figured out that it was out of another "group" in AT&T that handled homes with fiber.

I have fiber coming to my residential gateway, and a UPS battery inside the house since there is no power on the "line" with fiber.

So while you are correct for MOST folks, AT&T is rolling out fiber to at least some new subdivisions, right to the home.

 

[mrsilv04]

Got my install date from the AT&T folks, it is next Monday morning.... Can't wait!

 

[Buffman]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Originally Posted By: Buffman
It's still all copper up to the house. FO is only to the VRAD with AT&T service.

ALL DVR and TV receiver boxes hook into the Residental Gateway, that feeds, TV, Internet, Phone. TV box wired with Cat5e/higher becomes a device on the RG's netweork. I'm not sure how they do coax, with more than one unit, but I recall my friend saying they use a splitter. I wired up my house for the AT&T tech. Took 4hours because I had no signal from the VRAD because the outside line was bad. After getting the lineman out, the install lady said that I made her job really easy. I typically will run Cat 6 because it's what I get from work


That's true in SOME areas. Like I said, our new subdivision is fiber to the premises and it's AT&T. In fact, when I tried to get Uverse and then later just telephone and internet, the "copper folks" said they couldn't provide phone service. I gave them my neighbor's number and said they have home phone service with AT&T, they figured out that it was out of another "group" in AT&T that handled homes with fiber.

I have fiber coming to my residential gateway, and a UPS battery inside the house since there is no power on the "line" with fiber.

So while you are correct for MOST folks, AT&T is rolling out fiber to at least some new subdivisions, right to the home.


Interesting indeed. What model gateway do you have?