Comcast?

townleyt

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Jul 19, 2005
25
I swore off Comcast years ago because of their shitty customer service and the fact that service always seemed to go down. I've enjoyed having Fios but the internet has been spotty for the better part of a year now. As my contract is up, I decided to look at Comcast again and their prices are cheaper than Fios.

Anyone have any experience with the Xfinity setup Comcast has going now? I've heard rumblings that it's much improved but am still hesitant to make the jump back...
 

bosoxsue

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I have Xfinity for TV and Internet. I finally replaced their terrible modem/router that I rented with a modem and router of my own, and the difference in the Internet quality is night and day. I negotiated lower with them on some of the TV offerings, but I feel like I'm still getting ripped off, so I might go to Dish only for TV soon because of the better rate. But for the Internet, I have no complaints, and truth be told, their customer service has been all right.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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Are you going with TV as well? I think X1 is fantastic. I hate my parent's FIOS after using X1 for awhile.

The Internet has been solid. Their customer service has improved significantly IMO. I was having an issue, their tech came out for 2 hours for free and rewired half the house's cable.

Outside of the price, which is something we all deal with, I couldn't be happier with Comcast (unless they cut the price in half). 5 years ago I was begging Verizon to come to our town to ditch Comcast. I wouldn't switch to Verizon at all now unless there was a decent cost savings.
 

townleyt

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Jul 19, 2005
25
Are you going with TV as well? I think X1 is fantastic. I hate my parent's FIOS after using X1 for awhile.

The Internet has been solid. Their customer service has improved significantly IMO. I was having an issue, their tech came out for 2 hours for free and rewired half the house's cable.

Outside of the price, which is something we all deal with, I couldn't be happier with Comcast (unless they cut the price in half). 5 years ago I was begging Verizon to come to our town to ditch Comcast. I wouldn't switch to Verizon at all now unless there was a decent cost savings.
Yeah, I want to go with everything: phone/tv/internet.
I was in the same boat, I couldn't get Fios fast enough. But I've fallen out of love with them and price is always a factor.

Thanks for the input!
 

Jungleland

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Aug 2, 2009
2,351
Anyone else find that with the newer boxes (I just got mine in september) there's a pretty significant lag when switching channels? My parents have an older HD box and it's basically instant as long as you're going from an HD station to an HD station, but with the new box/interface you get about a second of the station logo as it switches. Not a huge deal but slightly frustrating for switching between single games and Red Zone.

The internet is really good now. I too ended up buying my own modem and router, not sure how responsible it is for the improved speed and stability but it's definitely better than my last go-around.
 

Byrdbrain

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Jul 18, 2005
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Yeah there is definitely a lag when you are on one of the secondarily boxes. I also have issues doing the quick rewind which is pretty much how I watch football. Other than the price that is my main complaint about X1.
 

bosoxsue

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They swapped out the boxes in mid-December when they gave me the new rate. I have noticed a lag between the mouths moving and the sound, and upon Googling, this seems to be an issue with the new boxes. The unplugging trick solves it, but it takes some time to reboot.
 

baruch20

New Member
Jul 31, 2006
226
North Shore
Slow Internet speeds are not always the modem (much of the time infact).

Have a tech come out and check forward/return signals and checking for noise on your lines.
Enough noise on the lines (cuts, nicks, bends, bad or loose connectors, cheap/crappy splitters as well as old junky tvs back feeding voltage ) causes packet loss and makes for a annoying time, particularly when streaming content.

Be adamant they send a tech to check lines but make sure they won't charge you.
 

bohous

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Jul 21, 2005
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I made the switch from Fios about a year and a half ago when my contract was up. I wasn't excited about switching to Comcast because of the negative reviews regarding customer service etc. but the price break was too great to not give it a shot. End of the day I have been very happy with our Xfinity package and the upgrade of the UI from FIOS to X1 was alone worth the change (Fios is/was a mess to navigate). There is a bit of a lag when surfing the menu but I guess I have gotten used to it. I have rarely needed customer service but when I have needed it they have been fine other than the long wait time on hold.
My 2 years is will be up in a few months and I will shop around but if prices are competitive I will be inclined to stick with Comcast.
 

rmurph3

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Nov 28, 2003
1,196
Westwood, MA
Not much original thought... haven't gone to X1 on TV yet, but I've been very happy with the Internet. It flies... although it's still annoying as all hell when it goes down a few times a year.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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They swapped out the boxes in mid-December when they gave me the new rate. I have noticed a lag between the mouths moving and the sound, and upon Googling, this seems to be an issue with the new boxes. The unplugging trick solves it, but it takes some time to reboot.
I forgot about this. It does happen on occasion. Just unplug the HDMI cord and plug it back in it fixes it. Way faster than a reboot.
 

Marceline

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Slow Internet speeds are not always the modem (much of the time infact).
Maybe not the modem itself, but the wireless router that's built into the Comcast modem is complete garbage.

When I first got Comcast I was getting terrible speeds via their modem/wifi - something like 15-20mbps max on a 105mbit connection. However if I hard wired into the modem the speeds were around 80-90mbps on a speed test.

I installed my own router and all of a sudden was getting around 60-70mbps via wifi. So it's definitely worth ditching Comcast's modem/router and using your own just to get off their wifi. (Not to mention having to share your wifi with any other Comcast customers that feel like using it if you use their router).

Getting back to the original post in this thread, one factor to consider with Comcast is they will soon be implementing data caps in almost all markets and if you do any kind of streaming video at all you will probably exceed that cap. It's supposedly going to cost an extra $30/month or so to get on their "unlimited" plan once they do this.
 

Marceline

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They've been threatening to institute the cap for how long? (Yes, those MLB fans who plan to watch 150 of their favorite team's games via XBox or Apple TV will be absolutely bummed if it happens.)
They are no longer just threatening, they are actively expanding the areas in which they've instituted the caps:

http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/11/comcast-brings-data-caps-to-more-cities-says-its-all-about-fairness/

And it's not just people who watch loads of MLB.TV - even a moderate amount of video streaming will lead to blowing through the cap.

Netflix HD streams use 3gb per hour. That's 100 hours per month based on the 300gb Comcast caps. If you have a 4 person household and each person watches Netflix for an hour a day you've just gone over the cap, and that's not even accounting for any other internet usage outside of Netflix.
 

timlinin8th

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Jun 6, 2009
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I have rarely needed customer service but when I have needed it they have been fine other than the long wait time on hold.
I know people default to the phone calls out of habit still, but there are plenty of tools on the website (specifically a chat feature) and the My Account smartphone app which you can do a box refresh without sitting on hold for an hour just to have the rep do it. I'd opt for any and all those other options vs the "your call is important to us but we're having higher than normal call volume" 24 hrs a day.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Even on the phone, when you go to support they require you to decline the reset the box option before getting to a rep.
 

Hoodie Sleeves

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Nov 24, 2015
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Slow Internet speeds are not always the modem (much of the time infact).

Have a tech come out and check forward/return signals and checking for noise on your lines.
Enough noise on the lines (cuts, nicks, bends, bad or loose connectors, cheap/crappy splitters as well as old junky tvs back feeding voltage ) causes packet loss and makes for a annoying time, particularly when streaming content.

Be adamant they send a tech to check lines but make sure they won't charge you.
If you've got an older house, it's absolutely imperative to do this.

When I moved into my house I ended up in the crawl space chasing the cable lines, and removed 12 splitters. Quality was a problem on everything. I pulled all the splitters, ran the lines back to a central amp, and now everything is fast, and works well. Repair/install techs will just generally cut and splice in splitters when they set things up - so if its transferred hands a couple times, or been rented, the lines are probably a mess.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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Sep 9, 2006
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Maybe not the modem itself, but the wireless router that's built into the Comcast modem is complete garbage.

When I first got Comcast I was getting terrible speeds via their modem/wifi - something like 15-20mbps max on a 105mbit connection. However if I hard wired into the modem the speeds were around 80-90mbps on a speed test.

I installed my own router and all of a sudden was getting around 60-70mbps via wifi. So it's definitely worth ditching Comcast's modem/router and using your own just to get off their wifi. (Not to mention having to share your wifi with any other Comcast customers that feel like using it if you use their router).

Getting back to the original post in this thread, one factor to consider with Comcast is they will soon be implementing data caps in almost all markets and if you do any kind of streaming video at all you will probably exceed that cap. It's supposedly going to cost an extra $30/month or so to get on their "unlimited" plan once they do this.
I think the Comcast routers with built-in wi-fi max out at wireless-G rather than N or any other later protocol.
 

Bowhemian

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Nov 10, 2015
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I have had Comcast for 15 years, and I am happy with it. Sure it is expensive, but I have never had a problem with customer service. Have had to switch out boxes a few times, but I can do that in person at their local office. I am also having a problem with crappy signals on some of my TVs, but that is my fault. I need to rewire and eliminate splitters like Hoodie said. Fortunately my neighbor works for Comcast, so he can help me do that. Where I live I don't have the option to go with Fios, or any other cable service, so I guess I am stuck with them (which is fine). I have no desire to go to Satellite.

My only beef with Comcast is the bundle price. I have the package with phone, internet and cable. We don’t use the phone, but if I want to cancel just the phone, the bundle is more expensive. Makes perfect sense. I have my phone unplugged, and the calls directed to the printer/fax. The stream of phone calls from surveys/political calls etc is unreal. So I just don’t even consider answering the house phone. Keeping the house phone actually saves me like $20/month.
 

derekson

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Jun 26, 2010
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They've been threatening to institute the cap for how long? (Yes, those MLB fans who plan to watch 150 of their favorite team's games via XBox or Apple TV will be absolutely bummed if it happens.)
Yeah if they actually implement the data caps I'll be pissed off as hell. When MLB.tv is active I go through SOOO much data.
 

Koufax

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I just switched to Comcast. I cut my bill in half by switching out of Verizon (although I gave up some premium channels to do that).

The Comcast box seems to get frozen (requiring a reboot) if I do too much fast forwarding, which I do a lot (i.e., between plays of a football game). It was frustrating last night to be speed watching the Cincy-Pittsburgh game only to miss some key moments due to a reboot.

My internet speed is just fine. When the tech came out to set up the system (I left Comcast 2 years ago, so the basic connections were in place) he spent a lot of time fixing the equipment out by the street, which may have led to some significant improvement. Apparently things had not been wired properly in the past.

Other than the FREQUENT rebooting, Comcast is fine. If anyone here has had that problem and knows of a fix, I'd be most grateful for advice.
 

Wingack

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It's not because of cord cutters.
Sure it is. Cord cutters have moved from watching TV over the cable line to streaming what they watching over Netflix/Hulu/etc., illegally downloading or streaming things, borrowing friends passwords to stream shows. They are still watching a lot of TV just paying a lot less for it and the cable companies want a cut of it again since it is all happening over their internet that these people are still watching TV.
 

SumnerH

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Sure it is. Cord cutters have moved from watching TV over the cable line to streaming what they watching over Netflix/Hulu/etc., illegally downloading or streaming things, borrowing friends passwords to stream shows. They are still watching a lot of TV just paying a lot less for it and the cable companies want a cut of it again since it is all happening over their internet that these people are still watching TV.
It's is pretty hilarious that you started this line of thought after a post about MLB.com, which is functionally similar to every other kind of streaming /cord cutting service.
 

crystalline

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Oct 12, 2009
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They are still watching a lot of TV just paying a lot less for it and the cable companies want a cut of it again
Cable has a natural monopoly
The internet is a disruptive technology
Cable companies are trying to reestablish pricing power using their natural monopoly

Ergo blame consumers for choosing cheaper options?

The real problem is natural monopolies due to high cost of entry in markets that depend on very expensive infrastructure.
Solution: live in a place where two cable companies compete. (But consumers can't control that you say? Then the solution is governmental regulation.)
 

Marceline

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Sure it is. Cord cutters have moved from watching TV over the cable line to streaming what they watching over Netflix/Hulu/etc., illegally downloading or streaming things, borrowing friends passwords to stream shows. They are still watching a lot of TV just paying a lot less for it and the cable companies want a cut of it again since it is all happening over their internet that these people are still watching TV.
If there were zero cord cutters and everyone still paid for cable TV, Comcast would still be putting in data caps. It's a way for them to generate more revenue, and since they have a monopoly in most areas, they are going to do it, cord cutters or no.
 

Wingack

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If there were zero cord cutters and everyone still paid for cable TV, Comcast would still be putting in data caps. It's a way for them to generate more revenue, and since they have a monopoly in most areas, they are going to do it, cord cutters or no.
Possibly, but maybe not. They could have instituted it ten years ago before the cord cutting craze to generate money, but they didn't because they were making more money back then.
 

amh03

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Anyone else having issues with Comcast today? Email's been down all day. The outage map has shown a huge red cloud over all of the northeast...
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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Got my bill. Having an issue with it, with the new box, nice features, but $200 for double play (cable and internet) after all the fees is ridiculous.

I don't use their email though.
 

DanoooME

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We've been in a new apartment (as in brand new, just built) for a year now and we've had to call over 30 times in that year to have various issues fixed to all three services. Comcast ranks up there with Apria Healthcare as the worst companies on the planet. If I could get Fios, I would leave in a second.
 

the1andonly3003

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Jul 15, 2005
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I am shopping for a new cable tv/internet combo. How does RCN compare to Comcast? Does RCN have a longer list of compatible 3rd party modem/router combos?

Been using Verizon DSL/phone bundle + Comcast cable. I am wary of the ability of any random person to use up wifi bandwidth. From reading this thread, if I buy my own Arris/Netgear modem, it prevents that?
 

NortheasternPJ

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What's your objection to just using Comcast for both? As a former Comcast hater, I'm very happy with their service between the X1 platform and their new Internet tiers (upload speeds still blow but that doesn't really matter for my daily use)

The Arris Surfboard (which is what I'm using on Comcast) should work fine.

I wouldn't buy a Netgear router. I'm extremely happy with the TP-Link Archer C7, recommended by WireCutter.


In terms of bandwidth, if you're all on the same wireless then it's tough to throttle people, but it comes with a Guest Network you can setup and throttle their bandwidth.

I haven't been exposed to RCN since I lived in Boston in 2005. It was horribly outdated then, even by 2005 standards, and really sucked. If you're coming from DSL I think you'd be happy with anything. DSL sucks.
 

the1andonly3003

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Jul 15, 2005
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What's your objection to just using Comcast for both? As a former Comcast hater, I'm very happy with their service between the X1 platform and their new Internet tiers (upload speeds still blow but that doesn't really matter for my daily use)

The Arris Surfboard (which is what I'm using on Comcast) should work fine.

I wouldn't buy a Netgear router. I'm extremely happy with the TP-Link Archer C7, recommended by WireCutter.


In terms of bandwidth, if you're all on the same wireless then it's tough to throttle people, but it comes with a Guest Network you can setup and throttle their bandwidth.

I haven't been exposed to RCN since I lived in Boston in 2005. It was horribly outdated then, even by 2005 standards, and really sucked. If you're coming from DSL I think you'd be happy with anything. DSL sucks.
When I compare the prices of RCN and Xfinity, RCN seems much cheaper

if a bunch of ppl jump onto the XFinity hotspot, does that slow down my own speeds?
 

the1andonly3003

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Jul 15, 2005
4,372
Chicago
I guess I am getting confused about the equipment I would need if I go with Xfinity cable internet and TV. What does Comcast rent out for $10/month? The Gateway (that i saw sold at Best Buy).

I went out to Best Buy/Staples/MicroCenter to look at models, and I saw a lot of this being sold: www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Certified-Xfinity-Comcast/dp/B00ZUPOF7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1487901282&sr=1-1&keywords=netgear%2Bnighthawk%2Bac1900%2Bc7000&th=1

the Archer C7 seems to be a router only?

pardon my lack of knowledge on this
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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Comcast rents out a piece of crap modem and router combo, at least in my area. When I got rid of it my speeds over doubled. When using the Xfiniti hot spot it doesn't come off your bill, but it will take some of your bandwidth. The hotspot is something that only comes with the Comcast provided box and it can also be disabled via the web.

You do need a modem and a router (or a combo). I personally have a Surfboard Modem and Archer router. you can go with the combo as show above, I just don't have experience with that model so I can't tell you if it's good or bad. The reviews seem good.

I decided to go the split route because it was cheaper than the combo's and also gives more flexibility. In the future I can replace one or the other and not have to do both if required.
 

the1andonly3003

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Jul 15, 2005
4,372
Chicago
Comcast rents out a piece of crap modem and router combo, at least in my area. When I got rid of it my speeds over doubled. When using the Xfiniti hot spot it doesn't come off your bill, but it will take some of your bandwidth. The hotspot is something that only comes with the Comcast provided box and it can also be disabled via the web.

You do need a modem and a router (or a combo). I personally have a Surfboard Modem and Archer router. you can go with the combo as show above, I just don't have experience with that model so I can't tell you if it's good or bad. The reviews seem good.

I decided to go the split route because it was cheaper than the combo's and also gives more flexibility. In the future I can replace one or the other and not have to do both if required.
thanks...if I go with separate modem + router, that means the modem has to be converted to bridge mode first? that is my experience with my Linksys and Verizon DSL modem.
 

Marceline

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thanks...if I go with separate modem + router, that means the modem has to be converted to bridge mode first? that is my experience with my Linksys and Verizon DSL modem.
The Verizon modems have to be placed into bridge mode because it's actually a modem+router combo they are giving you, and bridge mode effectively disables the router part.

If you buy a regular cable modem and a separate wireless router, the modem itself is pretty much plug and play. No need to do bridge mode or any other config on the modem itself.
 

the1andonly3003

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Jul 15, 2005
4,372
Chicago
so I spent an hour on the phone with a rep this afternoon to discuss different packages. at the end of the call, rep tells me that X1 boxes and self-install kits are all unavailable for pickup at service centers locally in MA, and needs to charge me $9.99 for shipping. does this sound fishy to anyone?

separately, does my home need to have 2 coax outlets active in order to use both internet and TV? if self-install kit doesn't work or if I don't have 2 outlets available, comcast will charge $59.99 to send a technician to my home to work on it - is there any way to get around that?
 

NortheasternPJ

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If you have a local Comcast office I'd just go down there. Ours in Danvers seems to have had plenty any time I or a friend has needed to get a new box. X1 is/was pretty specific on the quality of the signal it needs.

At least when I did the self install they gave me the same story but it worked fine. The issue with 1 outlet is you're going to need a solid splitter and hope the signal is good enough. You'll never know until you try. I have 3 splitters and everything works fine here.
 

the1andonly3003

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Jul 15, 2005
4,372
Chicago
If you have a local Comcast office I'd just go down there. Ours in Danvers seems to have had plenty any time I or a friend has needed to get a new box. X1 is/was pretty specific on the quality of the signal it needs.

At least when I did the self install they gave me the same story but it worked fine. The issue with 1 outlet is you're going to need a solid splitter and hope the signal is good enough. You'll never know until you try. I have 3 splitters and everything works fine here.
so I would need a real good splitter or my internet speeds will suffer?
 

The Napkin

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Jul 13, 2002
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right here
While we're talking about Comcast..

We upgraded our DVRs awhile back and while they extra space is nice and they seem to work great I HATE the new remotes.
The old ones had a back 30 second button that was awesome. The new one seems to go back 5 minutes. Which is useless.
Also, when I'm in the menu there is no button to go forward a day so I have to go hour by hour until I get to whatever day I was looking for. Who came up with that idea?

Are there any work arounds for these things? Or will those old gray remotes still work? I'd happily buy a couple if I can find them around.

I think these are the remotes we have:

 

Bowhemian

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Nov 10, 2015
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so I would need a real good splitter or my internet speeds will suffer?
I have X1, and my house is wired with 1980's cable. I have expanded, with cables spliced onto newer cables, splitters all over the place, etc. The only cable that is a decent cable is the run from the outside box to my modem. Everything else is a mix of crap. In other words, almost the worst possible situation you could have.

And everything works fine. I occasionally get tiling on one of the TVs that has especially crappy cable (split 2x, multiple cable splices, farthest from outside box). Otherwise no TV issues anywhere else in the house.

No internet speed issues either. At any one time, the 3 of us could be on 3 different WIFI laptops, with my son gaming away in his room, me surfing facebook on my iphone while on my laptop. You get the point. And I have never noticed my internet speed slowing down.