Electronics

[occasionalrain]

Currently I have Comcast cable, internet and land line. If I cancel the cable and keep the internet and land line, do I need to replace the Comcast modem and or get a router to use Roku?

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you 

[Nuttmeg]

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@occasionalrainwrote:

Currently I have Comcast cable, internet and land line. If I cancel the cable and keep the internet and land line, do I need to replace the Comcast modem and or get a router to use Roku?

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you 

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@

Currently I have Comcast cable, internet and land line. If I cancel the cable and keep the internet and land line, do I need to replace the Comcast modem and or get a router to use Roku?

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you 

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You can't make changes to your service using landline by Comcast. You have  to use Comcast equipment.

[Porcelain]

Short answer: If you received your modem from Comcast in the past few years, you don't need to replace anything.

Longer answer:

If you've had your comcast modem for a while, you can ask them to exchange it for the latest model. That should help it stream video better. Our newer comcast modem is also a router. It sends out the wifi internet signal. So we use that same modem/router for our Roku and gave back the cable box.

Additional recommendation: having used the Roku stick format and the slightly larger boxy type format, I'd go with the slightly larger boxy one. Meaning, get the Ultra or the Premiere. They are a bit more expensive but work better for daily tv use.

Here's why. It works better to plug your internet router/modem directly into the back of the Roku. They call it a lan cable, and it lookes like a phone cable. Using wifi for streaming to the Roku can give you choppy video at times. (unless you have business class type wifi bandwidth)

The stick Roku only accepts wifi. The Ultra and Premiere can accept wifi, but they also have a socket to plug in a direct "lan" connnection to your router/modem.

[sunshine45]

i believe if you cancel your cable service and maintain internet service you can get the roku app directly on your tv (if it was included on your tv) OR you can get a roku stick/box and connect it to your wifi as long as you have the subscription.

[glb613]

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@occasionalrainwrote:

Currently I have Comcast cable, internet and land line. If I cancel the cable and keep the internet and land line, do I need to replace the Comcast modem and or get a router to use Roku?

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you 

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If you have the Comcast triple play (cable TV, Internet and phone),  it will cost you more if you cancel the cable TV portion.  Since I've never looked into it, I'm not sure if you can get just internet and phone for a combine services price.  If you signed a contract for your service and it hasn't expired, you will pay an early termination fee.  I have Comcast TV and Internet for a better price but must keep it for 2 years.  If I cancel early or change my service, there is a $200 fee.  You need to call Comcast and find out what your plan is and if you can change it. 

BTW, the router/modem is for your internet and phone service.  The cable TV doesn't use it. 

[occasionalrain]

Thank you. I was planning to get a modem/router from Amazon to replace the one from Comcast. I've been paying Comcast $11 a month to rent it for years, worse than those Rent to Own places. 

Thanks also for explaining about the advantage of the box, I'll get that too. 

[occasionalrain]

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@glb613wrote:

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@occasionalrainwrote:

Currently I have Comcast cable, internet and land line. If I cancel the cable and keep the internet and land line, do I need to replace the Comcast modem and or get a router to use Roku?

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you 

---

If you have the Comcast triple play (cable TV, Internet and phone),  it will cost you more if you cancel the cable TV portion.  Since I've never looked into it, I'm not sure if you can get just internet and phone for a combine services price.  If you signed a contract for your service and it hasn't expired, you will pay an early termination fee.  I have Comcast TV and Internet for a better price but must keep it for 2 years.  If I cancel early or change my service, there is a $200 fee.  You need to call Comcast and find out what your plan is and if you can change it. 

BTW, the router/modem is for your internet and phone service.  The cable TV doesn't use it. 

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I don't have a contract but I do have triple play. I did call them but didn't ask what just internet and phone would cost. I told them that I was considering cancelling my cable because it cost more than it was worth. They reduced my bill by $30 a month so I haven't cancelled yet. I thought I'd wait to see if Roku would be annoying or good enough. It doesn't have to be that good when I think of that Comcast bill.

[Alison Wonderland]

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@occasionalrainwrote:

Thank you. I was planning to get a modem/router from Amazon to replace the one from Comcast. I've been paying Comcast $11 a month to rent it for years, worse than those Rent to Own places. 

Thanks also for explaining about the advantage of the box, I'll get that too. 

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You will have to check with Comcast, but if you are using them as an internet service provider, they're likely going to insist that you rent their modem and won't allow you to use one of your own. If they have control over the modem/router, it's easier for them to troubleshoot and provide help when something goes wrong. That way they can train their tech staff and have support documentation for 3-5 modem/router models instead of 50. Yes, it also lets them charge you a monthly rental fee, which you may be able to negotiate, but it also servevs a useful purpose in terms of equipment consistency and tech support. If you throw your own hardware into the mix, it can cause problems they can't help you fix later down the line.

[SilleeMee]

Whichever isp you choose then simply buy a wifi router that is compatible with that service. You can call and ask your isp for a list of compatible routers or in most cases the router's product description will list some isps compatible with their router. Renting a router is like throwing away your money.  Buy one that you can afford then a few years down the road you can upgrade to a more current one. 

[glb613]

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@occasionalrainwrote:

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@glb613wrote:

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@occasionalrainwrote:

Currently I have Comcast cable, internet and land line. If I cancel the cable and keep the internet and land line, do I need to replace the Comcast modem and or get a router to use Roku?

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you 

---

If you have the Comcast triple play (cable TV, Internet and phone),  it will cost you more if you cancel the cable TV portion.  Since I've never looked into it, I'm not sure if you can get just internet and phone for a combine services price.  If you signed a contract for your service and it hasn't expired, you will pay an early termination fee.  I have Comcast TV and Internet for a better price but must keep it for 2 years.  If I cancel early or change my service, there is a $200 fee.  You need to call Comcast and find out what your plan is and if you can change it. 

BTW, the router/modem is for your internet and phone service.  The cable TV doesn't use it. 

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I don't have a contract but I do have triple play. I did call them but didn't ask what just internet and phone would cost. I told them that I was considering cancelling my cable because it cost more than it was worth. They reduced my bill by $30 a month so I haven't cancelled yet. I thought I'd wait to see if Roku would be annoying or good enough. It doesn't have to be that good when I think of that Comcast bill.

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You WON'T get local channel with Roku.  If you cancel your cable TV, you'll need an antenna to get over the air broadcast channels.  Depending on where you live, an antenna can bring a few or lot of over the air channels broadcasted free of charge.  Before I would cancel my cable TV I'd buy an antenna and see how many channels I can watch.