Need ISP recommendations for a studio in the Cambridge Highlands...

Submitted by piratebroadcast t3_10gdxlu in CambridgeMA

Hi,

I'm mining into a studio in the Cambridge Highlands near Arlington / Belmont soon, and could use advice on ISP and a few other things.

For the average person that works from home (So I am on the intenet all day for work, then streaming movies etc at home)..

Would the $30 a month Xfinity 400Mbps package be good enough? Anyone else in a similar situation use that? I guess I should just rent the Xfinity modem? Anyone bought their own gear?

I guess for power my only option is Eversource, and what about for gas? I'm actually not sure how the heat works in this apartment complex. Anyone have a good guess?

Thanks so much! I;d prefer to get this right the first time.

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OMM247 t1_j52hd55 wrote

In Cambridge, you can get broadband from any provider you like as long as it's Comcast. There are ongoing discussions at the city level on this point. I believe that a recent study commissioned by the city backed the idea of community broadband as an alternative, but that certainly isn't going to happen in the immediate future.

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mtmsm t1_j52jlvb wrote

If your apartment has gas it’s also Eversource.

That Xfinity package would be fine. Buy your own router and modem and take them with you wherever you move.

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unresolved_m t1_j53l5df wrote

Starry is great if its available where you are - super cheap and works insanely well

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CupCheck7 t1_j550ni2 wrote

I have Starry, and have been very happy. Pay $30 for 200mbps i believe. Fast enough, no issues with streaming/gaming.

Customer service has been mixed. Had a bit of an issue coordinating a transfer of service when I moved. Otherwise, when initially enrolling, everything went smoothly. Their online customer service was nice enough to help me reduce bill from $50 to $30 when I asked about a promotion I saw online.

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This_Cantabrigian t1_j53tir7 wrote

400mbps is plenty fast for almost anyone. I had 100mbps for the past 5 years (even slower prior to that) and it was fine, even with two people on zoom at the same time. They recently bumped me up to 200 and it’s more than enough. But I’m paying $87 a month which is what it costs without a contract. Worth noting that the $30/month is a two year contract with a penalty for canceling early. Also your cost will skyrocket once the contract is up. You can’t threaten to switch providers because there’s no one to switch to. I guess you could just cancel and just not have internet for awhile and then come back.

Buy your own modem and router. They bleed you dry on the rental costs and modems/routers last at least 5 years.

Eversource is alright. Your costs will mostly depend on how insulated your unit/building are. I have gas heat and my heating bill on a 1 bed is like $120/month in Jan/Feb. If you have baseboards it’s probably a boiler in the basement. If you have vents it’s forced hot air.

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MDR_25 t1_j54w8yi wrote

A couple months ago, I switched from Xfinity to Verizon 5g home internet. I am surprised at how solid it has been, for what is essentially cellular service. I haven't had any issues with 2 people WFH on video calls at the same time. And I've also tested out streaming 3 HD movies to 3 separate devices (TVs & laptops, not phones) at once and it kept up no problem.

Depending on signal strength at your home YMMV, but it is worth checking out.

$25 / month guaranteed rate for 10 years. Seems almost too good to be true.

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piratebroadcast OP t1_j553z8k wrote

Could I use this even if I have T-Mobile as my cell provider? thanks!

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MDR_25 t1_j557sju wrote

Yes, though the $25/month *might* include a $10 bundle discount, I'm not sure.

Edit: The way it works is that, when you start the service, they ship you a white cube thing that contains a cellular modem + wifi router. You just plug that into a wall outlet and it connects to the internet and creates a wifi network for you.

There's also an ethernet output on it, if you want to use your own wifi router instead.

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hkfczrqj t1_j5h66bn wrote

Yes you can sign up, but for users not having Verizon mobile plans the price starts at $50 (with autopay)

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hkfczrqj t1_j5h6g50 wrote

Where are you in Cambridge, roughly? Thinking about trying Verizon 5g but I guess the experience strongly depends on location

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MDR_25 t1_j5hm8gv wrote

Cell coverage could vary street to street... I'm pretty sure they offer a free month to try it out.

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