Cut the cable television cord and cut your monthly bills
Are you one of those people who have 500 television channels to choose from and you can never find anything to watch? Maybe it’s time to cut the cable cord and take full control of what’s on your television. All you need to get started with this popular money saving strategy is an Internet connection, a device to stream to, and the advice in this book.
With
Deciding if you need to upgrade your Wi-Fi equipment and service. Evaluating your current devices. Adding a smart TV to the mix. Choosing the best streaming services for you—including some free options When you’re ready to untether yourself from the cable or satellite,
Cord Cutting For Dummies®
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Cord Cutting For Dummies®
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Table of Contents
1 Cover
4 Introduction About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond the Book Where to Go from Here
5 Part 1: Some Cord-Cutting Basics Chapter 1: Why Cut the Cord? What's So Bad about Cable? (Let Me Count the Ways) Some Reasons Why Cutting the Cord Might Not Be for You The Benefits of Severing Your Connection to the Cable Company Surveying the Cord-Free Landscape Chapter 2: Snip, Snip. Your 7-Step Plan to Going Cord-Free Step 1: Deciding What You Want to Watch Step 2: Figuring Out the Equipment You Need Step 3: Making a Streaming Services Budget Step 4: Trying Out Lots of Streaming Services — for Free! Step 5: Subscribing to Streaming Services Step 6: Doing a Cord-Cutting Test Drive Step 7: Cutting the Cord —Woo-Hoo!
6 Part 2: Cord Cutting Made Easy with Over-the-Air TV Chapter 3: Understanding Over-the-Air TV OTA? OTT? Live TV? What on Earth Is Everyone Talking About? How Over-the-Air TV Works What Channels Can You Access? Chapter 4: Choosing and Setting Up OTA Hardware What Equipment Do You Need? Choosing an OTA Digital Antenna Installing Your Antenna Connecting Your Antenna Scanning for OTA Channels Chapter 5: Watching Over-the-Air and Live TV Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Regular TV Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Smart TV Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Streaming Device Look, Ma, No Antenna! Streaming Live TV
7 Part 3: Cable-Free Viewing with Streaming Services Chapter 6: The Hardware You Need for Streaming Let's Talk TVs Streamers: Set-Top Box or Dongle? What to Look for in a Streaming Media Player Smart TVs for Streaming Media Setting Up Your Hardware Chapter 7: Getting Your Internet Access Ready for Streaming Investing in a New Router Extending Your Wi-Fi Network How Much Bandwidth Is Enough? Understanding How Streaming Works I Feel the Need — the Need for Speed! Chapter 8: Checking Out Free Streaming Services Is There Such a Thing as a Free Lunch? What to Expect from Free Streaming Services Some Free Streaming Services to Check Out Chapter 9: Checking Out Paid Streaming Services What to Expect from Paid Streaming Services What Types of Paid Streaming Services Are Available? On-Demand Streaming Services Cable-Replacement Services Checking Out Premium Channels
8 Part 4: The Part of Tens Chapter 10: Ten Ways to Save Money in a Cord-Free World Get the Smallest OTA Antenna Possible Don't Get Too Much Internet Take Advantage of Skinny Bundles Don't Commit Until You're Amazed at Your Luck Watch New Shows on the Cheap Subscribe Strategically Keep an Eye on Your Subscriptions Get a Credit Card Offering Streaming Cash Back Give Up the Premium Subscription Plan Save on Sports Chapter 11: Ten Tips for Troubleshooting Streaming Woes Check Your Streaming Device's Download Speed Restart Your Streaming Device Check Your Streaming Device for Updates Reset Your Streaming Device Check Your Wi-Fi Connection Speed Reset Your Wi-Fi Make Some Wi-Fi Adjustments Troubleshoot an Unresponsive Streaming Device Troubleshoot a Blank TV Screen Upgrade Your Hardware
9 Glossary
10 Index
List of Tables
1 Chapter 9TABLE 9-1 The Major Premium Streaming Channels
List of Illustrations
1 Chapter 2FIGURE 2-1: Devices such as Amazon Fire TV offer access to content streams via ...FIGURE 2-2: All major streaming services offer a free trial period.
2 Chapter 3FIGURE 3-1: How over-the-air TV works.FIGURE 3-2: A list of nearby over-the-air TV stations and their relative signal...FIGURE 3-3: A typical over-the-air channel report from TV Fool.FIGURE 3-4: Many TV stations use their channel number in their branding.
3 Chapter 4FIGURE 4-1: Your HDTV antenna connects to your TV's F connector.FIGURE 4-2: Get a unidirectional antenna if your incoming signals come more or ...FIGURE 4-3: Get a multidirectional antenna if your incoming signals come from a...FIGURE 4-4: Available channels appear in the VHF and UHF bands.FIGURE 4-5: Connect your antenna’s coaxial cable to your TV’s jack F connector.FIGURE 4-6: A garden-variety coaxial splitter.FIGURE 4-7: An HDTV tuner enables you to view over-the-air TV on your PC.FIGURE 4-8: The screen shows the progress of the channel scan.
4 Chapter 5FIGURE 5-1: The back of a typical modern TV is festooned with connectors.FIGURE 5-2: For most TVs, you use the remote's Input button to change the input...FIGURE 5-3: With smart TVs, you use the TV interface to select the input source...FIGURE 5-4: Smart TVs offer a channel guide.
5 Chapter 6FIGURE 6-1: Modern TVs have all their HDMI ports together on the back panel.FIGURE 6-2: Three examples of set-top box streaming players: Roku player (left)...FIGURE 6-3: Set-top box players have multiple input ports.FIGURE 6-4: Three examples of dongle streaming players: a Roku (left), a Google...FIGURE 6-5: The Alexa voice remote includes a voice button for sending voice co...FIGURE 6-6: Turn on a smart TV and you see your streaming apps and shows right ...FIGURE 6-7: Use an HDMI cable to connect your streaming player to your TV.FIGURE 6-8: Older TVs often have their HDMI ports in multiple locations on the ...FIGURE 6-9: A streaming stick with an HDMI extender cable.
6 Chapter 7FIGURE 7-1: QoS features let you to prioritize network applications or devices ...FIGURE 7-2: Most streaming services let you choose a data usage setting.FIGURE 7-3: Disable the automatic download of the next episodes of the show you...FIGURE 7-4: An overview of how streaming works.FIGURE 7-5: Media streams are buffered for smoother playback.FIGURE 7-6: Search Google for
7 Chapter 8FIGURE 8-1: Crackle offers free movies, TV shows, and original content.FIGURE 8-2: Haystack News offers customized local and global news streams.FIGURE 8-3: Choose your local library system.FIGURE 8-4: Use the Hoopla app on your streamer to borrow movies, TV shows, and...FIGURE 8-5: PBS Video gives you free access to all your favorite PBS shows.FIGURE 8-6: Peacock's free tier gives you lots of content (and lots of ads).FIGURE 8-7: The Roku Channel Store offers lots of free movies and TV shows.FIGURE 8-8: The Tubi TV app offers free access to a large number of movies and ...FIGURE 8-9: YouTube Kids offers a ton of kid-friendly streaming content.
8 Chapter 9FIGURE 9-1: Prime Video offers great original content and a large collection of...FIGURE 9-2: Apple TV+ offers only original content on-demand, but some of that ...FIGURE 9-3: Hulu offers great access to network and cable shows, as well as lot...FIGURE 9-4: Netflix isn't cheap, but it offers lots of movies, TV, shows, and o...FIGURE 9-5: Peacock is NBCUniversal's entry into the online streaming game.FIGURE 9-6: Sling TV replaces your cable service by offering live and on-demand...FIGURE 9-7: YouTube TV offers lots of channels and unlimited cloud DVR storage.
9 Chapter 11FIGURE 11-1: Most streamers offer apps that can test your device's Internet spe...FIGURE 11-2: On Fire TV, use the Amazon Silk browser to access Internet speed t...FIGURE 11-3: The Install Update command appears when Fire TV has downloaded an ...FIGURE 11-4: Look for the command that resets the device to its original settin...FIGURE 11-5: Many streaming devices enable you to see the Wi-Fi network signal ...
Guide
1 Cover
4 Table of Contents
6 Glossary
7 Index
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Introduction
— SALMAN RUSHDIE
As I write this, more than 40 million people in the United States alone have cut the cord and banished the cable company from their lives. What we have here, beyond any doubt, is a genuine phenomenon. We're witnessing a kind of cord-cutting frenzy as people of all ages, all regions, and all walks of life thumb their noses at traditional cable and opt, instead, for the freedom of a cable-less lifestyle.
If you're looking to join this movement, I have some good news right off the bat: Unlike William the Conqueror, you don't need to eat a mouthful of sand to get started. Ah, I hear you ask, but where
I'm glad you asked, because that's exactly where
About This Book
In Part 1, you learn lots of good reasons why you should cut the cord (plus a few sensible reasons why going cordless might
In Part 2, you get your post-cord life off to a free and easy start by learning all about over-the-air TV, where you get high-quality channels free (yep, that's right:
In Part 3, you dive into streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. You learn about streaming media players and smart TVs, and how to get your Internet access ready for streaming. You then check out a bunch of free and paid streaming services.
Finally, in Part 4, you learn ten ways to save money after you've cut the cord and ten tips for troubleshooting streaming problems.
The chapters present their info and techniques in readily digestible, bite-size chunks, so you can certainly graze your way through this book.
Foolish Assumptions
You know how to connect devices to your TV.
You have an Internet connection and a Wi-Fi network.
You can use a web browser to navigate to a particular website given that site's address.
You know the basics of launching and using mobile device apps.
That's about it, really. Cord cutting is a big topic, but it's not one that requires a huge amount of technical literacy. And what literacy you
Icons Used in This Book
Like other books in the
Beyond the Book
To locate this book's cheat sheet, go to www.dummies.com
and search for
Where to Go from Here
This book consists of a couple of hundred pages. Do I expect you to read every word on every page? Yes, I do. Just kidding! No, of course I don’t. Entire sections — heck, maybe even entire chapters — might contain information that’s not relevant to you.
In
However, if you’re just getting started down the cord-cutting road — particularly if you’re not sure you even
If you have some experience with cord cutting or you have a special interest or question, see the table of contents or the index to find out where I cover that topic, and then turn to that page.
Either way, happy cord cutting!
Part 1
Some Cord-Cutting Basics
IN THIS PART …
Discover some excellent reasons why you should — or maybe shouldn't — cut the cable TV cord.
Follow a step-by-step guide to cutting the cord.
Chapter 1
Why Cut the Cord?
IN THIS CHAPTER
You can get a TV signal into your home these days in many ways, but most methods involve running some kind of cord into your home and then into a device. That device might be a TV, a set-top box, or even a cable modem.
So far, so obvious. My point here is to bring your attention to the cord itself, which carries this book's symbolic load. Why? Because a new and growing legion of people are using their cable TV cord as a symbol for protest.
Who are these people? The
The cord shavers, cord avoiders, and cord haters can't be cord nevers, but they can certainly become
If you find your blood pressure getting dangerously high each time you pay your cable TV bill, you might be ready to become a cord cutter. To make sure, this chapter talks about why you might want to go the cord-cutting route (and a little bit about why you might not).
What's So Bad about Cable? (Let Me Count the Ways)
Every year, various media organizations publish articles with titles along the lines of “The Ten Most Hated Companies” or “The Twenty Worst Companies.” A wide variety of industries is represented, from airlines to social media companies to banking institutions. The lists change year to year, but you can always count on at least one or more cable companies making the list.
Let's face it: Many of us
Okay, you're reading a book about cord cutting, so I have to assume that you're at least peeved at your cable company. Or maybe a bit miffed. But however you feel, you might need coaxing before you go any further. Sure, I understand: Cutting the cord is a big step. To help you make your decision, this section details ten solid reasons why you might want to cancel your cable subscription and join the ranks of cord cutters.
Cable TV is expensive
Aside from essential utilities (heat, electricity, water, phone) and expenses such as groceries and a car payment, most of your regular monthly payments probably don't amount to that much money. Five dollars here, ten dollars there, twenty dollars somewhere else. Then your monthly cable bill comes due and, by contrast, it's probably a whopper: Depending on your channels, packages, equipment, and bundles, you can easily be paying a hundred, two hundred, even three hundred dollars or more — a
As much as you might enjoy the cable company's offerings, that cable bill qualifies as an extravagance. Now, as you soon see, money isn't the only reason to cut yourself free from cable, but for most would-be cord cutters, it's the reason that gets people thinking there has to be a better (and cheaper) way.
You still get bombarded by commercials
You pay your budget-busting cable bill and now you're stressed and angry. What's the antidote? You know: Watch a little TV. But when you turn on the set, chances are the first thing you see is a commercial. Then another one. And another. Sure, you're a savvy TV pro, so you know where to find the mute button on your remote.
But still: Doesn't it rankle? You pay a queen's ransom for (apparently) the privilege of watching TV, only to be subjected to endless come-ons for hemorrhoid remedies and car insurance. That's just wrong.
You probably watch only a teensy fraction of what you pay for
The Bruce Springsteen song “57 Channels (and Nothin' On)” was released way back in 1992, but it's still relevant today. Except now it's closer to 557 channels. However many channels come with your cable package, it's a safe bet that you find a depressingly vast majority of them unwatchable so they are therefore unwatched.
Sure, you have your favorite stations, but how many do you watch regularly? A dozen? Maybe a couple dozen? That still leaves hundreds of channels gathering dust. Even worse: You're paying for those dust-covered channels. Why would anyone do that?
Bundles are (usually) bad
The standard way to save money when it comes to the cable company is to invest in a
That makes sense, but there's a fly in the bundle ointment: Almost always, at least one of the bundled services will be
Long-term (read: loyal) customers pay more, not less
If you're a regular customer at your local coffee shop, every now and then the manager might slip you a free coffee or muffin. If you buy lots of clothes at a local independent retailer, the owner might give you a discount on a larger purchase. What these small businesses understand is the value of customer loyalty: It pays in the long term to keep regular customers happy.
Your cable company understands this, too, right? Hah, don't make me laugh! In fact, your cable provider probably does the opposite. That is, they probably offer discounted subscriptions to new customers, while charging substantially higher prices to long-term subscribers. It's madness, but welcome to the wacky world of the cable company!
You're getting nickeled-and-dimed
If you've ever been brave (or foolhardy) enough to examine the details of your cable bill, chances are you came away even angrier than you were going in. It's not just the sheer size of the final total that stresses everyone out, but the long list of incidental and hidden fees and surcharges that are standard-issue line items in every cable bill. These fees go by various names:
Network access fee
Broadcast TV fee
HD technology fee
Regional sports surcharge
Terminal fee
Franchise fee
The list goes on and on and includes lots of regulatory fees mandated by the government, which the cable company is happy to pass on to you as so-called
You're dealing with a near-monopoly
Mom-and-pop shops in the cable business don't exist because cable requires huge infrastructure investments. That's fine, but with recent consolidations in the industry, the gargantuan just keep getting gargantuan-er. The result is that even large markets have few options for cable TV providers, and small markets might have just a single company “vying” for their business.
This lack of competition is bad news for you. It keeps cable prices high, encourages cable companies to charge — and increase — hidden fees (as I describe in the preceding section), and gives cable behemoths zero incentive to provide decent customer service and technical support (travesties that I talk about in the next two sections).
Customer service is pretty much non-existent
Earlier I mention that cable companies always show up in lists of the worst or most hated companies. As this section shows, there are lots of reason why that's so. However, one of main complaints you see in surveys of customer (dis)satisfaction is terrible customer service.
You know what I'm talking about, right? Does anyone ever look forward to calling the cable company? Having such a call on your to-do list is likely to elicit feelings of dread and anxiety because the poor souls who work in a cable company's customer service department aren't allowed to be human beings. Instead, they're browbeaten into giving rote answers that never deviate from a management-approved script.
And if you get even a little frustrated or upset at the runaround you're getting, there's an excellent chance the rep will put you on hold forever and then simply disconnect the call!
www.theacsi.org/index.php?option=com:content&view=article&id=147&catid=&Itemid=212&i=Subscription+Television+Service
.
Technical support is a pain in the you-know-what
Calling the cable company's technical support department is no better an experience than the customer service nightmare I moaned about in the preceding section. First, you have to wait on hold for a very long time. Second, the “technician” (note the sarcastic quotes there) will ask about your problem, and then spend a
That approach
Those darned contracts!
As I mention, you can often negotiate a lower cable bill by putting together a bundle of services, packages of content, or both. But there's usually a catch, actually
Some Reasons Why Cutting the Cord Might Not Be for You
This book is about cutting the cord, but I might as well admit early on that there's no perfect solution to going cable-free. My thesis here is that, for most people, saying goodbye to the cable company is a net win. However, a few aspects of cutting the cord fall on the “cons” side of any “pros versus cons” analysis, and one or more of those could be a deal-breaker for you. Let's see.
Your savings might be less than you hoped
Everyone goes into the cord-cutting adventure with big dreams of saving a ton of money every month. And those savings
You can still save lots of cash if you're prudent with your subscriptions. Unfortunately, many families find that they keep adding new services (particularly for popular content such as Disney, HBO, news, and live sports) and their monthly TV-watching costs rise accordingly.
You might still have to deal with channel bundles
Most of us hate channel bundles because to subscribe to the one channel you want, you also have to get a fistful of channels that you wouldn't force your worst enemy to watch. So now it feels like you're paying the bundle fee for just a single channel. Cue the steam coming out of your ears.
Bundles aren't an issue with subscriptions such as Netflix, where one price gets you access to everything on the service. Unfortunately, far too many streaming services embrace the bundle model and surround premium content (such as HBO) with dreck.
You might still see commercials
For lots of would-be cord cutters, the real incentive is not cost savings but a commercial-free viewing experience. The good news is that most streaming services are on board with the commonsense notion that you shouldn't see commercials if you pay a subscription for the service. Sweet bliss!
However, some free streaming services
TV watching will become more complex for you
You can bad-mouth cable companies all you want (and I know you do), but they do have one genuinely good feature: simplicity. Sure, you pay a ton of money each month, but in exchange you get all your channels and apps and more in a single package with a single interface.
Once you cut the cord, that simplicity will probably become a thing of the past. I say “probably” because it
I wish I could tell you that the cord-free experience is getting simpler, but the opposite is happening. Media companies are falling all over themselves to launch their own streaming services. Whereas a few years ago you might have been able to count the number of streaming services using the fingers of one hand, the way things are going you'll soon need the fingers of every member of your extended family.
You'll use way more Internet bandwidth — and perhaps pay for the privilege
Streaming media comes to you via the Internet, where it's distributed through Wi-Fi to your various devices. You don't normally give it a second thought, but perhaps you should. Why? Because media streams such as movies, TV shows, and music stuff huge amounts of data into the pipe that delivers the Internet to your home. If your Internet service provider (ISP) puts a limit on your monthly bandwidth, blowing through that cap because you binge-watched
Your monthly Internet bill will probably go up
When most people are budgeting for a cord-free lifestyle, they usually compare their total cable bill with what it might cost for a few streaming services. That's a legit comparison if all you get from the cable company is cable TV. However, if you get multiple products — such as cable TV, Internet, and phone service — the comparison falls apart because the Internet portion of that bill is almost certainly discounted.
When you tell the cable company that you no longer want their stinkin' cable TV service, the first thing they'll tell you is that your monthly Internet bill will go up because you no longer have a proper bundle of services.
The quality of the streaming video might be poor
I talk in Chapter 7 about the Internet connection you need to support a cord-free life. For now, you just need to know that to be able to watch streaming media — particularly streaming video — you must have fast Internet access. How fast? The necessary download speed — measured in Mbps (megabits per second) — depends on the video quality you're streaming.
If your Internet download speed isn't fast enough, your streaming experience will be poor: slow starts, playback pauses and stutters, and overall lousy picture quality.
You might have to wait a long time to watch new shows
When a new cable show (or a new season of an existing cable show) is released, cable providers get first crack at broadcasting it. When you banish the cable company from your life, you also lose the privilege of being first in line to watch this new content.
Sure, there's a decent chance that the new episodes will eventually end up on some other service, such as Netflix. But
You might never see some new shows
Some folks are calling this the Golden Age of television because so much great content is being created. Think of shows like
Is it possible that some of these shows might appear down the road on another service? Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it.
The Benefits of Severing Your Connection to the Cable Company
Given all the reasons listed near the beginning of this chapter as to why the cable company is so awful, clearly the main advantage to cutting the cord is never having to deal with your cable provider again! However, although getting Big Cable out of your life forever is a huge benefit, it's not the only one you get when you snip that cord. Let me take you through a few more.
You save money
Carving a sizable chunk off your monthly television-watching bill is the most common reason most people dream about cutting the cord. Sure, earlier I talked about how you might not save as much as you'd like, but how much you save depends on you. If you're happy to just “Netflix and chill” every night, you're going to save a ton of money each month. If you're a sports nut or news junkie, or if your TV tastes run towards premium channels such as HBO, you'll pay extra for the privilege.
Don't get me wrong: Cable subscriptions are so expensive these days that almost everyone ends up paying less each month when they cut the cord.
You'll probably be happier in the long run
Cable TV has what smarty-pants economists call
By contrast, surveys of cord cutters routinely show great satisfaction, which comes from having a
You unshackle your TV
A big problem with cable TV is the cable itself. Sure, lots of TV comes to your TV via Wi-Fi these days, but many people still have a cable outlet on one wall and a coaxial cable running from that outlet to a set-top box, which then connects to your TV. This setup is fine as long as you're okay with having your TV (and therefore the rest of your entertainment center) relatively close to the cable outlet.
However, what if one day you decide that your TV-watching experience would be much better if you could move your TV to the opposite side of the room? Well, sure, you
And if you decide your TV should be on a different floor? Ah, now you're looking at the expense of bringing in a cable technician to move the outlet.
Cutting the cord, by contrast, means literally doing away with that freedom-restricting coaxial cable. With your content now coming in over the Internet and broadcast to your smart TV or your streaming device via Wi-Fi, moving your TV to the perfect location is easy.
You unshackle yourself
After you go cord-free, that freedom extends where you watch TV. You're no longer required to plop yourself down, potato-like, on the couch in front of your TV set. Instead, because every streaming service and device offers an app not only for configuration but also for viewing content, you can use your favorite tablet or smartphone to watch shows anywhere you want.
In the living room? Of course. In the bedroom or the kitchen? Sure. In the den? Perfect. In the bathroom? Um, your call.
You're in control
So much of the cable TV experience feels like coercion. The basic or standard package has ten stations you watch regularly, and fifty you didn’t even know existed. A specialty package has one or two channels you want, and eight or nine channels that do nothing for you. You need a set-top box, which the cable company is happy to lease to you forever at ten or twenty bucks a month.
When you throw down your scissors after cutting the cord, that lightness you feel is the lifting of these and similar cable company burdens. Now
Surveying the Cord-Free Landscape
What can you expect to find in a world where the cable company is a distant memory? Answering that question is what the rest of this book is about. To give you a feel for what's in store, take a quick look at the most prominent features of that landscape.
First, you should know that the cord-free world is broadly divided into two main categories:
Over-the-air (OTA) TV: Live television channels broadcast from a station transmitter. This setup usually requires an antenna, but some streaming services offer live TV channels.
Streaming media: Television programs — as well as movies, music, podcasts, and other media — made available over the Internet. You can use device apps to access streaming media, but most people use a device such as a smart TV, a set-top box, or a streaming player.
In these two categories, you can have one (or, heck,
Watching OTA TV with an antenna: You want to watch live local stations for free (minus the cost of the antenna, of course). To find out more about this option, see Chapters 3 and 4.
Watching live TV with a streaming device: You don't want the hassle of setting up a digital antenna. You can find the details in Chapter 5.
Watching live TV with a streaming service: You're mostly interested in live network broadcasts. To learn more, check out Chapter 5.
Streaming media through a device: You want to use a device such as a smart TV or a USB stick (such as Amazon Fire TV) to access streaming media through apps. I talk about all this in Chapter 6.
Watching free streaming services: You're too psychologically scarred from paying scandalously high cable prices and want only free content. I talk about free services in Chapter 8.
Watching paid streaming services: You want a subscription. Most streaming services require a subscription, so this is your most likely experience. For the details, head to Chapter 9.
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