剪断你的电视线，让观看更美好

切断电源线在我的工作清单上已经列得太久了。对于那些还不熟悉这个术语的人来说，“切断连接线”指的是终止有线电视或卫星电视订阅，并通过其他方式获得节目和电影的过程。我终于做到了，并在之后的几天里责怪自己很久以前没有做出改变。

这是一个甜蜜的成就有两个原因。第一，我终于可以直接控制我的电视场地以及我选择的观看套餐的费用。第二，我在床上度过了数周的时间，饱受COVID-19病毒的折磨，并从中恢复过来，然后开始着手这个项目。

我敢肯定，那些长时间的有线电视菜单显示数百个价格过高，但从来没有看过的频道，是什么把我推到边缘切断有线电视服务。我剪断脐带的成就也是苦乐参半。

我住在一个只有一家有线电视提供商Xfinity的地区。另外一个选择是在附近的一些城镇提供Verizon的互联网服务，但在我的城镇却没有。AT&T在周边城镇和我自己的城镇也提供AT&T电视和DirectTV服务。这一价格目前与谷歌YouTube电视服务的月费相同。

这意味着我仍然必须坚持我的高速互联网的Xfinity服务提供商的价格。镇领导多年前签署的当地合同限制阻止了任何有意义的有线电视和互联网服务竞争。

除非你住在城市附近，那里有通过电视天线传送的老式免费电视，否则你可以切断电视电缆，但仍然必须保持互联网以访问其他电视传送平台。所以，我认为仍然要为我的互联网接入和背负式VoIP电话服务支付Xfinity，这是我无论如何都要支付的折扣电费。

对于大多数消费者来说，由于种种原因，割断有线电视线可谓鱼龙混杂。最大的误解是你会大幅降低有线电视费。除非你还能从天线接收到免费的电视信号，否则情况并非如此。否则，您只能通过使用视频流平台来降低成本。您可以从免费试用到低成本产品，找到理想的解决方案。大多数流媒体服务都不需要合同，因此您可以根据您的观看习惯和家庭需求来探索不同的选择。

对我来说，自从1985年开始完全被有线电视束缚之后，我想要一个改变，以更低的成本提供更多的观看选择。只要我在这个过程中节省了一些钱，自由和灵活性是值得的初始资金支出和一次性麻烦换档。切断电源线是一种折衷。我把每月的实际账单（现在只用于网络和电话）降低了大约100美元。

内置价格膨胀器

你的有线电视账单上充斥着隐藏的成本和经常变化的定价方案。例如，由于ISP赞助的优质服务促销活动，新用户开始以较低的月价购买。那些促销活动过了一会儿就消失了。如果没有通知，你的下一个月帐单是50美元或100美元以上。如果你租电影，你的账单会更高。

我每月的有线电视账单包括14美元的每月租金，很快就会上涨。房子里的四台电视机每台机顶盒额外收费7.50美元，加上电视节目层每月收费149美元。除此之外，还有每月12.68美元的广播费、地区体育费、地方和地区税、政府费用和其他未指明的费用。以“三网合一”的折扣将互联网和电话的费用增加一倍；然后考虑额外的费用，如超过互联网使用数据上限的附加费和其他杂项费用。

你可以通过购买你自己的调制解调器和WiFi路由器来减少一些每月重复出现的成本。当然，这可能要花费几百美元。但这是一次性开支。想想你每年在每月的设备租赁上浪费了多少钱。

移植优势

更换租用的ISP设备本身有一些隐藏的好处。在我的例子中，ISP租用的调制解调器只有两个以太网端口。这意味着我只能连接两台电脑而不需要使用较慢的无线连接。我以前买过自己的TP-Link无线路由器。

这个设备有四个以太网端口。路由器通过以太网电缆连接到互联网调制解调器。路由器的以太网线插到租用的调制解调器的两个端口中的一个，我只能将一台计算机连接到调制解调器。

但我又获得了四个以太网端口，同时还提供了更多的安全功能，以及更快的下载和上传速度，用于调制解调器和路由器上的硬连线和无线连接。

我买了一个Arris冲浪板网关调制解调器来代替ISP租用的设备。阿里斯冲浪板模型有四个以太网端口和两个电话线端口，加起来我的连接能力加倍。另外，我还有额外的无线网络功能和额外的以太网端口从TP链接路由器。

从因特网调制解调器获得一个无线网络和从独立的TP链路路由器获得第二个无线网络是一个额外的好处。每个设备还提供来宾用户访问。我可以在不同的WiFi网络上运行打印机、计算机和其他移动设备。

一些额外的好处

在我使用ISP调制解调器的那些年里，我无法访问它的控制面板来选择选项、更新固件和更改密码。做任何需要打电话给ISP的技术支持代理的事情。这往往是徒劳的练习，因为我可以完全是管理的TP链接路由器我拥有的管理员。

Arris冲浪板网关也给我的家庭网络带来了很大的改进。这包括在我的无线TP-Link调制解调器中增加速度。

不过，在您开始更换硬件之前，请记住，您的ISP通常不会帮助您解决您所在地区存在的服务或性能问题。因此，您将自行处理涉及您自己设备的WiFi或电视播放问题。

更换有线电视线

自己买设备并不难。你可以在大卖场、电子卖场、制造商网站、电子商务门户网站和许多数码商店找到这些硬件。请记住，调制解调器和路由器有多种尺寸，具有各种各样的端口和功能。

如果您计划从ISP的Internet服务中附带您的电话服务，请确保您选择的调制解调器支持语音。此外，请确保您选择的调制解调器支持您预期的电视观看使用所需的下载速度。如果钱不是问题，那就多拿点，而不是仅仅够了。无线使用量往往呈指数增长。

首先，寻找支持300 Mbps（兆比特每秒）的调制解调器。高端设备将支持高达1 Gbps（千兆每秒）的速度。

你真正需要多少下载速度？

作为一个经验法则，家庭互联网速度应至少为15 Mbps的每个设备，你计划有运行在同一时间。在4K智能电视上传输4K内容以获得最佳画面需要至少25Mbps的连接速度。

在安装新调制解调器时可能会遇到一些障碍。虽然交换连接很简单，但在归还租用的设备之前，您需要致电ISP的技术支持服务热线以验证新硬件。

那就是错误发生的时候。

我花了两个多小时打电话，第二天ISP的现场技术人员又进行了两个小时的跟踪访问，以找出设置后端连接时的错误。电话没问题。无线网络有点杂乱无章。硬连线的互联网是不稳定的。

为了记录在案，故障不是在我的基本安装，也不是我买的设备。打给技术支持的激活电话应该传达设备的序列号、MAC地址和其他一些小道消息。那么调制解调器应该已经完全激活了。它最终做到了。

观景台就是一切

在使用最适合您需求的流媒体服务时，您可以自由地切断有线电视线。今天的帘子线切割行业是一个移动的目标。各种流媒体平台——Hulu、Philo、Sling、Fubo等——都在争相提供替代有线电视的服务。

价格各不相同。这些选项提供的电视节目在播出一到两天后就可以进行流媒体播放。免费试用，您可以随时取消订阅。如果你已经有了一台智能电视，你可以免费查看其中的许多选项。

另一个选择，尤其是如果你没有智能电视，是使用流棒或加密狗。这些连接到您的电视通过USB或电缆连接，让您选择的服务流到您的电视。一些选择包括Roku和Amazon Fire，或者最新的新产品——谷歌电视的YouTube电视服务。

谷歌电视提供了一个最有吸引力的选择，它的全屏收视指南和直观的用户界面非常模仿有线电视服务的外观和感觉。它在85种内容中提供基于您的邮政编码的本地电视直播频道。它还可以让您访问流媒体电影，并提供一个类似智能电视的界面，其中有许多内置应用程序可供观看其他选项。

谷歌电视接收器（GoogleTV-dongle）提供了访问谷歌YouTube电视和其他观看选项，价格有点贵，为50美元（在电子商店和沃尔玛等地都有售）。经过两周的免费试用，YouTube电视每月收费65美元。同时为三台电视机提供连接的。

我的四台电视中有一台是智能电视，运行着以前被称为Android电视的东西。Android电视正在更名为Google电视。无论哪种方式，它都拥有Google Chromecast功能和内置YouTube电视应用程序的Android界面。因此，不需要谷歌电视接收器。

底线

尽管我在从Xfinity捆绑包中切断电视线时拖拖拉拉，但最终的结果还是值得付出努力的。它让我接触到了一个新的电视世界。

据业内报道，到2020年，超过600万有线电视用户切断了传统的有线电视线。以前的有线电视用户有望继续转向流媒体视频平台。

包括Xfinity在内的有线电视提供商正在调整他们的产品，以自己的价格提供自己的视频流方式。这是一项正在进行的工作。

然而，就我的钱而言，我发现我采取的方法是一个更好的解决方案，而不是在有线电视订阅丛林中再增加一层。我很喜欢看我不知道存在的节目。我越是探索无绳世界的非有线电视，这些选择就会继续增长。

原文题：Cut the Cord to Trim Your TV Viewing Overhead

原文：Cutting the cord has too long been an item on my to-do list. For those not yet familiar with the term, "cutting the cord" refers to the process of terminating a cable or satellite TV subscription and getting shows and movies by some other means. I finally did it and spent days afterward chiding myself for not making the change a long time ago.

This was a sweet accomplishment for two reasons. One, I finally had direct control over what I paid for my TV venue as well as the viewing packages I selected. Two, I tackled the project after literally spending weeks in bed suffering through and recovering from COVID-19.

I'm sure those long days with the cable TV menu displaying hundreds of overpriced but never-watched channels are what pushed me over the edge to cut loose my cable-tethered TV service. My cord-cutting achievement was also bittersweet.

I live in an area that has only one cable TV provider, Xfinity. Another option exists for Internet service from Verizon in some surrounding towns, but not in mine. AT&T also offers AT&T TV and DirectTV services in surrounding towns as well as my own. That price is currently the same monthly charge as Google's YouTube TV service.

This means I still have to cling to the lone Xfinity service provider price for my high-speed Internet. Local contract restrictions that town leaders signed away years ago prevent any meaningful cable and Internet service competition.

Unless you live close to urban areas that have old-school free TV delivered via TV antennas, you can cut the TV cable but still have to keep the Internet for accessing other TV delivery platforms. So, I consider still paying Xfinity for my Internet access and piggyback VoIP phone service a discounted utility bill I would be paying anyway.

For the majority of consumers, cutting the cable TV cord is a mixed bag for a variety of reasons. The big misconception is that you will drastically lower your cable bill. That is not the case unless you can also pickup free TV reception from an antenna. Otherwise, you will only lower your cost by using video streaming platforms. You can bounce from free trials to low-cost offerings to find the ideal solution. Most streaming services do not require contracts, so you can explore different options depending on your viewing habits and your family's needs.

For me, after being totally tethered to cable TV since 1985, I wanted a change that provided more viewing options at a lower cost. As long as I saved some money in the process, the freedom and flexibility were worth the initial money outlay and the one-time hassle of shifting gears. Cutting the cord is a tradeoff. I lowered my actual monthly bill (now for just Internet and phone) by around $100.

Built-In Price Inflators

Your cable TV bill is filled with hidden costs and pricing schemes that change often. For instance, new subscribers start out at a lower monthly price thanks to ISP-sponsored promotions on premium services. Those promotions disappear after a while. Without notice, your next monthly bill is $50 or $100 higher. If you rent movies, your bill is even higher.

My monthly cable TV bill included a $14 monthly rental fee that would have soon gone up. The four TVs in the house cost an extra $7.50 for each set-top box plus the monthly charge for the TV program tier of $149. On top of that are the monthly fees for broadcast, regional sports, local and regional taxes, government fees and other unspecified charges totaling $12.68 per month. Double that to cover the Internet and phone at a "triple play" discount; and then take into account additional costs such as surcharges for exceeding the data cap on Internet usage and other miscellaneous fees.

You can reduce some of that recurring monthly cost by buying your own modem and WiFi router. Sure, that involves an outlay of potentially several hundred dollars. But this is a one-time expense. Think of how much more cash you waste in monthly equipment rentals year after year.

Porting Advantages

Replacing the rented ISP gear has some hidden benefits of its own. In my case, the ISP's rented modem had only two Ethernet ports. That meant I could only connect two computers without resorting to slower wireless connections. I had previously bought my own TP-Link wireless router.

That device has four Ethernet ports. Routers connect to the Internet modem with an Ethernet cable. With the router's Ethernet cable plugged into one of the two ports on the rented modem, I could only connect one computer to the modem.

But I gained four more Ethernet ports along with more security functions and much faster download and upload speeds for both hardwired and wireless connections on both the modem and the router.

I bought an Arris Surfboard gateway modem to replace the ISP's rented device. The Arris Surfboard model has four Ethernet ports and two phone line ports that together doubled my connectivity abilities. Plus, I still have the added wireless network functionality and additional Ethernet ports from the TP-Link router.

Having one wireless network from the Internet modem and a second wireless network from the separate TP-Link router is an added benefit. Each device also offers guest user access. I can run printers, computers, and other mobile devices on separate WiFi networks.

Some Added Benefits to Owning

All those years I used the ISP's modem, I had no access to its control panel to select options, update firmware, and ability to change passwords. Doing anything required calling the ISP's tech support agents. That often was an exercise in futility because I could fully be the admin in charge of the TP-Link router I owned.

The Arris Surfboard gateway also brought much-improved performance to my home network. That included putting more speed into my wireless TP-Link modem.

Before you start replacing hardware, though, keep in mind that your ISP generally will not help you solve service or performance issues that exist on your end. Therefore, you will be on your own in dealing with WiFi or TV playback issues involving your own equipment.

Replacing the Cable TV Cord

Buying your own equipment is not difficult. You can find the hardware in big-box stores and electronics outlets, on manufacturers' websites, e-commerce portals and many digital stores. Keep in mind that modems and routers come in a variety of sizes and with an assortment of ports and features.

If you plan to piggyback your phone service from your ISP's Internet service, be sure the modem you select supports voice. Also, ensure that the modem you select supports the download speed your intended TV viewing usage requires. If money is not an issue, get more instead of just enough. Wireless usage tends to grow exponentially.

As a starting point, look for modems that support 300 Mbps (megabits per second). High-end devices will support speeds up to 1 Gbps (gigabit per second).

How much download speed do you really need?

As a rule of thumb, home Internet speeds should be at least 15 Mbps for each device you plan to have running at the same time. Streaming 4K content for the best picture on a 4K smart TV will need a connection speed of at least 25 Mbps.

Expect a few stumbling blocks in setting up your new modem. While swapping connections is straightforward, you will need to call your ISP's tech support service line to authenticate the new hardware before returning your rented gear.

That's when the errors happened.

It took me more than two hours on the phone and a two-hour follow-up visit the next day by the ISP's field tech to sort out the errors in setting up the back-end connections. The phone connected fine. The WiFi was spotty. The hardwired Internet was unstable.

For the record, the fault was not in my basic installation nor the equipment I bought. The activation call to tech support was supposed to convey the device's serial number and MAC address and a few other tidbits. Then the modem should have fully activated. It eventually did.

The Viewing Platform Is Everything

The great freedom in cutting the cable TV cord comes with using the streaming service that best suits your needs. The cord-cutting industry today is a moving target. Various streaming platforms -- Hulu, Philo, Sling, Fubo, and others -- are rushing to provide alternative services to replace cable TV.

Prices vary. These options provide TV shows available for streaming one or two days after airing. Free trials are available, and you can unsubscribe at any time. If you already have a smart TV, you can check out many of these options for free.

Another option, especially if you lack a smart TV, is to use a streaming stick or dongle. These connect to your TV via USB or cable connection and let you stream your chosen service to your TV. A few options include Roku and Amazon Fire, or the latest newcomer -- Google TV's YouTube TV service.

Google TV offers one of the most attractive options that closely mimics the look and feel of cable TV service with its full-screen program guide and intuitive user interface. It provides live local TV channels based on your zip code among its 85 content offerings. It also gives you access to streaming movies and provides a smart TV-like interface with numerous built-in apps for viewing other options.

The Google TV dongle -- which provides access to Google's YouTube TV and other viewing options -- is a bit pricey at $50 (available in electronics stores and Walmart, among others). After a two-week free trial, YouTube TV costs $65 monthly. That provides connections for three TVs simultaneously.

One of my four TVs is a smart TV running what used to be called Android TV. Android TV is being rebranded as Google TV. Either way, it has the Google Chromecast capability and Android interface with the YouTube TV app built-in. So, no Google TV dongle is needed.

Bottom Line

Despite my procrastination in cutting the TV cord from my Xfinity bundle, the end results were worth the effort. It has exposed me to a new world of options for viewing TV.

According to industry reports, over six million cable customers cut the traditional cable TV cord in 2020. Former cable subscribers are expected to continue making the switch to a streaming video platform.

Cable TV providers, including Xfinity, are adapting their offerings to provide their own approach to video streaming at their own price point. That is a work in progress.

For my money, however, rather than add one more layer to the cable subscription jungle, I found that the approach I took was a far better solution. I am enjoying viewing options that I never knew existed. Those options continue to grow the more I explore the cordless world of non-cable TV