ATT Uverse

[woz101]

Don't know if there is anybody here using ATT's Uverse service?

What's your experience like?

Do I need to have a TV set in order to use the Uverse TV service?

I currently have a TV tuner card(Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1600) with an OTA antenna and I can watch local TV just fine.

Today, an ATT door-to-door salesman came to my door and pitched this deal to me: ATT Uverse TV plus 3.0 mbps download speed internet service for $30 a month. Of course, that is if you cancel the Uverse TV service within a month. He also offered me a $100 reward for trying this. The salesman also told me that it was actually FiOS, just like Verizon. Later, when I checked online, I found that I could get $200 rebate for trying Uverse, if I sign up via internet. Also, Uverse is actually NOT FiOS, but a hybrid between FiOS and traditional copper line.

I am in Northridge, CA(southern CA). And I wonder if anybody here on this forum has tried Uverse?

As of now, I am thinking of canceling the order, because, for one thing, I could get $200 rebate, if I sign up online.

Many thanks in advance for your opinion!

[Evilsizer]

Don't know if there is anybody here using ATT's Uverse service?

What's your experience like?

Do I need to have a TV set in order to use the Uverse TV service?

I currently have a TV tuner card(Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1600) with an OTA antenna and I can watch local TV just fine.

Today, an ATT door-to-door salesman came to my door and pitched this deal to me: ATT Uverse TV plus 3.0 mbps download speed internet service for $30 a month. Of course, that is if you cancel the Uverse TV service within a month. He also offered me a $100 reward for trying this. The salesman also told me that it was actually FiOS, just like Verizon. Later, when I checked online, I found that I could get $200 rebate for trying Uverse, if I sign up via internet. Also, Uverse is actually NOT FiOS, but a hybrid between FiOS and traditional copper line.

I am in Northridge, CA(southern CA). And I wonder if anybody here on this forum has tried Uverse?

As of now, I am thinking of canceling the order, because, for one thing, I could get $200 rebate, if I sign up online.

Many thanks in advance for your opinion!

i would say go for it, esp if its only $30 a month with TV service. for 3mbps alone for just DSL from them is $30. Actually you may not need a TV set as long as you Monitor has a S-Vid input or spare DVI connection. then what you could do is get a HDMI to DVI connector. since you will be changing channels on the box provided. as my understanding was if you get the DVR you can record up to 4 channels at once. beats the 2 we can do atm with Direct-TV box.

[woz101]

i would say go for it, esp if its only $30 a month with TV service. for 3mbps alone for just DSL from them is $30. Actually you may not need a TV set as long as you Monitor has a S-Vid input or spare DVI connection. then what you could do is get a HDMI to DVI connector. since you will be changing channels on the box provided. as my understanding was if you get the DVR you can record up to 4 channels at once. beats the 2 we can do atm with Direct-TV box.

Thanks for the reply, Evil!:)

I currently already have ATT Yahoo DSL with 3.0 mbps download speed. When I do a bandwidth test via speakeasy.net, I get like 2500bps. When I actually download a file from a server, the actual dl speed, however, is like 300 kbps. So I don't know by switching to ATT Uverse internet service will boost my actual dl speed from 300 kpbs to higher.

I am kind of disappointed with some of the details I have since found out with UVERSE:

1. ATT Uverse is NOT FiOS, which is what Verizon is offering in selected areas. The salesman told me that Uverse is FiOS. Either he didn't know it, or he lied to me.

2. I could get $200 rebate if I sign up via internet rather than the $100 rebate I get via a salesman.

So I am thinking about canceling the order tomorrow. If I hear REALLY positive things about ATT Uverse, I can then sign up via the internet, which would give me a $200 rebate for trying, as I've said.

Thanks again for the reply!

[Evilsizer]

well i can tell you i went thru the same thing about the connection speed. as i thought i was being ripped off.. paying for 3mbps dls but only getting from speednet 2.5mbps. then i removed the router with a crossover cable to my dad's laptop then got 3.2mbps tested on speednet. then after looking around and finally starting a post here. FIshy pointed out the difference in shown speeds vs what you see download wise. 3.2mbps = 400 KB/sec download speed, so i spend $5 more a month now for 6mbps service. i can now download up to around 5mbps total, tested by downloading different Linux ISO's from different servers. Giving what i was seeing on speedtest.net after the upgrade to be correct with the KB/sec speeds i was seeing when downloading the ISO's.

[woz101]

Thanks for the info, Evil! :)

Just checked: Indeed, the next level of ATT Yahoo DSL is only $5 more--$35 vs the $30 package that I have. So I think I might switch to that.

You have ATT Yahoo DSL as well?

Will do more search on users' feedback on ATT's Uverse, before I make a decision one way or the other.

Thanks!:)

[korruptedONE]

Thanks for the info, Evil! :)

Just checked: Indeed, the next level of ATT Yahoo DSL is only $5 more--$35 vs the $30 package that I have. So I think I might switch to that.

You have ATT Yahoo DSL as well?

Will do more search on users' feedback on ATT's Uverse, before I make a decision one way or the other.

Thanks!:)


I live in Indiana and I am a huge fan of this service. We have the fastest Internet available (10 Mbps), and currently I just received 9585 kbps from the speakeasy.net speed test to San Francisco. My speeds are pretty consistent, and I usually max out my connection on torrents or from sites that have that much upload capacity (1+ MBps (that's MEGABYTES)). My upload to San Fran through speakeasy just measured at 1500 kbps. We also use their television service, which I enjoy for the fact that the DVR box is free, and you can record four shows at the same time. It has every output except for VGA/DVI; component, composite, HDMI, coax, and optical audio out. I think you can get up to four boxes for no extra fee, but you only get one DVR box. You shouldn't need a tv if you have some type of device capable of taking input from any of the standards except for VGA/DVI, which is sounds like you do.

I've had it for 6 months and haven't had one outage due to problems. One night, at like 4 am, my service went out for maintenance, and that's been it.

Also, no U-Verse isn't FiOS, but hopefully the technician didn't say that they are exactly the same thing. They are extremely similar, in the fact that fiber is used in delivering you your service, but in most (maybe all? I'm not sure) cases the "last mile" of your connection is ran with copper wires. However, at those distances, and the speeds being carried, copper is perfectly fine. Once your data leaves your house it ends up on fiber within the first few hops. "Fiber to the node/neighborhood" is the term for this technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTTP is a good starter for info on that.

The technical details behind all of this are quite interesting, especially the fact that the data for your television is delivered over the network. Your television boxes actually get IP addresses and that is how your channels are sent to you. Pretty cool tech IMO.

[woz101]

Thanks for the reply, KorruptedONE! :)

I agree with ya on the internet speed. Great increase from my ATT Yahoo DSL service. I used to get 2100 kbps with the 3 mbps dl speed, per Speakeasy. After I switched to the ATT Uverse internet 6 mbps/1 mbps package, I noticed that the dl speed is around 5775 kbps, and the upload is around 800 or 900 kbps. So I am very satisfied there, and that is the most important reason I upgraded from the ATT Yahoo DSL service.

However, I had some trouble setting up the Uverse TV service. As I said in my initial post, I don't have a TV set. I only have a Samsung 226BW LCD monitor. (For my rig's complete specs, see my sig.) When I tried to connect the Uverse DVR to the cable connector of my Hauppauge HVR 1600 and set up the TV signal from within Vista Media Center(64 bit), I was given the error message that "IR Hardware Not Detected." So I tried to connect the Uverse DVR to my LCD monitor via an HDMI to DVI cable. I got video signal, but no audio.

It's not surprising, I guess, because DVI connectors do not deliver sound.

I was going to muck around to get the Uverse TV work with my LCD monitor or computer, but on second thought, I changed my mind, because I was not going to keep the TV anyways. I am so busy, don't have time to watch TV.

So I have since completely disconnected the Uverse DVR from the setup and will send it back to ATT when two or three weeks from now I cancel the TV service.

I will, of course, keep the Uverse internet service! It's great, as you have said.

Thanks very much again for chiming in, sharing your experience with ATT Uverse. It is appreciated!

PS: I have noticed on dslreports.com's forum that people complain about the high latencies of ATT Uverse internet service. Because of the high latencies, some games cannot play online games. But since I am NOT a gamer, at least, not an online gamer, the high latencies are not going to affect me. Thanks again for the reply!

[Evilsizer]

woz,
i missed that other post of yours, sorry. yes i have been a cust with SWBell for a long time, well SWbell is now ATT. i have had DSL since they offered it in our area here out side of Austin. never lost Internet in the time i have been with them.

[woz101]

woz,
i missed that other post of yours, sorry. yes i have been a cust with SWBell for a long time, well SWbell is now ATT. i have had DSL since they offered it in our area here out side of Austin. never lost Internet in the time i have been with them.

Hey, Evil, no need to apologize! :)

You gave me some very useful info. It is greatly appreciated.

As you can see from my updated posts here, my Uverse internet is up and running, and I am very satisfied with the improved dl and uplink speed.

The only drawback is that I did not successfully set up the Uverse TV with my LCD monitor or computer. But that's OK, as I was not, nor am interested in keeping the TV anyways. Too busy with my own work, and no time to watch TV. So I have taken down the Uverse PVR from the setup and will ship it back to ATT when I cancel the TV service one or two weeks from now.

Thanks again for the reply and the info!