Competition
LIC
Enthusiast - Level 3

Verizon would do well to become competitive again versus the likes of Comcast and Cox.  To do this they need to get with the program and replace antiquated DVRs which have only two tuners and put the new faster router out there free for customers enrolled at the fastest home internet speeds.  I'm gonna switch when my contract is up unless these issues are resolved.

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Re: Competition
db909
Contributor - Level 3

There is no such thing as a free router at Comcast or Cox, they will gladly rent you one.  I would not wish a Comcast all in one wireless gateway on my worst enemy.  Their wifi capabilities are junk.  People on Comcast do the same as people on FIOS they turn off the wifi in the ISP supplied device and get their own router/access point.  The only difference is FIOS gives the device fro free, Comcast makes you rent it.

Re: Competition
roaddogg1
Specialist - Level 1

As db said there is no such thing as a free router. Do you really think a company would just give out millions of a product that they have to pay for for free? In one way or another you are going to pay for it.

The word free in the sales world is nothing more then an easy sales tatic that millions buy into. it worked years for the cell phone world. Free phones dont exsist. 

As far as the dvr goes google is your friend as is searching these forums where this topic has been talked about over and over. The new media server was delayed for issues beyond verizon's control. Its now finally in beta testing phase, but theres still no official release date yet. Even if you would want one expect to pay an upgrade fee.

Re: Competition
walt178
Specialist - Level 3

There's no such thing as free equipment.  You pay for it regardless of who your provider is.  The difference is how (buy or rent) and is the cost visible or built into the contract.  This past week I compared COX prices--with new customer special--to what I'm currently paying Verizon.  New customer discounts have expired.  For comparable service, switching would save me nothing.  

That comparison was solely to look at their pricing structure.  As a former COX customer, the  quality difference between FiOS TV and Internet is so great going back isn't an option.

Re: Competition
VUser50
Contributor - Level 2

@LIC wrote:

Verizon would do well to become competitive again versus the likes of Comcast and Cox.  To do this they need to get with the program and replace antiquated DVRs which have only two tuners and put the new faster router out there free for customers enrolled at the fastest home internet speeds.  I'm gonna switch when my contract is up unless these issues are resolved.



I find that they generally are competitive, at least where I live. There competition is Optimum Online which only just started giving out free routers. In fact a plus of switching to FIOS was the free router!

The Optimum routers are slightly better than Verizon, but you need to return it if you change service, and it turns into a Cable hotspot for access by anyone with a Optimum account. Now it shouldn't affect bandwidth and the outside traffic is supposed to be securely separated from your own but it was kinda shady not to alert customers ahead of time. There is no free lunch.

That said, router technology costs are going down. It seems like Verizon could easily boost its router performace just a tad, maybe even add dual band? Considering how heavily Verizon markets its Quantum products, and how devices are becoming more likely to be wireless it seems a bit shortsighted to try to skimp on the router, regardless of competition. You are just going to see customers opt for cheaper packages. 

Re: Competition
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

@LIC wrote:

Verizon would do well to become competitive again versus the likes of Comcast and Cox.  To do this they need to get with the program and replace antiquated DVRs which have only two tuners and put the new faster router out there free for customers enrolled at the fastest home internet speeds.  I'm gonna switch when my contract is up unless these issues are resolved.


put the new faster router out there free for customers enrolled at the fastest home internet speeds.

 

It is free if you have the fastest home internet speeds.  It's an automatic upgrade if your tier has 100Mbps and up speeds as the old routers cannot support those speeds wired and wired speeds are the only thing that Verizon guarantee speedwise.