House Hunt Thread #3

[Will]

No fiber in the area, but with a hardwired connection I reliably get over 90 mb/s from the cable co.

It's Atlantic Broadband or bust around here.

They've been far superior to Comcast, who had been my ISP everywhere else we've lived.


I don't know if the FCC's broadband map can be trusted, but according to it the neighborhood has broadband:

https://www.broadbandmap.gov/technology

[sasnglass77]

Originally Posted by snide

I've been in my house for 10 years. While the house was wired with coax, I've never used it. Had DSL installed for internet, and Dish Network. A couple of years ago, the phone company ran fiber to the house and I'm now on 100Mbps service. All the computers, TVs and "cable boxes" are "attached" via WiFi.

Check to see if fiber is in the area. If so, you're not going to want cable.

Oh, apparently our new house is wired for cable, and the quickest speed the cable company offers is only 10Mbps.

That's the residential plan. Business plan goes up to 500.

[Will]

Anyone have any idea what the white pvc pipe sticking up out of the ground is for?

Sorry for grainy 10 year old Google Street image. Didn't snap a photo of this today.

[bsmith]

Originally Posted by Will

Anyone have any idea what the white pvc pipe sticking up out of the ground is for?

Sorry for grainy 10 year old Google Street image. Didn't snap a photo of this today.

It's as accurate as the records that ISPs turn over to the government, which is to say...not reliable.
And it was last updated 6/2014

There's no hard and fast rule for what color duct is for what service...it could be anything.
That large box is most likely power.
That small pedestal is almost surely a copper or coax pedestal...not fiber.

[bsmith]

The FCC has a much better grasp on what is and isn't available...and it looks like you are right on the line.
https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research...403567&zoom=15


FYI, the government defines broadband as 25mbps down and 3mbps up, so you may be disappointed.
Welcome to rural living.

[SteelCityBlue]

as a side note, this has to be another bubble

[Will]

Originally Posted by bsmith

The FCC has a much better grasp on what is and isn't available...and it looks like you are right on the line.
https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research...403567&zoom=15

According to that map, the houses on the other side of the street have it but not this home's side of the street.

WTF?

Might be a good sign though. Only pedestals on the other side of the street are the same power co. and bell south ones.

Hopefully they actually send someone out today.

Even if they say yes, I'm going to demand it's put in the contract as a condition of the sale and the current homeowner have them run the line to the house so I know for sure.

Read horror stories online last night of idiot cable co. employees telling people who asked 2-3 times that "yes, we service that home" and then buying and having the cable co. tell them "nope, we don't" or "it will cost you $120,000 to have lines run"

[bsmith]

Originally Posted by Will

According to that map, the houses on the other side of the street have it but not this home's side of the street.

WTF?

Might be a good sign though. Only pedestals on the other side of the street are the same power co. and bell south ones.

Hopefully they actually send someone out today.

Even if they say yes, I'm going to demand it's put in the contract as a condition of the sale and the current homeowner have them run the line to the house so I know for sure.

Read horror stories online last night of idiot cable co. employees telling people who asked 2-3 times that "yes, we service that home" and then buying and having the cable co. tell them "nope, we don't" or "it will cost you $120,000 to have lines run"

The taps have been opened from Uncle Sam, and money is flowing for broadband deployment.
We have clients that are placing drops to abandoned houses, because they can make more money that way than actually having subscribers.

I'd say there is a high probability that there is infrastructure on the paved road ~800' to the west.
They could get a half dozen customers by plowing in 1/4 mile of cable.
Organize those neighbors, and take that proposition to the ISP.

I wouldn't make it a deal breaker on the house, if you like everything else.

CSR's are HORRIBLY uninformed on where they can and can't offer service.
Ask to speak to their engineering department.


FWIW, if I were the seller and someone put that contingency in the offer, I would tell them to pound sand.
That is out of the sellers control.
Asking them to fish cabling through the walls is one thing, forcing a completely unknown cost on them...no way.

[Will]

Realtor asked verbally if they'd take $200,000.

They countered with $219,000 + a Husqvarna riding mower they have stored in the shop building.

Sounds good if I can get internet.

Called my local Atlantic Broadband office. There's a work order in the system for someone to go see of they can service the home. Said I might hear back tomorrow (although I'm not sure they work on Saturdays, so maybe Monday)

Checked with AT&T. No DSL service, not that I'd be willing to settle for it anyway.

Have to hope Atlantic Broadband ran underground lines to the neighborhood through the Bell South underground infrastructure.

Satellite internet is a no go. Speeds "up to" 10 mb/s (yeah right) and a cap of 65 GB/month. 50 of them ONLY allowed between 2am and 8am.

No, no, no, no, NO.

It all comes down to the cable co. and whether the geniuses who planned this subdivision had them run coaxial.

[DAB]

sound roof
waterproof exterior
good insulation
nice location
reasonable interior layout
sound mechanical systems
.
.
.
.
.
and you are hung up on internet access.

i've been on DSL for 6+ years. i'm still alive.

[SilverBullitt]

Have you looked into line-of-sight providers, rather than satellite? I moved to the country where there is no DSL or cable. I tried DISH satellite internet for a while, and the speed and data limits SUCKED. I now have a line-of-sight wireless internet. I had to put a tall antenna on the roof of my shop in order to get sight to their antenna, but I have no data limits, and my speed is good enough for streaming video. You might check your area for similar services.

[Will]

Originally Posted by DAB

Hung up on internet access.

i've been on DSL for 6+ years. i'm still alive.

DSL isn't even available.

AT&T is the DSL provider, doesn't service that address.

Satellite internet is not usable in the modern age i.e. streaming, gaming, etc.

It's only good for old folks who want to check out their grandkids' photos on Facebook.

Originally Posted by SilverBullitt

Line of sight

No line of sight provider that I can find. Just Hughes Net and Excede satellite.


Aside from me waiting to hear from Cable Co., Realtor is going to try and get ahold of neighbors on each side to ask what they do. She knows both.

[Will]

Anyway, here some additional photos I took:

[bsmith]

Originally Posted by Will

Have to hope Atlantic Broadband ran underground lines to the neighborhood through the Bell South underground infrastructure.

Doubtful, at best.
Not unheard of, but they don't like to help other companies steal their customers

Originally Posted by Will

It all comes down to the cable co. and whether the geniuses who planned this subdivision had them run coaxial.

Developer had nothing to do with it.
They granted the utility easements.

Originally Posted by SilverBullitt

Have you looked into line-of-sight providers, rather than satellite? I moved to the country where there is no DSL or cable. I tried DISH satellite internet for a while, and the speed and data limits SUCKED. I now have a line-of-sight wireless internet. I had to put a tall antenna on the roof of my shop in order to get sight to their antenna, but I have no data limits, and my speed is good enough for streaming video. You might check your area for similar services.

Around here (Rise Broadband), they do have data caps.
For a while they didn't have a cap if you signed a two-year contract...but that has gone away.

My next door neighbors has it.
Advertised & pays for 15mbps, and routinely sees less than 5.

[VatorMan]

Originally Posted by Will

Anyone have any idea what the white pvc pipe sticking up out of the ground is for?

Sorry for grainy 10 year old Google Street image. Didn't snap a photo of this today.

So close to the transformer I'd speculate an electrical pipe. But typically electrical is Grey Schedule 80 PVC. White PVC makes me think of either sewage, water or a vent.

[Will]

Originally Posted by bsmith

Doubtful, at best.
Not unheard of, but they don't like to help other companies steal their customers

Those bell south boxes are the only ones in our current neighborhood, so I figured it's a possibility.

Also AT&T no longer services this area. They only offer TV i.e. DirecTV. No internet or phone at our current address or this home's address.

[Black94lt1]

Nice garage and even nicer pole barn. The only thing I don't like is the CPVC supply lines off the water heater. I had that in my previous house and I can tell you for certain after about 10 years it starts becoming brittle. I'm not sure if it is a problem with normal use, but if you ever have to change anything around, you end up cutting out and replacing way more than expected as it wants to shatter/crack when you cut it. I ended up replacing about 10' one time just to install a tee for an icemaker as the line split lengthwise when I cut into it

[DAB]

streaming and gaming...... well, a movie takes a day to download, so we don't watch much that isn't on DirectTV. gaming, never tried it.

life is more than your happiness. it's the happiness of others first.

[bsmith]

Originally Posted by Will

Those bell south boxes are the only ones in our current neighborhood, so I figured it's a possibility.

Also AT&T no longer services this area. They only offer TV i.e. DirecTV. No internet or phone at our current address or this home's address.

Probably varies by state, but there are means through which a company can force a competitor to allow them to use their plant...as crazy as that seems.

We see power companies leasing duct space to telcos regularly.

[mrvette]

Will, IS there a neighbor with any service you need, that is not across a street/road???? IF SO, maybe run your own Co-Ax to your house and split off his, and if it works well, split the bill with him.....

That what neighbors on the other side of the street did...even skipped one house between them.....