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If Century Village installs a campus-wide integrated WiFi system over the next year- Will it be necessary to renew the Comcast Cable contract that expires in a few years?
If Century Village installs a campus-wide integrated WiFi system over the next year- Will it be necessary to renew the Comcast Cable contract that expires in a few years?
Right now we have WiFi TV, WiFi phones, WiFi Movies- so will cable be necessary in the future if Century Village installs a campus-wide WiFi program now?
Currently all residents pay $26.00 +/- per month for Comcast Cable in their monthly maintenance.
If WiFi could replace the cable- wouldn't each resident save money each month by not having to pay for Comcast cable? (Probably closer to $35 per month with yearly increases in Cable costs).
Again the Comcast contract doesn't expire for a few years- So I wonder if Comcast is fostering the malcontent's "LAN router - NoFi" as a scheme to prevent Century Village from installing a first rate- stand alone WiFi system?
If Comcast could Kill the WiFi program now, then residents would be forced to renew the cable contract in a few years, and have cable costs for the rest of their lives?
Century Village is a cash cow for Comcast-- so is Comcast just sitting by and letting all that future revenue slip away - or are they working with the Malcontents?
Just a thought question- what are your ideas on this?
Hi marc,
ReplyDeleteAs noted in my post below,
http://village-blog-and-chat.blogspot.com/2014/08/zetabytes-content-delivery-cable-tv-wi.html
The term Cable TV is all about how Content is delivered. A robust Village wide Wi-Fi could easily replace the expensive wire as a channel for Content delivery.
Dave Israel
I am thinking that in five years, when the Comcast contact ends, Wifi could be the cheapest and easiest method of bringing "cable tv" to our homes.
ReplyDeleteThis is not science fiction. Lots of people in CV are already doing this individually. It works, and it is not hard to do.
Think of it as cable tv without the cables. There would still be a cost, with extra cost for premium service, but with a Village-wide WiFi system already in place, the cost per unit can only go down. Fine with me- I can add that cost savings to the money that I will be saving when I lose my Comcast Internet bill (38 dollars) and when I can purchase a cheaper, Wifi based cellphone plan (two phones, save 60 dollars per month). Real money, but the Wifi infrastructure needs to be in place to take advantage.
Television in CV was never free. Before cable, we had master antenna, and the cost of maintaining that system was passed on to the homeowner. Check out the old UCO Reporters from 1983- available on this blog- the arguments against conversion to cable are identical to our current debate over WiFi.
One big difference- the conversion from antenna to cable involved an increase in homeowner costs. The addition of Village-wide WiFi will result in a DECREASE in costs for most Residents, including those that oppose the Project.
I hope the two of you, Dave Israel and Don 4060, realize how helpful your comments explaining the technical aspects of Wi-Fi are to people like me who don't have the technical expertise to thoroughly understand it. You are rendering the people of the Village a real service through your explanations. I wouldn't be surprised if hundreds of similarly interested residents are "listening in" to you. I have the sense, too, I am getting the straight scoop from you, as contrasted with the malcontents. Also, the more I hear about the advantages of Wi-Fi, the more I realize it has the potential to be a very big money-saver.
ReplyDeleteJust make sure that your contract calls for lots of bandwidth, or data capacity.
ReplyDeleteHere in Century Village Boca Raton, the paltry bandwidth that the system operator provides is barely sufficient for surfing the Internet and getting email.
It is NOT a consistently reliable delivery system for video streaming with only NETFLIX and YOUTUBE viewers.
As designed at current bandwidth levels, it would not support the huge load that television viewing would impose on the system.
Our system is for the light, casual user that doesn't mind seasonal and time of day performance fluctuations (lunch and dinner time seem to be our peaks).
So if you think that a wi-fi system will eliminate the need for Comcast for TV delivery, then insist on huge data capacity. That will require a higher monthly charge then an Internet/email system.
Hello Boca!
ReplyDeleteYes, building in adequate bandwidth, with extra to spare, is a top priority for the WPB WiFi Committee. Our Committee Chair predicts an "avalanche" of demand, as new users discover the "bandwidth hogging" applications beyond email and casual web surfing.
Your experience at CV Boca serves as a case study for our project here at WPB.
So, thank you, I guess.