If in case you want to switch again, then you might have to pay the cancellation charges as well, as many service providers offer contract plans. In order to cancel the service, you will have to pay the termination charges, and it won’t be just the termination charges that you will be paying, you will have to go through the whole procedure again and trust me, you don’t want that.

If you are looking for all three services then you must go for a service provider that offers all three telecommunication services in a bundle. Many service providers like Spectrum offer bundles with amazing features. You get discounts on all the services you get in the bundle plan. Isn’t that cool? For instance, if you bundle Spectrum services like Spectrum home phone, internet, and cable TV services, you will be getting discounts on all three of them. Also, you will be saving yourself from paying multiple installation charges and will get rid of multiple bills as well.

To find the best cable TV, phone, and internet service providers in your area, the following are the steps that you need to follow.

Find available options

The very first step in this journey is to find all the available service providers that are offering services in your area. Many platforms like localcabledeals.com can help you out in finding the availability of telecommunication companies in your area.

The process is very simple. All you need is to put in your address or zip code in the search bar and all the companies providing services in your area will pop up on your screen. The best part is yet to come. You won’t have to go to each company’s website to check plans and prices. Everything will be available there. If there is a specific service provider you like and want to get services through, but are not sure if that is available in your area or not, you can find out the availability this way very easily.

Check online reviews and ask your neighbors

Once you find out the availability of service providers in your area, the next step is to check online reviews of the providers that you are considering. You might have to read multiple articles to find the pros and cons of the companies and it might take some time, but it’s worth it. This way you will find out the experience of many people with the service providers and it will be easy for you to make a decision.

Moreover, if you don’t believe in internet forums, you can ask your neighbors as well about the services that they currently have and how that is working out for them. You must be thinking that why should you ask your neighbors when you can check on the internet? That is a good question. The answer is very simple. The service quality varies from area to area. In some areas, you might get excellent services from a service provider, and in some; you might get terrible services from the same service provider. So, it’s better to take an opinion of actual customers living close to you.

Figure out your usage

You won’t be able to pick the right plan if you are not sure about your usage. The uncertainty can cause you a lot of trouble so don’t take any risk.

If you have multiple internet users who do heavy streaming and online gaming then you will need a blazing fast internet connection, but for basic internet users, even a basic internet plan will work. List down all the must-have channels that you cannot miss in any case.

Ask your family what they like to watch and if there is any extra feature like DVR service that they want. Are you okay with just unlimited nationwide calling, or do you want some international minutes as well? Figure out all this before you reach out to any service provider. It will be easy for the sales specialist to offer you something that suits your needs and budget if you are clear in your head about what you want.

Choose the service provider

Since you have evaluated your needs till now and have shortlisted the providers as well, the final step is to choose a bundle through a service provider that suits your needs and entertainment budget.

If you like more than one service provider then compare the plans. Check prices, features, and extra perks. Write down everything and then compare. Once you are done with the plan comparison, choose a plan that you find the best for internet service providers in your area.

Summing it up

It might look easy to find a reliable service provider that offers you everything that you need, but it’s not that simple. It takes time and proper research, so take all you want. Don’t rush while making the decision and you will surely find the best of the best.

The post Best TV, Phone, and Internet service providers in your area appeared first on Techscopy.

Slow internet speeds are not uncommon. Almost everywhere in the world people have to deal with slow internet speeds, regardless of which ISP they are using. Yes, some ISPs do have a poor network quality, but sometimes the issue is much more than just that. 

If you are experiencing slow internet speeds, then you can fix the issue yourself. 

Why Is My Internet Connection So Slow?

Insufficient data cap to meet your need

It is possible that you subscribed to your internet plan years ago and are still using it. In the recent past, we needed many different levels, and lower speeds to accommodate all our usage. Streaming Netflix, using BitTorrent, streaming games, scrolling through social media – all of this was not as common and frequent as it is now. Therefore, an internet package with a low data cap can be the first and foremost important reason behind the lagging connection in your home today. Your advanced tech and devices such as iPhones and Smart TVs need greater bandwidth and internet speeds. 

If you are worried about high prices or availability, then you will be glad to hear that many major ISPs packages such as Spectrum packages are quite affordable. They have a range of bundles starting from different prices, with flexible contracts and in some cases no contracts as well. You just need to do some research. 

Strangers are using your internet 

Sometimes, when there is too much load and traffic on an internet connection, it slows down your internet.  However, this could be happening without your knowledge. Your Wi-Fi security may be weak and some strangers or even people in your neighborhood could have signed in to your network and might be using it right under your nose. As a result, even with the right data caps, you cannot seem to get stable internet speeds in your home or office. 

Area power outage or maintenance work

For cable internet connections, you must be aware of any power outages that have occurred in your area that could possibly affect your internet speeds. Power outages are most common in and weather conditions such as Hurricanes, tornados, and floods. These usually damage cables, which affects your internet. 

Not only this, but your ISP could have slowed down the speed or even shut off their system for maintenance purposes. Ideally, ISPs inform their users about this outage beforehand, but it is possible that you did receive any notification or missed the message. 

Malware and virus

Our laptops are extremely skeptical of malware and viruses, considering the load of browsing we do all throughout the internet downloading all sorts of content and even streaming videos online. If you are sure you did not download anything from a risky website, it is possible that other users of the same laptop or computer, such as your kids, downloaded something. Check with the other users of the device to find out if there is such a possibility. 

How To Speed Up My Internet Connection?

Before you can go ahead and implement some of the following methods for fixing your internet speed, make sure you have understood the cause of the problem. 

Make sure you use reliable platforms such as buytvinternetphone to subscribe to a reliable provider that can provide you with good customer care. Sometimes downloading antivirus or implementing the cleanup properly can be difficult. In such times, having professional assistance to understand the problem and fix it can be really important. 

Check how the internet is being used

If you have a whole family using the internet, chances are that too many devices are putting a lot of load on the internet. Downloading a movie or uploading heavy files may be a good example. Try shutting these tasks down if they are not important. If not, then upgrading to a new internet plan is the best option. 

VPN

VPNs add an extra layer of protection to your connection. This makes the signal travel through the layers slower than usual. The way to fix this is to buy a faster VPN such as ExpressVPN so that it doesn’t hinder the internet speed. 

Location of router

If your router is placed too far away from where you are using the internet, then relocating is the best choice. 

Better Wi-Fi security

Redo your Wi-Fi security settings, change its passwords, and inquire your ISP about more security measures you can take to keep all strangers and leeches out.

A Sum Up

Say goodbye to slow internet and poor resolution streaming with these quick fixes. If you can’t seem to find your way around the slow speed issue, the last choice is to contact your ISP or replace them with a different one. 

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1. You Stuffed Your Router In The Corner

We know routers won’t win any home decor or interior design awards, but stuffing it in the corner of one room is one of the worst things you can do to your Wi-Fi coverage and signal strength. By stuffing it into a corner, you’re surrounding your router with signal blockers that seriously dampen it’s signal and could even create Wi-Fi dead spots in other parts of your home.

To fix this, you’ll want to place your router in the most central location of your home or where you use the internet the most to get the very best Wi-Fi coverage and signal strength.

2. You Didn’t Put A Password On Your Wi-Fi Network

Wi-Fi and it’s bandwidth isn’t an unlimited resource. The more people on your network, the less bandwidth and internet speeds you have to go around to every internet enabled device connected to your network. With a Wi-Fi network that has been password free, we can guarantee that you have some unwanted guests using your Wi-Fi.

You don’t want strangers who don’t pay your bill to use it right? To fix this, it’s time to kick those unwanted guests off of your Wi-Fi network for good by finally putting a password on it. A password will kick them off and make them stay off for good. If you have regular guests and would like to extend your Wi-Fi as a welcome gesture to your home, consider setting up a guest Wi-Fi network for them.

3. Your Router Antennas Are All Over The Place

Did you know that your router antennas are meant to be redirected? Most router antennas can emit your Wi-Fi signal in the direction you point it in and it’s general area. Letting them be as they are when you set up your router most likely isn’t helping your Wi-Fi signal.

To fix this, experiment with your router antennas. You might be surprised at how much you can improve your signal’s range and strength by moving one or all of them.

4. You’ve Pinched Too Many Pennies With Your Router

If you can’t remember when you purchased your router, it’s time to get a new one. Just because your Wi-Fi seems to be working just fine, doesn’t mean that it actually is. Using an ancient router is causing you to miss out on better Wi-Fi speeds, coverage, signal strength and ultimately wasting the money you spend on internet service provider because you’ve held onto your outdated router too long.

To fix slow wifi, purchase a new router in the current Wi-Fi standard; 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6. With Wi-Fi 6 you’ll experience faster internet speeds, better network capacity and improved security over 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 5. Any routers before Wi-Fi 5 are seriously overdue for an upgrade and once you experience the upgrade for yourself, you’ll be so happy you did.

5. You Subscribed To The Lowest Tiered Internet Plan

Over time you’ve evolved in how you use your internet connection, but your internet speeds have remained the same. Sometimes your slow internet really is just slow and needs an upgrade to a higher tiered plan through your internet provider.

To fix this, call your internet provider. See what internet plans they have available at your address. If there’s better internet plans with faster speeds, choose one that fits your current needs the best. If not, it might be time to switch to a different internet provider that can deliver you faster speeds.

The post 5 Ways You’ve Slowed Down Your Wi-Fi & How To Fix It? appeared first on Techscopy.

1. Don’t Give Out Your Personal Information

While online be extra cautious of where you enter your personal information. Any requests for you to provide personal information like your social security number, date of birth, address, bank account or credit card account information should be dealt with very cautiously. Is the site you’re looking at a legitimate site with a real need for that information? If not, protect yourself and do not provide your personal information.

2. Use Antivirus Software

Install antivirus or internet security software on all of your internet enabled devices from a reputable company and keep it updated. While online don’t click on strange links, pop up ads or suspicious sites. Accidents can happen to those that are the most diligent about internet safety, but this is what antivirus or internet security software is for. They will keep your devices safe from most attacks without you having to do much other than making sure it is updated and that the software regularly performs checks. We recommend scheduling your antivirus or internet security to run regular checkups so your devices stay clean from viruses, malware and spyware.

3. Choose A Strong Password Every Time

Your passwords are your first line of defense when it comes to keeping your online accounts safe. Choose passwords that are minimum 12 characters long and consist of numbers, special characters, upper and lowercase letters. Each account should have their own unique password and no two accounts should have the same or similar passwords. If you’re worried about keeping track of them all, you can start using a password manager to keep them safe and available for when you need them.

4. When In Doubt, Delete The Email

Always be cautious when you’re checking your emails. If you receive an email from a sender you don’t know or a sender that seems suspicious, don’t open the email and just delete it. Also don’t click on any links within emails from what appears to be banks, credit card companies, government agencies, utilities and other important or urgent organizations unless you for sure know that the email originated from them.

These are common scams that spammers use called phishing, where cybercriminals steal your personal information when you enter it onto their fake site from the link you’ve clicked. We advise not clicking on any links within your emails and just visit their site directly or call the customer service number from your bill. Most email services have spam checkers that keep these sorts of emails out of your inbox, but they don’t always catch them all.

5. Shop Online Safely

It’s okay to shop online as long as you keep your wits about you. Always shop from reputable stores and make sure their sites are secure before entering any information. Reputable stores will be stores you’ve heard of before and if you haven’t heard of the stores you want to purchase something from, check their online reviews first. To see if a site is secure or not, look in the address bar. You’ll see a “https” or a padlock within the address bar. If you can’t find anything on the store you want to buy from or their site isn’t secure, don’t purchase anything from them.

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1. Price

Wi-Fi routers range from as low as $27.99 to as high as $499.99 depending on what you choose. However, you don’t need to break the bank on equipment to get great Wi-Fi. Before you run out to buy your next router, come up with a budget of how much you’d like to spend and how much you can comfortably spend. It’s easy to get caught up in all the extra features of more expensive routers, but don’t cheap out either. Ideally you want to choose a Wi-Fi router that will last you for the next few years to really stretch out your money. That means you should expect to spend from $100 to $200 on the most up to date mid tier router.

2. Current Wi-Fi Standards

If it’s been a few years since you’ve purchased your last router, you might be surprised by how much router technology has advanced. The current Wi-Fi standard is 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6. This new tech delivers a more stable connection, faster network speeds and higher capacity to support multiple devices running simultaneously for modern households. You can still use older 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 5 devices on Wi-Fi 6 but you won’t truly experience the technology advances with Wi-Fi 6 until you’re using a newer device that’s certified for this new standard of Wi-Fi.

3. Choose A Dual-Band Or More

While shopping for your new router, you’ll see routers that have a single-band, dual-band and even tri-band frequencies. For most households a dual-band router will work great. Dual band routers work on the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. The 2.4GHz frequency has greater range, but is more susceptible to interference and congestion from nearby neighbors and other electronics. The 5GHz band is faster and less crowded, but it’s range is smaller than 2.4GHz. Using both bands simultaneously will deliver the internet speeds you’ve been expecting. If you’re thinking about choosing a single band, buyer beware that they aren’t enough for most households today. Tri-band routers are usually adored by serious gamers and streamers, so unless you have either living in your home, it would be wise to save the extra cash you’d spend on one instead.

4. Adequate Range

A new router won’t do you any good unless you consider the range you need. You don’t want to set up your new router just to find that part of your home isn’t covered or you have dead spots in some room. Yes, optimal positioning can help mitigate dead spots, but if you live in a large home or a home with many signal blockers, you’ll need a router with the best range possible. If this sounds like what you could be dealing with, you’re not without choices. You can choose a single router, a Wi-Fi mesh system or a series of powerline adapters. We recommend using a Wi-Fi mesh system because it’s easily customized to your unique situation, the fastest solution and is the future of Wi-Fi networking.

5. Mobile App Network Management

Almost every router out on the market today has an accompanying mobile app from the manufacturer, but it’s always a good idea to check first before you complete your purchase. Downloading and using the mobile app is so valuable to whomever in your home will be managing your Wi-Fi network. It makes managing it so much more user friendly and you can make the most of your router with it. Features like QoS, guest Wi-Fi networks, parental controls and data usage notifications are all set up and easily accessible within mobile apps.

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The main reason for that is once the introductory price period or promotional period is over, the prices start increasing and go to regular prices. For instance, a customer who was previously paying $100 for the services might start paying $130 once the introductory period is over and from there, the prices will keep going up after some time.

That means you will have to figure out how to reduce these prices instead of just complaining about frequent price increases. And to make it possible for you, we have figured out a few ways you can save on your internet and cable bills every month. Let’s have a look at them one by one.

Get Your Equipment

The first option that we have on this list is getting your equipment instead of leasing from your service provider. Mostly what happens is, people, get equipment such as modem and router from their service provider and pay $10-$15 every month for this although this is not necessary. Instead, you can get your modem and router and save that amount every month. In the long run, that $10-$15 every month adds up to $120-$180 every year.

Now If you have services for supposedly three years, you would have paid $360-$540 during that time just for equipment & that amount can be saved very easily. Some providers such as Charter Spectrum offer you a free modem with internet services. In that case, you can use your router and get the modem for free.

Similarly, Cable service cost increases substantially when we add in more cable boxes where each box costs about $10 every month. That means you will be paying $40 for boxes if you have 4 TV in the house. One option to avoid these charges is to go for TV streaming apps with Smart TV’s that are provided by the majority of good providers. Through the streaming app, you can watch live TV by downloading that app on your smart TV or phone. As a result, you can get rid of additional boxes and save on your monthly charges.

Switch Your Plan

The second option to save on your monthly cable and internet services is to switch your plan. This option is useful for people who have signed up for premium plans either to watch just one specific premium channel or just for the sake of having those channels to watch whenever they feel like doing so and don’t necessarily need those channels. Similarly, some people get the fastest download speeds, despite hardly using the internet whenever they are home. All these scenarios can cost hundreds of dollars on yearly basis.

To save that amount, you can switch your plan to a lower tier that works fine for you. For instance, instead of having the 1Gig download speed, you can go for 400-600 Mbps which will work well as it is also a fast speed range. Moreover, if you need one specific channel, try to get those channels added manually to your plan instead of paying for the whole upper tier bundle. Doing so will cut your costs by $10-$40 at the very least which is a huge saving on monthly basis.

Negotiate with Your Service Provider

The third option which can help you with saving money is negotiating and discussing with your service provider. You can give a call to customer service and talk to them about increasing the monthly charges that you are paying every month. Possibly they will be able to help you out and figure out a way to decrease your monthly charges without affecting your services that much.

Otherwise, every provider has a retention department that is there to keep people from leaving or canceling the services. Let the customer service guy know that you need to speak to the retention department. When they connect you over, tell them that you are tired of paying this much money every month for the services and if you do not find a better deal, you will cancel services without any hesitation. The retention department will be able to offer you some deal to stick with the provider. As a result, you will either be returned to your promotional pricing or they will recommend a specific plan as per your needs to cut the costs.

Remove Unnecessary Services

Another option to save money is to remove unnecessary services with your plan. For instance, people tend to get whole bundle deals without even using all the services just because that would be saving them a few bucks on the internet. That in turn, increases the overall price because you are getting more services such as getting phone service with cable and internet.

That phone service, if removed, can save you more than $10 every month without affecting your internet or cable TV. So, if you are doing something similar, get rid of those extra services and save on your monthly charges.

Final Verdict

No one hates saving money and when that can be done easily, that is bliss. However, some of these methods can be hard for you. You might not want to switch to streaming instead of boxes or changing the plan might not be a feasible thing for you as you love all your channels and watch everything.

So, before doing any of these, evaluate your needs and prioritize, and make sure this is what you want to do. On the other hand, talking to your provider can be a better option but that would require you to do some research and figure details of what you would like to discuss and how you would bring them to change your price to a lower rate.

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