At one time, cable TV ruled with an iron fist over the paid TV industry. With satellite TV being expensive and geared toward the higher tax bracket, cable was all the average consumer had to work with. Over the years however, technology evolved and the price on satellite TV has dropped significantly, labeling services such as Dish Network and DirecTV a major threat to the mighty cable kings. Today, viewers have even more options to choose from and AT&T U-verse is one service that appears to be leading the charge for alternatives.
What is U-verse?
U-verse is AT&T’s answer to the television, internet and phone services offered by cable TV providers. Unlike cable services, U-verse delivers an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) signal over a technologically advanced fiber-optic network. According to AT&T, the data travels to a node that is no less than 3,000 feet from your residence. From there, it travels over a DSL or traditional copper telephone line until reaching your home. The combination of Internet Protocol and fiber-optic technology is said to provide speed and video clarity that towers over cable TV with stability and performance that outdoes satellite TV services. If this service is available in your area, you too can enjoy what many are calling the “next generation of digital television”. Before subscribing, you would probably like to know what to expect from the installation process. This article will shed some light on the subject.
Installation Equipment
Similar to cable and satellite TV services, AT&T U-verse offers free equipment and installation to get you up and running quickly. Installation includes a set up of your residential gateway (modem) and receivers along with any additional wiring that is required. A professional AT&T U-verse technician will set up the gateway via a Wi-Fi, Ethernet or USB connection for high-speed internet connectivity and connect the HD-ready receiver to your televison or home entertainment center. A single receiver is capable of simultaneously recording up to four programs on different TVs but you will have to pay $7 per month for each receiver if additional boxes are needed.
What You Should Know About Installation
Shortly after ordering the U-verse service, you will receive a postcard in the mail that contains your 9-digit U-verse account number. More importantly, the card will provide a summary detailing the specific date and time the installation is scheduled to occur. It will also let you know the following:
- The installation will take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours
- Someone 18 years or older and authorized to make decisions regarding your U-verse account must be present during the installation.
- The U-verse installation technician is not permitted to move any furniture in your home. This means it is up to you to make sure that the connections to your TV sets and computers are accessible.
How Long Will it Really Take?
There have been reports of U-verse installations taking as little as two hours and others taking as many as a few days to complete. The actual time frame you endure of course, all depends on your situation and the competency of the installer. In most cases, it is problems with existing wires that result in lengthy installations. Sometimes, the connections used to power your cable box just won’t work with the more sophisticated U-verse set up. So even though most installations are routinely completed with little to no problems, you should still try to be a bit more patient and let the technician or technicians do their thing. Even if the installation process ends up being a nightmare, you will probably forget about it once everything is set up and functioning properly.
Many have found that the speed and picture quality of U-verse is well worth the sometimes grueling installation process.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
got U-verse, couldn’t afford / didn’t want to pay for all 9 TVs to be hooked up. Several rarely get used so no big deal. We were told we could move the digital box from room to room as needed as all wires would be “hot”. Got a new wide screen TV for the living room and moved the digital box from the kitchen to the LR. Can’t get a signal. The living room is a dead end run to the splitter with working TVs off of it. Connections are all tightly crimped, shouldn’t be any issues, but, still no TV in the LR. Still works in the kitchen. Anybody got any ideas?
I am very much interested in U-Verse. However, I refuse to use my existing wiring. Dish Network ran wires around walls, under doors that I can’t close and it is a total mess, but that was their idea of “Basic Installation”. If this company can give me a clean installation, where my walls are not bordered with white wires, then I’m ready. I have heard from many people that I’ll be very happy with this service.
Yes, Uverse is the best, ATT has one of the best customer service, all the installations that I’ve had are very neat…I dont know if depends of the installer or the property…the 1st guy took 3 days to install the service!! I lived in a duplex now that I moved to an apt only took 4 hrs to this other guy (townhome)/ I recommend it!!
I had a terrible experience with the horrible new AT&T it WAS a good co for 60 years .Now they have made it garbage!!!!!!
What type of Cat5E wire would I need to wire my whole house?
Do I need the shielded or unshielder with solid coper?
Thanks.
Julius
I’ve had Directv for 10 years now. I’ve always been VERY pleased with my service. I LOVE my Directv SAT. I recently order the new at&t u-verse. I have 2 weeks to find out more about it before the tech arrives to install it. Please, I need feed back on Directv vs. At&t u-verse. I.m still not sure I need to be reasured that I.m doing the right thing. If anyone out there has made this switch, please tell me what you think. Thanks DEE
I just ordered ATT U-verse (TV and Internet) yesterday, and received an e-mail today telling me that the installation is scheduled for OVER A MONTH AWAY. That is absolutely ridiculous. I called them up, and they said they could move it up by 2 days (which obviously isn’t going to help much). I already had a lot of problems setting up the account (prices online didn’t match what I was being quoted), so after seeing this, I’m pretty fed up and already thinking about switching to a different provider. Just… wow. Who would wait that long for installation???
RE: Julius (What type of Cat5E wire)
If insistant on using Cat5, then unshielded solid copper wire is my recommendation.
However, I would urge you to run coaxial cable, rather than UTP (Unshielded twisted pair). The protocol currently used with U-verse is HPNA, which incidentally enough offers better QOS for video. Also Coaxial cable is very much compatible with other cable providers, making it more likely to have a higher ROI.
I would also recommend AGAINST using shielded cat5, where will you BOND your shielding to?
I ordered ATT U-verse on July29th and they told me install date of Sept. 5th. Informed them this was unacceptable. Salesman told me to give him a day or so. Waited until Aug 1st whereas I received a text from the salesman, new install date Aug 20th $200 MC Giftcard and waived $36.00 activation. (Cha-CHING!) U300 Service / Max 12Mbps Internet will cost me $100.00 a month for 6 months then goes to $153.00 unless I drop to a lower package (2 room setup).
I have new (RG6 I think it is) coaxial buried in my lawn to the power pole at the rear edge. I am trying to find out if AT&T can use that line to connect to, at the pole. (I don’t want a line in the air, going from pole to roof and then down the wall).
orderd uverse said theyd be out dec 29 between 1and 3 never showed didnt even get a call took time off work called them didnt know what happened to order now scheduled january 29th! they are un beleivable decided to call crappy cable co. theyll be here mon todays thur lets see how long it takes for att to really get here when i moved in it took them two months to get reg landline service working correctly with internet another two months i sick of every bussiness in america!
Hi i just signed up for u verse tv. I was recently told by 2 dierctv technicians that they could not install a dish on my balcony or roof because it was facing north. I live in a condo on the 5th floor, and i was wondering if the installation is going to be a problem. Has anyone here had u verse tv installed in there condo and if not what is my alternative if u verse doesn’t work, i really want cable.
AT&T took 7 hours to install U-Verse and the installer drilled a hole in our basement from outside that entered 3 feet above our sofa in the middle of the wall. He proceeded to install several lime green cords that dropped behind the sofa and trailed around the wall to our TV.
I insisted the cords be concealed within the wall and this was done, but I was left with a 3″X4 1/2″ hole to repair and paint. Now, my upstairs TV “tiles” and pauses on recordings. The installation had to be “hardwired” as “either net did now work in our home”.
I have a small business in a strip mall. With U-Verse, do I have to worry about the neighbors leeching off my internet, slowing it down?
Also, can a hard line still be run from the receiver to a desktop computer which runs the store’s p.o.s. system?
Thanks for any help.
I ordered U-verse from the AT&T sales lady and was happy with out hour long conversation, at which time i decided to drop Direct TV after 5 years of a few issues like when it rained the picture would go out and where i live it rained frequently last summer. after being with no service for 2 weeks and my reception just awful i decided i had enough and opted for u-Verse after my talk with the AT&T sales lady who made a committment that they would be coming out to my home on september 2nd and sent me a confirmation via email. the day finally arrived and i took that day off with no pay, and was even called 2 days prior to that from AT&T confirming that they would be here, thus my day off waiting .. and waiting …and waiting with a no show, and no call. needless to say i was livid. i called the company and complained and they said the technician had an emergency and could not be here. i told them that this was unacceptable and that someone should have called me.. ok after that we made another appointment for 2 weeks later at which time i was promised that there would be no issues like lateness and the technician would be here pronto at 9-10 AM .. again , no show… ok at this point i am so ticked off that i called the sales lady up who gave me her number and i told her to take it and shove it where the sun doesnt shine and i told her to cancel everything..i didnt want service from AT&T ever if this was any indication of how the service was going to be and that i was beginning to love Direct TV more and more as the days came because they were always on time and gave me a lot of freebies and free months of premium channels many times obver the 5 years i was with them and that they always kept their word.. at this time the sales lady got me hooked up with some VIP from AT&T who called me the next morning and offered me a year of every premium chanell that they had if i would Accept their aopology and please forgive them for all the messes.. i explained to them that i lost 2 days pay waiting on them with no shows and poor excuses.. the executive with U-verse sentme a 250.00 giift card and had them at my home the very next morning and although it took them all day to conect me, i was humbled with great reception on allof my TVs and got more than i could expect from anyother company.. although over all i was dissatisfied with the initial BS and lies from the sales lady , i am happy to say that everything turned out better than i could imagine and i am up and running.. the only thing i do not like is when i have issues which i do have with email pretty frequently.i call them and get someone from Thailand or the Philippines that first of alli cant undrstand their accent and they usually don’t know how to get my email up & going and this usually turns out tobe a fiasco but i eventually do get it back up after several attempts.thats the thign about AT&T. when you cal them, the call is routed to another country. i dontlike that because it just reeks of non americanism and just irks me that we now have to deal with another country that intercepts allof the technical aspects of IT issues.. and that realy sucks.. overall i am satisfied and willcontinue to use U-verse for the duration but willprobably eventually go back to Direct TV if i continue to have problems with my subaccounts and outlook exppress..as every other person here in this blog has expressed, DO NOT EXPECT THEM TO BE AT YOUR HOME IMMEDIATELY. there is going to be a month waiting or even more with AT&T U-Verse, and more thanlikely they will not show up as promised on the first appointment that they make and probably will not even call you to cancel so expect that kind of service from them.. this is so common and everyone i know that has at&t has had the same experience.. if you happen to talk to a sales person just rememberthis.theyare there to make a buck and get paid on commission.. and they will tell you anything to get your new business and will promise you the moon if you subscribe.. dont fall victim to their lies.. if i had known what i was in for, i can assure you i would have stayed with Direct TV inspite of the issues i had but at elast they were here when they made appointments to come to my home every time. over all i would rate AT&T service as poor, very poor at a 2 on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being best , but once installed, i would rate it at 8-9 for quality……
@Board Room – Neighbors cannot leech your TV or Internet signal with Uverse, unless you authorize them to do so explicitly.
Hard lines (cat5 ethernet) can be run from the RG (main gateway/modem) to a desktop computer.
Hope this helps!