Master Google Search

You probably think that you have a good handle on how to use Google search.  Google search is common knowledge.  As is the premise of this blog, going beyond common knowledge, there's always more to a topic with which we're comfortable and Google search is no exception.  Here is how to master the art of Google search:

Switching to FiOS from Comcast - Part 3

Sorry it's taken a little while to get to this final installment.  I'm going to combine the installation and user experience in this post.

First the installation.  Verizon called the night before to confirm.  The driver called when he was 30 minutes out.  Arrived at 9:30 am in an 8-12 window.  Great communication.  Installation guy was smart & pleasant.  He first ran the fiber from the street (through the conduit laid the day before) and made sure to leave my Comcast connection intact in case I needed/wanted to switch back, or if the next resident opted.  He also installed a pretty big panel next to my circuit breaker box for all the FiOS gear.

He first linked into the household cable connection for TV, then into the house phone connection.  TV and phone were working perfectly and quickly with minimal down time.  Internet went just as smoothly.  Verizon provides a modem with a wireless g/n router.  I hung my original wifi router off of theirs so all my devices still connected wirelessly with no hiccups.  Now the Verizon wireless router gives me a second wifi connection plus 4 more ethernet ports.

All said, he was finished in 4 hours from a 4-6 hour estimate.

Now, how does everything work?

• Phone.  Perfectly.  Plenty of features.  One thing they lack compared to Comcast is Verizon's mobile app does not notify me on my cell phone when a call is coming in at home.  Not critical, but a nice to have.  Also, more importantly, I can't check voice mail messages from their mobile apps.  That needs to change.
• TV.  I think the picture quality is every bit as good and possibly better.  However, my only complaint is the user interface, the screens, are not intuitive.  When you highlight a nested selection, you don't click it, you press the right cursor button.  The whole screen shifts left and your next level choices are revealed.  Hard to adjust to this.  Comcast was simpler, but perhaps too simple.  Also much more control of features.  Most people won't explore this, but i already have, and making only minor changes.
• Internet.  It is definitely faster.  I did speed tests with Comcast and FiOS.  Here are the results using wifi.  Remember, they are planning 50 Mbps up and down speeds in July.
• Comcast:  11.4 Mbps download, 4.3 Mbps upload, 16 ms Ping.
• FiOS:  25.6 Mbps download, 27.8 Mbps upload, 28 ms  Ping.
• FiOS:  33 Mbps download, 36 Mbps upload (wired mode)
• Mobile Apps:  Not as good as Comcast.  Comcast's apps do more, work seamlessly and are totally intuitive.  They have Verizon beat here by a lot.  Hopefully it is a standard that Verizon will try to match and beat.

And let's not forget the $500 Verizon signing bonus.  Considering all the above, the $500 was the clincher.  So I'm a happy convert for now.  The great news is that there is competition so I should benefit at every point from pricing, innovation and features.

And the Comcast people were very nice on the way out.  No badgering, no guilt trips.  They did ask about the Verizon promo and were shocked to hear the amount, first she'd heard of at that price.

Switching to FiOS from Comcast - Part 2

Before installation, the fiber optic cable must be run from the street to the house, underground.  Friday, Verizon came to the house to mark in the grass a proposed/preferred path for the fiber and scheduled DigSafe to mark underground utilities; they came yesterday.

Today, a Verizon contractor installed the underground conduit from the street to the house.  They used a mean, efficient machine called a Ditch Witch.  When in doubt, they dug by hand, very cleanly, not destroying the lawn.  When finished with a clean installation, they ran the sprinklers to be sure there was no leak or cut to the lines.  They even reseeded any areas that were disturbed from the process.

Tonight, I received this email below.  Great marketing, creating anticipation "Tomorrow is the Big Day!".  Note that there is even a link to monitor the installation status and arrival time of the technician online on installation day. Superb!

So tomorrow IS the big day.  I'll report on the installation process.  Please stand by...

Mad Men Falling Man

In the opening sequence of Mad Men, there is a man in silhouette falling outside a skyscraper.  It is the protagonist, Don Draper.  As he falls you see ads and other pieces of the advertising world on the sides of building as he falls by.

But why?  Some say it is symbolic of all pain he suffers.  Some have even suggested it is reference in poor taste to the 9/11 Falling Man of the World Trade Center (that's absurd).

Don Draper is a conflicted man trying to be successful and happy, but he battles his past and his demons.  In my opinion, this is how the series ends.  Don will finally end it all by jumping from the NY skyscraper where he works.  On the way down, his life will pass by him as it does in the opening sequence.  But when it happens, we'll see him, not just his silhouette falling.  And everyone will be shocked with this, while the writers will sit back, smile and say, "We've been telling you every week since the first episode that the end comes this way for Don."  So now you know.  When it happens, you're ready.

Why I'm switching to FiOS from Comcast - Part 1

Verizon was on my street laying fiber optic cable a few weeks ago.  Last week I got a call (not unexpectedly) to switch.  I was happy with Comcast, but decided to listen to what the competition has to say.  (A wise man changes his mind, a fool never does.)  I searched for some help online and I found that nearly all the posts 2-6 years old, hardly useful.  I also visited the local Verizon retail store to get some hands on with the TV menus.  So here will be my assessment of the two services, my reasons for switching and my experiences through the transition.

COMCAST:  I've had the Comcast Triple Play for a few years: nearly all the Comcast channels in my package (except TMC), one HD DVR box (family room), one HD box (bedroom), the highest residential internet offering (20 Mbps download, 5 upload) and phone service with unlimited long distance.

FiOS:  I signed up for the equivalent service so from your perspective, this should be a balanced comparison.

The costs:   This is for TV, Internet, and Phone.  For my subscription, FiOS costs about $10 less per month for all three services, including taxes.  Not a huge savings or reason to switch by itself, but it is in the right direction.  As a sweetener, FiOS is offering a $500 gift card as a signing bonus.  On the downside, FiOS requires a 2-year contract.  I really don't want to be changing TV/phone/internet providers frequently so I'm ok with the contract.  If I move within 2 years, the contract continues in the new place IF they have FiOS, if not, contract just ends.

Television:
Comcast has been good but here is what I liked better about FiOS.

• There is more bandwidth in the fiber optic, but the UI (user interface) on the screen is richer and cleaner by a lot    The Guide shows many more channels and shows the network's logo and name instead of deciphering that DISNHD is Disney Network High Def.  
• FiOS also has no ads on the bottom of the Guide screen (really? I pay for the highest Comcast subscription level and I have to look at ads on the Guide screen?)  
• The OnDemand offering seems similar, so are the mobile app features, multiroom DVR, etc.  
• Comcast supports HBO-GO's mobile app, but strangely not for the Roku box which I have.  Verizon does.  Small tie-breaker.
• Verizon also offers a download feature to some OnDemand rentals where I can load them on my laptop and watch in flight (meaningful to me because I fly a lot).
• NFL RedZone.  Included free with FiOS.
• One major thing missing from both is for the Guide to only show me only the channels I subscribe to.  Why do I have to scroll through so many channels that I don't even get?  This may be doable through a "Favorites" listing where I can pick the channels I get.

Internet: 
Comcast said they could not increase the 20/5 speed with residential service.  I'd have to switch to a business plan at much more per month.  FiOS is already at 35/35 and headed to 50/50 in July.  There is also no 200 GB data limit with FiOS, though I've never exceeded that with Comcast.  With more streaming video, that may get tested.

Telephone:
I did not see any meaningful difference other than FiOS has an 8 hour battery for power outage and Comcast has 3 hour.

Pre-Installation:
FiOS installation team has already been here to survey and mark the underground conduit for the fiber optic line from the street to the house.  DigSafe came out the next day.  I'm expecting line installation in a day or so and full FiOS installation will happen on Wednesday June 13, though they warned me that the service call will take about 6 hours.

Next post will report on the installation itself, then I'll get into the features, speeds, quality, etc.