For the past week I have been using AT&T U-Verse for internet and television. Below are some of my thoughts on the service.
When I called in to schedule the installation I got a time slot the next day which was very nice, I expected to be put on a waiting list for at least a week.
As far as the internet goes I have an 18 mbps connection which is the fastest currently available. I am told that AT&T is experimenting with 24 and 32 mbps connections and I am hoping it will be available in my area soon. The connection seems solid and has not given me any issues, and compared to my prior experience with Charter 20 mbps connections I am really not seeing a major difference.
I am rather disappointing with the 2Wire modem/router provided with the service mainly because the router’s capabilities are extremely limited and the built in wi-fi is spotty at best. I recommend to anyone using a 2Wire that you hook up port 1 on your 2Wire to the wan port of a name brand router of your choice (I recommend Linksys or D-Link) and leave the rest of the ports on the 2Wire empty while connecting your networked computers to your router rather than the 2Wire. During this setup I was prompted by the 2Wire web interface to use Router “Behind Router Mode” which was a bit of an awkward prompt but after trying both options I found which one worked for me.
The television service is what got me a little more excited. I currently have the U200 package (200 channels) with Total Home DVR service. I only have one receiver at the moment (the DVR) but I am told that if I add more receivers to my service I would be able to watch anything the DVR records from any receiver (even if it is not a DVR). So my deduction is that it would be silly for anyone to have more than one DVR (because they cost more per month apparently). There is also a web interface that acts as a tv guide and also allows me to manage the DVR’s schedule and recorded shows from anywhere in the world (not just from my home network) and a rather nice iPhone app that also does the same. This way if I want to schedule a recording after hearing about a show I might like I can do it on the spot.
Interesting thing about the tv plans U-Verse offers, the U-family package is 60 channels with DVR service for the same price as the U200 package which is 200 channels and DVR service (so I went with the obvious choice of more channels since the U200 includes 95% of the channels the U-family had anyway). The U100 with a DVR is actually $15 more than either of these options because the DVR is not included in the base price (making this a rather silly choice).
All in all I am very satisfied with the service.
