EXCLUSIVE: AT&T HomeZone First Look

[ranger714]

Looking at the third bullet point, what is this "AT&T Wireless Gateway" option? Does this simply mean that I have to have wireless at home with my DSL? Does it have to be an AT&T product or can I be using a Linksys-type WiFi router? I did a Google search and found this, but it just looks like regular old WiFi to me.

AT&T Homezone will require the use of the AT&T-provided DSL Gateway, which is currently the 2Wire HomePortal 2700HG-B.

Existing customers may be able to use older HomePortal gateways, but wireless is recommended, and I'd say 802.11g for better connection speeds (for moving data between the MediaPortal and the Internet and between the local computers and the MediaPortal).

Other equipment is not supported and will not allow the Homezone service to operate properly.

 

[Neutron]

We're switching to E* under my wife's name.

The reason we didn't go through AT&T to get E* was because we would have had to pay more up front that way. For instance, we were going to get the 622 up front. With E* it's $199. With AT&T it's $299. That's just one example.

 

[GaryPen]

They have more here: http://www.att.com/homezone.

Thanks for the link! It must be new. I do periodic searches on the ATT website. This is the first time I've seen it.

As for pricing, it appears that it's $9.99 above the current bundled price for their DSL and Dish service. Not bad considering there is already a discount for having both bundled together, and there is no bullship $200 fee for the hardware like with the 622 from Dish.

I'm disappointed it's only in Austin TX, and Ohio for now. But, at least I have a little more time to decide whether to switch back from C*!

 

[GaryPen]

We're switching to E* under my wife's name.

The reason we didn't go through AT&T to get E* was because we would have had to pay more up front that way. For instance, we were going to get the 622 up front. With E* it's $199. With AT&T it's $299. That's just one example.

I'm looking at the ATT website right now. The 622 upgrade fee is $199.

I thought you hated Dish. You made such a fuss when you switched to D*. Has the grass turned brown?

For me, the only reason to go back with Dish programming is the ATT HomeZone. So, I will wait, and get my HD DVR for no money down, and pay the $10 month for the added functionality.

 

[Neutron]

Reason being we had D* up until the first part of this month. We bought our house and was going to get Comcast cable since I got tired of D*'s promise of more and more HD and the new HD-DVR and neither have turned up. Plus the HD-DTivo of ours had slowed to a crawl and my wife was getting tired of it.

But, our cable install date came and went with the tech never showing up and then accusing me of not being home, and when I griped about it to the CSR I was told the tech was telling the truth and that I was lying to them.

So E* was our only other choice, and with their leasing option it saves us over cable anyway, plus, and even though they are in HD-Lite, at least E* is taking the initiative to add new HD channels after they come out.

I'm willing to admit that my gripes about E* before were trivial. I saw D* give in to programming providers and immediately saw our rates go up after their promise of no rate hikes.

 

[GaryPen]

Too bad you can't wait for HomeZone. Isn't Plano close to Austin? It should be in your area soon.

 

[ChetK]

Gary,

It's San Antonio. Not Austin.

 

[token]

It is stupid you must be a NEW Dish customer, thru ATT, to get this. So the entire installed base of ATT/Dish customers have to cancel there service for 6 months to use this new service, or go without.

Makes no sense...none.

 

[Neutron]

Too bad you can't wait for HomeZone. Isn't Plano close to Austin? It should be in your area soon.

We're actually east of McKinney now, in an AT&T area. Plano is in the Verizon territory.


Plano is about 220 miles North of Austin.

 

[GaryPen]

Gary,

It's San Antonio. Not Austin.

Oops. I knew there was an "A" in it.

 

[ChetK]

It is stupid you must be a NEW Dish customer, thru ATT, to get this. So the entire installed base of ATT/Dish customers have to cancel there service for 6 months to use this new service, or go without.

Makes no sense...none.

Yep. I'm thinking about cancelling for 6 months just to qualify. If E* wants to play hard ball, I'm game.

They'll lose more money on me not being a subscriber for 6 months than they would if they just let me subscribe via AT&T after they pay AT&T their percentage.

 

[Poke]

Well between the two if I was to change I would go to the AT&T HomeZone before I would the AT&T UVerse. Mainly due to your still getting Dish service and you going to get more HD. Also your not pushing all of your data and tv service across one connection. To where you basically would be doing this with Uverse and if something was to go wrong with your net connetion you would loose everything. Your net would be down and your TV also at the same time to where on HomeZone your still getting your TV service from Dish. So I can see where HomeZone could do really well.

 

[ChetK]

I'm also confused about that web site. It doesn't even mention HD. In fact, it mentions the SD version. At the same time, it says it only has 2 tuners. Is that just the SD version? Why no details about the HD version?

 

[Poke]

Which Site the UVerse or IPTV?? Well 1st its new and Im sure as they add things more to their site as they get them in.IPTV will take longer probally to add HD due to it will eat up more bandwidth and they probally will half to do more testing. Due to on IPTV your trying to push HD video but folks will surf the net at home also which will put more stress on your connection. They did mention that they will have NFLHD and I think DiscoveryHD sometime. Thats why for now if I was going to do something the HomeZone would be the better choice. Due to your getting your TV Service from Dish and your broadband or Internet from AT&T. Plus the 2wire box is wireless and its MPEG4 for HD.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

It is stupid you must be a NEW Dish customer, thru ATT, to get this. So the entire installed base of ATT/Dish customers have to cancel there service for 6 months to use this new service, or go without.

Makes no sense...none.

Especially when I've been trying unsuccessfully to get a 622 out of SBC/AT&T/DISH since February and was told that Homezone would be released in the summer and to wait for that. Now, new customers only??

 

[GaryPen]

It is stupid you must be a NEW Dish customer, thru ATT, to get this. So the entire installed base of ATT/Dish customers have to cancel there service for 6 months to use this new service, or go without.

Makes no sense...none.

That is weird. You'd think that existing ATT/Dish/DSL customers would be eligible. That's just stupid.

Another thing I notice is that on the ATT/Dish terms of service, it no longer says that you must not have had Dish service for 180 days. It now says you must be a new, single-family residential subscriber. That would suck if previous Dish-only subs were ineligible.

I guess I'll find out when it hits San Jose, if I even decide to switch back from Comcast.

Also, I just noticed that the HomeZone receiver is leased from Dish, not ATT. (even though Dish had nothing to do with it's development, design, or manufacture.) I'll bet the legal wrangling is what took this thing so long to be released.

 

[GaryPen]

Which Site the UVerse or IPTV??

U-verse is IPTV.

 

[GaryPen]

Well between the two if I was to change I would go to the AT&T HomeZone before I would the AT&T UVerse.

You don't get a choice. HomeZone is being rolled out in areas that won't have U-verse. It was designed just for that purpose - To fill in the non-U-verse areas.

 

[ChetK]

Which Site the UVerse or IPTV??

The official HomeZone site is what I was referring to. I don't even know what UVerse is.

 

[Neutron]

What's funny is San Antonio is also the testbed for U-Verse as well.