Review: AT&T U-VERSE

[dpr]

Uverse dosent like VPN

The only thing im having issues with is VPN. I can no longer access my corporate vpn, and i have read tons of forums about this but to no avail, no one can figure it out.

I have tried a second router and putting in DMZ, and that didnt work either. I read that the RG blocks vpn passthrough, even though it says it supports it....

Anyone have any ideas??? Im having to resort to use my 3G broadband card to use VPN, I would much rather use my uverse internet connection...

 

[thesecrets0308]

I like the EAS UVERSE has also i have had UVERSE for 2 weeks know and like what i see so far

That's a new one. There is someone out there that doesn't hate the EAS for U-Verse. I work in U-Verse technical support and we actually have problems with the EAS sometimes. Members say that it's incredibly loud and after hitting the exit button it will make it go away but only for about 1 minute and then it comes back. But it's good to hear that it works correctly for someone out there.

All of the aspects of our service are designed to be as user-friendly and as asthetically pleasing to the eye as possible and, with time, will be tough competition for other providers. There are 3 major factors that need to be developed yet.

1. Whole Home DVR
2. Better HD PQ
3. Innovations to enable even more than the current 2HD/2SD cap

 

[LER]

when/if you can beat what I have from Dish (see my sig), I'll turn on the TV service.

Also, what was with uversecentral.att.com yesterday? I couldn't get in for most of the evening.

Thanks for joining us!

 

[adellicson]

Considering U-Verse

I am new to this forum, but came here looking for u-verse reviews. I am located outside of Chicago, IL and received a mailer regarding u-verse the other day. I checked and it is available for my address. Please bare with me because I am not the most technical guy when it comes IT and networking stuff.

The u200 package would be similar or at least good enough to my current Comcast package. I like watching TV, but currently do not have an HD TV in my house, 1 may be coming but not sure. I have 3 TV sets total with one in the bedroom w/o AV inputs. Currently I have one digital box just for my living room which allows for watching a TV with more channel selection with the ability to watch PPV movies and On Demand for watching my favorite shows on regular ABC, CBS, and NBC. My 2 bedrooms having just the basic extended package(0-100 channels) and am happy with this setup because I just don't care to watch too much other than ESPN or some basic channel programming like news and so forth in those rooms. I have a few questions.

1)Will I need a box in those other rooms or can I have the same extended basic similar to what I have w/o a box? If I do need boxes will I have to pay extra for them? Will my TV w/o AV inputs no longer be useable?

2)Is the On Demand programming offerings similar to Comcast for the standard big 3 networks?

3)From earlier posts there were some complaints about available On Demand movie selections that are both free and PPV. Has this improved?

4)Is installation free?

5)Would the internet speed be similar to my current Comcast internet?

U-Verse was of interest to me because I do not want a home phone line, but just internet and TV service and think a dish would have problems with trees and so forth in my yard. The U200 package with internet is $84/month before taxes while my comcast is around $130-140/month with 2-3 On-Demand movies at $4.99 each on there with taxes included. I am looking to save a little on the bill and really just want out of Comcast completely.

Any information would be appreciated. I really appreciate information from people who have the service and from what I can tell most of you really know your stuff. Thanks

 

[adellicson]

Also, any contracts required?

 

[LER]

You'll need a STB for each box as the TV is via IP (Internet Protocol). Unlike cable, they don't send all the channels all the time.

Boxes after the first are $5/ea/month

I don't have the tv service, so I don't know on 2&3.

4) Installation should be free. (baring weird wiring requests).

I'm seeing 9800/1300 for 10meg/1.5meg Max internet.

 

[IcEWoLF]

I am not impressed with the AT*T U-Verse HD PQ.
I think I am going to cancel it at the end of the month, and stick with DirecTV.

 

[dpr]

I am new to this forum, but came here looking for u-verse reviews. I am located outside of Chicago, IL and received a mailer regarding u-verse the other day. I checked and it is available for my address. Please bare with me because I am not the most technical guy when it comes IT and networking stuff.

The u200 package would be similar or at least good enough to my current Comcast package. I like watching TV, but currently do not have an HD TV in my house, 1 may be coming but not sure. I have 3 TV sets total with one in the bedroom w/o AV inputs. Currently I have one digital box just for my living room which allows for watching a TV with more channel selection with the ability to watch PPV movies and On Demand for watching my favorite shows on regular ABC, CBS, and NBC. My 2 bedrooms having just the basic extended package(0-100 channels) and am happy with this setup because I just don't care to watch too much other than ESPN or some basic channel programming like news and so forth in those rooms. I have a few questions.

1)Will I need a box in those other rooms or can I have the same extended basic similar to what I have w/o a box? If I do need boxes will I have to pay extra for them? Will my TV w/o AV inputs no longer be useable?

2)Is the On Demand programming offerings similar to Comcast for the standard big 3 networks?

3)From earlier posts there were some complaints about available On Demand movie selections that are both free and PPV. Has this improved?

4)Is installation free?

5)Would the internet speed be similar to my current Comcast internet?

U-Verse was of interest to me because I do not want a home phone line, but just internet and TV service and think a dish would have problems with trees and so forth in my yard. The U200 package with internet is $84/month before taxes while my comcast is around $130-140/month with 2-3 On-Demand movies at $4.99 each on there with taxes included. I am looking to save a little on the bill and really just want out of Comcast completely.

Any information would be appreciated. I really appreciate information from people who have the service and from what I can tell most of you really know your stuff. Thanks

IMHO, I think the service is great. Picture Quality is good (H.264), the HD programming selection is pretty good (could be better), i get all my local channels in HD, even some out of market ones (WPB), the DVR works pretty good, and i can schedule it from my cell phone.

The internet service portion is great, close enough to advertised speed. Installation is free, and there are no contracts. If i remember correctly the VOD collection is pretty big, and PPV movies runs between $2 and $4 for 24 hour viewing. I have viewed a couple of movies from HBO on demand, and a couple of videos from Comedy Central on demand and it works good.

A couple of things that could be better: The guide needs some work, it could be a little easier to navigate through, (im used to the dish program guide), the whole house DVR i think everyone is waiting for, and they need to up the bandwidth to give us more SD/HD streams. I have 5 tvs but could only view 4 at time, not a real problem for me since i would never have that many tvs going at once but may be trouble for some, and also i think the RG is a little too locked down, some things stopped working (like my vpn connection to work).

It all depends, as long as you are close enough to the VRAD, and the COAX is good in your house if you decide to keep it, or go with CAT5E (recommended) then you should be ok, but let`s see what our good friends in the forum say about it, I think you should be able to get a good idea on whether you should move over to it or not. I gave up my Dish Network service for it and im not looking back.

 

[lern4483]

I actually like the HD PQ. Im looking to downgrade dish and then send them packing.
Im still waiting to see when att will add more HD programming.

They still lag behind dish in that area. but the system looks very promising.
Unit startup time is very slow though? Just to turn unit on takes time to load.

Anyone else having this issue?

 

[adellicson]

Thanks for the info guys. I did decide and signed up last night. With the U200 package I get $200 cash back + $25 additional cash back for signing up online w/ my mailer promotion coupon I received in the mail + additional $50 for signing up last night when I was chatting online with a sales guy + first month free + free DVR + free installation + wi-fi access at their hotspots like McDonalds, Starbucks, most airports, and quite a few other locations. With all that it is pretty tough not to at least give it a try. I will be saving about $20-30/month on the bill over comcast. Plus if it works out they do give referral gift cards as well for referring family or friends for sometimes as much as $500.

 

[BigFella]

That's a new one. There is someone out there that doesn't hate the EAS for U-Verse. I work in U-Verse technical support and we actually have problems with the EAS sometimes. Members say that it's incredibly loud and after hitting the exit button it will make it go away but only for about 1 minute and then it comes back. But it's good to hear that it works correctly for someone out there.

All of the aspects of our service are designed to be as user-friendly and as asthetically pleasing to the eye as possible and, with time, will be tough competition for other providers. There are 3 major factors that need to be developed yet.

1. Whole Home DVR
2. Better HD PQ
3. Innovations to enable even more than the current 2HD/2SD cap

Hi there and welcome to the forum. We appreciate your comments and input. From my brief experience with U-Verse, I would add the following to your list:

4. Multiple DVR's per household (in the absence of a high storage capacity Whole Home DVR)
5. External storage (USB Ext. Drives)
6. On screen Caller ID (works with POTS)
7. PIP EPG with more info (like Dish's)

#4 is the primary reason I'm going back to Dish, but 5-7 are almost equally important to me. For me, the features that U-Verse has over Dish is the "localness" - (i.e., more local channels in HD (beyond the big 4 nets) and the "Yellow Pages"). Of course the #1 feature was U-Verse's cheaper cost (relative to Dish) but I've just gotten too used to features #4-7 above, and I couldn't hack being without them.

 

[Ainshi]

I'm moving to an apartment soon that has had some recent construction, so for some reason Comcast won't serve cable until they certify it. We're not looking to stay there long so Comcast in the end (with the $66 deal) is a better price. The only other option is hooking into Dish + AT&T DSL (they only offer 768 speed though, so that really is not desirable) or Uverse. Perhaps my main worry is about HD Locals - are these free as they would be with QAM over Comcast? The advertisements make Uverse sound as though HD should be free, but it's a $10 option on the website so i'm a bit confused.

Furthermore, how easy is it to cancel the service? Comcast quoted a December timeframe for being able to offer service so I'd like to cancel Uverse as soon as possible and get the cheaper cable service.

 

[SatinKzo]

Looks like ATT is finally rolling out the Whole house DVR in test markets. I'm not in a test market though. Looks like CA markets right now
http://www.uverseusers.com/component/option,com_openwiki/Itemid,36/id,apptrack/#total_home_dvr
Also starting HD VOD too.

 

[FWGMills]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. We appreciate your comments and input. From my brief experience with U-Verse, I would add the following to your list:

4. Multiple DVR's per household (in the absence of a high storage capacity Whole Home DVR)
5. External storage (USB Ext. Drives)
6. On screen Caller ID (works with POTS)
7. PIP EPG with more info (like Dish's)

#4 is the primary reason I'm going back to Dish, but 5-7 are almost equally important to me. For me, the features that U-Verse has over Dish is the "localness" - (i.e., more local channels in HD (beyond the big 4 nets) and the "Yellow Pages"). Of course the #1 feature was U-Verse's cheaper cost (relative to Dish) but I've just gotten too used to features #4-7 above, and I couldn't hack being without them.

When it comes to #4 and #5 I would rather have a whole house DVR (essentially a media server) with additional external storage. I would love to record movies in the living room and be able to access that stored content on any other TV. That is something Dish can't do easily (or without hacking).
#6 isn't really an issue because I have the Panasonic phones that speak the caller ID information, plus only telemarketers call me anyway.
I can't speak to #7 because my service won't be hooked up until Monday.

 

[blckdeath]

I just ordered UVerse yesterday and it will installed next saturday (20th), I'm moving into a new apartment, do you guys have any suggestions on what I should watch out for during the installation. I read some of you suggest CATE5 instead of the standard installation, will that cost extra and should I ask for other things?

 

[FWGMills]

I just ordered UVerse yesterday and it will installed next saturday (20th), I'm moving into a new apartment, do you guys have any suggestions on what I should watch out for during the installation. I read some of you suggest CATE5 instead of the standard installation, will that cost extra and should I ask for other things?

For me, if they had cut up and re-used my existing coax it wouldn't have cost me extra but because I made him install new ethernet he had to do wall fishing. The wall fishing would cost extra no matter what they're using (ethernet or coax). Note that I haven't received the first bill yet so I don't know what (if anything) they charged me for the wall fishing I needed. I helped the guy so maybe he won't charge me...much. <fingers crossed>

If you're in an apartment it's likely that it may be pre-wired. If it's not, then I would check with your apartment manager to make sure AT&T has permission to do the installation if they have to run new cabling and so on and so on...

The guy that did my installation used Cat5e Indoor/Outdoor ethernet cabling. Cat5 (Category 5) ethernet is only rated up to 100Mb/second but Cat5e is rated to Gigabit speeds. The U-verse equipment is at best 100Mbps so Gig capable wiring isn't necessary but it is nice if you have Gig capable computers and switches for moving files around on your home network plus if they implement faster speeds on the boxes and the Residential Gateway, I'm already wired for it.

 

[klok]

I signed up for U-verse today, the roll out day for whole house dvr with 2 active HD streams in Houston. I very much appreciate this site and everybody who has taken the time to post here. I look at this as a crap shoot. I didnt sign a contract, and the install is free. If it does not work as advertised, I'm off to D*. Install is next week...I will follow up.

 

[paja]

I signed up for U-verse today, the roll out day for whole house dvr with 2 active HD streams in Houston. I very much appreciate this site and everybody who has taken the time to post here. I look at this as a crap shoot. I didnt sign a contract, and the install is free. If it does not work as advertised, I'm off to D*. Install is next week...I will follow up.

I just signed up myself on 9-12 and have the install scheduled for 9-29. I'm getting the "everything" package for tv. I'll dump E the next day. Right now I'm paying 138 for E( an extra 10 to All American) , 45 to ATT for phone, and 60 to Comcat for internet. I'll get all 3 for 165 from ATT(6mb internet). I'm hoping this works out.

 

[wu1143]

I just ordered yesterday, and they are scheduled for October 11th. I am a little iffy on the sales guy, but he is touting that I will have the Universal Home DVR with the capability to record shows from one tv and watch them on any tv at any time. I am getting 3 receivers with 3 HD tvs hooking into them, but nobody said anything about being able to watch one HD program at a time. I will have to talk to my guy.

Interested to see what they do for the wiring, he said it was free, but now I want the CATE5 wiring rather the Coax I have now with Comcast. I am saving about 35 a month but am losing the movie stations for now as I don't really watch them. but i am realy interested to see the on demand feature as that is the only reason I had comcast in the first place.

thanks for the reviews as they were helpful. I am getting the elite internet 6mbps down 1.5 up, is this going to be good enough for xbox live and pc gaming compared to the comcast speeds?

 

[FWGMills]

I just ordered yesterday, and they are scheduled for October 11th. I am a little iffy on the sales guy, but he is touting that I will have the Universal Home DVR with the capability to record shows from one tv and watch them on any tv at any time. I am getting 3 receivers with 3 HD tvs hooking into them, but nobody said anything about being able to watch one HD program at a time. I will have to talk to my guy.

They're rolling THDVR out across parts of Texas (I'm in D/FW). I didn't catch were you were before I started this reply.
That's true though...if you have 2HD/2SD streams to your house only two HDTVs will be able to watch live HD. The third one can watch a HD show on the DVR though or watch an SD channel.

Also remember, for example, if you're recording two HD channels on the DVR you can't watch ANY other HD channels live. You can, however, watch the shows that are recording by looking in the "recorded TV" section and choosing that show. In most circles that's called "chase play" where you're catching up to a live recording...an excellent way of avoiding commercials.

Interested to see what they do for the wiring, he said it was free, but now I want the CATE5 wiring rather the Coax I have now with Comcast. I am saving about 35 a month but am losing the movie stations for now as I don't really watch them. but i am realy interested to see the on demand feature as that is the only reason I had comcast in the first place.

The guy was going to reuse my coax but I told him that the DishNetwork service couldn't go away for a few months. That forced his hand so he had to do all new wiring. I asked him for ethernet instead of more coax and he was glad. Said ethernet was easier to work with. I helped him with the drops but it was easy for him because he used the existing holes in the attic where the Dish coax was. He installed new jacks, but in the same joist space where the coax jacks were...I didn't mind. Still don't know if the "new" drops will cost me, but I don't care. I got him to wire my bedrooms for networking.
I didn't really lose anything. I got the U300 and I'm acutally getting Showtime and Movie Channel programming I didn't have with Dish.

thanks for the reviews as they were helpful. I am getting the elite internet 6mbps down 1.5 up, is this going to be good enough for xbox live and pc gaming compared to the comcast speeds?

Also watch that data speed. The package they sold me was 6Mbps down and 1 up. If they sold you 1.5 up he might have been lying. Your service may be different than mine though.
Also when they show up to do the installation, before they start ask them what is on the work order and make sure it matches what you ordered. If it's wrong NOW is the time to get on the phone and fix it before they start cutting holes in your walls.