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Fibe, Questions..

429K views 1K replies 249 participants last post by  Dr.Dave 
#1 ·
Im thinking of ditching bell tv after 5 years. Love the service, prices are good but sick of satellite tv losing signal in bad storms. The new Fibe tv service is available in my area.I currently have the fibe25 internet. Ive read that its a max of 4 set top box's. My question is i have 5 tvs. I want to change to fibe tv and i obviously want to watch my 5 tv's so i need 5 set tops. The most set top box's that will ever be on at once is 4 ( 3 sd and 1 hd). Now is it possible to get a 5 box install in this case? the 5 tvs will NEVER all be used at once. Unfortunately this is a deal breaker for me.. I need the 5 tvs or ill have to either settle for bell tv or make the swap back to robbers. I'd call be all ask but i already know ill call 5 times n get 5 different answers so i always come here first :cool:

Thanks in advanced folks.
 
#213 ·
Bell Fibe has taken a different installation approach in Québec City; most residential installations in areas built in the 50's and 60's are FTTH. Corning Optical Fiber, that is elliptical in cross section and strung aerially arrives near your electrical utility meter and is connected to a spherical more flexible and smaller diameter optical fiber, also identified as 'Corning Optical Fiber' on the protective sleeve, through an outdoor junction box. This optical fiber is then routed through the house wall to an indoor ONT (Alcatel Lucent) which converts the optical signals to digital. This ONT then passes the signal to a Bell router. The ONT is protected by a UPS/backup battery combo, presumably to maintain telephone service, in the event of a power failure.
 
#214 ·
any tips for closing Fibe deal

I've got some good information from this forum about moving to Bell Fibe for TV and internet. Thanks for all the good posts.

I've been on the phone with Fibe three times now. Because I need four TV's hooked up Bell wants to charge me an additional $50 installation fee in addition to $29.95. They are waving the $29.95 installation fee on Fibe internet.

When I compare my current Bell internet plan with 60GB and my current deeply discounted Rogers plan for TV I save with Bell in the first year but then end up paying more in years 2 & 3. Year 4 is a savings because the $5.53 rental for the 3 other boxes disappears. These numbers are comparing a great deal on Bell Fibe 16 for internet and a mediocre deal on Fibe Premium. My issue is that I am moving from a Rogers package that is equivalent to Fibe Elite. Rogers is being very generous with a 30% discount and two free HD PVR's. I own one Rogers HD box and a SD box. I am looking for Bell to waive the rental fee on the three boxes or to give me a one time discount. The Fibe rep. said there was nothing further they could do...there system is locked from discounting the packages further.

She suggested I call Bell retentions to see what they could do. Unfortunately, they are closed for the night which brings me here. I've been with Bell forever and have everything but TV with them. Can anyone offer any tips for my call tomorrow?
 
#215 ·
Generally in my experience, Bell won't offer discounts beyond the 1 year period.
That said, after the first year, all of the retentions people will tell you to call back in and get them reapplied.
Although personally I've not been with Bell again for long, I've been dealing with them @work and for my clients, and this has worked with everything from Phones, internet and satelite.
 
#216 ·
Rogers to Fibe TV?

Ok I just got a letter in the mail stating we now have Fibe 25. Checked but no Fibe TV yet?

Question

I presently have Rogers can I use the coax cable for Fibe tv?

I know you need to have Bell internet to get Fibe TV, but do you need to have Bell phone?

My plan is if possible.

to just have basic Rogers cable(main TV)with Fibe tv on Main TV and 3 other TVs.with internet on computer is this possible?

I know you can have up to 6 TVs

If one is HD and the others are SD can you have all 4 tVS on watching either the same channel or different ones will it work?

Thanks.
 
#217 ·
You need to establish if you are getting Fiber-to-the-Node or Fiber-to-the-Home. If it is FTTH, then it is best (both in terms of quality and price) to get all three services through optical fiber and use the existing indoor COAX to split the signal behind the Optical Network Terminal. If the installation is FTTN, it is more difficult to 'ground truth' the Fibe25 claim, it might be an idea to check with neighbours, since performance will depend on distance to your nearest DSLAM. I don't understand why you would want basic cable and Fibe service on the same TV....maybe you could clarify that part.
 
#218 ·
I'm less then 1 KM from the main Bell switch location and about 500 feet from where the bell switching box is for the neighbourhood.

As basic cable I still have access to VOD. As I understand it VOD with FIBE isn't that extent as it is with Rogers.Also I'm not sure which US nets Fibe TV will offer in Ottawa? Detroit? Buffalo? or the ones in Montreal? As well if Fibe TV doesn't carry a certain channel(speacialty)IE BPM:TV not on Bell Fibe I'll still have access to that as well.Also I'm not sure which version of the Weather/Metro Media Networks they carry? Sat version or cable(local), and Community Cable 22 & 23(french() wife is involed with a french program on 23.

As for the other part of your question don't have clue? I do know a few or so years ago Bell did pull a new line across all the telephone poles in the back yard go up & down the backyards of peoples hom,es(not to houses just from pole to pole)but nothing was done after that. I know some have Rogers others have Bell while others have a different internet provider as how its deliveried I'm not sure on that part.

I'm not thaty technical in this fibe cable thing so sorry if I couldn't be more helpfull.
 
#219 ·
Question on minimum internet package needed...

I've been a Fibe25 customer for about 2 years, and FibeTV has just become available in my area. I think that I have read that in a post that some people end up getting the 25Mbps service by default when subscribing to FibeTV even though they are only signed up for a lower speed internet service.

So my first question... is that correct? Are people getting Bell's max speed on lower packages? (I can't seem to find any of the posts anymore, so I could be way off on this one)

My second question is... what is the minimum internet package that is needed in order to subscribe to FibeTV?


Thanks!
 
#220 ·
Same2you: In Quebec City, the minimalist package (with 12 month and > 12 month pricing schemes) is Essential Plus (5 Gb/month; 25.95/30.95) for internet, base (9.95/23.35) for TV and phone (17.32/22.32). Because the network is FTTH, Bell controls the flow remotely and independently between the internet and the TV's (~25 Mbps). Internet speed tests are constant with 0, 1,2 or 3 TV/decoders in operation.
Original article (in French) with Bell's management, describing FTTH in Québec City:
http://www.branchez-vous.com/techno/blogues/materiel/2011/07/fibe_bell_deplo.html

MCIBUS; I would just call Bell and ask them if the Fibe service is to the node or to the home. Or to simplfy, 'will optical fiber enter my house?'
I am not familiar with Rogers's channel offerings, so I can't really help you there; it just seems complicated to deal with two providers...from your original message #216, you don't explain why you are thinking of switching.
 
#221 ·
Well my switch to Bell fibe did not happen. The tech arrived this morning and told me I was too far from the "node" and would experience problems on a consistent basis. His exact words were "i will be calling Bell all the time".

Not sure what the "node" is but I guess I will have to stay with Videotron longer and hopefully sometime in the future Bell will be available. :(
 
#222 ·
@rainey, the node is where your copper telephone line connects to the fibre optic cable. The speed of VDSL2 degrades over long distances of copper lines.

@same2you, in Ontario the minimum internet package is Fibe 6. If you order "Fibe 16+" with Fibe TV, you pay for Fibe 16, but you can download up to 25 Mbps (depending on IPTV traffic). In the early days of Fibe TV, people were able to order Fibe 6 and download up to 25 Mbps; however those accounts are being changed to limit the download to 6 Mbps.
 
#223 ·
@Dr.Dave,
I just checked out the Fibe TV website and it seems they now have an "Essentials Plus" internet package with Fibe TV.
Here is the info. -
Download speeds of up to 2 Mbps
Upload speeds of up to 800 Kbps
Wireless Home Networking
Basic Security services
Monthly Internet usage: 2 GB

However, the pricing is strange - it seems to cost more than any other of the other internet packages. Pricing screw-up ?
 
#224 ·
I skipped "Essentials Plus" since it cost more (compared to the promotional pricing on the Fibe plans).

Essential Plus $28.95
Fibe 6 $19.48
Fibe 12 $20.98
Fibe 16+ $21.98

Here is the info from the "Offer Details":
  • Essential Plus: Monthly rate is $38.95 (subject to change), less $5 credit for months 1 to 12, less $5 Bundle discount. Usage 2 GB/mo.; $2.50/additional GB.
  • Fibe 6: Monthly rate is $48.95 (subject to change), less $24.47 credit for months 1 to 12, less $5 Bundle discount. Usage 25 GB/mo.; $2.00/additional GB.
  • Fibe 12: Monthly rate is $51.95 (subject to change), less $25.97 credit for months 1 to 12, less $5 Bundle discount. Usage 40 GB/mo.; $1.50/additional GB.
  • Fibe 16+: Monthly rate is $53.95 (subject to change), less $26.97 credit for months 1 to 12, less $5 Bundle discount. Usage 65 GB/mo.; $1.00/additional GB.
 
#225 ·
Fibe TV wiring questions

Having searched various posts I still don't feel confident in knowing how the system is wired. I currently have Bell DSL and ExpressVu.
  • The 2Wire DSL modem is located in the basement in my office, in "corner 1" of the house
  • It is connected to a TrendNet wireless N router (from the 2Wire 1st port) that I located in the room directly above my office because the wireless signal from the basement to the upstairs rooms was poor (the house is a bungalow).
  • The TrendNet makes the PPPOE login, provides wireless connections, and has 3 PC's plugged into its ports (including my office PC).
  • The upstairs TV is on the other side of the house hooked to satellite in "corner 2" of the house. It is wired from the dish on that side of the house. I can run CAT cable to there pretty easily from the basement.
  • A basement projector/screen, in "corner 3" of the house, currently has CAT 5e cable running to it from the TrendNet router for the BRay player. It has no TV signal.

I want to get Fibe TV for the upstairs TV and downstairs projector. My question is once the Fibe modem is connected to the phone jack, how do the connections proceed from there?
  1. Are both the PVR and 2nd receiver directly connected to the 7130? If so, can CAT5e be used?
  2. Or does the 2nd receiver get its signal/connection from the PVR?
  3. If I use CAT5e from the 7130, that leaves 2/3 open ports (depending on the answer to pt. 2 above), so could I have to continue using my TrendNet for my PC's and wireless? Is this possible?
  4. Should the PVR be located upstairs on the main TV or does it matter? I'm wondering about the remote being able to activate the whole-home PVR

I appreciate any help you can provide.
 
#226 ·
Both receivers are connected directly to the modem. They use CAT5 (or coax). In my case, they reused the coax from my existing cable connection to connect the PVR to the modem, and CAT5 for the second receiver.

You can continue to use your existing wireless router connected to the modem and disable the built-in WiFi.

I don't see any difference in the functionality of the PVR and the second receiver, in terms of functionality or lag time.
 
#227 ·
Both receivers are connected directly to the modem. They use CAT5 (or coax). In my case, they reused the coax from my existing cable connection to connect the PVR to the modem, and CAT5 for the second receiver.

I don't see any difference in the functionality of the PVR and the second receiver, in terms of functionality or lag time.
Thanks. How many connectors are on the back of the 7130. Are there separate CAT5 connectors for TV and internet? ie: for 2 boxes I would need 2 RJ45 ports, thus how many would be left for wired internet?

In terms of the PVR location I wondered if the remote needed to control that box or does the 2nd box control the PVR itself?

Sorry for all the questions but I can't find a picture of the back of the 7130.
 
#231 ·
1. As nitra said, the drive is 320 GB. Fibe TV uses MPEG-4 compression which is more modern and efficient than MPEG-2 that Rogers uses. The rule of thumb is that MPEG-4 uses half the space of MPEG-2.

2. Bell currently uses 720p for HD. The STB can be set to display either 1080i or 720p.
 
#232 ·
Thanks. I was wondering how it's 320gb but fits as much 100 hours in hd. When my Rogers is 500gb and only fits close to 60 hours. It all makes sense now.

Still trying to decide whether to switch from Rogers. My two main problems are:

1) can only record 4 shows at once (3 hd and 1 sd)

2) Internet speeds can go as low as 6mpbs when recording 4 shows at once.
 
#233 ·
2 question: FTTH and internet

Hey guys,

at a recent condo meeting the administration told us that Bell would be adding a box in the communications room (same place Videotron has their box) which will bring Fibe TV to us. Does having this box in the building make it FTTH or is it still FTTN as the signal still needs to get from the room in the garage to everyone in the condo. Also, we are 15 units in the complex - is that too high a number to split the signal and keep quality?

Second question is for those that have Fibe Internet, simply put are you happy with the speed and service?

I'm with Videotron for everything and am quite happy, but am looking for more English HD channels.

Appreciate any feedback.
 
#234 ·
Brown, I was with Videotron on 60/3 for the longest time, dropped to Fibe 16+ with the 7 meg speed upgrade. Overall it's solid, not as fast as Videotron 60 meg, but, for the price, I can wait a little longer on my downloads. The IP address changes about every 2 days, whereas with Videotron it changed once a year.

If you are using all the streams at once it can drop as low as 6 megs, but generally it's not a big deal, the internet works well, I've not seen any throttling at all either.

In terms of general internet, Bell is peered much better to the US and the EU, Videotron is peered much better within Canada, for me, the Bell peering is better for gaming. I also found with Videotron, when downloading from Europe there seemed to be limits on the thread speed, to about 500k/sec, on Bell I've not seen this.

The box coming to the condo will likely be FTTN, and copper will still go from there to your unit.
 
#235 ·
2 questions

First, tv volume is low through HDMI when i select Dolby Digital surround and how do i know the bell reciever is full volume since the tech configured the volume buttons to operate the TV.

Next, what is the resolution fibe Transmits, 720P or 1080I?

Next, this makes 3 questions. I'm not subscribed to channels so why do i have to go through them using the up and down channel buttons on the remote? How can i scroll through purchased channels only?

Thanks!
 
#236 ·
1. You would have to change the remote to have the volume control the STB, make sure the volume is turned all the way up, then change it back to control the TV.

2. Fibe TV usually uses 720P, but the STB can be set to display 720P or 1080i. If you have a 1080 TV you can try both to see which gives you a better picture.

3. You can customize your channel list to remove channels you don't watch. BTW the Channel Up/Down buttons also work as Page Up/Down in list of programs.
 
#237 ·
Thanks Dave, the STB vol goes max to 25 I found. Is that OK? 1080i looks better on my tv and i figured yesterday nite about the guide add/remove channels. I find some HD channels looking like SD compared to Videotron but the colors are alot better. The tech yesterday changed a jack for my phone and with the built in splice connector on the new jack went to an existing 25 year old phone jack that connects my Modem/STB. I asked him to change the old jack for the new one but he said he didn't have to. Should i do it myself? I'm not having problems but the image quality ( brightness mostly) does vary from time to time during yesterday and this afternoon and I do loose audio for a couple of seconds after changing channel but then it stays on for the duration. My desktop Wifi to the modem works fine.
 
#238 ·
Thinking Of Switching From Bell TV

I have been a Bell TV subscrib er since 2000, I have 3 receivers, 2 that I use and one I had deactivated when I moved out 5 years ago to a new apartment and my roommate moved out west. So now my building landlord is saying all tenants with a satellite dish must remove it unless we get a report from Bell that says that the installation of the dishes do not affect the building's structure. Mine is on my balcony railing, there are about 25 in the two buildings. So I am wondering if FIBE TV is a good choice? Also what can I do with my receivers seen as i own them? Not sure if anyone will buy them.
Thanks
 
#239 ·
Fibe TV and Netflix

Hello all;

I'm considering switching to Fibe-TV from Bell satellite when it becomes available here in Oakville. There have been a lot of Bell trucks in the area over the past few months and I'm told it is very close.

I also like Netflix and the quality is outstanding. Right now I'm on Fibe12 and there are no streaming problems at all.

I'm curious as to what will happen with Fibe-TV. Obviously, if I'm watching Netflix, I'm not watching Fibe, but what if I am recording a number of TV programs? From what I understand, they would be using the bandwidth too.

Thougts? Warnings?

Thanks, Rich
 
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