The City of Longmont has been busy rolling out NextLight, its gigabit fiber broadband service. Not only do you get super fast Internet connection, but the service is availalbe to residential customers at a Charter Member monthly price of $49.95 if you sign up within 3 months of NextLight coming to your neighborhood.
This Charther Membership not only stay with your home when you move, but also applies to your new home if NextLight is available at your new location. So think of it as adding value to your home. The regular non-Charter monthly residential rate is $99.95. That is a huge savings of $600 a year!
If you have already subscribed to NextLight, then you may find NextLight - Are You Up to Speed? helpful to see if you are getting full gigabit speed. For those that have not signed up, then here are a few things to consider:
Should you keep your current CenturyLink, Comcast Xfinity, or DISH service?
NextLight does offer digital voice services (VoIP or IP Phone), but not TV service. If TV service is important to you than you will have to do some serious consideration and research to see if you can truly cut the cord and be free of your cable or satellite provider. If you just watch your local broadcast channles like CBS (KCNC), ABC (KMGH), NBC (KUSA), and FOX (KDVR), then all you need is a traditional over-the-air (OTA) TV antenna. In Longmont, you will more than likely need a roof mounted antenna like the Winegard HD7694P or larger to reliably receive all available OTA HD channels. Unlike cable or satellite, with an OTA antenna you will be able to receive all broadcast channels in full HD without any compression. By the way, a digital TV antenna is still just a regular TV antenna and so don't pay a premium just because it is called digital.
For those that enjoy live sports, premium TV shows, or video on demand (VOD), then there are many streaming options for TV (IPTV). You will most likely have to subscribe to multiple services to match the same TV service level of cable or satellite. The benefit of IPTV is that it is closer to an à la carte model so you don't have to pay for channels that you don't want. For live TV, Sling TV is a good choice along with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video for VOD of movies and TV shows. You will also need a smart TV or a streaming device like Roku, Google's Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV.
Where should the ONT be located?
The City of Longmont will install two boxes at you home for NextLight service. The first box is the terminal access point (TAP) and it goes on the outside of the home and is usually installed where the other utilities enter the home. The second box is the optical network terminal (ONT) or fiber modem and it goes on the inside of your home near a power outlet. The location of the ONT will usually determine your wireless router location. For best Wi-Fi reception, your wireless router should be centrally located in your home or small business with as few obstructions as possible to the primarily work area where you do most of your wireless work. So in your upstairs bedroom closet is not a good choice unless you do all your wireless work in that bedroom. Your wireless router does not have to be near the ONT if you are willing to run a network cable between the ONT and the router.
Do you need a new router?
If you are currently leasing your router or has a router/modem (DSL or cable) combination, then you will most likely need to purchase a new router and our Recommended Routers is a good start. If you already own your router and it is not a router/modem combination, then hold off on buying a new router until you can evaluate the performance of your current router on a gigabit Internet connection. This is especially the case if you only have wireless devices since real world Wi-Fi throughput doesn't come close to gigabit speed. When purchasing a router, you do not necessary need to get the most expensive and newest model, but one that is best for your situation.
NextLight may have started offering a monthly lease of an ONT/router or ONT/wireless gateway combination instead of just the free standalone ONT. Keep in mind that if you do elect to lease the combination equipment from NextLight, then realize that you are paying a perpetual fee that will eventually far exceed the cost of purchasing your own equipment. In addition, if the performances of such modem/router combinations from CenturyLink or Comcast are any indicator, chances are that you are not getting the best in class equipment. Combining your router and wireless gateway with the fiber modem will severely limit your ability to upgrade your router or wireless gateway without a NextLight on premise service visit, which is an additional fee. Our suggestion regarding equipment leasing is Stop the Madness & Save Your Money!
What service is included with NextLight installation?
You will find all the information regarding NextLight installation from the NextLight FAQ. The one key item to note is that unless you lease a combination modem/router or modem/wireless gateway from NextLight, the installer will not install or configure your own router or wireless network. If you are not comfortable setting up your own equipment, 802.Tech4U would love the opportunity to provide our service with the finest craftsmanship.