Comcast bundles have been around for a while now.  Through products like the Comcast Triple Play, you could bundle your phone, TV, Internet services to take advantage of lower prices from a single provider.  Well, the next wave of Comcast bundles has arrived.  Say hello to the Xfinity™ Triple Play.

So what is Xfinity™y?  According to the Comcast website, the Xfinity™ Triple Play is phone, TV, Internet service brought to you through Comcast’s all digital network.  The benefit to you is faster high speed Internet, “triple the HD channels”, and thousands upon thousands of On Demand titles.  You can even watch some TV online, anytime, with Xfinity™.tv and Fancast.

You don’t even pay more for the “all digital network”, but there is a catch.  Xfinity™ is also not available in all areas just yet.  As of this writing, you can get Xfinity™ in Atlanta, Augusta, Baltimore, Boston, Chattanooga, Chicago, Denver, Harrisburg, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle.

In today’s edition of “Get to Know Your Service Providers”, we’ll discuss Charter Communications, Inc.   Charter is currently the  fourth largest cable service provider in the country, providing phone, TV, Internet and bundles to over 5 million customers in 27 states.  Through its Charter Telephone® service, Charter is also the tenth largest landline provider in the country.

You’re in good hands if Charter high speed Internet is what you’re after.  On its website, Charter claims Internet connection speeds up to 20 mbps nationwide with up to 60 mbps in select markets through its Charter High-Speed® Internet Ultra.

Charter cable TV packages come with a variety of options and features, like:  HD channels, thousands of On Demand titles, premium channels and sports packages.

To see if you can Charter phone, TV, Internet in your area just enter your address in the “Savings Widget” at the top of the page.  You can compare plans and prices and sign up online free of charge.

Moving right along with our service provider reviews, we’ll take a look at Buckeye Cablesystem and their VIP Bundle – Voice + Internet + Phone.

As their name suggests, Buckeye Cablesystem cable TV services are available in areas of Ohio and Michigan, specifically Toledo, Erie County and Southeast Michigan.  As a cable operator, Buckeye Cablesystem offers cable TV, digital phone, and high speed Internet.  Branded as “VIP”, offering voice, Internet and phone services, Buckeye also claims their service to be “the only true bundle”.

One would have to assume, since no explanation could be found on their site, that “the only true bundle” references Buckeye’s ability to offer phone, TV and Internet from a single provider.  In many cases, a single company doesn’t offer all three services, so the “bundle” is cobbled together from separate providers, such as phone and DSL from a phone company and digital TV from a satellite TV provider.

You can see if Buckeye Cablesystem’s VIP bundle is available in your area by entering your address in the “Savings Widget” at the top of the page.

Expanding our alphabetically organized review of different service providers, we come to Brighthouse Networks.  As a cable services provider, Brighthouse Networks provides phone, TV, Internet bundles, to areas of Indiana, Michigan, Alabama, Florida and California.

Fueled by innovations like “Start Over”, Brighthouse has made a name for itself as a JD Power & Associates award winner in customer satisfaction.  ”Start Over”, as described by Brighthouse, is an “exclusive enhanced TV feature for Bright House Networks customers that allows viewers to re-start a live program from the beginning anytime during its scheduled broadcast.”  There are currently 39 channels capable of using Start Over.

Brighthouse currently advertises hundreds of digital channels, free HD, On Demand shows and video, and unlimited nationwide calling.  See if Brighthouse cable TV is available at your house by entering your address in the “Savings Widget” at the top of the page.

So you’ve made the decision to get high speed Internet.  Congratulations!  You’ll love the enhanced online abilities you’ll gain from faster browsing speeds. But how do you know which high speed Internet service to get?

For most, the choice boils down to three things:

1. Availability – Which high speed Internet providers are in your area?
2. Speed – How fast is fast?  And how fast is too fast?
3. Cost – Is high speed really that much more than dial-up Internet?

If you can nail down an acceptable service that meets the usual criteria, you’ve pretty much settled on your high speed Internet provider. If you want to get started looking, you can compare providers and plans right now with the “Find Savings” widget at the top of the page. Just enter your address and we’ll show you what’s available.

In the mean time, let’s breakdown the usual criteria.

Availability – In some areas, there may only be one provider.  Maybe you can only get high speed cable Internet (also known as “broadband”) from your local cable provider. Maybe your only option is DSL high speed Internet from the local telephone company. Of course, you may have multiple choices from several differnet providers. In that case, compare speed and cost to see what ets you the most bang for your buck.

Of course, even if you live in a more rural area you can still get high speed Internet. Just because there isn’t a cable line or DSL wire that runs to yor house doesn’t mean you can’t have high speed Internet. Look into satellite Internet. You’d need a dish, but no wires. The cost and speeds are both comparable to cable and DSL, so satellite Internet is totally acceptable option for getting high speed Internet in rural areas.

Speed – So let’s talk about speed. If you’re used to dial-up, high speed Internet will definitely be a welcomed change of pace.  Pages that used to take several minutes to fully display will pop up almost instantly.  That new picture of your neice that your sister sent over will download right away.  If you choose fiber optic Internet, like Verizon FiOS, the speed will simply amaze you.  You’ll truly wonder why you didn’t switch before now.

But how fast is fast? This chart should help you understand the different speeds and how they apply to you.

So how do those speeds apply to you? Well, the faster your Internet the faster you can download that picture of your neice. At 50 mbps, you could also watch HD movies online and feel like you’re at the theater!

Cost – You’ll also consider cost. The good news is that high speed Internet is priced for a variety of needs. If you have no interest in playing the latest online games or watching feature films over the Internet, than you probably don’t need to pay for the best of the best. Most of us will do just fine with a basic high speed service. The best idea for you is to find out what providers actually offer high speed Internet at your house. From there, you can determine how much you’re willing to spend. Having a price in mind will help you decide if you want high speed Internet or ultra fast high speed Internet.

Our demands on the limits of technology seem to grow by the day.  Even in larger metro areas, high speed Internet doesn’t always seem so “high speed”.  So what do you do when looking for high speed Internet in rural areas?

If you’ve found your online needs have outgrown dial-up Internet, here area a few items to consider:

• Does your local cable provider offer service in your area? Sometimes we forget that cable services, like high speed Internet, actually do run through cables.  If the cables don’t make it to your house, cable Internet isn’t an option.  However, it may pay to ask if there is a timeline setup to deliver access to your house.  If cable Internet is a year or less away, it may pay to wait it out.
• Have you talked to your phone company? Many times, the local phone company is the first place people turn to find high speed Internet.  However, they’re in a similar to position to your cable providers.  If the lines physically don’t make it to your house you can’t get DSL high speed Internet.  In rural areas, this often appears to be the case.
• Is satellite Internet an option? In many places where cable or DSL high speed Internet isn’t available, satellite Internet is a perfectly reasonable alternative.  When it comes to satellite, there are no cable to run to the house, so you can literally get satellite Internet almost anywhere.  You still have to have the correct angle on the signal, but that is typically an easy problem to solve.
• Have you talked to your local mobile phone company? With the influx of “air cards”, mobile high speed Internet is catching on.  Companies like Clear provide home high speed Internet based solely on wireless network coverage.  It’s just like having a wired connection in your house, but it receives its signal from the wireless network.

If you’re looking for high speed Internet in rural areas, you may think your options are limited.  They’re really not.  You may not have the same options as your metropolitan neighbors, but you can certainly enjoy similar Internet speeds.  If you broaden your ideas of how you can connect to the Internet, you can download movies and photos, play online games and more.