What Is Spectrum TV Essentials?
Spectrum TV Essentials is a live TV streaming service that includes over 70 entertainment, lifestyle and children’s networks. But there’s a catch.
Jason Schwartz, Sales Director
Q&A with Our Sales Director -
What Our Customers Want to Know
Jason Schwartz of National Broadband has been working in the internet and TV business for a long time. He has heard and seen it all when it comes to deals, plans and prices. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions by our customers and their answers provided by National Broadband’s sales director.
Q: Can I watch TV without a box/receiver with Spectrum?
A: You can stream TV with Spectrum using the Spectrum app built into your TV or streaming device. Below is a list of supported TVs and supported streaming devices. You will need to have at least one Spectrum HD set top box on your account in order to stream Spectrum TV. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection.
- Amazon Fire TV stick
- Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- Blu-Ray
- Google Chromecast
- LG Smart TV
- Phillips Smart TV
- Roku
- Samsung Smart
- LG Blu-Ray Player
image credit: amazon.com
Q: How much is Spectrum Internet only? How much is just internet with Spectrum?
A: If you select just Spectrum Internet, the current price starts at $49.99 per month for speeds starting at 300 Mbps, so it’s a great deal. But it’s best when you bundle with Spectrum TV and Spectrum Voice because you get three great services on one affordable bill.
Q: My Wi-Fi connection is very strong (full bars) but I still cannot stream YouTube videos without long delays. I often even wait a long time for a website to load. Why?
A: This is because Wi-Fi signal is different from internet speed, which is what decides the quality of your internet experience. It’s likely that you have a slow broadband connection, or your Wi-Fi network is ineffective in carrying internet. (for example, there are too many Wi-Fi extenders being used.) You should check your internet connection and then make sure your Wi-Fi network is optimally set up.
Q: My broadband internet connection is at least 50 Mbps when I connect via a network cable, but via Wi-Fi it is only about 20 Mbps at most. Why?
A: This is normal since the real-world sustained speed of all Wi-Fi standards is much slower than the ceiling speeds. The Wi-Fi speed also changes depending on how far you are from the router. On top of that, you might have a legacy Wi-Fi router, or your device uses a legacy Wi-Fi adapter. However, 20 Mbps is fast enough for almost any internet-based applications.
Q: If I plug my PC directly into my cable modem, I get the full 150 Mbps download speed that I pay for, but when I connect via my router, still via a network cable, I get only 40 Mbps. What is wrong?
A: This is likely because you use a router that has a fast ethernet (10/100) WAN port. Try a Gigabit router.
image from spectrum.com
Q: I use Speedtest.net to test my internet connection and the results change dramatically between different test servers. How do I know what the speed of my internet connection really is?
A: Take the best result as your official internet speed. This happens because the connection speed depends on how far the test server is, how busy the server is at the time of testing, and how many bridges the test data must cross to get to your computer. Generally, the test result changes based on the ping time (how long it takes for information to do a round trip between the server and your computer), with the shorter ping yielding faster connection. Your connection, however, should be measured by the speed at which it connects to the server that yields the highest result.
Q: My internet speed is very fast, both via wired and Wi-Fi connections, but sometimes it still takes a long time for me to download a relatively small file. What is the problem?
A: Having a fast internet connection does not guarantee an all-around good internet experience. This is because the internet is a community, and the interaction between any two parts depends on both. If you download a file from a party with a slow connection to the internet, the downloading process still takes a long time and, unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it.
Q: I have cable internet with 30 Mbps download and 6 Mbps upload. Things are going well generally, but sometimes when I upload a large file, my download speed also becomes very slow. Is this normal?
A: Yes, downloading and uploading work together. Information is transferred via the internet in packets. Each time a packet is received, the receiving end needs to send back a confirmation before it can receive the next packet. When you upload a large amount of data, there is not much bandwidth left for the computer to send the confirmation back to the server, which is turn, slows the download speed.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find more answers to my questions about internet and TV services?
You can visit our Resource Center to find more information about internet and TV services in one place.
What internet options are available to me?
You can search for internet providers near you by visiting our interactive offers form. Simply put in your ZIP Code and get instant results. You can also use the form to find out which cable TV providers offer service in your area!
How much internet speed do I need?
You can find out which internet speed is best for you by using our interactive speed quiz. Get instant speed results to help narrow down exactly what your family needs.
Written by: Hayley Abshear
Edited by: Henry St. Pierre
