Cord Cutting For Dummies

Cut the cable television cord and cut your monthly bills

Are you one of those people who have 500 television channels to choose from and you can never find anything to watch? Maybe it’s time to cut the cable cord and take full control of what’s on your television. All you need to get started with this popular money saving strategy is an Internet connection, a device to stream to, and the advice in this book.

With Cord Cutting For Dummies, you go from evaluating if cord cutting is the right choice for your budget to acquiring the technology to get the programming you actually want. You’ll discover the technology you need for streaming, select the service or services that fit your needs, and make the components of your setup work together—all within your budget. Cord Cutting For Dummies offers the steps to going from wired to wireless, including:

• Deciding if you need to upgrade your Wi-Fi equipment and service.
• Evaluating your current devices.
• Adding a smart TV to the mix.
• Choosing the best streaming services for you—including some free options

When you’re ready to untether yourself from the cable or satellite, Cord Cutting For Dummies shows you, step by step, how to break free. Pick up a copy and you’ll be watching your favorite movie or TV show in no time!

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Some Cord-Cutting Basics 5

Chapter 1: Why Cut the Cord? 7

What’s So Bad about Cable? (Let Me Count the Ways) 8

Cable TV is expensive 8

You still get bombarded by commercials 9

You probably watch only a teensy fraction of what you pay for 9

Bundles are (usually) bad 9

Long-term (read: loyal) customers pay more, not less 10

You’re getting nickeled-and-dimed 10

You’re dealing with a near-monopoly 11

Customer service is pretty much non-existent 12

Technical support is a pain in the you-know-what 12

Those darned contracts! 13

Some Reasons Why Cutting the Cord Might Not Be for You 13

Your savings might be less than you hoped 13

You might still have to deal with channel bundles 14

You might still see commercials 14

TV watching will become more complex for you 15

You’ll use way more Internet bandwidth — and perhaps pay for the privilege 15

Your monthly Internet bill will probably go up 16

The quality of the streaming video might be poor 16

You might have to wait a long time to watch new shows 16

You might never see some new shows 17

The Benefits of Severing Your Connection to the Cable Company 17

You save money 18

You’ll probably be happier in the long run 18

You unshackle your TV 18

You unshackle yourself 19

You’re in control 19

Surveying the Cord-Free Landscape 20

Chapter 2: Snip, Snip Your 7-Step Plan to Going Cord-Free 23

Step 1: Deciding What You Want to Watch 24

Option A: Going with just your “must see” TV shows 24

Option B: Going with just a few streaming services 25

Option C: Going with OTA live TV 26

Step 2: Figuring Out the Equipment You Need 26

Step 3: Making a Streaming Services Budget 27

Step 4: Trying Out Lots of Streaming Services — for Free! 29

Step 5: Subscribing to Streaming Services 30

Step 6: Doing a Cord-Cutting Test Drive 31

Step 7: Cutting the Cord — Woo-Hoo! 32

Check your contract 33

Check your bandwidth history 33

Gather everything you need 33

Get ready mentally 34

Know the process 34

Return all equipment 36

Part 2: Cord Cutting Made Easy with Over-the-Air TV 37

Chapter 3: Understanding Over-the-Air TV 39

OTA? OTT? Live TV? What on Earth Is Everyone Talking About? 40

What is over-the-air TV? 41

The pros and cons of over-the-air TV 42

How Over-the-Air TV Works 45

The television station 45

The transmission tower 46

The antenna and tuner 46

What Channels Can You Access? 48

Understanding the factors that affect signal strength 49

Checking the FCC’s digital TV reception maps 50

Using TV Fool’s TV signal locator 52

Real versus virtual channels 54

Chapter 4: Choosing and Setting Up OTA Hardware 57

What Equipment Do You Need? 58

Choosing an OTA Digital Antenna 62

Antenna styles 62

Determine the range 63

Indoor or outdoor? 63

Amplified or not? 64

Unidirectional or multidirectional? 66

Look for VHF/UHF support 67

Watch out for bogus or exaggerated claims 68

Installing Your Antenna 70

Installing an indoor antenna 70

Installing an outdoor antenna 71

Connecting Your Antenna 73

Making coaxial connections 73

Connecting an antenna to one TV 74

Connecting an antenna to multiple TVs 75

Connecting an antenna to your computer 77

Connecting an antenna to your mobile device 78

Connecting an antenna to your Wi-Fi network 78

Improving antenna reception 79

Scanning for OTA Channels 80

Chapter 5: Watching Over-the-Air and Live TV 83

Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Regular TV 84

Changing the TV input source 84

Watching over-the-air TV 86

Where’s the TV guide? 87

Recording over-the-air TV 87

Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Smart TV 91

Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Streaming Device 93

Look, Ma, No Antenna! Streaming Live TV 93

Part 3: Cable-Free Viewing with Streaming Services 97

Chapter 6: The Hardware You Need for Streaming 99

Let’s Talk TVs 100

Screen size 100

Resolution 101

HDMI ports 102

Streamers: Set-Top Box or Dongle? 103

Set-top box streamers 104

Dongle streamers 105

Set-top box streamer versus dongle streamer 105

What to Look for in a Streaming Media Player 106

Smart TVs for Streaming Media 109

Setting Up Your Hardware 111

Connecting a set-top player 111

Connecting a streaming stick 113

Configuring your streaming player 115

Chapter 7: Getting Your Internet Access Ready for Streaming 117

Investing in a New Router 118

Extending Your Wi-Fi Network 121

How Much Bandwidth Is Enough? 122

Taking a look at streaming media bandwidth usage 123

Going on a bandwidth diet 124

Understanding How Streaming Works 126

The streaming process 126

More about buffering 127

I Feel the Need — the Need for Speed! 129

Why does speed matter? 129

How fast is fast enough? 130

Testing your Internet speed 131

Chapter 8: Checking Out Free Streaming Services 135

Is There Such a Thing as a Free Lunch? 136

What to Expect from Free Streaming Services 137

Some Free Streaming Services to Check Out 138

Crackle 138

Haystack News 139

Hoopla 139

IMDb TV 141

Kanopy 142

PBS Video 142

Peacock 142

Roku Channel Store 143

Tubi TV 144

Xumo 145

Free streaming apps for kids 145

A few more freebies 146

Chapter 9: Checking Out Paid Streaming Services 149

What to Expect from Paid Streaming Services 150

What Types of Paid Streaming Services Are Available? 151

On-Demand Streaming Services .152

Amazon Prime Video 152

Apple TV+ 153

Hulu 155

Netflix 156

Paramount+ 157

Peacock 158

Cable-Replacement Services 160

fuboTV 160

Hulu + Live TV 161

Sling TV 162

YouTube TV 163

Checking Out Premium Channels 164

Part 4: The Part of Tens 167

Chapter 10: Ten Ways to Save Money in a Cord-Free World 169

Get the Smallest OTA Antenna Possible 170

Don’t Get Too Much Internet 171

Take Advantage of Skinny Bundles 172

Don’t Commit Until You’re Amazed at Your Luck 173

Watch New Shows on the Cheap 174

Subscribe Strategically 175

Keep an Eye on Your Subscriptions 176

Get a Credit Card Offering Streaming Cash Back 177

Give Up the Premium Subscription Plan 177

Save on Sports .178

Chapter 11: Ten Tips for Troubleshooting Streaming Woes 179

Check Your Streaming Device’s Download Speed 180

Restart Your Streaming Device 183

Check Your Streaming Device for Updates 184

Reset Your Streaming Device 185

Check Your Wi-Fi Connection Speed 186

Reset Your Wi-Fi 188

Make Some Wi-Fi Adjustments 188

Troubleshoot an Unresponsive Streaming Device 189

Troubleshoot a Blank TV Screen 190

Upgrade Your Hardware 191

Glossary 193

Index 203

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