There are different ways how every internet and TV provider in the United States operates. The policies vary from area to area. If you are with one provider and moving to another address, many providers give you the option to take the equipment with you and set it up at your new place. After setting it up, the connection is activated. Similarly, others just give you new equipment for setting up at your new place. You are also obliged by the provider to return the equipment if you are canceling your services. Otherwise, you are charged a hefty fee if you resume your services even after a year.
Can you have two TV providers in one house? I have worked in the customer service department of internet, cable and phone authorized retailers. We get this question every now and then. Let’s understand how this works:Â
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How do you get a connection?Â
Whenever you sign-up for a service, you either go for self or professional installation. The self-installation is for those people with everything already set up in their homes. The professional installation has certain technicalities and they make sure you have a work cable outlet, your house is wired, and everything else. Once you sign-up for a provider, you get your connection through a dedicated cable, DSL, or fiber line.Â
However, to hook you up with the service, they have to run cable lines on the power poles. Once they run these cables on the poles, you get a working connection, depending on the location you are living.Â
Getting two cable TV providers in the same houseÂ
As we have discussed earlier, cable providers have a network of coaxial cables that reach each and every house in the footprint. Now to get the cable TV service at your home from two different providers, you will have to run parallel cables on the power poles. Each of the cables has to reach your home. Now, the only complication is that you need to have multiple cable outlets with different cable connections. This is quite complicated and requires a technician to perform the wiring. Once you have a technician at home from either of the two providers, you can have a separate line for both providers. The technician will use a piece of equipment called a cable splitter. This splitter will ensure that you have two cable TV providers in the same house.Â
Is it worth it to have two providers in one house?Â
There are some drawbacks to this. The only advantage seems to be the segregation of the service. If you have rented out one portion of the house, you may have two different cable TV providers. The person who is renting out your place has a choice. Depending on the monthly charges he could afford, he can get someone else.Â
Excessive monthly chargesÂ
Let’s face it. With an exception of a few providers, cable TV providers are expensive. On average, a basic cable TV plan may cost you $60 per month. You will have to add the charges for the cable boxes on top and some local broadcast charges as well. This amounts to $80 for the basic plan. Multiply it with two, two; this is the amount you will be paying for the two cable connections.Â
Installation costÂ
The installation of two cable TV providers will incur some additional installation costs. Usually, one provider charges $50 just for installation.Â
What is the best way around it?
The best way is to bundle your TV and internet service from a single provider. Bundling two services from a single provider will save you all the hassle. You can have a single bill every month. If you want an extensive channel lineup, go for the most premium plan available that has everything you need. It may cost you a bit extra. The amount will be less than having two different providers. For example, you can get the gold plan with Spectrum. This Spectrum channel lineup has over 200 channels and you get all the premium channels included as well.Â
Secondly, if you have rented out space in your home or appointment, that works perfectly fine as well. Just get the premium plan with high-speed internet and split the monthly bill. This will be convenient and affordable.Â