Set-Top Boxes

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You are here by referral only. Not sure what to do or where to go? Contact the person who referred you, or reread the email we sent you.

Set-Top Boxes: a gentle step up from cable

If you grew up with a cable box, a set-top box can feel like home. It is a box that sits under your TV, with a big remote that has real number buttons.

Formuler Z and BuzzTV are two of the boxes people use. They turn on and go straight to a full-screen channel guide, much like cable. You can flip through channels, pause live TV, and record shows to watch later.

Set-top boxes can be very simple or more involved. It depends on how much help you want. Start simple. You can always add more later.

Wi-Fi or a cable?

Set-top boxes can use Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi has improved a lot. But these boxes are built to work like cable, so we suggest a wired connection from your router to the box. Why? Because that is how cable works. A wire is steady.

You may remember the old cable wire running along the floor, or through a hole in the outside wall to get behind the TV. Today it is much easier to hide. Here are some ways:

1. A flat Ethernet cable. It is thin and can be tucked behind trim, baseboards or crown molding. Many can be painted to match your wall.

2. Cable wiring already in your walls. Many homes already have old cable TV wire (coax) running through the walls. A coax to Ethernet adapter can turn that wire into an internet connection. You need one adapter at the router and one at the TV box. If you are not sure what you have in your walls, ask us or a local installer.

3. Power line adapters. These send the internet signal through your home's electrical wiring. You plug one in near the router and one near the TV box. No electrician is needed. They are plug-in adapters only. It can be hit and miss. Even in an older home that is up to code, a few rooms can still have "dirty" wiring that slows the signal. If one room does not work well, try another plug.

Not sure which one fits your home? Tell us when you email. A photo of where the router and the TV are helps.

How do I get one?

These boxes are set up with you privately, one step at a time, by email. Go back to the email we sent you and tell us you are interested in a set-top box. We will reply with the next steps.

Not sure yet? Read "How does this work?" first. It helps you pick the device that fits you.

Robert