Googling “internet service providers in my area” often leads to an overwhelming amount of results. Especially if you live in a metro area. Most households in these areas have 2, 3, or sometimes more internet service providers aka ISPs to choose from. These options usually range between DSL, cable broadband and or fiber optic internet, FiOS. Even rural areas these days have multiple ISPs bidding for your hard-earned cash. The ISPs in rural areas are usually satellite internet, fixed wireless, or mobile hotspot. So you just Googled “internet in my area” and now you’re not sure where to start. Picking the wrong ISP for your home can be disastrous, leading to hours of frustrating customer service calls and family members pointing the finger at you on why they can’t watch Netflix or play Fortnite with their friends. Helpful websites like Konect Eaze and a handful of others make it easy by with just your zip code, narrowing down all the companies in your area and comparing bundle packages, internet speeds, and new customer promotions. From there you’ll have a better understanding on what’s available to you.

What Internet Service Provider is Available in My Area?

Whether you’re just moving to a new address or just trying to shop for a better ISP than your current internet company, searching “internet service in my area” is your first foot into the rabbit hole. Often times, the 1st result you find on Google isn’t even an internet service provider available at your home address. Your home address is everything. Sometimes a neighbor can get a certain ISP, while you can’t or vice versa. I know… super frustrating. It’s key to go into shopping for internet providers without high expectations. Fiber optic internet, FiOS, only covers 25% of the nation so your chances that your address has the opportunity to get fiber are not in your favor and that cable broadband or DSL is going to be your best option. If you live in a rural area, you need to accept that satellite broadband, fixed wireless, and mobile potshots are going to be the best options and usually do not have speeds that you may have been used to when you lived in the city.

Choosing the Best Internet in My Area

Choosing an internet service provider solely based on price is more often than not, a huge mistake. There’s usually a reason why something is “cheap internet” because you’re going to get what you pay for. There’s no sense only paying $50 a month for internet and it not being able to perform any of the internet functions you want to be able to do when another company who could handle your needs was offering it at $65. Be vocal to the internet company you’re inquiring about on what exactly do you and the rest of the household want to be able to use the internet for. Let them recommend a package and speed suitable to your needs with reasons why. Understand that if you live in a rural area, that satellite broadband may be your only and best option. It has its limitations with throttling of speeds after allotted data limits but sometimes your only option is your best option to stay connected in this internet driven world. Lastly, ask around. Ask neighbors and friends and family about “high speed internet companies in your area”. I’m sure they’ll all have something to say about the companies available to you, whether it be good or bad. Ready to start comparing available internet service in your area? Find internet providers near you.

Updated: 09/01/2020 to include AT&T's new Streaming Service.

Spectrum TV VS AT&T TV, Spectrum Enters The Streaming Arena.

updated: September 1, 2020

There’s a good chance you didn’t know this, but Spectrum (aka Charter Communications) launched their TV streaming service called Spectrum TV Stream and Spectrum TV Choice for internet only and customer who have an internet and home phone bundle. 

More and more consumers are choosing to cut the cord. This is made easier with a growing number of meaningful alternatives to the cable on the market.

Spectrum TV Choice and Spectrum TV Live were tested on select customers in certain areas of the US back in 2018. While that looked encouraging, when the offer was rolled out, it was limited to customers with a Spectrum internet connection. The service remains that way in 2020 so it’s not open to everyone.

We’ve covered Spectrum’s internet plans in a previous post. You can expect download speeds to 1000 Mbps. Choose from internet only, double play (internet and TV) or triple play (internet, TV, and phone) packages. Most Spectrum reviews are favorable.

So, what makes the Spectrum streaming service stand out in a crowded field?   

What Makes Spectrum Streaming Service Different?

Since Spectrum TV Choice is essentially a closed service, it’s tough to dig up information. We’ve done the hard work for you, though.

The all-new Stream TV app is intuitive and easy to use even if you’re not the biggest tech lover. This app allows you to take full advantage of your TV lineup along with 50,000 on-demand shows. Use your smartphone or connected devices like X-Box One, or Samsung Smart TV to watch programs home and away.

You get a generous choice of broadcast networks from Freeform and FX to CNN and Fox.

You get a reasonable spread of sports and news channels including ESPN and NBC Sports Network with Spectrum’s streaming service. There’s a weak selection of regional sports channels so diehard fans might be disappointed.

Here’s the full list of Spectrum TV stream channels right here.

Update:  Comcast Xfinity, CenturyLink, and AT&T all have offerings of their own. None of the big cable companies offer a standalone streaming service. AT&T offers a standalone streaming app, formerly known as DirecTV Now, and renamed to ATTTV.  Click the AT&T TV link to check out our comprehensive review on AT&T's new streaming service which looks to replace both Uverse and DirecTV as AT&T's premier video offering. 

Spectrum Stream’s Pricing & Setup

How much do Spectrum streaming packages run you, then?

Well, according to the LA Times, Spectrum TV Stream starts at $25 monthly. There’s no official price on Spectrum’s site, so you’ll have to contact them directly for an official quote.

Great news for cord-cutters: you won’t need a cable box unless you need DVR functionality. If you want a box, this costs $20 monthly.

So, while $25 seems reasonable value, if you bundle a box and some premium channels, Spectrum streaming suddenly gets a little more expensive. Remember, too, that you’re already paying for your Spectrum internet plan on top of this.

The $25 monthly fee is valid for the first two years of service. After this promo period is over, the price rises to $30 monthly.

The bottom line, you can expect to pay around $100 monthly all-in for Spectrum internet and Spectrum streaming services.

When compared to other streaming services like DirecTV Now, Hulu Plus, and YouTube TV, Spectrum’s TV Stream comes up short.

The Verdict

Firstly, you need to be an existing Spectrum customer. We’re assuming you are if you’ve read this far. If you are and you’re prepared to accept the limitations of this service, specifically with regard to sports, Spectrum TV stream might be a smart bet.

Just like with their fully flexible internet plans, there’s no long-term contract to sign, and there are no early termination fees to worry about either. Sign up and pay as you go with no headaches.

If you’re looking for something to replace your cable package, this is not the product for you (at least not now). Spectrum streaming channel selection is limited so you’ll be unlikely to cover all your viewing needs.

Check out some of the reviews for Frontier and ATT internet service here.  To find out more about streaming Netflix on satellite internet like HughesNet or Viasat, make sure to click the link and to explore our blog.  

Also, if you have any questions about satellite internet service review, make sure to read our comprehensive review. 

If you’re looking to switch to Spectrum internet to take advantage of their TV Stream deal, contact us at 1(888)376-0753 today, or search your zip code and check for Spectrum offers are in your area!

For fans of streaming media services like Hulu Plus, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Now, Spectrum’s service will seem familiar, but there are quite a few differences.

Update:  Since this article was first written Spectrum finally launched its Spectrum streaming app.  This app gives you access to a whole array of content from your phone which includes 50,000 On Demand TV shows and movies.  The coolest part about this app is that it connects to the other devices in your home including Roku, Xbox One and Samsung Smart TV amongst others.

They're small, they're compact, and they affect the entire outcome of a war.

Unfortunately, we’re not talking about hobbits.

It’s your Wi-Fi router.

Wi-Fi, the wireless internet connection used in almost all homes and businesses, is made available through a Wi-Fi router. Most Wi-Fi customers get their Wi-Fi through the router provided by their ISP (internet service provider) or cable company. These do a good job of handling the basics of wireless uploading and downloading.

They’re not the worst routers out there. At the same time, they aren’t the best. They do an average job.

But there are brands out there producing above-average routers. You’ve probably already heard of their names; Asus, Netgear, D-Link, and Linksys.

There are more, and a quick search of PC Mag, CNet, and Tom’s Guide can give you a more thorough overview of the various and sundry brands out there.

The inevitable next question you’re thinking is “Which one’s the best?”

A Wi-Fi is essential these days for internet connectivity. This makes Wi-Fi routers essential, even if every home doesn't have one. ISPs and cable companies provide these as part of their basic package. There are some consumers out there who want something better though.

Should you decide to buy your own, you’ll have to make the decision based on a few factors. Near the top of the list would be cost and customer reviews. While there are some that cost more than others, it doesn’t mean it’s the best.

Your home, like you, is unique.

Don’t just go with the router that is labelled “the best” by a source that doesn’t know you.

That's like saying Frodo was the best hobbit.

You know, hobbits, from The Lord of the Rings.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world, there were wizards, humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and dragons. The smallest of these creatures were the hobbits. These were the guys who were half the height of dwarves. Being that dwarves were half the height of humans, this made hobbits very, very short.

As a result, hobbits were seen as unimportant. Irrelevant even.

And the hobbits, as Tolkien explained, were happy with this. They were fine to stay in their part of the world and not bother with international politics. If the outside world didn't interfere with them, they would leave the outside world alone.

One such hobbit, Frodo Baggins, came into possession of the One Ring- the one thing that could decide whether good or evil prevailed.

And so Frodo, small and unimpressive, set out with his friends to take care of the ring. Journeying with him was Samwise Gamgee otherwise known as Sam, Peregrin Took aka Perry, and Meriadoc Brandybuck aka Merry. Each was unique with their own quirks and personality.

These four hobbits, though small and “irrelevant” ended up becoming the deciding factor in entire battle for the soul of the world; Merry would go on to help slay the Witch-King, Perry would play a vital role in distracting the leader of the evil forces, and Sam would help Fordo get all the way to Mt. Doom, where Frodo tossed the One Ring into open lava.

Peace was restored.

Not bad for four hobbits.

While it would be easy to say that Frodo was the best hobbit of all because he destroyed the One Ring, that’d be a little presumptuous. He did have the hardest job, but without help from the other three, Frodo would have never gotten close to Mt. Doom.

It's okay then to prefer Sam, Merry, or Perry to Frodo. People have their reasons for liking one over the other. Just like they have their reasons for not choosing "the best" product out there.

Like when it comes to picking a Wi-Fi router.

Bands and Numbers

Before picking a router, take stock of your Wi-Fi needs at home.

For those using one device on a consistent basis, 5 Mbps is the download speed that works best for you. With that in mind, you can save some money by avoiding the higher end routers.

If you’re downloading content on multiple devices--like Netflix through your Apple TV and streaming a game on your PlayStation 4--getting a download speed of 45 Mbps is best to handle the larger amount of data going back and forth.

Knowing this will help you decide which router is best for your home.

For homes with light internet usage, a single-band router is best. For homes with heavy internet usage, a dual-band router would be best.

Single-band

Single-band routers use just one frequency.

This is great if you’re using a few devices throughout your home. They can handle the usual amount of data going back and forth.

The downside is the frequency they use, 2.4 GHz. This frequency is usually used by Bluetooth devices, microwaves, and wireless phones. Those devices can inadvertently disrupt your Wi-Fi signal.

The dual-band routers use the 2.4 GHz frequency and a second frequency of 5 GHz. That 5 GHz frequency is less common. This second frequency is better used for third-party devices, giving you a less-impeded channel to work with.

Dual-band routers are great for homes where multiple devices are downloading at once. You can even assign a channel to a specific device. And with more than one frequency in use, downloads can be performed simultaneously instead of one at a time.

As you would expect, dual-band routers are more expensive, so take that into account when you decide to purchase.

No matter the router you decide to buy, you’ll notice that all will come with a number and the letters “AC.”

AC refers to Wi-Fi protocol number, 802.11ac. AC is the version of the protocol in use. There’s 802.11b, 802.11m, and others. The letters denote the gradual improvements and modifications over previous versions.

When it comes to designing routers, the engineers involved decided to use this "AC" for labeling purposes. The AC is for the protocol number. 802.11ac indicates the level of the Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) the router is capable of. For example; Of all the data streaming through the router at one time, the projected maximum speed the router can handle is something like 1300 Mbps. You won’t get that speed exactly, but the router can hypothetically handle the volume of 1300 Mbps. Therefore, if you’re downloading 50 Mbps in one room and 30 Mbps in another, an AC1300 router will handle that just fine.

Of all the numbers on your router, look for the one that starts with “AC.” This is the best indicator of whether your router can handle the amount of data you plan to be downloading and uploading at one time.

The Brands

Now that we’ve gotten the numbers and bands bit out of the way, let’s talk about the brand themselves. All brands listed below come highly rated. This doesn’t mean they’re the top brands, but professional reviewers have marked them highly and on a consistent basis.

You can also check out the best brands after you’ve found the best internet providers in your zip code.

If you’re looking into a brand not listed, drop us a comment to let us know what you think, why you like/don’t like it, and whether you’d recommend it over the ones listed below.

You may have recognized the name from the laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other electronics. They’re the fifth largest PC vendor in the world. This means their products are a good alternative to Apple and Microsoft.

Their Wi-Fi routers are consistently ranking highly among review sites like PC Mag, CNet, and Tom’s Guide. While this may mean they’re a little bit more expensive than other brands, they’re worth the price tag to ensure your stream devices run smoothly.

Unlike Asus, Netgear focuses on networking hardware almost exclusively. This gives them an edge over their competition here. It does limit them a little bit when it comes to other products.

Taking the “D” from its founding company, Datex Systems, D-Link is also based out of Taipei along with Asus. Like Netgear, they focus solely on networking equipment.

Owned by Belkin, Linksys is a networking equipment company that creates networking equipment for consumers and small businesses. Unlike Asus, Netgear, and D-Link that provide business and enterprise networking solutions, Linksys prefers to keep it small.

One Brand to Rule Them All?

When it comes to reliability, Asus and Netgear rank the highest among their competitors. Brands like Linksys are generally cheaper and easier to use. And the rest will fall somewhere between the two.

This doesn’t mean one brand is the best out of every single one of them. That’s a choice that will b depend on your needs and well as what your home can accommodate.

So which brand do you prefer? Is there a brand that’s not listed here you think should be included?

Leave a comment and let us know.

In the meantime, stay up-to-date with On The Download.

Horror stories of old, and some of the new, come with a warning.

The most common interpretation of these warnings is to have the would-be victims stop at a gas station to fill up their vehicle with gas. As they wait for the tank to fill, an eerie-looking person will step out and approach them. He’ll give an ominous warning that the direction they plan to go will lead to chaos, and most likely death.

Moving can feel like a horror movie, which is why you should listen to horror stories of others and heed the Message from the Harbinger.

Here’s the familiar “Harbinger” scene from a recent classic, The Cabin in The Woods.

(If you haven’t seen The Cabin in The Woods yet, go watch it! Also, if you have seen it, go watch it again. I’m even reading the novelization!)

The Harbinger is meant to give the would-be victims an opportunity to try a different path or change course completely. In The Cabin in The Woods, and other horror classics like it, The Harbinger scene is the ominous foreboding of what’s to come if the would-be victims don’t heed his warning.

…They don’t.

If the would-be victims listened and changed, then there would be no story, no horror movie, and no victims.

Your moving story doesn’t have to end like theirs.

Take heed and listen to the following stories so you can save yourself from the same peril that befell these victims! (insert ghostly wailing)

Never Trust a Neighborhood

James (not his real name), had been in his new house for barely a full week. It was Sunday, and he opened the garage to pull out his wife’s car as they made ready to go to church. Sitting in the driveway was his work truck.

Something was missing!

The work truck was a Toyota Pre-Runner, with an open bed.

As a pest control technician, James would use an expensive leaf-blower with an attachment to spray treatment chemicals on lawns. It was brand new. Cost nearly $1000.

Moreover, it was gone!

The previous neighborhood James had lived in was rundown. Cars were parked on lawns, a few homes had windows boarded up, and some of the residents had questionable jobs. However, the truck sat out in the open with the leaf-blower in plain sight…no one touched it.

This new neighborhood, although nicer, was still being built. No one parked his or her car on the front lawn, all the windows were intact, and everyone had a job.

Yet, someone had stolen equipment that James didn’t even own.

However, he still had to help pay to replace, to the tune of $450.

The Warning

New neighborhoods, though they may look nice, can still hide secrets.

If you’re not familiar with the area, you can get information from those who do live there. Check out City-Data Forums to see what locals have to say. You can post a question about your neighborhood there and get answers.

Make a Checklist

Bob (not his real name) had moved into a lovely two-story home with his wife and kids. He’d set up a bundle package through a local home services provider, getting his internet, cable TV, and phone from one source. Bob liked the convenience of the single check, and he was finding that it saved him some money.

Six months after the move-in, however, he got a bill with late-charges, overdue fees, and about seven months of monthly charge.

For services on his previous home!

Bob had forgotten to cancel the internet service at his last house.

With those built-up charges, Bob had to do a payment plan, as well as work with his credit company to keep his credit score from taking a hit.

It would take years before Bob could pay down the bill.

The Warning

Make a checklist to ensure you haven’t missed anything before you move out of your home. It may seem tedious, but when the moving process revs up, you’ll most likely be too busy to remember everything yourself. A simple piece of paper with the items listed can save you time, and in Bob’s case, money. You can even use the notes app on your smartphone to write out a list.

If you’re worried that you missed a crucial step, check out The Art of Happy Moving. The Art of Happy Moving has a checklist you can download. The checklist breaks down the timeline needed to get things ready for a smoother transition.

If you want to make a list yourself, that’s fine, but make sure you make a list.

However, most of all- don’t forget to cancel services at your old home!

Missing Pieces

On a Friday morning, Jack finally found time to start opening boxes that had piled up in his living room from the recent move. The process of moving had been bumpy, but so far, everything had smoothed out.

He’d hired movers to help, and they’d managed to get everything out of his apartment and storage unit, and into his new home in the time allotted.

However, the very next morning he had to go back to work and the stacks of boxes in his living room sat there for several days.

Now he finally had time to get the unpacking done.

As items came out, he noticed a couple of his Bluetooth speakers were missing. He was sure he’d packed them in the right box, but they weren’t there. All the boxes had been taped up, so the movers couldn’t have opened them and helped themselves to some of Jack’s stuff before they left.

Where were they?!

After opening every box, and stacking the contents everywhere else, he was still sure the speakers were missing.

He headed back to his old apartment and asked the management if someone had turned them into the lost and found. The answer was “no.”

The next week Jack searched the boxes again, called friends who’d helped him move, and still couldn’t find them.

It wasn’t until he’d just about given up hope that he found his missing speakers- right next to his bed. He’d pulled the speakers out of the box before taping them up so that he could show a friend. The friend had put them on top of the boxes when they’d loaded up the moving truck. The movers had placed them next to his bed.

The Warning

You can inventory your entire house to avoid something like this. But then again, that would take a lot of time.

Apps, like Sortly, allow you to take pictures of your stuff and the app will create QR codes that you can print out to put on boxes. You can then scan the closed box to see what’s inside, or what should be inside. While this doesn’t eliminate the possibility of lost items, it can help you track your stuff and provide peace of mind.

Bad Movers

To get his stuff across the country, Vince hired movers who would pack his stuff, as well as his car, into containers. They’d agreed to deliver it to his new address and help him unpack.

Vince, being busy, flew to his new home and continued working until the movers showed up.

When they did show up, however, they demanded “extra fees” because of some trouble getting it across the country. While Vince hadn’t agreed on this stipulation, the movers had the keys to the truck.

Vince also noticed that his car wasn’t with the truck.

Since his stuff was held hostage, and his car was nowhere in sight, Vince had to walk to a nearby gas station to use their ATM. Then he had to walk back, hand over the money, and wait for them to unload all his belongings.

With that finally done, Vince had to then negotiate for his car.

Another trip the nearby ATM and he was given the keys and an address.

He didn’t know how to get there, so he had to plug in the address to his map and use public transportation to get there.

At last, Vince had found his car- it was in a paid parking space, and he had to pay the parking fee to get it out.

The Warning

Make sure you have, in writing, the exact agreement you’ve made with the moving company that you’ve hired.

Before doing this, check them out on the Better Business Bureau and Yelp. Moving companies who do lousy work will get reported. A simple search of the moving company name, plus the word “complaints,” will help you find out who’s been complaining about them.

More reputable moving companies, though they might be more pricey, will save you a headache and you won’t have to worry about your stuff being held for ransom. They may provide a written contract for you, but you should still make sure you have, in writing, the exact agreement you made with them.

Save the Jump Scares for the Movies

Horror movies, with their copious deaths and arterial blood spray, are the best place for scary things to happen.

Not your moving experience.

Although every problem can’t is avoidable, you can take some steps to eliminate problems or at least mitigate them. Things like a checklist, writing up a “mover agreement,” or taking inventory of your stuff can save you from a jump scare along the way.

There is one last thing you need to set up for your new home- setting up your new home services.

Home services, like energy utility, home security system, and internet service provider, can be set up before you move in. It’s highly likely you’ll be moving to a new neighborhood, one you’re not familiar with. You may not know who provides energy, or what ISPs are in the area.

Check out the best internet packages and deals from KonectEaze. Here you’ll find internet, cable TV, phone, home security, and in certain places, energy utilities. You can research providers here and find out what deals are available by merely searching your new zip code.

You can save yourself some time, headache, and cash all in one place.

Do you have a moving horror story? Share it in the comments below.

For news and updates on moving, home service providers, and horror stories, keep the browser open to On The Download.

Range extenders and mesh networks, are they important?

As the number of smart devices in our homes is increasing, so the is the need for reliable Wi-Fi.

A pat answer would be to “buy more megabits per second.” That may help and it may not. Your home, or apartment, may be full of Wi-Fi inhibiting barriers, killing the signal before it has a chance to reach every one of the things in your place that requires an internet connection to function.

First, determine the things in your apartment/home that might block or impede the Wi-Fi signal.

Second, if you find out that something is blocking the signal, ask if you can move it to where it will get a good signal. This option may help a little bit, and it may end up forcing you to move everything to one corner of your place.

Therefore, if you up the megabits per second, you may end up wasting your money when you discover you’re still dealing with slow downloads in certain parts of your home.

Options one and two are meant to help save you some money, and headache, before you entertain another option. Don’t be too quick to decide “we need more bandwidth” before you understand what the real issue is.

Without this understanding, you’ll only cause yourself unnecessary frustration. Also, the logic mentioned above is part of the reason why there are so many Spider-Man movies that have cropped up in the last two decades. So far, the count of Spider-Men, or spider-themed superheroes, in those movies sits at nine.

Instead of rebooting the Spider-Man franchise, yet again, why not take a step back and find a different way?

Logic such as this doesn’t seem to be in vast supply in Hollywood. However, it can be when it comes to solving your Wi-Fi problems.

We come now to option three; range extenders and mesh networks.

Range Extenders

Range extenders are as their names imply; they extend the range of the Wi-Fi.

Maybe there’s that exposed brick wall in your apartment that you like, but the computer on the other side of it is super slow. Well, a range extender would help with that.

The device comes in two forms; desktop and plug-ins.

The desk-top type looks like another router. They plug into the wall in the area you need a boosted Wi-Fi signal.

The plug-in extenders also boost the signal, but not at the expense of space. Some will take away access to a plug, but there are manufacturers, like Linksys, that make plug-in extenders with an extra socket. You can boost your Wi-Fi signal without sacrificing another outlet.

When buying a range extender, take note of the AC number on your existing router. If it’s a single-band AC1700, for example, look for a single-band AC1700 range extender. If your router is a dual-band AC2400, make sure to get a dual-band AC2400.

The range extenders work by amplifying the signal and rebroadcasting it. By rebroadcasting it, however, it creates a separate network. At the same time, it also cuts the available bandwidth in half to make it happen.

You may get signal on the other side of that wall now, but you’ll have to switch networks to do so. The rest of your place will have less bandwidth available.

Sony did something similar with The Amazing Spider-Man films of 2012 and 2014.

As opposed to continuing the previous trilogy with Tobey Maguire, the choice was made to reboot it. This was hardly a bad idea, given Spider-Man 3 made a mockery out of Venom, and produced more memes than cash. The Marvel Cinematic Universe had launched also and was doing well.

Instead of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield was brought in to play Peter Parker, and he did a good job. Given the script was just another origin story of Spider-Man, which everyone should have known by that point as well. All they really did was move around a few details and put in a different bad guy than the last origin story. They could have just gone the route of The Incredible Hulk and set up the origin as a quick flashback and then gotten on with a different story altogether.

Then again, what do I know?

After the second sequel, the returns weren’t good. So instead of trying a different tact, Sony allowed for Spidey to join the MCU and let them worry about how to handle the origin story.

However, they did keep the rights to some of his cooler villains, like Venom...and we know how that turned out.

Sigh.

Mesh Networks

We'll get back to Spider-Man in a minute here.

Let’s take a moment to talk about mesh networks; a mesh network doesn’t cut into the bandwidth from the router and make a different network. A mesh network operates as a satellite system. The little nodes get plugged in around the house or apartment and use the router as the base. The nodes network the signal amongst themselves, like a series electrical circuit. If one is unreachable, the other nodes will pick up the signal and link it back to the router. The nodes involved boost the signal, providing you with download speeds close to what you’d experience if you were standing next to the router itself.

By putting all these nodes into one network, in one home, your house will be able to support multiple devices easily.

Overall, this option is a better choice than range extenders. This isn’t to say they’re inadequate. For what you’ll end up paying for a mesh network, you’ll have a more reliable network in your home or apartment, and that will more than make up for the difference in cost.

Now, let’s look at how this applies to the latest Spider-Man offering from Sony.

Instead of setting up Peter Parker’s origin story, which we all should know by now…if not, that’s okay, no judgment here, check out his Wikipedia page and get back to us after you finish reading.

This time Sony decided to incorporate six different Spider-Man type superheroes; Miles Morales as the new interpretation of Spider-Man, Spider-Ham (a Marvel sanctioned parody of Spider-Man), Spider-Gwen (a “what-if?” scenario that has spawned a series), Spider-Man Noir (another “what-if?”), Sp//der (a mech suit operated by Peni Parker), and the original Peter Parker himself.

Now we’ll have six different Spider…people(?)… working together to stop Wilson Fisk from doing something terrible and hurting a lot of people. We'll be getting six different backstories, and six different ways to convey them without slowing down the overall story arc.

Unlike a mesh network, there could be some degradation of the story because of all the characters involved. This author is sure that with the right amount of marketing, the story will be largely unimportant. What’s essential, to Sony at least, is that they set up their own Spider-Man continuity and not worry about losing all their rights to the character.

What Sony fails to understand here is that if the story is bad, then everyone loses.

The Original Spider-Man

Let’s back up here and talk about the first big-budget Spider-Man film.

Premiering in 2002, Spider-Man had Tobey Maguire don the suit and the character of Peter Parker. Directed by Sam Raimi, it was a good movie that pleased audiences. By today’s standards of comic book movies, however, it can come across as a basic origin story. Keep in mind though that this was one of the first comic book movies to “get it right.”

It didn’t skew the overall narrative to pump up just one character as they did with Wolverine in the original X-Men movie from 2000. Nor did they corrupt the characters to make them more “marketable” as they did with Daredevil in 2003.

So Spider-Man brought hope to the comic book enthusiasts of the early 21st century. ‘Maybe now,’ we all thought, ‘they would treat our beloved heroes with the respect they deserve and not make some campy b-movie with sub-standard productions.’

Sadly, that was still going to happen. Even with Iron Man in 2008 and Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2005, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man devolved into a joke. Not to mention we’re still getting superhero films that lack respect for their subject matter.

For those who’d like to argue the point, take a look at the fact that Cyclops has yet to be redeemed.

Just saying…

An Option That Works for You

While Tom Holland is playing Spider-Man in the MCU, and the Spider-Verse is launching in December of 2018, there are more options for watching your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man save the day. You can still catch the other versions of Spider-Man through your favorite streaming service, make sure you have the best internet deals and packages first.  Also if you are considering using AT&T or Frontier internet service check out our reviews

Also, if you’re wanting to watch them in another room while someone is playing their Xbox, then make sure you have a mesh network set up first. This way you don’t have to sit right next to the router to enjoy all the web-slinging action!

For more answers to your questions about internet providers, stay up to date with On The Download.