You already know that Black Bear Fiber offers fast, reliable fiber internet right to your home. But have you ever wondered If we provide television service, too, including access to live TV, news, and sports?
As part of our commitment to deliver the very best internet experience possible, we do not offer TV as a separate service—because we believe you deserve better. With modern streaming services, you can enjoy live television without the need for a separate cable connection or an expensive monthly cable bill.
Instead of charging you more for a service you don’t need, we’ve partnered with MyBundle.tv to make streaming easier and more cost-effective. With Black Bear Fiber’s fast fiber internet, you can “cut the cord” and get just about any television entertainment you could want, reliably and with excellent quality.
Read on to find out how you can enjoy high-speed internet service, outstanding streaming entertainment, and the best television has to offer, all without a separate cable box, contract, or bill.
1. Optimize Streaming with Ideal Router Placement
If you’re already a Black Bear Fiber customer, you have fast fiber internet to enable high-quality streaming in your home. But remember that proper router placement is critical to making the most of your high-speed fiber internet service. If the router’s signal is impeded, you could experience the frustrations of buffering, pixilation, service interruption, and fuzzy imagery can happen.
Below are several tips to help you get the most of your router’s signal before switching to stream-only television service.
- Place Router Near the Center of Your Home – People often place their routers in a corner office or some other room off to one side of the house, sometimes because that is where the “computer room” was when the house was first built. This is a modern-day mistake, however, as you are sending too much wireless signal outside of your home where no one can make use of it. Instead, choose a centrally located room that can better reach other areas of the house.
- Minimize Walls and Proximity to Windows – Try to cut down the number of walls intervening between your router and your devices. This is especially true of walls made of materials denser than drywall (which is easier on router signals than harder woods). While glass windows won’t likely interfere with the router signal, you don’t want to send too much signal out into your backyard or the street, so also try to avoid placing them too close to a window.
- Place Routers Up High – Because routers disperse their signal downward, try to mount the router as high as possible. Choose a shelf well off the ground to place the router, or even consider mounting the router high on a centrally located wall in the house.
- Keep the Router Away from Other Electronics – Other electronic devices, especially metal-based electronics, can impede the flow of router signal. Try to place the router away from such interfering devices. If you keep your router in or adjacent to the kitchen, be aware that microwave ovens can be especially problematic. Microwaves release a signal in the same 2.4GHz band that routers use, impacting the router’s ability to reach other streaming devices elsewhere in the home.
2. Purchase a Smart TV or Streaming Device
With your router placement optimized and your high-speed fiber internet installed, now you need to decide which streaming technology you should use—or if it’s time for an upgrade.
There are two main choices: a Smart TV, which has streaming capability already built-in, or an add-on streaming service, which can turn most TVs into a Smart TV. There are pros and cons to each choice, so let’s consider them in turn.
The Smart TV is manufactured to stream just about any streaming service available. You do not need an add-on device. You just need to connect the Smart TV to the internet service in your home. Some Smart TV models can display phenomenal picture quality, like 4k technology. Smart TVs also have features that connect to other devices in your home (i.e., Smart Home technology), which may be an added benefit.
The downside, however, is that all these features come with a higher price tag. So keep that in mind if you’re trying to be budget-conscious when making decisions.
Add-on streaming devices are a more cost-effective option. They can turn almost any television (with an HDMI or USB port) into a Smart TV. They are also portable, so if you travel a lot, it may be a better option for you.
Add-on streaming devices can be very small (some “streaming sticks” are tiny enough to fit in your pocket) or a slightly larger “box.” Amazon Fire Stick, Chromestick, and Roku Sticks are popular models.
Apple TV, on the other hand, is a small box that connects to your TV. If you already use Apple products and Apple’s services, Apple TV may make the most sense for you.
3. Use MyBundle.tv for Free to Find the Best Platforms for You
So now it’s time to learn how you can truly cut the cord and stream TV without a cable connection.
MyBundle.tv is a free application that helps you choose the channels and streaming services you want to watch. From network tv and cable stations to live sports and news channels, there are countless combinations of entertainment to bundle.
MyBundle starts by asking about your viewing habits, including any existing apps and subscriptions you already have, such as Hulu and Netflix. Next, select from dozens of channels to add to your bundle. You can add or subtract as many channels as you’d like and help control your overall cost. Unlike pre-set cable packages, you don’t have to pay for what you don’t want to watch!
Take some time to explore MyBundle.tv and check out the wide range of possibilities and options.
Start Streaming Today
With high-speed fiber internet, optimized router placement, cutting edge streaming device technology, and the guidance of MyBundle.tv, you really can enjoy television without needing a separate service. We’re proud to bring the internet service you need to get the entertainment you want without piling extra charges onto your bill.
Be sure to follow Black Bear Fiber for more tips on making the most of your high-speed fiber internet experience!