Bright House provides digital cable, high-speed Internet and landline telephone services to customers in select communities across California, Michigan, Indiana, Florida and Alabama. AT&T;, the country's largest purveyor of landline telephone service, also offers U-verse. U-verse is a fiber-optic network that connects your digital television, landline telephone and Internet service through a central "brain" called the Wireless Gateway. This allows you to check your voicemail and control your DVR through your computer or smartphone, as well as watch digitally recorded programming on any television or computer in the house.
Step 1
Find out whether Bright House, U-verse or both are available in your area. Find your city on the following list of communities served by Bright House: Bakersfield, Calif.; Birmingham, Elmore and Eufaula, Ala.; Bradenton, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Orlando, Panhandle, St. Petersburg and Tampa, Fla.; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Livonia, Mich. Navigate to ATT's website, click "U-verse," and enter your home address to find out about U-verse.
Step 2
Decide which amenities you want out of your digital television service. Consider Bright House's simple cable plan if you live in a small house with a single television or you do not watch much television. Look into AT&T; U-verse's packages if you watch lots of television or have a large house with multiple televisions. Because U-verse's services all operate around a central "brain" known as the Wireless Gateway, digitally recorded programming that you start in one room can be finished in another, and Multiview allows you to watch four shows at once. Recognize that both companies allow you to build your own service plans to an extent, though U-verse offers more predefined plan options.
Step 3
Decide how fast you need your Internet to be -- Bright House offers download speeds up to 40 Mbps, whereas U-verse only goes up to 24 Mbps. Consider the size of your house -- U-Verse's Wireless Gateway is less prone to dead spots in large buildings than Bright House's cable modem. Decide how many email accounts you need -- Bright House comes with 25 accounts, while U-Verse internet packages come with 11.
Step 4
Consider how often you use your telephone, and where you are calling. Decide whether you'd be better served by unlimited minutes in a limited area -- as Bright House offers with its unlimited statewide and nationwide plans -- or a nationwide plan with limited or unlimited minutes -- as U-verse offers. Think about the amount of voice mails you get -- U-Verse allows you to check your voicemail from your computer, which Bright House does not.
Tips & Warnings
- Both U-verse and Bright House offer bundle deals when you engage them for more than one service.
References
- AT&T;: U-verse
- Bright House: Home
Photo Credits
- flashfilm/Lifesize/Getty Images