I have an Airbnb with three TVs.

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I have an Airbnb with three TVs.

Alan FaitelPro Member
Real Estate Coach · estero FL · Member since 2015 · 289 posts · 45 votes

I have an Airbnb with three TVs. I am paying xfinity $200 a month for cable, phones, and Wi-Fi, yes I am a fool. How can I get this cheaper? Xfinity told me that the basic Wi-Fi is $59 a month, how do I run the three TVs only, and not have any of their boxes or remotes.

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Cody Lewis
Investor · Charleston, SC · Member since 2021 · 263 posts · 122 votes
5y

Alan if your goal is to make it cheaper, maybe offer just good wifi. You could also try something like YouTube TV, Hulu, Sling TV, etc. for "cable" TV. Another option is to get an antenna for local channels. You can have one for each TV which would connect directly to it. Depending on what's drawing people to the area and your AirBNB, do you really need to offer TV? I've visited many places that have a DVD connected to the TV with some DVD options to watch. Those were mainly coastal places or golf destinations. Our focus was not on the TV. 

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  • Account Closed
    Member since 2020 · 983 posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    I'm 71-years old and remember when I was young my family was the talk of the town because we had a 12 inch black and white television that could pick up to television stations.

    I've had the same problems with several companies the same as you are having and we deal with COX in las Vegas and with Direct TV, Time Warner and A T & T in Los Angeles. Every company pulls the same scam on customers. These companies entice their customers to sign contracts for low prices like $79 per month for three televisions with boxes and remotes for each one. Every company bills us $79 for one year and after 1 year they start billing at crazy rates like $169 to close to $220 per month.

    This is what we do. Every time these companies raise our rates we call to cancel their service and every time we call they reduce their rates to $79 to $110 per month. Then, a year later they raise their rates again and we call to cancel.

    COX in Las Vegas is the worse scammers. They raise their rate to over $200 and I canceled every year for several years and they reduce their rates to something like $99 for 3 televisions. Then my mother who is 93-years old called to cancel and they gave her all 3 televisions with every station for $79 per month.

    So, it seems like the people on the phone have an amazing amount of latitude to adjust prices to keep customers.

    Otherwise, I am a fairly tech savvy person and I don't know any way to connect 3 televisions with one box so users can all choose different channels.

    Perhaps, you should make it clear in your agreement with your renters that one television picks up all the stations and the other televisions pick up only antenna stations. I am fairly positive that the cable service you are currently using will provide the basic channels for free just by connecting the cable without a box to the other 2 televisions.

    Perhaps, you could give tenants all the channels on the main television and basic television channels on 2 televisions and provide a used Play Station with a couple DVD and some games that people can play. I have a house in a remote location in the desert and we connected 3 televisions to a Direct TV satellite dish. We would have as many as 15 people in the house and everyone watched only the television in the living room and I never saw one person use the televisions in two bedrooms one time. Not even to play their Play Station.

    We also rent cabins in the mountains with three televisions and everyone always watches only one and I never saw someone use one of the other two. When on vacation I get the feeling that family and friend want to enjoy their time together in one group and with the exception of when someone is tired and goes to their room to sleep it is sort of rude for others to go to separate rooms and watch television.

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  • Cody Lewis
    Investor · Charleston, SC · Member since 2021 · 263 posts · 122 votes
    5y

    Alan if your goal is to make it cheaper, maybe offer just good wifi. You could also try something like YouTube TV, Hulu, Sling TV, etc. for "cable" TV. Another option is to get an antenna for local channels. You can have one for each TV which would connect directly to it. Depending on what's drawing people to the area and your AirBNB, do you really need to offer TV? I've visited many places that have a DVD connected to the TV with some DVD options to watch. Those were mainly coastal places or golf destinations. Our focus was not on the TV. 

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  • Jonathan GreeneBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Madison, NJ · Member since 2016 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    5y

    Why do you have phones and cable? All you need is WiFi and let them stream. All new TVs have all the apps to stream, you just leave them notes to log into their Netlix, Hulu, etc. and log out when they leave. As long as cell service is active in your area, I would not have a phone line. I haven't had a phone line in my house in like 10 years.

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  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jonathan Greene:

    Why do you have phones and cable? All you need is WiFi and let them stream. All new TVs have all the apps to stream, you just leave them notes to log into their Netlix, Hulu, etc. and log out when they leave. As long as cell service is active in your area, I would not have a phone line. I haven't had a phone line in my house in like 10 years.

     Depends who they are renting to. Not everyone has a cell phone and if people are traveling from other countries, they may not have an international cell plan.  And yes I have a landline.

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  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    5y

    @Alan Faitel it is getting pretty common with Airbnb to just provide Roku TV, either built into the TV or stand along box. With Roku, there are many free streaming channels and you can log into paid services like Netflix, Prime, Disney+, Hulu or Apple+. Most people have streaming services and will just login. Just make sure that your basic internet has enough bandwidth to support three TV streaming. You probably want 100MB service without data caps.

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  • Daniel SmythPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2019 · 471 posts · 342 votes
    5y

    @Alan Faitel

    If you can get a deal with Comcast basic internet without phone or cable "TV", get it.

    Sometimes they make you get the phone service. Get your Comcast service as a residential customer, as it's your 2nd home.

    Get ROKU or use ROKU TV, and let your tenants use their own accounts for movies and such.

    [email protected]
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  • Bruce WoodruffPro Member
    Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
    5y

    We just have Firesticks installed on our SINGLE TV in each rental. And no landline phone. Never had a complaint...don't care if I do....

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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y

    @Alan Faitel   the only issue with going to Roku TV or firestick is if you are in an area where you expect sports watching to be an issue for your tenants. You can solve that by offering cable on one TV.  If the main focus is something else you don't need cable so know your clientele.  

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  • Bruce WoodruffPro Member
    Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Colleen F.:

    @Alan Faitel   the only issue with going to Roku TV or firestick is if you are in an area where you expect sports watching to be an issue for your tenants. You can solve that by offering cable on one TV.  If the main focus is something else you don't need cable so know your clientele.  

    Why is sports watching a problem? There are apps for all sports now. All you have to do is have an account and sign in.....

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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y

    @Bruce Woodruff  yes there are apps. Just saying it could be an issue depending on your market.  While many people do subscribe to Netflix ect on their own not as many to sports apps.   For the beach not an issue but I know a few people who pick the hunting 'cabin' to include live TV for sports.  They are maybe not as tech savvy or prefer live.  

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  • Bruce WoodruffPro Member
    Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Colleen F.:

    They are maybe not as tech savvy or prefer live.  

    No savvy required and they are live. With my MLB app, I can watch any team I want when they are on. From anywhere.

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  • Alan FaitelPro Member
    OP
    Real Estate Coach · estero FL · Member since 2015 · 289 posts · 45 votes
    5y

    I was told  to get smart TV’s and only pay wow cable $40/mo.

    is this good ?

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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y

    @Bruce Woodruff  and you want to watch it?  To each their own.  For sports you need to subscribe to one app for every sport I suppose because these guys it was football.  I imagine it is market dependent. For scottsdale and some other places I guess MLB, Buffalo NFl gamepass. Take your pick and know your market.

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  • Brian Walters
    Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2019 · 173 posts · 78 votes
    5y

    Recently stayed in an Air BnB in Las Vegas with my wife and 2 kids in a place that had 2 TVs, no cable on either, but we were more than fine with having access to the streaming services.  I would think more would appreciate faster internet than cable.  Having access to local channels would be a plus.

    With what cable services are charging these days, and the online access to so many channels, cable becomes a nice to have, not a necessity.

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  • Mike A.
    Port Chester, NY · Member since 2016 · 210 posts · 157 votes
    5y

    Why not just see if T-mobile home internet is available, it's just 50 bucks a month all in. No need for telephone or cable.  If you want to have a telephone line, you can get Ooma for 5.00 a month.  Most people have Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix anyway.

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  • Alan FaitelPro Member
    OP
    Real Estate Coach · estero FL · Member since 2015 · 289 posts · 45 votes
    5y
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  • Alan FaitelPro Member
    OP
    Real Estate Coach · estero FL · Member since 2015 · 289 posts · 45 votes
    5y

    T moble home looks to good to be true. $50 a month all in ?

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  • Michael Plante
    Deland, FL · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    ROKU for $29 from Amazon with internet 

    If you want add ESPN + for $80/year 

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