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So.. I was inquiring about Comcast Road Runner and am in the process of going off grid (solar)... I was told no can do. Gotta be on Permanent Power in order to get hooked up.
Seems odd and strange like maybe they have rules from Helco in order to use their poles and hook anyone up to RoadRunner they have to be on the Grid. I asked if I could run conduit (underground) from the pole and that doesn't look it will fly.
Just wondering... Anyone run into the type of situation? Solvable or just SOL? Hopefully there is a way around it but I went down to the office in Hilo and inquired about it. Supposedly I am suppose to get a call from the head installation people to see if there is anything I can do for a work around but I'm not holding my breath on that. I am getting RoadRunner from my cool Neighbors but I kinda wanted my own. I was sorta feeling guilty. but with their attitude I'm feeling better about that. Maybe they just don't want my business?
I find it funny that hawaiian tel will hookup with out being connected to the grid... But sadly no DSL on my side of the street.... Maybe beaches will get DSL connections one day.
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It may be that they want to see up to code grounding at the lead in? Fag down an installer and offer them a cup of coffee - I did and the made a 2700$ install charge go away (long lead in o
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Welcome to the club. I'm on grid and still can't get Comcast or DSL. Best option we found is Home Fusion broadband. If you go that route mention my name at signup (PM me) and we both get a freebie.
I'm not trolling for a referral bonus, but really it's faster than the DSL we had in Alaska and virtually no latency (good for online gaming). Of course the downside is that it's EXPENSIVE.
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After being sent an 2700 dollar estimate to install comcast - I tossed the request in the circular file. I later (six months) talked to the installer on the road - few days later confirmation of an appointment arrived and said installer came by to string 700 feet of coax for free.
I work online - looked for the end of the cable line - thats where I settled, got to have the speed and data transfer for web page editing.
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This is a case of "variable reality". Don't confuse the customer service droids with terms like "off grid", all they care about is a "valid" address (not necessarily "permits") that's "in the service area". The installer will mostly care about a pole, grounding, and power for the cablemodem; after they leave, you can splice in a few hundred feet of conduit. (Recommended 1.25" or larger, both for the "pull room" and because it's too large for rats to chew on.)
Where cable and/or telcom are using Helco poles, they're paying rent to Helco, there's no magical requirement that you also "have grid power" -- it just happens that grid power is how most people get their "valid address".
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Yes I already tried that... Installer said no power from the lines, they can't do it. He wouldn't even do it for a case of beer. It's the policy in hawaii I guess, so that's gotta be a bonus for going green.
These must be new rules but unless your grid tied your not gonna get road runner... I was even thinking maybe suing them but... who would you take to court? Probably this is for HAWAII only as I did a search and nothing comes up on goggle for off grid comcast service. You'd think if this applied to the mainland you'd get a few more hits on google. I wrote a few emails but no reply.
Ah well... Always something new. One more thing to take into consideration for people doing the right thing and getting away from helco and still wanting cable your SOL! Best case would be to share the bill with a neighbor that's on the grid!
Thanks for all your reply's! I'll just hope my neighbor doesn't move!
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The larger irony: you're offering to pay money for service, they're refusing to install, now you're a "pirate" because you're "stealing" the very service they won't sell you.
See also: "Game of Thrones".
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I'm not really "STEALING" it... I'm still paying for half the cost. I could see if I hacked into my neighbors router to get the key code than I'd be stealing it.
But yes, I'd rather have my own full bandwidth service for sure and I'd be willing to pay 40 bucks a month to get what they are selling.
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How did they even know you didn't have a Helco account? Does anyone else have cable in your area?
Maybe you could wait a while and then ask again - not telling them that you're off grid.
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Firstly, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, not Comcast, provides Road Runner service in Hawaii. Secondly, the service availability is based upon where the HELCO poles are and how many people live in the area (minimum 25 houses per mile, if I recall correctly).
