FIOS, part I

My wife, bless her soul, has figured out a way we could save something like $150 a month. After chatting New Year’s Eve with a semi-techie friend about routers and wireless networks for iPads and iPods and whatnot, she called up our current provider to give them whatfor. Once they admitted they could not beat the offer offered to us by Verizon FIOS, we made the switch.

At least, on paper we did.

A technician came over a few days ago and installed some device in our laundry room. A huge, heavy box of equipment came on Saturday, and we were supposed to complete the installation by plugging this and that and this and that in. Now, I’m about a dozen years out of the computer game. I had my A+ and Net+ certifications back in the day, but so much has changed and I’m quite rusty. I can use a computer, that’s about it. Oh, and some basic troubleshooting. And I can install easy stuff, like a cable box to a teevee. Which is what we thought this was going to be.

Well, after spending twenty minutes connecting all the coaxial and Ethernet cables to the router, laptop and PC and powering everything up, we spent about an hour-and-a-half with tech support to find out why we had no internet connectivity. Turns out it has – maybe – something to do with the install from a few days ago by the Verizon tech. Guy on the phone didn’t know for sure, so another tech is coming out tomorrow.

So if you don’t hear from me from Tuesday on, you know it’s Technical Difficulties.

I’m seriously hoping the dude will come over and press a few buttons and tweak a few settings and – voila! – Internet! Teevee! New DVR box! $150 in savings! And no blackout of Family Hopper’s communication with the outside world.

We’ll see.

Verizon, you’re on notice: Get it done!