question about cable internet

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I am paying for cable internet. my buddy hooked the cable up to the TV and I got channels.

Can they (the company) get an indication that I'm watching TV instead of using the net? What if used a cable splitter..can they tell?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I am paying for cable internet. my buddy hooked the cable up to the TV and I got channels.

Which ones?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

just up to channel 80, which i guess is basic.

i haven't watched tv since ENT went off the air

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

just up to channel 80, which i guess is basic.

Hmmm. Interesting.

I take it you're not using a cable box - the cable just goes straight to your TV?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

yes
it comes from under my mobile home to the TV

 

[Amaris]

Usually they put a signal block on the line to make sure you can't do that.
I guess they forgot this time.

J.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

is there any way they can notice? I'm not attached to watching much TV, though, sadly, because I'm a big SW fan, I'm curious about the show on cartoon network.

 

[Chindogu]

I had cable internet in my last place and also found that I had the basic channels free. I watched it all the time and the cable company never seemed to notice. I even got calls asking me if I wanted to try a free trial month of the full tv package. The channels where even still there after I cancelled my internet and was moving out the next day.

I also used a cable splitter, which the company gave me btw, and it all worked fine.

 

[Haytil]

Can they (the company) get an indication that I'm watching TV instead of using the net?

Even if they could, so what? They can't do anything besides cancel the TV service. They can't retro-actively charge you for it, they won't cancel any and all business with you blindly...they'll just ask you to pay to keep using it, and when you say no, they'll turn that portion off, and you'll just be able to use internet (like you originally planned).

Enjoy it while it lasts - which may be a good, long while.

 

[Tyberius]

is there any way they can notice? I'm not attached to watching much TV, though, sadly, because I'm a big SW fan, I'm curious about the show on cartoon network.

Yes, they can. But as others have said, the worst that they can do is turn it off, but they haven't noticed or don't care.

Usually, basic cable service is bundled with internet service, so unless there was some sort of lawsuit in the past which broke up the deal, you are probably paying for basic cable service along with your internet service.

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm good friends with a cable guy who came and hooked up my cable for free. There's no way they can tell where that line goes once it goes into your residence. All they can do is check it from the box end and see if it's live.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They can't do anything besides cancel the TV service.

They can charge you $100, though, if you were unaware of it: Link

See this section:

In any case where the court finds that the violator was not aware and had no reason to believe that his acts constituted a violation of this section, the court in its discretion may reduce the award of damages to a sum of not less than $100.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Thanks for all the advice!

Babaganoosh..that link SCARES me

 

[Tyberius]

I'm good friends with a cable guy who came and hooked up my cable for free. There's no way they can tell where that line goes once it goes into your residence. All they can do is check it from the box end and see if it's live.

With the right equipment, they can tell how many TVs you have plugged in, how many TVs you have on, how many splitters you've installed and how many feet of cable there are. I don't know if they can detect signal amplifiers to mask the drop created by additional components at the tail end, but they can probably do that as well - come on, they do this sort of thing for a living.

Like I said before, it is probably part of the internet service package, or they don't care.