Moving may open the door to new tech choices

By Chris McGinn

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Moving -- whether it's across town or across the country -- is full of challenges. Transitioning your cable, satellite, digital phone, and Internet service doesn't have to be one of them.

Where do I start?

Moving doesn't have to mean getting all new providers.  Many cable, satellite and communications companies have large service areas and may be able to do the transitioning for you.

Providers are eager to keep you as a customer and try to make it as simple as possible for you to stay with them. For example, Comcast’s Movers Edge lets you enter your old and new addresses and an installation date to let them do the work for you. Qwest caters to moving customers with easy set-up and informative emails, tips and discounts.

Check your provider's Web site to check for availability as well as channel lineups and prices as those vary by area. Also, depending on if you are moving to new construction or an existing home, take note of the technical specs of your new place and consider making upgrades before you move. For example, are there enough power and cable outlets? Are they well-located? Are there neighborhood associations restrictions about satellite dish placement?

Those are questions to ask before you move, not when you are in the madness of settling in.

Shop around

If you aren't sure if you want to stay with your current provider or even what options you have, consider comparison shopping with Digital Landing.

Moving is stressful enough without the hassles of determining who has the best deal and service in your new hometown. Digital Landing can help guide you in those decisions. By doing the legwork for you, the site makes it easy to see the available offers by providers in your specific area. Simply put in your new address or phone number, if available, and receive specific offers from partner providers such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, EarthLink and Verizon. You can print and compare offers from multiple providers, no-hassle, no obligations, no-worries.

Another consideration is bundling to save money. By combining multiple services with a single-provider you can realize significant savings. In addition, having just one bill means just one company to deal with when you make future moves.

Whichever option you choose -- staying with your current provider or branching out -- prepare for possible disruptions in service and make sure you have a back-up plan, such as keeping your cell phone service with your current provider until your landline or Internet phone is operational.

Keeping in touch

Moving away doesn't have to mean losing touch. Digital technology such as VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, has changed the way people think about phones. Long-distance is less of a concern than in the past as many cell and Internet phone plans offer unlimited local and long-distance calling or inexpensive rates such as pennies per minute.

Because of this change to the marketplace, more people are keeping their phone numbers, even if they move to new states or even countries.  If you want to have a new local number in addition to your previous number, Internet phone has options to add multiple numbers to your line so Aunt Rose back home in Dayton can call you on your old one  and newfound friends in San Francisco can ring the new number.

With Internet phone, you aren't tied to your home telephone company, but can move your service almost anywhere, provided you can get high-speed Internet service. If you haven’t made the leap to Internet phone yet, moving time may be the perfect occasion to make it happen. 

Upgrading your equipment

Moving into a new home is also an opportunity to upgrade your television to High Definition.
With the digital transition in February 2009, it is clear that the future is in HD; learn digital television basics here.

If you are building a home, you should consider the placement of cable and power outlets in light of flat-screen HDTV technology. More and more television cabinets are being discarded for wall-hung sets. Making the switch during construction is much simpler than re-routing lines later.

Depending on where you move, your HD channel line-up may vary. Check with providers in the area to see who has the best match to your viewing habits.

Moving can be a wonderful opportunity to make new improvements in your digital lifestyle. Smart choices now can impact your quality of life as well as your pocketbook, so get informed.