Trailblazer Toolbox: Easy Streaming in 2024 with MyBundle

Trailblazer Toolbox: Easy Streaming in 2024 with MyBundle

If you’ve ever signed up for an Internet/TV “bundle” from an internet or cable company, you know that you have to decide which TV package is right for you. While Trailblazer Broadband doesn’t offer an Internet/TV bundle, we have partnered with an independent company called MyBundle that makes streaming easy.  

MyBundle helps you to find the best streaming platform combinations for your household.  You simply answer a few questions about your viewing habits and what you like to watch, and MyBundle gives you options of which combination of TV and streaming products will deliver everything you want to see easily and often much more cost-effectively than cable TV options. 

With MyBundle: 

  1. You can build your own custom bundle, including Live TV and streaming services you’d like to have and see MyBundle’s recommendations before committing to anything at absolutely no cost.  
  2. Most of the same shows you find on cable can also be watched on streaming services, so you won’t miss out on the programs and movies you love! Instead, you’ll have far more content to choose from.  
  3. My Bundle tracks the latest streaming platform specials, discounts, and free trials on many popular streaming services so you can see them all in one place. 
  4. As a Trailblazer customer, you will have the bandwidth and internet speed to stream all your programs, and according to MyBundle, the average Live TV streaming bundle is 50% less than your old cable TV.
  5. We’d love to have you as a Trailblazer customer more than anything in the world, but even if you’re not, you can use MyBundle for free!

Once you’ve made the wise choice to sign up for MyBundle and optimize your streaming entertainment experience, it’s time to take advantage of MyBundle’s many tools and features. 

We’ll walk you through a few first steps you should take after creating your MyBundle profile

By taking these steps, you’ll get the most out of your MyBundle experience and enjoy more streaming entertainment immediately. So let’s jump right in so you can get busy streaming!

#1 Sign Up For Streaming Platforms

There are plenty of streaming entertainment options available today. Indeed, the sheer number of streaming apps, channels and platforms can be dizzying! MyBundle offers a convenient and quick way to cut through the clutter and confusion of selecting streaming platforms. 

The best way to start this process is with MyBundle’s Find My Bundle tool

The Find My Bundle tool is a simple “quiz.” It starts by asking you a series of questions about the size of your household, your zip code, and the apps and other streaming services you already have. 

Then, you’ll be asked which channels you and your family need. Once you’ve completed the quiz, let MyBundle do the rest!

Based on your preferences and viewing habits, the Find My Bundle tool will customize a package of streaming platforms you’ll use, helping you find the services that get you the live channels you want.  

In this way, MyBundle helps save money by avoiding streaming apps and channels you probably wouldn’t watch! You’ve also saved time by letting MyBundle research for you. 

#2 Find and Add TV Series and Movies To Your Watchlist

Next comes the fun part—creating your MyBundle watchlist and adding your favorite shows! 

Some people find creating a watchlist of content daunting since they must search for their shows and movies across multiple apps and platforms. But MyBundle’s interface lets you search for content across all your apps and channels in one place—without needing to log in and out of every platform. 

Best of all, MyBundle’s tools help you find new entertainment. 

MyBundle’s algorithm uses your preferences and previous watches to present content recommendations from your app subscriptions and plans. By simply utilizing its search tools, you’ll receive suggestions for great new shows and movies that are most relevant to you and your family.

There’s also a separate MyBundle movie watchlist for when the fam is ready for movie night. And the watchlists you’ve created in MyBundle show you all of your content from every app, eliminating the need to check each streaming service. 

#3 Get Content Recommendations from Family and Friends

After using MyBundle’s tools to help find new content, utilize one of our favorite MyBundle features—friends and family recommendations!  

Here’s how it works.

First, create your MyBundle Binge List and start selecting the TV shows or movies you might be interested in watching. MyBundle will generate a list of content just for you. For each title you might be interested in, click “Add to Vote List.” Then, click “Save and Share,” and voila—your Vote List is created! 

After setting up your Vote List, share it via text message, email, or other social media with anyone you’d like, and let them review it and vote on their favorites.  

Lastly, once they’ve voted, you’ll see their recommendations in your profile and you can start your next great series! It’s a terrific way to round out your watchlist with new content. 

#4 Track Your Streaming Budget 

Now that you’ve used MyBundle’s tools to find the streaming apps and channels you’ll use and loaded up your watchlists with hours of incredible content, it’s time to take stock and track your budget. 

Establishing your streaming bundle in MyBundle has helped you declutter your streaming content and reduce overall costs. But it can also help you make streaming budgeting decisions as well. 

For example, after looking through your watchlists in MyBundle, you may decide to take a hiatus from a few streaming platforms you don’t watch as much. 

Or perhaps it’s better to take advantage of free trial periods or discounted rates just to binge-watch a particular series before deciding to join for a longer time. Seeing it all in one place on MyBundle helps you track your streaming budget and make better financial choices.

As you can see from the steps above, MyBundle helps you enjoy streaming more conveniently and efficiently. And it can help save you money, too. 

For more information about MyBundle and how it makes streaming easier, click here. And be sure to follow Trailblazer Broadband’s social pages and News for more ways to get the most out of your high-speed fiber internet!

 

Fiber and 5G Cellular – What You Need to Know

Fiber and 5G Cellular – What You Need to Know

According to numerology, the number “5” symbolizes freedom, curiosity, and change – a desire to have adventures and explore new possibilities. So let’s follow that logic and explore 5G cellular service and how it compares to fiber internet.  

Most people are delighted when they turn on their device’s Wi-Fi connection and see “5G.”  That means fast and dependable connectivity.  But is 5G the best solution for your in-home Wi-Fi and high-speed internet needs?  If you live in Estes Park, the answer is generally no because 5G cellular service is largely unavailable in the Estes Valley and does not provide the functional advantages of Fiber-to-the-Home Internet that currently exists through Trailblazer Broadband. 

You may have heard about 5G coming to town in the past. In 2022, Crown Castle and CDOT worked together on a year-long cell tower project to maintain a connection down the 20-mile stretch of US 36 between Estes Park and Lyons. This connection is extremely valuable for cell service and 911 accessibility through the canyon and parts of the Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Building a full 5G network would be the responsibility of cellular carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, etc., and 5G requires a fully functional fiber network before it can be built. Even then, setting up a 5G network in Estes Park will be extremely difficult since it would require fiber to every neighborhood. Although Trailblazer is deploying this type of Fiber-to-the-Home network, a cellular company would also have to install antennas within a maximum of 1000 feet from anywhere service is required.  There are no current plans for that type of cellular project, and many residents would likely be resistant to having cell towers erected throughout the town and residential areas. 

Sometimes confusion exists over the difference between 5G cellular and 5GHz Wi-Fi, so what is the difference really? 

Fundamentally, 5G and 5GHz technology utilize radio waves (electromagnetic radiation) to enable wireless communication. However, they use different radio wave technologies. Additionally, 5G and 5GHz stand for two different technologies.

5G is an abbreviation for the fifth generation of wireless cellular communication technology. 5G cellular—the replacement of 4G/LTE systems – utilizes relatively similar radio frequency (RF) bands as its cellular predecessors, plus a new radio (NR) frequency band not previously used for RF wireless communications. Like all cellular networks, it is susceptible to interference and traffic overloads similar to what Estes Park residents have often seen in the past during the summer high season.  

5GHz, on the other hand, is one of several operating frequency bands reserved for Wi-Fi. Most modern Wi-Fi routers offer two RF band options upon setup – 2.4GHz and 5GHz. 2.4GHz Wi-Fi is better at providing internet over long distances and through solid surfaces, but 5GHz Wi-Fi signals have lower latency and higher internet speeds than 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. Both of these frequencies are utilized by Trailblazer Broadband Wi-Fi service.  

Aside from being different technologies, there are several differences between 5G and 5GHz capabilities. Generally, 5G cellular capabilities are far faster than 5GHz, but each has its own value and use cases.

5G cellular technology occupies three different frequency bands, and the range and quality of these signals vary greatly.  For example, low band 5G frequencies can only reach internet speeds of 50 to 250 Mbps. High band 5G frequencies can reach theoretical speeds of up to 20 Gbps (1,000 Mbps = 1 Gbps) and support hundreds of devices; however, these high band frequencies are rarely available outside of large metropolitan areas. In comparison, wired fiber internet can reliably provide between 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps symmetrically for both upload and download speeds for multiple devices within a home or business. 

There are no plans to expand 5G cellular service across the Estes Valley at this time; however, most of the valley now has access to Trailblazer Broadband for fast, dependable internet through its 100% fiber optic lines.  Trailblazer is currently available to approximately 82 percent of the Estes Park Power and Communications service area. 

The performance advantages of fiber include: 

  • Fiber capacity is easily over 10,000 times that of a perfectly functioning 5G wireless network. 
  • A wired fiber is not susceptible to interference like wireless technologies. 
  • Fiber is not impacted by atmospheric and physical obstruction like 5G. 
  • Fiber is more secure than all wireless technologies. 
  • The data-carrying capacity of fiber is, for all practical purposes, virtually unlimited. 
  • Fiber has symmetrical speeds, so its uploads are as fast as downloads.

The bottom line is that fiber remains the go-to connection type for extremely fast and reliable internet in Estes Valley. By having the foresight to build a fiber-optic infrastructure for Trailblazer Broadband, the Town of Estes Park is able to offer internet service with Wi-Fi included at significantly better speed, reliability, and latency (speeds for loading data) than ever before, which negates the need for 5G cellular in and around the community and outshines any satellite alternative that is currently available. 

Resources: 

https://www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/articles/what-frequency-spectrum-will-5g-technology-use-and-how-does-this-compare-to-4g

https://insidetowers.com/crown-castle-brings-coverage-and-safety-to-estes-park/

https://www.eptrail.com/2022/01/05/better-cell-service-coming-to-local-us36-corridor/