But this is for the property manager to decide. I have no control over that. Am I missing something?
ETA: okay, you did say that…
I’m guessing most people follow the proper procedure.
Make sure the screens are metal. Cats can easily shred the fiberglass ones. (If they’re the wrong type, a hardware store can probably fix them for you.)
This move looks like it’s the right one for you. And the familiar rug for the cats, with the familiar smells, is a very good idea.
I think they would say they already have a procedure that does not require letting amazon drivers in.
Another question: the apt has basic cable, probably Spectrum. I’ve never had cable as such. I had a DirecTV dish when I first moved here. I ditched it and bought a Roku years ago. Now I have a Roku TV (actually 2 of them) and an indoor antenna for each one.
How will all these things work together. How does Roku function with cable? Will I get anything extra with the antenna?
How will you access the internet? Spectrum should be able to provide internet, Your Roku TV can connect directly to the cable. My Roku TVs connect to wireless routers on the cable. The antennae might get you some local channels not readily available otherwise. Your internet connection is the gateway to the universe `
I’m not sure. All the wiring is already in the apt. Right now I have a T-Mobile wireless Gateway. I’m going to hang onto it until I see if I’m satisfied with the internet there.
I believe they use 5G - you might want to check if there is 5G coverage of your retirement facility, otherwise you’re basically out of luck and will have to go with another provider that can run cable/fiber/DSL to the retirement facility.
Another possibility would be to use a tetherable phone for your internet access, but that tends to be fairly pricey, low bandwidth, high latency, and usage capped. (Note that your T-Mobile wireless gateway is basically a tetherable phone, but priced for the home internet usage pattern.)
My father-in-law moved into a place that sounds like yours when he was 91 and lived there for about 10 years. He thought it was great. I don’t know how your place is, but when my wife visited him she said the residents gossiped like a bunch of junior high students. Plus he had a girlfriend a year old then he was.
So that’s input from a happy customer. Of course they all grumbled about the food, but who doesn’t? It tasted fine when I visited.
I just visited my parents who are both 80 and discussing the possibility of moving in around 10 years. Congratulations on making the decision and well done on the planning. I am very impressed and will probably refer back to this thread when my parents finally make the move.
I don’t understand why you’re saying this.
I’m not the most savvy person in the world on this subject, but why couldn’t I take my Gateway with me and continue to use it for internet/wifi?
Like I asked above…
@ParallelLines, are you still around? Can you help out here?
In TEN years?
You’ll probably get a new gateway from Spectrum, or whoever the facility internet provider is, when you open an account with them. I am not sure your current T-mobile gateway will be able to be used, unless thats what the facility is on. Ask the facility - I am sure this is a common question. And yeah, you should still be able to use your Roku. A digital antenna will let you view local over-the-air broadcasts, like the local news. If you already get that from Roku, then an antenna is not needed.
Why not? My T-Mobile Gateway is a standalone box that plugs into the wall, but is otherwise not wired to anything. If I take it to the new place and plug it in, how is that not exactly like using my phone as a mobile hotspot? To wit:
Like when you go somewhere and look on your kindle or tablet settings for nearby wifi. Or on your computer, you’ll see your nearby neighbors’ wifi identifiers. Hypothetically, you can connect to any one that you have a password for.
When my MIL moved to her Sr apt, she had to switch internet provider because the whole facility was wired for one provider and her prior provider gateway was not compatible with what was in the wall. I am no expert on all this but thats how I remember it, and setting up her new gateway. I am sure if you ask the facility they’ll give you the straight story as opposed to all of us speculating. Perhaps the T-mobile gateway works differently from what my MIL had.
If you have a T-Mobile phone, and it shows 5G at the top, your gateway will work fine. Though if the facilities internet provides all you need, then it’s redundant and just an added expense.
Yes to both!
The cable/internet/wifi is included in my rent. So an extra expense of $100/mo. Temporary until I see
It would depend on whether or not there are 5G cell towers near your retirement facility, so you could get the right signal from them. If there are, you’re gold and you don’t need to do anything; if not, you’ll need to change, though it sounds like your place is already wired for internet.
I mention this largely because in my city, 5G coverage is spotty from neighborhood to neighborhood; you may have coverage all over where you live.
This is how I am assuming it will work:
Cable TV:
Your apartment will be wired for internet and cable from Spectrum. There will be a cable box (it has the time on the front) plugged in to a coax connector in the wall. You use an HDMI cable coming from the cable box to connect to the TV. Your TV will have cable.
Internet scenario 1:
There will also be a modem/router (a bunch of blinky lights) with built in wifi, plugged into a different coax connector in the wall. This will serve your wifi for your apartment. You’ll need to know the network name and password to connect your devices
Internet scenario 2:
There is no modem/router in your apartment. You just use the wifi for the building. You’ll still need to know the network name and password to connect your devices.
RokuTV:
Your RokuTV Roku works separately from cable. Cable will be on the input HDMI1 or HDMI2, your Roku will show up on some other input. Maybe labeled “RokuTV”. You will need to use the wifi info above (network name and password) to get the RokuTV connected to the wifi so you have your Roku channels (Hulu et al)
T-Mobile:
You’ll no longer need your T-Mobile hotspot as you now have wifi through Spectrum. You will still need your T-Mobile account to use your cell phone!!
People already living there have certainly worked this out. Like your friend and the package drop-off technique someone there already can give you the benefit of their experiences. Certainly talk to more than one and actually look at their equipment and connections if you can. What it will cost can be difficult to work out with some of the cable packages, they all seem to want to sign you up for a multi-year contract that you can’t escape from. A decent strategy for dealing with that is to sign up for the minimum service and wait for them to offer upgrade deals. Of course once you have internet there is little need for TV and cable channels directly from the cable, however if you’re interested in premium cable channels and OnDemand type video access then you have to pay some way or another.
Good luck with the move @ThelmaLou. It will be an adjustment but I’m certain you can handle it. The new place seems nice!
My wife has tried to get her 93 year old dad to move into a place like that (either independent living or assisted living) but he refuses to move out of the house he’s lived in for the past 50+ years.
I am summoned and I appear!
Okay, so I’ll give general info and we’ll dial down on specifics once we know more about the location and available spectrum. So feel free to @ me as well, although as time goes by my knowledge and skills become more obsolete!
So, first some assumptions that may not turn out to be correct. Based on my grandmother-in-law’s assisted living facility, where they had basic cable as well, it was remarkably simplified by some standards. There would be the semi usual cable jacks in multiple walls to which you’d run coax cable to the RokuTV presumably. (model info and we’ll double check).
It’s currently unknown if the complex has (per my GMiL) ethernet jacks for direct wired connections (preferable IMHO) or if it’s building wide wifi (less so) or flat out none. These are things we will want to know sooner than later. If it’s building wide wifi with good signal and speed, you’ll likely go into the Smarttv settings and sign in with the appropriate password, if it’s ethernet jacks, you’ll probably want to set up a central wifi router with private network and password, and then repeat. If it’s nothing, we’ll want to check the signal for your local and if decent, your gateway should work fine, but may need some wandering around the apartment to figure out the best location for signal.
Once all that’s cleared up, you should be able to (depending on SmartTV model) switch input from the coax (cable) input, to the internal antenna, or launch apps to streaming services. But we will need to drill down a bit once we have the rest of the info.
Absolute worst case (not bad, just more work than we want you to have to put up with) the complex will have no internet or so slow/weak (think of the complementary hotel wifi that Penultima Thule was putting up with on his cross country experience) AND the 5G signal isn’t sufficient to use the Gateway at the location, then you would look into @SunUp’s scenario where you’d have to talk to local providers about having alternative wired or non-wired internet installed.
Reminder:
Scroll down to the “movers” section, where they remind you to contact them with the information you’re moving, and they’ll check to make sure it’s available / usable at the new location. If they say it isn’t likely to work there, better to stop your monthly fee as soon as you’re settled in. No, there is no charge to move the service. 
That should be the short, short version. I’d call your friend or the complex and find out about what internet is provided if any, and how it’s delivered, so we’ll know more. After we figure it out, then calling T-Mobile about the Gateway is a needed step, but it isn’t going to be a big deal - it’ll probably be yes / no / borderline (I’d bet borderline with the limited external access you mention).
You know how to find me if you need more!