Everywhere you go there is someone or a group talking about cutting the cord and how much they love it. Well, let me tell you that while some think it is the best thing since sliced bread others have been a little hesitant to fully adopt the lifestyle.

In this segment, I am going to explain what it means to cut the cord, what it takes to cut the cord, and hopefully clear up some of the doubts that exist.

So first of all when you cut the cord you are not getting rid of that cable that is coming into your house, apartment, or wherever you call home. You are cutting off the dependence you have on the cable or satellite company to provide you with daily entertainment. With the ongoing advancements in technology, there are lots of ways for you to watch your favorite episode of The Big Bang Theory, or watch that episode of The Bachelor you missed this week. Keep reading and I will explain how you can do this while not giving all of your money to the cable or satellite company.

So if you’re still reading I have piqued your interest in saving your family some of that hard earned money you earn. So first you need to sit down and decide what all you and your family actually watch. See when my family paid for satellite TV, we would spend over $200 for channels that we never even watched. Why do you ask, well because that was the package that this company provided that had the few channels we did watch. So here is where all this wonderful technology comes in. Once you have gone through and made that list of what you need, then it is time to look at your options. Are you ok with watching shows after they have aired, or would you rather have the option to watch live TV? This will help choose what sites or system you will need.

So to start you will need a reliable internet provider, which for many would mean still having to rely on that pesky cable company since most of us only have that one company that provides high-speed internet. Now if you are lucky enough to have a company that provides a really good and reliable DSL service, don’t discount them. DSL is a good option if you are not worried about streaming 4K quality shows or movies to several devices at the same time. I know folks that only have one or two devices streaming at a time and they are ok with a High definition or even Standard Definition quality. There is an option for everyone.

So you have the company you want so now what kind of equipment do you need. Well, the internet company will be quick to offer to rent you one of their high-speed cable modems and a router for what they call a low monthly fee. But if you really think about it it is not really a low fee, see if you take that amount and multiply it by say 12 or 24 months you will have paid for a brand new one several times over. You can buy a simple cable modem like this TP-Link TC-7610 or the Arris Surfboard SB6141 that will work for a basic setup. Now if you are looking at being able to stream that 4k movie and play online games maybe you will want a modem like this Arris Surfboard SB8200 or the NETGEAR CM1000-1AZNAS that will allow making the most of that large bandwidth. Speaking of bandwidth or internet speed, you don’t need a lot for a basic setup. Most people can get by just fine with a 25Mbs or 30Mbs internet speed.

Once you have decided on your modem you will need to choose a router. Now things to consider is if you will have your streaming device connect via a cable or via wifi. Technology now makes it so that you are able to stream things via wifi and get that HD or even 4K quality. Here you also have various options to go with depending on your personal preference. You can go with a basic router like a Belkin AC1200, a NETGEAR AC1200 or go high end with the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 or the ASUS GT-AC5300.

Streaming devices have come a long way, it used to be you needed a computer to stream something but now there are lots of options in smaller shapes and sizes to choose from.

The top-selling four devices are Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Apple TV. All are great options for different reasons, so make sure you choose the one that is best for you.

For ease of use, I would recommend a Roku streaming device. It’s basic and straightforward, and it has the most streaming video apps of any player with an easy-to-use remote. You can choose from the Roku Express up to the Roku Ultra.

For flexible open streaming players, check out the Fire TV and Android TV. Both Fire TV and Android TV players allow side loading of a wide range of apps. If you like to tinker, we recommend checking them out. FireTV from Amazon comes in various options from the FireTV Stick to the FireTV Cube. As for the Android TV, you can look at the NVIDIA SHIELD TV Gaming System.

There are a lot of live streaming services available, and it may seem overwhelming, but it is easier than you think. You will likely need more than one streaming service, but the good news is almost all of them offer a free trial. I suggest you take advantage of the free trials to see what fits your needs.

The number of live TV streaming services is growing. Right now you can pick from Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, fuboTV, Philo, PlayStation Vue, and DIRECTV NOW to name a few.

Then you have the popular On-Demand streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.