"The Spider Box" Streaming Box: Hack or Whack?

It's no secret that I try to be frugal when it comes to spending money and cable is no different. 

My first blog post was about how I pay $0 for cable (you can see that post HERE). I even did another post about a streaming stick, (see that post HERE) along with a review on a cheaper alternative to cable (see that post HERE) earlier this year. Well I thought it was only right to talk about a new streaming product that I purchased, to help [possibly] provide another alternative to paying a monthly television fee. 

I was in the market for a new streaming device for my bedroom, when it came to my attention that they had "boxes" where live channels, on demand tv, and movies galore all reside inside a tiny electronic box. So during an outing to the local Swap Meet, I came across a few booths selling these infamous boxes, each stating that their box was indeed the best for my buck. 

All of the boxes were steeper than what I had intended, but seeing as how I was going to [hopefully] be able to watch live television without any type of subscription, I was willing to dish out a one time fee. 

After a few questions and checking out a live demo for each box, I ultimately decided to go with "The Spider Box". 

It put me out $150, but claimed to have all the movies in theater, live television channels for all my favorite programs, and on demand for my old shows, so I agreed to the semi-steep pricing. I will say that despite the gentleman's description about the processor for my new purchase and my understanding at the time, I don't exactly remember the exact details. I will say that I was aware at the time that the memory for this box, wasn't as many gigs as some of the others. My reasoning behind this was simply because I was told that downloading any extra items were unnecessary, therefore rendering paying for more storage futile. 

Now I have a mini confession: I actually purchased this box about a month ago, but wanted time to really play with the entire program. Since using this box, I have a points I'd like to make.

For starters, I am not a fan with myself. This isn't in any way me putting myself down, it's simply stating that I'm a bit irked with the fact that I didn't ask enough questions when making my decision. 

During the demo the guy said that we wouldn't just go through the "Kodi" app (a well-known streaming app you can download on your computer), but that we had a multitude of services pre-loaded on the box for us to use with "ease". Once I got home, I quickly realized that the entire demo was done on JUST the Kodi app. What's worse is that none of the other apps were extremely user friendly, nor was Kodi. 

With a few basic "apps" added onto the box, I was able to figure out how to find the shows, live tv, and movies. However, the box consistently updates and recently the Kodi app changed it's layout (which is the main app for movies) to where I'm still trying to decipher it again. 

WowTV is the main live tv app, but again it's no picnic in the park to figure it out. 

Customer service is poor, with very few responses to any technical difficulties I've faced. They also have a "no return policy", which makes me a little more irked seeing as how much it cost. 

Overall the box has failed me. 

Not only is it a bit of a hassle to watch practically anything - unlike the Roku - the box slows down after watching a few things AND quite a few of my favorite television channels are NOT in fact available on the box. That is, unless I'm willing to pay $30 a month to the makers of "Spider Box", to subscribe to their premium streaming package. Something that was sprung on me AFTER I purchased the box. 

I feel as if the company isn't accurately representing their box, nor do I completely blame them. I should've done research at home prior to fully committing to any box, but I'm not a fan of feeling bamboozled. 

I will say this, I've been able to watch some of the shows I love along with newer movies, but overall I feel as if I could've completed the exact same tasks with a simple Roku stick and my computer. 

I'm not necessarily saying that ALL streaming boxes that make these claims aren't user friendly and create more problems than solutions, I'm simply stating this particular box did not suffice nearly as awesome-like as I had hoped. I did score a really neat wireless keyboard with my purchase though. So in retrospect, "The Spider Box" was completely whack!