Failing Equipment = Failing Service

16 is not too many for a Fiber to the Premise connection.  I have well over 40 devices on my Internet, and I (well, my wife, mainly) also use U-verse TV extensively.  I am not having the issues that you are describing.

(1) do you actually have fiber to the premise, or do you have fiber to the node, with a copper to the home?

(2) How are your DVR and TV Receivers connected to the AT&T Gateway, via Ethernet or Coax (or are some of them wireless)? 

(3) Do you have any unusual networking situations (additional wireless routers, switches, etc.)?

(4) If you're having trouble with U-verse TV, there is absolutely no reason to believe that you would be better off with "a streaming service."  AT&T has been pushing customers to switch to their subsidiary DIRECTV's DIRECTVstream service lately.  They can push all they want, I'm not going until U-verse TV is gone or the pricing is insane (or more insane than the competition).  If you did want to try a streaming service, try it before you disconnect U-verse TV; because you cannot get U-verse TV back once you disconnect it.

(5) Do you have issues with your Internet service?  If so, what kinds of issues?

JefferMC - thanks for the the reply.  I will try to answer your questions:

1) Not sure what a "node" is but I have been told and am fairly positive that I have fiber running to the house and in the house or at least to the Gateway, Modem, or thingamajig. 

2) Connections - some are wireless - 1 think 2.  I know ethernet is on the main TV (4 total) and cable maybe on the kitchen but it may be wireless.

3) Not that I am aware of - I have a ring doorbell, internet based thermostats, Wyze cameras inside and out, and a couple of other peripherals. 

4) Appreciate the comment about streaming service. 

5) I was having similar issues with the internet, freezing and then starting back up but I think that was resolved with the last tech.  But honestly not sure.  

My son-in-law is a techy but lives in CA.  I generally rely on him for advice, but he has not been able to help me on this item.  He did suggest that I purchase the ERO Pro 6 because a couple of exterior cameras were dropping on and off.  Have not set it up yet or even opened the box so I know that is not the problem.  

Thanks for the help 

I ask because FTTP is generally pretty trouble free if it works at all.  If you have FTTN (fiber to the node), it means you have fiber running to a box close to your house, and copper the rest of the way.  Some sales people have sold this as Fiber, when most people mean FTTP when they say "fiber".  FTTN can be "marginal" and work most of the time, and not others.  

You could also be having issues with  your in-home network, or power, or over heating, of some part of the AT&T equipment.  There's a lot of possible causes, and unless you get a good, and patient tech, with a patient boss, it can be hard to get AT&T to resolve it on their own.

@Randall_R 

Hello.  The access method doesn’t really matter for U-verse TV.  How the devices inside the home are connected can matter.  If using wireless settop boxes, those are very sensitive to distance from WAP (wireless access point) depending on how much physical obstruction is there.  Check the signal strength meter on the front of the box and if you don’t have full bars, try to reposition the hardware on both ends to see if it can be improved.   

As for the comment about number of devices connected to WiFi, I’ve been told that too and was dismissive of it at first.  Truth is WiFi in the gateways prior to the BGW320 are garbage. If you need something more reliable, have a friend setup a good personal router setup as an access point to replace the WiFi in the gateway.  

Since you’ve had Att there frequently I’ll assume any line quality issues have already been resolved.   

About U-verse TV, what you’ve been told is correct, Att stopped selling the product several years ago and I believe wants it to go away.  The new owners at Directv have no incentive to invest in it so as customers leave, it will eventually get shutdown entirely, so looking for an alternative is wise.   

Putting all that aside, there’s no reason to drop U-verse TV if you like it and, it can be made to work correctly.   

One additional point. If your settop boxes are coax connected, this could be a trouble as well since coax cable and connectors can degrade over time and are also sensitive to fluctuations in temperature.  Been there, done that, moved on to Ethernet.   

Thank you all for the comments - 

Here is what I can tell you today.  The dropping in and out happens all day long.  Morning noon night.  The dropping of the internet will last seconds.  For example, I sign in to my workstation at my office and after 5-10 minutes (not always) will get disconnected.  The system is designed to automatically attempt to reconnect up to 5 times.  Usually reconnects after 1 or 2.  Total elapsed time maybe 30-60 seconds though seems like more.  Same thing happens while surfing the internet with system freezing. 

On TV the rewind function will frequently say it is unavailable that the DVR is doing something else.  Same thing when you try to record a program.  We have set programs that record regularly.  Even when the system shows no recordings somehow those programs get recorded (including the freezing and then popping back to live several minutes forward).  But the real problem is the system freezing whether it is a record program or a live program.  My wife was watching one of her many favorite shows in our den and the system froze.  After a minute or two she just got up and went to watch it in the bedroom where it wasn’t frozen.  So either it "unfroze" while walking from den to bedroom and turning on that set.  OR it effects each unit independent of the others.  I really have no idea.  

While watching live TV show – TV will freeze.  This lasts anywhere from 2 minutes to 5 minutes and sometimes more.  Happens on all TV’s (4) including the main which I know is on Ethernet.  My home office is as close to being in the middle of my house as I can get.  It is also where all the equipment sits.  Last tech (after 15 years) said 1) it needs to be elevated off the floor so now equipment sits on credenza behind me.  2) Told me the Modem and Gateway should be separated – they now are over 4 feet apart. 

Our main TV (den) sits on the opposite side of the wall of my office, so distance is about 4 feet from box to gateway/modem.  My computer from which I am typing this sits 2-3 feet from the G/M.  I have on computer that is hardwired (or at least the docking station is and another that is wireless.

As for fiber optic – I am 99.99% sure it runs into the house.  Assuming of course it is that really thin wire that I have seen techs fiddle with and who have told me it is the fiber. 

Cable – I learned years ago the importance of good quality cables.  I think I am correct in saying that all hook ups are gold plated and all have been replaced within the last 3 years either by AT&T or by my son-in-law. 

I really don’t understand most of this stuff but am willing to learn.  Looking at the front of my Gateway it reads BGW210 – presume that is the model.   

Regarding, over heating.  None of these boxes, gateway, units, etc are anywhere where they might be more susceptible than not to heat.  House keeps an average temp of about 70-72.

If more information is needed please let me know and I will try to figure it out.  

The cable running to BGW210 is either red or green.  That tells you which access type you have.  Red is fiber.   
Also when you do a speedtest, if the values for up and down are close to each other in value, also a clue you have fiber service.  

The BGW210 is the gateway.   What are you calling a modem?   Att doesn’t use one.   

Technically the port on the back of the BGW210 that the cable plugs into will be red or green.  The cable color may or may not match the port color.  But the red port is an Ethernet port that will be connected to a Fiber ONT for FTTP.  The ONT would then actually have a fiber connected to it.  The BGW210's green port is for VDSL2/ADSL2+ and would go to a wall jack for FTTN.

If you are also having disconnects on Internet usage at the same time you're having U-verse TV issues, that looks like a Gateway/Outside network issue.  Which is why it would be good to nail down FTTN vs FTTP.

The cable running to BGW210 is white but it does plug-in to a red connection on the BGW210. The thing I am calling a modem which is what I thought the tech was calling it is the Wireless Access Point WAP model VAP2500. 

Based on all of this I think it is safe to say I have an FTTP.

The WAP (VAP2500) is the device that your Wireless TV Receivers get their TV signal from.  That is its only purpose in life.

The BGW210 is a Gateway, but a lot of people (many of whom should know better) may call it a Modem.

You have fiber, so a whole host of possible electrical interference issues just evaporated.

So am I just getting repeatedly bad "gateways" from AT&T and if so is there anything I can or should do to correct the problem.  

It’s easier to make you go away by throwing parts or boxes at you instead of more pinpoint help.   However, all that is done now so the connection up to and including the gateway should be good.  

The WAP is important because it links to the wireless settop box or boxes.  The closer you can get to TV the better.  Again, make sure the signal strength meter is showing full bars.  You may need to get right up on it to see as the LEDs are quite faint.  

Another thing you can do is factory reset the WAP by holding the reset button for 10 seconds.   You’ll have to pair the receivers again.   

As far as the internet dropping it likely is happening because of the WiFi.  If you can get someone to pin the 5GHz radio to a clean channel, that should help some of the dropouts assuming you are not in a high congestion area.   

As @JefferMC said, being on fiber is the best access you can get, so you should be good there.  Ideally you should still get better WiFi for your devices.  And should you decide to move to a more current and supported live streaming service, you’ll be better positioned to use WiFi for that too.  

In my spare time I have testing and watching things.  I moved one of my wireless boxes and TV to within 10 feet of the WAP (There was a brick wall in that 10 feet) and still had the problem.  I have looked at the signal strength on all the boxes and except for the 1 in the kitchen all are showing 4/5 bars.  Kitchen show 3/4 bars.  The problem seems to have gotten worse with it happening either on the internet or TV every hour if not (Edited per community guidelines) close.  Thoughts?