Spectrum Internet Review: No-Frills, Simple Cable Internet

Not available in provider not available

edit

Spectrum Home Internet Rating

Strong Points

• Easy-to-understand pricing

• No data caps on any plan

• No internet service contract required

• Free access to Spectrum’s nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots

Cons

• Competitive cable rates, but more expensive than many fiber optic providers

• Internet service customer satisfaction is slightly below industry average

See more pros and cons

When Charter Communications announced Spectrum One in late October 2022, it essentially offered Spectrum Internet (download speeds of 300 Mbit/s, 500 Mbps, or 1 Gigabit), Charter’s Advanced WiFi (with Wi-Fi 6 router) , and Spectrum Mobile with unlimited data. The first tier features 300Mbps of spectrum internet and is offered at an attractive promotional price of $50 per month for 12 months (for new customers) with no taxes, fees or contracts.

Spectrum then earned bragging rights in April 2023. Ookla speed test results The company named it America’s fastest provider after median download speeds reached nearly 235Mbps in the first quarter of 2023. This puts them ahead of Xfinity, which held the pole position at the end of 2022.

Additionally, Charter can boast of the capabilities of its Spectrum Internet service. There is no contract, does not include cancellation fees and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers. Such a simple approach is very attractive, especially when: internet provider Often, what they offer is not simple.

Spectrum lets you choose from three different speed plans. The entry-level tier has a maximum download speed of 300Mbps, which is fast enough for the provider’s launch option. Comparatively, cable internet provider like cox, Xfinity and wide open waist We offer plans starting from 50-100Mbps.

Spectrum Internet serves more than 32 million customers in 41 states, so there’s a good chance it’s available in or near your area. If so, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better cable internet provider, especially since Spectrum doesn’t enforce data caps like its biggest competitors, Xfinity and Cox. Assuming 100% fiber connectivity is available at your address. In that case, you should strongly consider using Spectrum instead for faster upload speeds and a more reliable overall connection.

Spectrum Internet plans and pricing

Spectrum offers three plans at three different prices. There are no data caps included and no contract required. After 12 months, your monthly fee will increase by $30. Here are the details:

A quick word about cables

Spectrum Internet primarily relies on hybrid fiber optic and coaxial cable connections to provide service to subscriber homes. As you can see from Charter’s three high-speed tiers, cable is a reliable way to provide better download speeds than DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite. That said, fiber internet can offer faster download speeds as well as faster upload speeds. With a cable internet plan like the one offered by optimalXfinity and Cox, upload speeds typically stay in the double digits.

Spectrum’s cable internet service is available in nearly 30% of the country, but just under 1% of Spectrum’s potential customer base is covered by fiber, according to a June 2023 report from the Federal Communications Commission. According to our sources, that’s not true. Charter doesn’t release fiber-to-HFC ratios, but a spokesperson said the FCC’s information is out of date, adding: “It’s a fact of life from our facilities to our neighborhoods and the 53 million homes our network traverses. “A significant percentage of our network is fibre, all the way to every home.” You can access gigabit speeds. ”

But the issue isn’t about gigabit speeds. After all, other cable internet competitors like Cox and Xfinity can boast Giga plans. The key is the symmetrical speed and performance gains of a 100% fiber network. That’s something Spectrum doesn’t have.

Where can I get Spectrum Internet?

Spectrum Internet serves 41 states across the United States, so it’s easy to list the states where Charter Communications doesn’t operate. Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah (and Washington, DC). If you live anywhere else, there’s a better-than-average chance that you’ll be in or near Spectrum’s coverage map.

That said, most cable internet providers have a hard time serving sparsely populated rural areas, and Spectrum is no exception. If you’re in that situation, check out our overview. best rural internet provider.

Spectrum Internet simple terminology

Charter tends to keep its Spectrum service fairly simple, but let’s take a closer look to see what else you can expect from the service.

Additional monthly fee

As mentioned above, Spectrum prides itself on its approach with no data caps or additional fees. This is mostly accurate. In addition to no contracts or data limits, each Spectrum plan comes with a free modem. If you want to connect to Spectrum’s network wirelessly via Wi-Fi, you’ll need to pay an additional $5 per month for the Spectrum router. Fortunately, like many other ISPs, Spectrum lets you skip that extra fee by using your own Spectrum-compatible equipment. However, you are not entitled to technical support from Spectrum.

One-time installation fee

Spectrum temporarily suspended all in-home professional installations during the pandemic, but professional in-home installations are once again an option. Standard in-home installation fee is $65. Most installations of Spectrum Internet self installed base. In such cases, you should use a self-installation kit. It costs $30 and can be shipped to your address or sent to a Spectrum store for pickup.

You’ll also have to pay a one-time fee of $30 to activate the service and an additional $10 Wi-Fi activation fee.

No data limit

In contrast to some of its ISP rivals (we’re looking at Cox and Xfinity), Spectrum doesn’t impose data caps on any of its customers. This means you no longer have to track your data usage for fear of throttling issues if you hit an arbitrary threshold.

Free access to Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide

Spectrum Out-of-Home WiFi is available for free whenever you’re connected in your home or on the go. The company has approximately 530,000 hotspots across its coverage map. To connect when you’re within range of the network, sign in with your account username and password for unlimited access. Customers can also use the My Spectrum app for quick access.

Spectrum Internet and Competitors: Customer Satisfaction Scores Could Improve

Good news? Charter’s Spectrum service has seen increased support from customers since its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in mid-2016, but there is still work to be done.

For example, if you look at the spectrum, the spectrum was consistently below the regional average for the United States. JD Power 2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study. Spectrum received the highest score in the Southern region, with a score of 728 out of 1,000, but still ranked behind Google Fiber. AT&TFrontier and Xfinity in the same area.

in American customer satisfaction index, Spectrum rose 7% in 2020, scoring 63 points. It’s not great, but it’s maintained that score consistently since then, even when the industry has seen its scores drop. Spectrum took another step up in 2023, scoring 64 points. This 64 points is two points lower than the average for all non-fiber ISPs, and while not by much, it is an improvement over last year’s 63 points.

What are the final words on Spectrum Internet?

Spectrum Internet offers three high-speed tiers with unlimited data and no contract. Customers are also exempt from additional charges that may be incurred with other ISPs. For example, there are no additional monthly fees for modems.

One thing Charter Spectrum has in common with most providers is that their monthly rates increase after the initial promotional period, so be on the lookout for pending changes. As a cable provider, Spectrum can also offer fast download speeds, but the technology doesn’t offer symmetrical upload speeds, which can negatively impact those working remotely from home.

Spectrum Internet Frequently Asked Questions