Spectrum Internet Review: Hands-On Testing, Plans, Prices
The cable provider’s services are reliable, affordable, and easy to use.
Spectrum Internet: a three-year customer’s hands-on review
Though it’s one of the biggest internet service providers in America today, Spectrum Internet was originally created 30 years ago when Time Warner Cable launched what was then Road Runner Online into the world, starting with a test market in Elmira, New York.
In the decades since, the service has gone through different names and iterations, but in 2016—with Charter Communications’ acquisition of Time Warner Cable—the service was dubbed Spectrum Internet. Today, the company is somewhat of a juggernaut, offering not just internet but also cable TV and telephone services in over 40 U.S. states, making the service available to over 100 million Americans.
But does Spectrum internet deliver a quality product? And is their internet as reliable and fast as the company claims?
As a longtime journalist, tech geek, and recent Spectrum convert, I did all the research and testing, comparing prices, plans, and speeds to find out more about Spectrum’s plans. What I discovered was a reliable and affordable service that still had a few big drawbacks.
Spectrum Internet offers great deals, especially if you bundle
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See full disclaimer.
Spectrum Internet offers three different service plans, all of which have their perks and drawbacks.
Its cheapest is Internet Advantage, which gives qualifying subscribers access to 100 Mbps internet for just $30 a month. The mid-tier product, Internet Premier, offers 500 Mbps speed for $50 a month, including free installation and activation. The most expensive service, Internet Gig, is advertised as Spectrum’s “best value,” offering 1 Gbps internet for $70 a month, including that same free installation and activation.
All three services also include one unlimited line with Spectrum’s mobile phone service for a year—a great offer if you’re able to switch cell service providers—though it’s worth noting that all three prices are only offered for the first year of a subscriber’s service. Stick around with the company, and you’ll see your rates go up incrementally over time.
Compared to other big-time operators in the market, Spectrum’s service is slightly cheaper. In my region, Los Angeles, the T-Mobile 5G Home Internet baseline plan will run you about $55, while AT&T’s 300 Mbps service comes in at $55 as well. (Its 500 Mbps service is $75, while its 1 Gig service will cost you a cool $90.) Neither T-Mobile nor AT&T bundle anything like mobile service into those plans, either, making going with Spectrum that much more appealing.
When my household made the switch to Spectrum, it was because it was about $30 cheaper than we’d previously been paying, but also because of the fast and easy installation. We’d just moved to a new home, and somehow, AT&T lost our request to transfer our internet over in the shuffle. When we contacted them, a representative said it would take several weeks for someone to come out and run a line, so we could get service—time that we didn’t have as people who often work from home.
When we called Spectrum, not only did they offer us a great deal on an internet/TV/mobile phone bundle, they also said they could overnight us a new modem, which we would simply have to plug into the existing lines in our home. We were sold. Months later and hundreds of dollars saved, we still have absolutely no regrets.
How reliable is Spectrum service?
Every year, CableTV.com talks to hundreds of Spectrum Internet customers as part of our Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey and analyzes speed test data from our partners at HighSpeedInternet.com to see how Spectrum Internet performs in the real world.
Here’s what customers like you told us:
| Question | Score |
|---|---|
| Are you satisfied with your ISP’s internet speeds? | 74% approval |
| Are you satisfied with your ISP’s reliability? | 72% approval |
| Average latency | 25 milliseconds |
Compared to other brands covered by the Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey, Spectrum Internet’s results seem just okay. The brand deemed most reliable, Starlink, garnered a 93% approval rating, while other carriers like Google Fiber, Metronet, Verizon, and Xfinity all drew in the high 70s and low 80s. On the flip side, Spectrum scored better than Cox, Sparklight, WOW, and Frontier, among others, putting the brand pretty squarely in the middle of a crowded field.
At our house, our Spectrum modem sits behind a chair in our dining room, plugged into a wall and hidden away. Our Wi-Fi router is nearby, and we’ve found that while the service is good—covering our whole house—we needed to get an extender to reliably reach our little ADU office in the backyard.
Compared to the results of the Satisfaction Survey, I’ve found Spectrum Internet to be incredibly reliable. It hasn’t gone out once in the six months that we’ve had it, whereas our old service, AT&T, would sometimes go out for hours at a time, leaving me in the lurch during the workday.
Our home internet’s speed is pretty good, too. While we’ve had the occasional hiccup when the whole family tries to stream something and play games simultaneously on four different computers, iPads, and phones, it generally feels pretty solid.
When I ran five speed tests using HighSpeedInternet.com’s app inside my house, my average download speed was 516 Mbps. My average upload speed was about 11.5 Mbps, while my latency was 10 milliseconds. (When I did the same tests in my ADU, where we have our extender, my average download speed was just 35 Mbps, while my upload speed was 17.7 Mbps, and my latency held steady at 10 milliseconds.)
Installing my Spectrum Internet couldn’t have been easier
Installing my Spectrum Internet was a breeze. After we called to sign up—which we also could have done online—the company sent us their self-installation kit, which in our case included just a modem, since we already owned a Wi-Fi router.
When the kit arrived, we simply opened it up and followed the simple step-by-step instructions that led us through the process of plugging in the modem via coaxial cable, connecting to the router, setting up a device on our Wi-Fi, and finally activating our services on the MySpectrum app. (You can also pick up a kit at any Spectrum store.) It took less than 10 minutes, and we didn’t have to call anyone to help or deal with scheduling any sort of service.
I will say here that, luckily, the people who lived in the house before us already had Spectrum, which enabled this quick install. If we had to have our house wired, it could have taken much longer and required more drilling and fussing and service professionals. We went through that at our last house with AT&T, with the workers struggling to figure out where to put modems and run lines, and how to find cable ports in our vintage home, so this Spectrum install felt especially breezy.
Spectrum Internet features: Unflashy perks, but solid all the same
Bundling is best
One of the biggest reasons we chose Spectrum was because of the company’s bundle offer. Choosing a company that gave us one free line of mobile service allowed us to essentially lose one monthly bill, and adding an additional line was just $30 a month per line.
Making the switch was simple, too. Spectrum sent us new SIM cards in the mail. We popped the old ones out of our phones, activated them, and then deactivated our old service. No muss, no fussy.
We also chose to add Spectrum cable to our bundle, in part because Spectrum is the exclusive carrier for Dodgers baseball in LA. I find that, while we have all manner of streaming services, I still like having a DVR full of my shows that I’ve programmed in, and as of yet, there’s really no app I’ve found that can master that kind of cross-platform experience.
My husband and I chose a plan that doesn’t appear on the website but that the operator offered, which allowed us to choose 25 channels for just $70 a month. We had the option to choose a plan with more channels, but when we really sat down and listed out what shows we watched and what channels they were on, 25 was more than enough.
Consider the multi-year deal
Like pretty much every other provider, Spectrum’s lowest advertised rates are always tied to a multi-year deal. (Our intro deal locked us in at our rate for three years.) This can be great—they get you in the door and you get cheap services for one to three years, depending on how many Spectrum services you add to your package—but it can also mean that come time to re-up, your package can jump up fairly significantly.
We haven’t experienced that with Spectrum yet, but we’ve also found in the past that when that happens, you can often call your ISP and say you’re thinking about cancelling. They’ll typically offer you some sort of retention deal which, while maybe not as good as the original new subscriber price, should still save you some dough.
Budget TV packages come with some drawbacks
While we think we eventually got a pretty good deal on our Internet, mobile, and TV bundle, it did take a little figuring out.
With Spectrum’s base TV Stream package, the company advertises 85+ channels, which is great until you click on the small print channel list and realize that those 85 channels don’t include any of the local TV affiliates, like NBC, CBS, ABC, MeTV, or PBS. To get those channels, you have to opt for the TV Select Signature package or above, which generally give you way more channels than anyone will ever need or watch—in this case, somewhere between 236 and 374.
When putting together our bundle, we almost locked ourselves into the TV Stream deal because we didn’t read the fine print. Learn from our mistake, and go out there and capture your own great deal.
What do real Spectrum Internet customers think about Spectrum Internet?
Every year, CableTV.com conducts an Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey, asking various ISP customers if they’re happy with their service. And, for the most part, Spectrum customers seem to be liking their carrier just fine.
- 71% of Spectrum users say they’re happy with the company’s customer support.
- 71% of Spectrum users also say that they’re pretty satisfied with their choice of provider.
- Unfortunately, just 58 percent of Spectrum customers say that they’d rate the cost of the service “excellent or good given the quality,” with 15% of customers calling the ISP “poor or terrible.”
They have never let me down when it came to customer service and answering questions.
Very efficient, very fast.
Spectrum has many unplanned outages. They don’t communicate these in a timely manner.
I am happy with the speed no matter which device we are using.
I’ve always found Spectrum’s customer service to be fairly kind and receptive. I’ve had to call three times, and I’ve never felt stuck in a phone tree or like I was being transferred somewhere far away where what was going on in my house didn’t matter. The representatives helped me solve my issues, and even when I was just weighing my options about signing up, they were happy to walk me through the different packages and options, helping craft the one that was right for me.
I didn’t have to go to a Spectrum store to deal with any of my issues, but I’m comforted knowing that there’s one within a 10-minute drive from my house. On the Spectrum store website, you can make an appointment to speak with a helper, too, or you can just show up.
Final take: Spectrum Internet is solid
Spectrum Internet isn’t the flashiest service provider out there, but in general, I’ve found it to be incredibly solid.
It’s a great choice for those looking to bundle—something that might not be cord cutters’ cup of tea—and it’s generally very reliable. While Spectrum doesn’t reach every city, town, and hamlet in America, it seems to cover a good portion of the nation’s metropolitan areas, making it accessible to over 100 million Americans.
Knowing that Spectrum is that big offers some security, because it lets you know that the brand probably isn’t going anywhere and that, in its 30 years in operation, it’s (hopefully) ironed out the biggest kinks in its service armor. All the service issues I’ve encountered have been dealt with quickly and efficiently, and I’ve had a generally positive experience, especially when compared to AT&T, who I always found to be gruff and sort of uncaring.
Though survey numbers show that Spectrum isn’t necessarily the best ISP out there, it’s a pretty good one at a pretty good price, and sometimes, that’s all you need.
Not sold on Spectrum? Compare Spectrum Internet to other providers.
Prices starting at
$30.00/mo.
Max download speeds up to*
1000 Mbps
Service Type
Cable
* Speed based on wired connection. Available Internet speeds may vary by address. Gig capable modem required for Gig speed.
Prices starting at
$40.00/mo.
Max download speeds up to
2000 Mbps
Service Type
Cable
Pricing, speed and availability not guaranteed. Subject to change.
Spectrum Internet review FAQ
What is the lowest price for Spectrum internet?
Spectrum Internet Premier is Spectrum’s cheapest internet plan at $50.00/mo.. You’ll get maximum download and upload speeds of up to 500 Mbps and up to 10 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary).
Can I just have internet with Spectrum?
Spectrum offers standalone internet service packages for between $50.00–$70.00/mo. for the first 12 months.
What is the cost of Spectrum Internet after 12 months?
After 12 months, Spectrum increases your Spectrum Internet Premier or Internet Gig bill by $25 per month.
What kind of internet is Spectrum?
Spectrum is a cable internet provider with download speeds of up to 1 Gbps** (wireless speeds may vary).
How much does Spectrum Wi-Fi cost?
Spectrum offers its Wi-Fi router for $5 per month. This is cheaper than most other providers, who charge between $10 and $15 per month for internet equipment.
Are Spectrum internet plans unlimited?
Every Spectrum internet plan comes offers unlimited data (no data caps). Spectrum internet plans also don’t require contracts, so you’re free to leave Spectrum service without facing a monetary penalty.
I’m having a Spectrum internet problem. What should I do?
Check out our Spectrum troubleshooting guide for quick fixes to everyday problems you might encounter with Spectrum internet.
Is Spectrum internet better than AT&T?
We think AT&T fiber internet is better than Spectrum internet thanks to faster speeds and lower prices. Fiber's reliability also makes AT&T the winner, along with equal download and upload speeds, fewer outages, and no second-year price hike. However, Spectrum is much better than AT&T's DSL internet and has faster speeds than its Internet Air service.
Why you should trust us
To evaluate Spectrum internet plans, we spent three weeks analyzing its plans and pricing compared to competitors like Xfinity and Cox. We also surveyed thousands of real-life internet customers as part of our customer satisfaction survey series to see what they felt about Spectrum Internet.
Contributing writer Marah Eakin has also been a Spectrum customer for three years and drew upon this experience when researching and writing this review. Check out our How We Rank page for more information on our methodology.
Disclaimer
* For 12 months when bundled. Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Taxes, fees and surcharges extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra.
^Spectrum Internet Gig: For 12 months when bundled. Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
†Spectrum Internet Premier + TV Select Signature: Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum TV® Select Premier promotion price is $105/mo; standard rates apply after yr. 1. Spectrum Internet® Premier promotion price is $50/mo; standard rates apply after yr. 1. Taxes, fees and surcharges extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra. General Terms: INTERNET: Speed based on wired connection and may vary by address. Wireless speeds may vary. TV: TV equipment required; charges may apply. Channel and HD programming availability based on level of service. Account credentials may be required to stream some TV content online. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. Enter your address to determine availability. ©2022 Charter Communications.
◊To qualify for the Contract Buyout Program, a customer must order and install a qualifying Triple Play or limited Double Play promotion; offers not available in all areas. Offer available to qualifying customers only who have no outstanding obligations to Charter. Payment amount will be determined by the Early Termination Fee on the final bill from the previous provider, not to exceed $500. For Contract Buyout qualifications, go to Spectrum.com/buyout.
**Speed based on wired connection. Available Internet speeds may vary by address. Gig capable modem required for Gig speed. For a list of Gig capable modems, visit Spectrum.net/modem.
‡Spectrum Mobile will pay off the payment balance of your phone up to $2,500 when you switch at least three lines to Spectrum Mobile and transfer at least one number. Port-in lines must be active with previous carrier for past 90 days and account in good standing. Customers must provide 3 mos of past bills to qualify.
