Spectrum Internet^® Review

Spectrum Internet reliability: Hands-on testing

Reliability seems to be a big issue when you see comments about Spectrum on Facebook, Nextdoor, and Reddit. I personally didn’t experience reliability issues, so all the talk about bad speeds had me curious.

I built a Raspberry Pi kit and programmed it to run wired speed tests every 30 minutes for 30 days. Running wired tests gives you the most accurate results, as Wi-Fi is too unreliable to benchmark any internet connection, given range, interference, and Wi-Fi type can thwart your results.

At the time of testing, I was on the Internet Ultra plan with download speeds of up to 600Mbps. Spectrum discontinued that plan in 2024 and now provides a similar one called Spectrum Premiere with download speeds of up to 500Mbps. However, the speed differences of these two plans are irrelevant in this test—the benchmark is more about reliability.

The smaller dips in the screenshot above indicate that tests were run during heavy use on my home network—namely at night when the gamers in the house were in full force, myself included. There’s really no way to test a pure connection without kicking every user and device off the network or getting a secondary, dedicated line (which ain’t happening in my house).

As shown above, the only real issue the kit recorded was on August 13. Even when Tropical Storm Debby blew through town, I didn’t see any showstopping slowdowns except for that particular day after the storm.

The 123Mbps dip was surprising when I finally viewed the 30-day results, but the instance happened when I was sound asleep, so the only people who may have noticed were my two resident night owls. For all I know, my Xbox was using most of the bandwidth to download a mega-huge game update when the kit ran its test. The huge dip wasn’t a constant, either—my connection tested at its normal speeds 30 minutes later.

The key takeaway here is that Spectrum was normally reliable when I had the service. My speeds ranged between 550Mbps and 610Mbps, depending on when the tests were run. So, if you’re jumping on social media to complain about Spectrum’s speeds, I suggest running a wired speed test to rule out any home networking shenanigans. Plus, if Spectrum’s router has band steering enabled, the device you use to test the connection may be on the slower 2.4 GHz band, which won’t show your full bandwidth.

Spectrum doesn’t enforce a data cap and doesn’t charge a fee for unlimited data, as seen with other cable providers.

We provide a list of internet providers with data caps for more information.

Spectrum Internet: Notable fees

As a customer, the one fee that’s a real eyesore each month is Spectrum’s WiFi charge. At first glance, it appears to be a monthly lease for its standalone routers. After all, customers don’t lease Spectrum’s modems or gateways.

But no, that fee also applies to its wireless gateways. Customers essentially lease the convenience of WiFi. Plus, if you want to use its WiFi Pod mesh system, you must pay an additional $3 for each unit every month. That can add up if you need whole-home coverage.

I go into more detail in the “Why does Spectrum charge a WiFi fee” section in the FAQ.

Spectrum Internet: Installation, equipment, and contracts

Spectrum gives you options to self-install internet (if possible) or have a technician come out to get you set up. But you definitely need a pro install if you don’t have existing coax or fiber lines in your home or building.

Spectrum Internet installation and equipment

Spectrum encourages new customers to opt for self-install over a pro install. You can pick up the equipment from a local Spectrum store or have Spectrum ship the devices to your address. After that, you can find instructions online on how to activate the modem.

But don’t worry—Spectrum’s pro install is still available for new installations for $65. Spectrum normally provides a separate modem and router, although it has supplied gateways to customers in the past.

Spectrum charges $49.99 per hour for any additional labor and another $49.99 to make a special trip.

Spectrum Internet contracts

Spectrum doesn’t enforce contracts. Instead, it provides discounted pricing for the first 12 months for internet alone and up to 36 months when you bundle internet with TV and mobile. You must keep the service for at least one month to get the discounted price.

Spectrum Internet: Customer satisfaction

A recent customer satisfaction survey shows Spectrum ranking seventh out of 15 internet providers for overall satisfaction, falling behind heavy hitters like Verizon, Xfinity, AT&T, and Cox. New to our list is T-Mobile’s 5G internet, which takes the top spot in three out of five categories in our most recent survey.

Speed satisfaction is Spectrum’s best ranking, indicating that most customers are fine with the speeds they get for the money. However, Spectrum’s weakest link is in price satisfaction, as it just can’t compete with the other internet providers in our survey that don’t raise prices after 12 months.

To be fair, Spectrum’s price increase is $25 at the most, which is far better than the eye-opening hikes you can get from other internet providers.

Final call: Is Spectrum Internet right for you?

Spectrum is a good cable internet alternative if you don’t have access to fiber internet. It’s definitely a better choice than DSL.

Depending on your monthly download needs, your best bet is the 500Mbps plan. The 1,000Mbps plan is a decent choice, too, although you may find cheaper options elsewhere. The average user probably doesn’t need gigabit speeds anyway, but at least Spectrum’s Internet 2 Gig service is now a more affordable option if you want all the speed you can get from Spectrum.

Unfortunately, Spectrum’s home fiber internet service is less available than its cable service. It’s mostly installed in “green” areas, like in new neighborhoods and business districts. According to a few technicians, Spectrum does upgrade cable neighborhoods to fiber, but only if there are funds (government grants, etc.) available to do so.

Finally, we have to address the elephant in the room: Spectrum’s price hikes. The standard prices kick in after 12 to 36 months, depending on the bundle. They’re nowhere near as eye-opening as some of the competition, but they’re still an eyesore when you compare Spectrum to AT&T, Verizon, Google Fiber, and even Frontier. Just keep your long-term cost in mind when you select any internet provider where you live.

Methodology

Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.