Provider Reviews

Cable internet is very popular across the United States. Because cable internet works through the same copper cables as cable TV, 85% of American households can get a cable internet connection.

That’s good news, because cable is the second-fastest type of internet on the market, after fiber internet. Right now, major cable providers can give you download speeds up to a gigabit (1000 Mbps).

Upload speeds for cable are not nearly as fast. With most cable connections, you won’t get over 50 Mbps upload speed.

Still, good cable upload speed is satisfactory for most people, because it can handle online gaming, videoconferencing, and remote work. And most cable internet plans have either no data caps or very generous data caps, which means you can use plenty of data every month.

Fiber internet is the most advanced internet technology on the market.

If you’re lucky enough to have fiber available in your area, you will get gigabit speeds (1000 Mbps) and perhaps even multi-gigabit speeds. Some fiber internet providers are offering speeds up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) of even 50 Gigs!

But fiber internet has another distinctive feature even greater than its lightning-fast speeds. Fiber speeds are symmetrical. In other words, your upload speed is just as fast as your download speed.

That’s revolutionary. All other internet types have much slower upload speeds than download speeds. For example, a fast cable internet plan might have download speeds of 1000 Mbps, but upload speeds would only be 35-50 Mbps.

For anyone who loves online gaming or works at home with large file uploads, fiber is a major advantage. It means there are no limits to the speed and smoothness of your connection. Fiber also has no data caps, so once you have fiber, you can count on the highest bandwidth and unlimited data.

There’s only one major drawback to fiber-optic internet: not everybody can get it. A recent study showed that just over 50% of U.S. households can now choose fiber internet.

Satellite internet is a lifesaver that connects many people across the world who would otherwise lack any internet access. Sometimes, it literally saves lives, when first responders or the military use it for vital communications during disasters.

Satellite internet covers over 99% of U.S. households. If you have a clear view of the southern sky, you can get a satellite connection.

With recent advances in satellite technology, people who live in very remote areas can now stay in touch with loved ones and take classes online. You can even run an international business from a mountain or an island.

The most recent benefit of satellite internet has come with the rise of telemedicine. Now, even people who have trouble with transportation can visit their doctor virtually with their home internet connection.

DSL internet is the oldest technology still in common use across America.

In the 1990s, DSL was the latest and greatest innovation in internet speed. It replaced dial-up internet, which was maddeningly slow.

But times change, and now most DSL is far slower than cable or fiber.

The very highest DSL speeds are about 100 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload. And that is unusual. The fact is that a large number of DSL customers have speeds under 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload. Technically, speeds below that line mean that you don’t have high-speed internet.

But DSL internet does have wider coverage than fiber, and in some areas, DSL will be your only wired internet choice. In that case, you will have to look at the relative speeds and pricing for DSL vs. satellite internet.

Fixed wireless internet is often confused with mobile service because of the word “wireless.” But a fixed wireless network will give you a different experience than your cell phone’s mobile internet connection.

Fixed wireless is also known as 4G LTE or 5G.

The main difference between your cell phone’s internet access and a fixed wireless connection is that fixed wireless is home internet. Though your internet signal is broadcast from a tower, like a cell phone signal, it travels from one “fixed” point to another. So, for example, there could be a wireless tower three miles from your home. Your signal will travel from that fixed point to a fixed antenna-receiver at your home.

In this way, fixed wireless is much like satellite service, because it does not require any cables to reach you. It’s not too surprising, then, that fixed wireless is known for a similar set of pros and cons as satellite internet.