Lumos Staff Review
$50 Lowest price
5000 Mbps Highest Speed
Up to 1 Gig upload and download speed Popular Package
4.25 Customer Rating
4 Staff Rating
Lumos Fiber is building out a strong, fast network in several states
Lumos Fiber is one of the many regional fiber internet providers that are bringing big changes to rural and small town America. Lumos is currently operating in North Carolina and Virginia, with plans for buildout in South Carolina soon [1]. Lumos Fiber grew out of a very recent merger in August 2022. Neither of the companies in that merger was new. In fact, one of the companies that merged to form Lumos Fiber was over one hundred years old. That company was North State Communications, which started in 1905 in High Point, North Carolina as North State Telephone. North State had upheld a good reputation among customers for decades. North State was also an early builder of fiber-optic line. As far back as 2009, North State was offering fiber internet at 80 Mbps download/30 Mbps upload, which was pretty impressive for a small regional internet provider at that time [2]. North State merged with Lumos Networks of Virginia to form Lumos Fiber, and the new ISP is now expanding its coverage area in NC, VA, and SC [3]. This ISP formed by the merger is so new and comparatively small that you won’t find Lumos Fiber in the major national customer satisfaction surveys online. We are lucky that one of our writers lives in the coverage area in North Carolina, so we can give you the local scoop on how people feel about Lumos Fiber. Word-of-mouth reports indicate that many customers really like their Lumos Fiber service and often recommend the company as the best local internet provider. In Lumos Fiber’s coverage area, they are often the only fiber game around. Customers really like the fast speeds, reliability, and a choice of low monthly prices that are much better than Spectrum’s cable internet prices.Pros
Fast fiber in areas that don’t have other fiber ISPs No data caps, no contracts Good pricing on the low end of industry norms for both fiber and DSL
Cons
Coverage is limited to 3 states Extra fees for equipment rental and installation Fiber is not available to all customers at present
Top cities with Lumos availability
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1-833-440-3174Pricing
Attractive pricing for Lumos Fiber plans and better DSL pricing than competitors
Lumos is working hard to replace DSL networks with fiber service. Nonetheless, you may live in a service area where Lumos can only offer you DSL. If that is the case, the good news is that your pricing will be lower for DSL than most other DSL providers. Still, what most people are going to want from Lumos Fiber is… fiber! Even the fastest DSL will not come near the speed and reliability of fiber internet. Your fiber plan offers from Lumos Fiber will be appealing. For fiber’s symmetrical speeds, you will get 500 Mbps for $50/month. In Lumos’s higher speed tiers, you will also get attractive promotional offers for a year, then a minimal price hike of $10 after that first year. This increase is far less that the $20-30 price increases you’ll often see from other fiber or cable providers. These are good internet plan prices. When you consider that Lumos also does not require data caps or annual contracts for its plans, it’s easy to see why users like Lumos Fiber.| Plan | Service Type | Download Speed | Monthly Price | ||||||||||||
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Reliability and Performance
Lumos Fiber offers up to 2 Gigs symmetrical fiber speeds
Lumos has been building fiber infrastructure as quickly as possible, often “overbuilding” fiber in areas where they once offered DSL [4]. As usual, fiber internet outperforms every other internet technology. With Lumos Fiber plans, you will get symmetrical speeds that allow you to use multiple devices for HD streaming or real-time gaming. Videoconferencing will be smooth and glitch-free. If you have to upload large files for work, fiber internet can do it in seconds where DSL might take 30 minutes. That brings us to how your internet performance will differ if you are in an area where Lumos can only offer DSL. Your download speed with a Lumos DSL plan will vary from 15 Mbps to about 30 Mbps depending on your location, while upload speeds usually won’t top 3 Mbps. If your only alternative is satellite internet or fixed wireless, then you might consider DSL. But if you have a choice of a cable internet provider, cable will probably be your best option until fiber internet reaches your area.Call today & find the best Lumos internet deals
1-833-440-3174Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Monthly equipment rental fee optional if you use personal modem/router
Lumos charges about $10 a month to supply you with a gateway (modem/router combo). Though Lumos allows you to use your own modem/router, you should first be sure your device is compatible with their service. Like most providers, Lumos can’t guarantee tech support for customers’ personal modems and routers. If you get Lumos Total Home Wi-Fi, you will also have access to an app that allows you to manage your Wi-Fi network, including parental controls for internet access. Lumos will charge a $75 installation fee for some plans, but your installation fee may be waived for certain promotions or plans.Call today & find the best Lumos internet deals
1-833-440-3174Customer Experience & Support
N/A (too new to score)
As we mentioned in the summary, Lumos Fiber is too new and small to have accumulated any national scores from customer satisfaction surveys such as J.D. Power. There isn’t even much of an internet footprint for customer reviews since the merger occurred in summer 2022. For that reason, we will not assign Lumos Fiber an official score for customer satisfaction until there’s more user feedback online. However, reporting from our staff’s experience, Lumos Fiber is quite popular with customers in North Carolina. Taking a straw poll on a neighborhood association page or on Nextdoor.com will often result in your neighbors telling you that Lumos Fiber is the best ISP in town. Do remember that ISP satisfaction can vary widely from one location to another. Customers of the former North State in North Carolina may have a different experience from customers of the former Lumos Networks in Virginia. But thus far, reports for Lumos Fiber seem positive. We’ll update you with more information as the company establishes a track record in its new form.FAQ's
To order or learn more, call the number on this page or visit LumosFiberSavings.com.
Lumos internet service is available in North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina.
Yes, fiber internet from Lumos Fiber will support all real-time gaming very well. If you live in an area where your option from Lumos is DSL, be aware that real-time gaming may not be smooth or glitch-free due to the much lower speeds of DSL.
No, none of Lumos Fiber’s internet plans have data caps.
Lumos Fiber currently offers service in North Carolina and Virginia, with service coming soon to South Carolina.
Cloud Voice uses internet technology to give you the ability to make phone calls and send faxes and emails. Lumos offers both Cloud Voice and traditional voice telephone service in addition to internet connections.
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