Midco Staff Review
Midco delivers fast, reliable internet at reasonable prices
Midco (formerly Midcontinent Communications) is the 17th-largest internet provider in the United States, serving almost half a million customers in the Midwest [1]. Midco began as a cable internet provider thanks to its history as a cable TV company [2]. Though much of its service still consists of cable internet, Midco has also been building out all-fiber internet connections (FTTH). In addition, Midco also provides fixed wireless internet service, which covers some areas that wired infrastructure doesn’t [3]. The best description of Midco as a provider is “solid.” Prices and services will vary somewhat from area to area, but on the whole, online reviews show customer satisfaction is better than with some other internet providers.Pros
Offers fast, reliable cable internet plus fixed wireless options Some all-fiber connections are available No data caps
Cons
Upload speeds slower than download speeds Fiber only offered in select areas Extra equipment fee to use router
Pricing
Pricing follows industry averages, no data caps or contracts required
You won’t get astonishing deals from Midco, either for cable internet or for fiber, but you will get a clear price that’s about average. In general, Midco’s prices are reasonable: they are about the same as other major cable ISPs such as Spectrum or Xfinity. Prices rise after the initial promotional rates, but by only $20-30. Their all-fiber internet is also priced near industry averages but still limited to select areas. Fiber buildout can even vary from one neighborhood to the next in the same town. Midco’s fixed wireless is a fair price similar to DSL plans, but with higher speed and (oops) higher latency. Midco’s promotional rates last for only 12 months, so you also won’t get the two-year price lock you’ll find from some other ISPs. Still, you will have unlimited data, so you won’t get any surprise overage charges each month. And no annual contract means no early termination fees. We have only two quibbles with Midco’s pricing. First, it is not easy to find one reference source on their website that lists speeds and prices. That’s because Midco’s offerings vary from town to town. Midco’s website doesn’t bring up the FCC broadband labels until later in the purchase process [4]. To be fair, something similar to a broadband label does come up when you click the “more details” button for a specific internet plan. So Midco does get credit for a basic level of pricing transparency. The second quibble is that Midco’s equipment costs an additional $11/month, which does raise your overall price. Balancing that potential charge is a $10 discount for using paperless billing. But keeping track of all these pluses and minuses can get confusing when you just want to figure out a predictable monthly charge.Reliability and Performance
Both Midco cable and Midco fiber will give you gigabit speeds
With cable or fiber internet from Midco, you will usually have at least one plan with a gigabit of download speed available. Top-tier cable plans from Midco will have about 50 Mbps upload speed. Fiber plans always have symmetrical upload and download speeds. In general, 200 Mbps download speeds and 20 Mbps upload speed will take care of the internet needs of most households. With a 200 /20 plan, multiple family members can stream, game, or work from home at once. If you have six household members who all game or stream several hours a day, you might want to go for the 500 Mbps/30 Mbps. If you’re lucky enough to get fiber internet with its equal download and upload speeds, a 200 Mbps plan will often handle everything for you. Only the heaviest data-users will need 500 Mbps or above. A word on fixed wireless internet: this option is often the choice for those in rural areas who can’t get wired internet. You can still get decent speeds, but you may have limitations due to higher latency. You may have glitches while playing real-time games or videoconferencing from fixed wireless connections.Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Equipment brings extra fee, but you can use your own
Midco charges a one-time installation fee of $100. Midco also charges $11/month for you to use their Wi-Fi. Many ISPs are now providing Wi-Fi for free as part of your monthly plan charge. So be aware that Midco’s equipment fee raises your overall charge if you choose to use their router. The good news is that you can also buy your own router or use one you have already, as long as it is compatible with the Midco specs [5]. Choosing your own router may be an especially good choice given what customers say about the equipment supplied by Midco.Customer Experience & Support
Customers praise reliability and speed but criticize equipment
Midco is not included on the national surveys of customer satisfaction such as J.D. Power and the ACSI. That’s usually a function of size: the national surveys tend to focus on the largest internet providers. Fortunately, there are many user threads on Reddit about Midco that are rather surprising and refreshing. Many ISPS gather mostly pans and rants on Reddit, as angry people are usually more likely to post than happy people. But Midco earns a large share of positive reviews, even with the few inevitable complaints. In Lawrence, KS, one Reddit user said, “If you don’t have fiber, go Midco.” Another said, “Midco is very good, and we have had zero problems” while a third praised their customer service [6]. A very technical Reddit thread from Sioux Falls, SD contained many positive testimonials calling the connection “rock solid” and “great.” [7]. Users on these threads caution, however, that the Wi-Fi equipment rented out by Midco often does not perform well. To get that high-caliber, speedy home network, you have to use your own set-up. All in all, Midco will be a good, middle-of-the pack choice for you. Fixed wireless would only be a top choice for rural dwellers, but both cable and fiber internet from Midco will hold their own with any competitors. You won’t get a breathtaking bargain, but you will get very fast, dependable internet.FAQ's
Yes, but only in selected areas of its service footprint. Midco mostly offers cable internet but is building out fiber-to-the-home, especially in newer neighborhoods. In its existing cable networks, Midco is upgrading to allow faster speeds with DOCSIS 4.0.
No, Midco charges an extra $11 fee to rent its Wi-Fi equipment. Customers do have the option to use their own compatible router.
No, there are no required contracts for Midco.
Midco offers unlimited data plans with no data caps.
Sources
[1] DgtlInfra.com. "125 Top Internet Providers in the U.S." [2] Wikipedia.org. "Midco." [3] FCC.gov. "National Broadband Map." [4] FCC.gov. "Consumer Broadband Labels Now Required Nationwide." [5] Midco.com. "Approved Modems." [6] Reddit.com. "Lawrence: Best ISP Between ATT and Midco." [7] Reddit.com. "Sioux Falls: Midco Internet Opinions."
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