Mediacom Internet Review : Plans, Speed, Price and more

Fri, Mar 31, 2023 3:17 AM Internet Bundles Broadband Deals

Are you thinking of signing up for Mediacom internet service? It provides homes in the South and Midwest with low rates and fast speeds. However, there is a catch: the 60 Mbps plan has a small data limit, as well as yearly price hikes and mediocre customer service. So, how nice is Mediacom as an internet service provider (ISP)?

Let's look into the specifics and see what we can do.

Pros:

Fast download speeds
Low promotional prices

Cons:

Yearly price hikes (up to 3 years) for most plans
Small data caps for the 60 Mbps plan

Mediacom internet overview

Internet 60
$39.99*
60 Mbps
400 GB

Internet 100
$49.99*
100 Mbps
1 TB

Internet 200
$59.99*
200 Mbps
2 TB

Internet 500
$69.99*
500 Mbps
4 TB

1Gig
$79.99*
1000 Mbps
6 TB

While Mediacom's internet prices appear to be gleaming, not all that glitters is gold.

But when comes to speed, Mediacom offers a good selection of options.

A 60 Mbps plan is available, which is ideal for couples who just want to binge-watch The Great British Baking Show. A 200 Mbps plan is in the center of the pack, with enough speed to keep the kids occupied on Netflix while dad goes crazy on Call of Duty after a day of working at home.

There's even a gig (1,000 Mbps) plan that gives you, your kids, and your gaming buddies enough bandwidth to all go online at the same time.

Those plans with enticingly low rates, however, come with a catch. After a year, Mediacom will increase your monthly bill by $30 per year before you are paying the regular rate. (In the case of its Internet 60 and Internet 100 plans, the price would automatically increase to the regular rate.)

To be honest, almost every ISP does this after you've been a customer for a long time. Mediacom, on the other hand, is more forthcoming about it.

Even so, just because someone else is doing it doesn't mean Mediacom has to. And we sincerely hope it chooses to cushion the blow with smaller price hikes—or, better yet, eliminate price hikes entirely.

Mediacom internet pricing after the first year (After 1year, 2 years, 3 years)

Internet 60
$39.99/mo.
$69.99/mo.
$69.99/mo.

Internet 100
$49.99/mo.
$79.99/mo.
$79.99/mo.

Internet 200
$59.99/mo.
$89.99/mo.
$99.99/mo.

Internet 500
$69.99/mo.
$99.99/mo.
$119.99/mo.

Internet 1Gig
$79.99/mo.
$109.99/mo.
$139.99/mo.

Since the price increases do not occur all at once, they may be perplexing. (Hey, we're not complaining too much about that...) As an example, consider the following:

Let's say you sign up for the Internet 500 plan for $69.99 a month. All is fine until Mediacom increases your monthly bill by $30 a year later. You're now paying $99.99 a month.

When your third year of Mediacom service arrives, your bill will increase once more. You're now paying the regular rate of $119.99 a month, which, though it seemed like a good deal at the time, is now a pretty steep price to pay for 500 Mbps download speed.

So, Is It Cheap?

Mediacom's discount rates are comparable to those of some of the less expensive internet providers, such as CenturyLink. Its rates are even better if you're stuck with CenturyLink's slow speeds, such as its 15, 20, or 40 Mbps plans.

CenturyLink, on the other hand, has an advantage over most other ISPs: it gives a Price for Life plans guarantee. If you'd rather stop Mediacom's or another ISP's annual price hikes, locking in the low price could be worth it.

Xfinity is another ISP that serves some of the same towns as Mediacom. Despite its bad reputation for customer service, Xfinity has some decent internet deals. For example, it's a $35.00 per month 100 Mbps plan.

Xfinity internet does, however, come with a 1.2 TB data limit. If you use a lot more data than that, Mediacom's faster internet packages with higher data caps (up to 6 TB) might save you money on data addons or an unlimited data plan.

Mediacom internet price comparison

Mediacom Internet
$19.99–$99.99*
60–1000 Mbps

CenturyLink Internet
$49–$65†
15–940 Mbps

Xfinity Internet
$20–$70‡
25–1200 Mbps

Speed and Data

As checked, Mediacom's internet speeds remained consistent.

Mediacom provides a variety of download speeds, ranging from 60 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps. From a single, casual web surfer to a home business hustler working alongside a house full of streamers, that covers just about everyone's internet speed needs.

Mediacom Internet
Download 60–1000 Mbps
Upload 5–50 Mbps

But how well do those speeds hold up when you use the internet? It seems that all is going well.

Mediacom earned a weighted score of 32.1 out of 100 in our most recent ranking of the fastest internet providers, placing it on par with other cable internet providers including Spectrum (35.6 out of 100), Cox (33.4 out of 100), and Sparklight (33.4 out of 100). (31.5 out of 100).

While Mediacom's weighted speed scores appear to be poor, when compared to other cable internet providers, it performed admirably.

Remember that the weighted score considers latency and upload rates, as well as download speeds, from millions of speed tests conducted in 2019. As a result, cable internet providers would receive a slightly lower score because cable does not, by definition, have high upload speeds.

Data Cap

Sadly, Mediacom has data limits that range from 400 GB to a mind-boggling 6 TB.

The internet has evolved from a fun novelty to a necessary utility over the last few decades. Getting a data limit on your internet will make you feel as if someone is trying to turn off your power if you use it too often.

However, we doubt many of us can exceed Mediacom's 1Gig plan's 6 TB data limit. (If you do, we're speechless.)

Mediacom data caps

Internet 60
$39.99*
60 Mbps
400 GB

Internet 200
$59.99*
200 Mbps
2 TB

Internet 500
$69.99*
500 Mbps
4 TB

1Gig
$79.99*
1000 Mbps
6 TB

If you go over your Mediacom data limit, you'll be fined $10.00 for every additional 50 GB (so if you use 51 extra GBs, you'll be charged $20).

Mediacom service fees

Installation fee: $99.99, but you might get lucky and land a deal for free installation.

Xtream Wi-Fi 360 Extender installation: $29.99

Activation fee: $10.00

Early termination fees: Up to $240.00 for a two- or three-year contract, or up to $120.00 for a one-year contract.

Service deposit: Mediacom may require a deposit, but doesn’t outline how much it may cost.

Internet surcharge: $15.00, and Mediacom says this applies to customers who get only internet service.

Wi-Fi certification: $49.00. What is this? Mediacom doesn’t explain, and we’ve not seen a similar fee from other ISPs.

Service call fee: $49.00

Mediacom equipment and fees

You have a computer, a cable connection, and an internet service plan. Now all you need is a modem, which you can rent from Mediacom for $12.99 per month or purchase for nearly $200 outright. (We don't recommend it because you can probably get a router for a lot less money.)

Mediacom also sells its own Xtream Wi-Fi 360 mesh system in addition to a modem. This is a good choice for larger homes or anyone who has trouble having Wi-Fi to reach every space. Mediacom is currently offering a three-month free trial of the Xtream Wi-Fi mesh system, after which it will cost $5.00 per month.

Modem rental fee: $12.00 a month
Modem purchase cost: $199.00
Xtream Wi-Fi 360 mesh system rental fee: Free for the first 3 months, $5.00 a month after that.

If you want to stop paying the charge (and who wouldn't? ), you can purchase your own modem or mesh Wi-Fi device.

We suggest the TP-Link model AC1750, which serves as both a modem and a Wi-Fi router and is available on Amazon. You can also read our Google Nest Wi-Fi review to learn why we think it's a good mesh Wi-Fi solution.

It's funny that telecommunications firms have a poor reputation for, yeah, uh, contact. But that's the way things are, and Mediacom isn't bucking the trend.

In fact, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's most recent survey, they are at the bottom of the heap when it comes to customer satisfaction, scoring just 59 out of 100.

Conclusion

It's a good choice for casual internet users if you live in Mediacom's coverage area. However, don't expect them to go above and beyond in terms of customer support, and budget for annual price increases. Oh, and if you want the 60 Mbps package, don't forget about the teeny-tiny data limit.

Internet 60: $39.99/month,* 60 Mbps download speeds, 400 GB data cap
Internet 100: $49.99/month,* 100 Mbps download speeds, 1 TB data cap
Internet 200: $59.99/month,* 200 Mbps download speeds, 2 TB data cap
Internet 500: $69.99/month,* 500 Mbps download speeds, 4 TB data cap
Internet 1Gig: $79.99/month,* 1,000 Mbps download speeds, 6 TB data cap