If you have multiple internet service providers in your area, it can be a bit of a pain to choose the one with the plans that suit your needs best.
One of the best ways to compare internet providers is to look at what each offers in the way of download speeds, technical support and added features. To these ends, Cable One's high-speed internet service plans include plenty of other benefits you'll enjoy to make it a smart choice.
Purchasing an internet plan is a big decision, however, so there are plenty of questions you need answered before making a commitment with Cable One.
For instance, are there service charges, i.e. standard installation or early termination fees? Is there a money-back guarantee? What are the bundles like? Is the customer support abysmal? Of course, the answers may turn you away from the Cable One internet plans, but we're here to help you.
Inside this guide, you'll find the details on the available high-speed internet plans, as well as the sign-up process, the perks and features, the bundles, the availability, and more. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you'll find out whether or not the broadband service is right for you.
Compare Cable One Internet Service
| Package | Download Speed | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Plan | 100 Mbps | $35.00 |
| Family Plan | 150 Mbps | $50.00 |
| Streamer & Gamer Plan | 200 Mbps | $75.00 |
| Preferred Packages | 100 Mbps | $80.00 |
| Preferred Packages | 100 Mbps | $130.00 |
| Elite Package | 100 Mbps | $150.00 |
Cable One has three high speed internet packages available, which is far less than what you will find with larger provider packages such as Comcast XFINITY Internet. However, what Cable One offers in the way of packages is excellent so let's take a closer look at each:
- Starter Plan: The Starter Plan comes with actual speeds as fast as 100 Mbps, though the upload speeds are only up to 3 Mbps. If you like to do online gaming or have a household with multiple internet devices connected at the same time, this plan is great for you. It's important to note you receive a promotional price for the first three months of service and the plan has a data usage cap of 300 GB. This could be problematic when you compare its services to other providers like Time Warner Cable who don't have data caps on its internet connection service. Even Comcast XFINITY service imposes a 1 TB cap (in select areas, which are subject to change) data cap; in other words, the XFINITY service data cap is much higher compared to Cable One plan cap of 300 GB. Hopefully, the cap will increase with time.
- Family Plan: The Family Plan comes with download speeds approaching 150 Mbps, with the upload speeds being up to 5 Mbps. In many ways, its speed is befitting of its plan name since it offers the capacity needed to handle multiple internet devices concurrently. What's more, you receive 20 email accounts with this plan, making it a great way to manage email if you have a larger family/household. The plan's data usage cap is 400 GB and you receive promotional pricing for the first three months.
- Streamer and Gamer Plan: This plan is the fastest offering from Cable One, with download speeds approaching 200 Mbps and upload speeds hitting up to 10 Mbps. Providers like Time Warner Cable don't come close to matching this speed. The penultimate plan from Cable One is great for gamers and avid streaming video watchers, and it comes with a data usage cap of 500 GB.
- GigaONE: GigaONE is the company's latest offering, producing download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 50 Mbps. This is perfect for LAN parties and multiple online gaming sessions, as well as nigh-instantaneous downloads.
Overall, while it lacks a wide variety of internet packages, Cable One more than makes up for it with its competitive download speeds and prices, though the prices do not include tax and fees.
Related: What's the Best Internet Provider for Gamers?
Signing Up for Cable One
When you elect to have service through Cable One, you also have the option to use its email services. This feature is free of charge, allowing you to have multiple email addresses for you and everyone else in your household.
After you choose your internet plan you have your choice between a wired and a wireless modem. The benefit of having a wireless modem is you have the option to move it whenever you want whereas with a wired modem once it's installed it stays put. Each option comes with an $8 rental service charge assessed monthly.
It's important to note you can buy your own modem and still use Cable One's internet. In many instances, you can find a great modem for $100. Therefore, it's a better deal long term to buy your own instead of renting one.
Also, it should be noted that there is an early termination fee associated Cable One's service, and it can be pretty hefty.
Perks
Cable One offers high-speed internet service with actual speeds much faster than you will find with a DSL provider. This is perfect if you or anyone in your household requires quicker internet connection speeds for downloading music, playing online video games or more.
Along with fast speeds, a big perk I discovered with Cable One's internet service is it doesn't require any contracts.
Unlike other providers such as Comcast, who will normally try to lock you into a plan for one to two years, with Cable One you have the freedom to choose how long you use its internet service, making it an enormous benefit.
Furthermore, Cable One has a 30-day money back guarantee, meaning that you have 30 days to try Cable One with no risks whatsoever. If you're unsatisfied with the broadband service, you'll receive all of your money back.
ProTip: Looking for free Cable One Hotspots? Unfortunately, there aren't any currently available with the service. However, if you absolutely need hotspots with your internet service, you may want to refer to the Charter Spectrum Internet hotspot or Comcast XFINITY hotspots. There are over 500,000 Comcast XFINITY hotspots. As for Charter Spectrum Internet? There are definitely hundreds of thousands of them available for your mobile device.
Another perk with Cable One is you receive technical support available 24/7 to field any questions you might have. Considering you can encounter internet issues at any time of the day, the fact it has reps ready for you indicates how seriously it takes its customer service.
One helpful benefit Cable One offers on its website is technical requirements to use its internet service. Below is a look at some of the baseline requirements your device needs:
- An Intel® Pentium®-class computer with 256 MB of RAM for Windows XP or 512MB of RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7.
- A Macintosh configuration is also available. (For support questions on older systems, call support).
- A Cable ONE-certified cable modem. (Purchase one from a local dealer or lease one from your local Cable ONE office.) Purchased modems and other required equipment may vary in price. To view a list of Cable ONE-certified cable modems, visit support.cableone.net.
- A commonly available 10Base-T Network Interface Card installed.
Related: Compare Internet Providers and Plans
Service Availability
There are three ways to check to see if Cable One offers internet service in your area. First, you can visit its website and set your location on the top right corner of its web page to see eligible services in your area.
You can also call its toll-free line. There, its customer reps can see what's available in your area.
Of course, you could always use our zip code checker tool to see if Cable One is available for you.
How Fast is Cable One?
As outlined in the previous section, Cable One has download speeds ranging from as fast as 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps, which are subject to change. Its speed offerings place it in firm competition with other internet service providers like Comcast and AT&T U-Verse as one of the fastest internet providers.
The real question becomes how much speed do you need? Download speeds of 100Mbps are great if you have a home with multiple internet devices working at the same time, but if it's just you or you need two devices connected, this speed will be far more than what you will likely require. For this reason, it's important to shop around to see if you cannot receive a better deal with a provider who offers more variety pertaining to internet speeds.
Related: What Is the Fastest Internet in Your Area?
Bundles
Similar to other providers, Cable One has bundles where you can package its internet service with cable TV and home phone all from a single outlet - the single outlet being Cable One. To learn more about Internet and TV bundles, check out our handy guide.
As a side note, Cable One is supposedly the number one choice for HD programming, as more residential customers select Cable ONE for HD compared to the satellite TV providers DIRECTV or Dish - and both satellite TV providers are flexible and downright amazing, so that's saying something about Cable ONE's service. Here is a closer look at its package offerings:
ProTip: Keep in mind that Cable One video services require set-top boxes for viewing. Cable One offers TiVo set-top boxes, but you have to either lease or purchase the boxes outright. You can also lease an HD/DVR receiver, an HD receiver, a standard definition receiver, a CableCARD, and more from the company.
Elite Package
The Elite Package (or triple play package) contains all of Cable One's services in one plan. You receive internet service with download speeds up to 100 Mbps with a data cap at 300 GB. You also get more than 100 cable TV channels, unlimited calling in the United States, and free standard installation of all services.
And who can say no to free equipment installation, especially when said equipment installation can be expensive? The best part about this triple play package is you don't have any contracts, meaning you can try its services and cancel whenever you want without fear of incurring fees.
Read More: You can also combine internet services with satellite dish TV. You can read more about satellite dish TV services here.
Preferred Package
The preferred package allows for more customization on your part. To illustrate, if you are looking for cable television and internet bundles solely, you can use this plan to make it happen. They also offer Internet and phone service bundles. In each internet pairing, you receive download speeds of 100 Mbps and a 300 GB data cap.
Related: Compare Internet and Phone Bundles
Tips to Find the Best Deals
If you're looking for the best internet deals, then Cable One offers competitively priced packages suited for a wide range of interests. When considering Cable One, make sure the plans they offer align with your budget and personal internet preferences.
Be aware that some special prices and promotions may be locked to a certain region. It's wise to contact a customer support specialist to confirm you are being correctly charged the price that was advertised to you.
The best way to find affordable internet plans and prices is to visit each provider's web page to see what promotions they are advertising. Often, the best times to shop are around the holiday season.
Along with this, you can bundle services if you plan to use cable television or home phone service, as this guarantees you'll receive a good price. However, you do need to be aware of the tax and fees that are associated with the promotions.
Related: Interested in extending router coverage? You may want a dual GHz band router (and switch to the 5 GHz band while you're at it). You can learn more about router coverage here.
Cable One Customer Support
Cable One has several points of contact you can use. The most effective are to call its customer service line to have any of your concerns addressed. It also has email support where you can send its reps an email outlining any issues you encountered. The lone drawback is the fact it doesn't have a live chat option, as this is a common feature many internet service providers offer its residential customers.
One way it does make up for this, though, is through its One Support feature on its website. You can access this from the contact us section. Once there, you have a wealth of resources available to assist you such as troubleshooting your internet service, changing WiFi passwords, and account management tools. Its support feature is an excellent way to find the information you need quickly.
I perused customer reviews of Cable One and found a common problem seemed to be inconsistent download speeds. Customers remarked how the service would have interruptions that would take hours to fix of their download speeds were nowhere close to what Cable One advertised. I also checked its Better Business Bureau grade, but none was posted at the time of this review.
If you are or have been an internet customer with Cable One, feel free to share your experiences in our review section.
Recap
Cable One offers an impressive array of benefits such as fast internet speeds, 24/7 technical support and free professional installation with qualifying package. While its offerings are impressive it's important to factor in the common concerns current customer address such as recurring technical issues.
Furthermore, while the no contact option is a great benefit Cable One also has data caps on its plans, which is something you won't find with other companies like Time Warner Cable.
Therefore, while Cable One is certainly a solid choice when purchasing a new internet plan, there may be better options available if you have access to them and can afford a higher bill. To see those options, check out our buyer's guide to internet providers for rankings, comparisons, and analysis.