Buckeye Broadband Internet Review

Buckeye offers a range of internet packages for different budgets and needs. The Toledo, Ohio–based company offers quite a few internet-only plans, ranging from a Starter plan to a Supreme plan. There’s even a Gig plan available in some areas.

It depends on how many Mbps you need. Buckeye’s plans start at the Essential Internet plan at 200 Mbps for $39.99. It should get you fast speeds for up to six devices, which may be good for a single person or a low-tech couple. It’s not so good for a family or a small household that’s really, really into smart homes.

If you need faster speeds and the ability to power more devices, the Essential and Ultimate Plans offer speeds of 400 Mbps and 600 Mbps, respectively. With both plans, the upload speeds are just 5 Mbps, but you do get free unlimited data for the first six months.

The Ultimate plan has enough power for streaming on several devices, for gaming, and for handling the device load of a large family.

If you work from home, you’ll probably want to go with the Supreme plan. The 600 Mbps speeds are ample for work, streaming, and PC gaming.

You can also go for one of Buckeye’s surprisingly affordable (at first) fiber plans. These packages include unlimited data and symmetrical speeds—that is, your upload speed will be as fast as your download speed. Very few people need super-fast upload speeds, but if you’re one of them, you should be over the moon.

Buckeye’s prices start out low on most plans, but prices go up exponentially after all of the promotions expire.

Buckeye isn’t terribly forthright on its website about cable plan increases, but it does share how much you’ll be paying for fiber after your deals end.

Oh, and you might be paying even more money if you choose an unlimited data upgrade with the Essential Internet plan or are renting a Buckeye modem.

PSA: Bundling your Buckeye TV and internet service might save you a bit of money. Plans typically start at around $50 per month for both services. However, it’s essential that you read the fine print to learn all of the details regarding promotional pricing and what you’ll be paying once all of the promotions expire.

One of Buckeye Broadband’s pitfalls is its limited availability. Buckeye does not have a large service area, as it only provides service in two states: Ohio and Michigan. The company offers service in Toledo, Forestbrook, Piedmont, Parkville, Oil City, as well as various other large and small cities throughout Ohio and southern Michigan.

If you don’t live in those areas, Buckeye isn’t available to you. And even if you do live around there, you may have access to other providers with better deals for your needs.

For its lower-tier plans, Buckeye’s promotional pricing is comparable to competitors like Xfinity and CenturyLink, and in some cases, you can even find better promotional pricing with Buckeye.

How do Buckeye’s plans compare to other providers? For the most part, other providers offer faster speeds at a lower price.

If you’re looking for the best speeds available at the lowest prices, CenturyLink’s Fiber Gigabit is probably your best bet (provided it’s available where you live). Xfinity also provides a Fiber plan in some areas, but if you’re only looking at cable internet options, Xfinity’s Extreme Pro Plus cable plan is faster and significantly more affordable than Buckeye’s Supreme plan.

To summarize, Buckeye isn’t the most affordable option, especially if you want a plan that can support your MarioKart addiction, streaming YouTube TV shorts on multiple devices, or working as an assistant to the regional manager from home.

• Compared to Xfinity: Xfinity has a cheaper starter plan and is more affordable than Buckeye for higher-speed plans.
• Compared to CenturyLink: CenturyLink offers unlimited data and no annual contracts, making it a more affordable option than Buckeye in the long run in most cases. However, you’ll want to check out available speeds for CenturyLink’s Simply Unlimited Internet plan in your area, as they can vary.

View Buckeye Broadband Plans | Read Buckeye Broadband TV Review

Buckeye’s speeds range from 200 Mbps to 10 GB. In the past, Buckeye hasn’t made our list of the fastest internet providers, but that may change in the future with these fiber internet speeds.

Buckeye’s cable upload speeds are relatively mediocre, and you may find competing providers offer faster upload speeds (ranging from 3 to 30 Mbps depending on the plan and provider). Upload speeds are important for gaming, content creation, and for those who are having meetings or presentations at home. If you want to upload large files, send a lot of emails, or if you’re a gamer, you’ll want to consider upload speeds before deciding on a plan.

Most of Buckeye’s plans include unlimited data for the first six months. For the mid-level plans (Essential and Ultimate), you pay half of the price for unlimited data for months seven through twelve, and then you pay the full price of the plan after the 12-month period ends.

• Buckeye Broadband data cap: 250 GB after promo ends for Essential and Ultimate plans. Unlimited data is automatically factored into the monthly costs for the other plans.
• Overage fee: If a customer goes over their data plan, they’re charged a flat fee of $15 per 50 GB of additional data.

How much does Buckeye Broadband cost? For how long? And what do you get? Let’s take a look.

Buckeye Broadband used to offer a pay-as-you-go internet service called Nymble, but it no longer offers this option. Still, Buckeye internet contracts often end up on a month-to-month basis, but your specific contract length will depend on the plan and available promotions.

It’s best to ask the representative for details regarding the length of your contract to make sure you don’t incur a fee for canceling. If you are subject to a cancellation fee, the company’s residential service agreement quotes the fee as $25 times the number of months remaining in your agreement or 75% of the amount you would pay for service through the end of the contract term (whichever is less).

• Contract cancelation fee: $25 times the number of months remaining in your agreement
• Late fee: $16 for late payments
• Data overage fee: $15 per 50 GB of additional data

You can bring your own modem if it’s on the approved list of modems supported by the provider. You can also pay $13.99 per month to rent a modem from Buckeye.

• Buckeye Broadband modem rental fee: $199 per month, but you can use your own equipment and avoid this fee

If you want suggestions on the best routers, check out our guide to the best routers for streaming.

As of June 5, 2021, Buckeye doesn’t charge activation fees to new customers. Regardless of whether you bring your own modem or rent a modem from the provider, you can get your internet installed with minimal (or no) fees.

• Installation fees: There are no installation fees for new customers with most plans, but this could change based on your location and the current promotions available. The fee is $10 if it’s not waived.

Looking at the user reviews on Yelp and the Better Business Bureau, it seems like Buckeye’s customer service has some real room for improvement. Many online complaints reference service outages, price-gouging, and difficulty getting a customer service agent on the line. You can contact Buckeye through its Toledo and Erie offices, through Twitter, or via Facebook.

Toledo Office: +1-419-725-9000
2700 Oregon Rd
Northwood, OH 43619

Erie Office: +1-419-502-4444
774 Crossings Rd
Sandusky, OH 44870

Buckeye Twitter

Buckeye Broadband is better for individuals or couples looking for a low-cost plan for basic web-searching, emailing, and social networking. For high-speed plans, you’ll likely be better off with a different provider.

• Prices and plans: Buckeye Broadband’s Starter Plan is one of the lowest-cost plans available (in terms of promotional pricing). However, once you get up into the higher-tier plans, other companies like Xfinity and Spectrum offer better deals.
• Speed: Buckeye Broadband won’t necessarily be the fastest option, but it will serve your needs. Its higher level plans can even provide enough juice for gaming and work-from-home, but relative to competing providers, you’ll likely receive lower speeds at a higher cost (especially once promotions end).
• Data caps: Buckeye Broadband includes a 250GB data cap on its lowest-level Starter Plan, and the cost for unlimited data is $30. For the mid-level plans, this cost is waived for the first six months, you pay one-half of the cost for months seven through twelve, and then you incur the full cost of the plan and unlimited data. For the Supreme Plan, the unlimited data cost is factored into the price.
• Contracts, equipment, and fees: Buckeye Broadband has few (if any) sign-up fees as of 6/15/21, but this depends on the current promotions available. You can bring your own equipment to avoid a modem rental fee of $13.99.
• Customer service: Buckeye scores low on the Better Business Bureau and other sites for its customer service. However, many internet service providers receive low scores on customer service. Buckeye Broadband is not included in the ACSI report, as it's a small company that only serves two states (Ohio and Michigan).

• Essential: $39.99 promotional price, 100 Mbps (download) 5 Mbps (Upload)
• Ultimate: $89.99 promotional price, 200 Mbps (download) 5 Mbps (Upload)
• Supreme: $59.99 promotional price, 400 Mbps (download) 10 Mbps (Upload)
• Gig: $79.99 promotional price, 1,000 Mbps (download)

When we choose internet providers, we compare several different service aspects, such as:

• Price
• Contracts
• Equipment
• Customer service
• Availability

When we crunch the numbers, Buckeye Broadband’s prices and speeds are comparable to its competitors. The service falls behind a little in the customer service department and a lot in the availability department: Buckeye is mainly available to Buckeyes and their neighbors.

If you still have questions about Buckeye Broadband as an internet provider, check out some of the FAQs below.