Mediacom Internet Review 2021

Considering Mediacom internet? It offers low prices and some zippy speeds to homes in the South and Midwest.

But here’s the dirt: it also has a tiny data cap on its 60 Mbps plan, plus yearly price hikes and not-so-great customer service. So is Mediacom a good internet service provider (ISP)? Let’s dig into the details and find out.

Check to see if Mediacom internet is available at your address

Mediacom prices and plans

Mediacom internet prices look shiny—but not all that glitters is gold.

When it comes to speed, Mediacom has a respectable spread of options.

There’s a 60 Mbps plan, perfect for couples who just want to binge The Great British Baking Show. In the middle of the pack is a 200 Mbps plan with enough power to keep the kids distracted on Netflix while dad goes wild on Call of Duty after a day of working from home.

There’s even a gig (1,000 Mbps) plan that offers more than enough bandwidth for you, your kiddos, and your gamer buddies to all hop online at the same time.

But all those plans with tantalizingly low prices come with a caveat. After one year, Mediacom ups your monthly bill by $30 every year until you’re paying the standard rate. (In the case of its Internet 60 and Internet 100 plans, your cost jumps straight to the standard rate.)

To be fair, this is what pretty much every ISP does after you’ve been a customer for so long. Mediacom just happens to be more transparent about it.

Still, just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t mean Mediacom has to follow suit. And we sure do hope it decides to soften the blow with smaller price hikes—or better yet, do away with price hikes altogether.

The price hikes get a little confusing since they don’t happen all at once. (Hey, we’re not complaining about that so much . . .) Here’s a quick example:

Let’s say you grab the Internet 500 plan at a starter price of $69.99 a month. Everything’s fine and dandy until a year later, when Mediacom bumps up your monthly bill by $30. Now you’re paying $99.99 a month.

When your third year of Mediacom service rolls around, your bill goes up again. Now you’re paying the standard rate of $119.99 a month, and what seemed like a sweet deal to begin with is now a pretty high price to pay for 500 Mbps of download speed.

Is Mediacom internet cheap?

Mediacom’s promotional prices are similar to what other cheap internet providers charge, including CenturyLink.

However, CenturyLink’s competitive edge is its unlimited data plans that come with whatever internet package you purchase. Another perk is its contract-free subscription process, which means you don’t have to pay an early termination fee (ETF) if you choose to switch providers at any point during your agreement.

If you’re looking to avoid monthly overage costs, or would like the option to try out a new internet service provider (ISP) without having to worry about financial penalties, CenturyLink might be a better choice than Mediacom.

Where is Mediacom available?

Mediacom serves smaller towns, like Soldiers Grove, WI, and Wilmer, AL, in the Midwest and South. All in all, you can find Mediacom internet in more than 20 states.

To double-check that you can get Mediacom internet at your address, just enter your info below.

Mediacom internet speed and data

Mediacom internet speeds held fast when tested them.

Mediacom offers a wide range of download speeds, from 60 Mbps all the way to 1,000 Mbps. That covers just about anyone’s internet speed needs, from a solo, casual web surfer all the way to a home business hustler working alongside a house full of streamers.

But how do those speeds hold up when you’re actually using the internet? Pretty well, it seems.

In our latest analysis of the fastest internet providers, Mediacom earned a weighted score of 32.1 out of 100, putting it right alongside other cable internet providers like Spectrum (35.6 out of 100), Cox (33.4 out of 100), and Sparklight (31.5 out of 100).

Those weighted speed scores might seem low, but when you look at other cable internet providers, Mediacom performed well.

And keep in mind the weighted score takes latency and upload speeds into account along with download speeds from millions of speed tests taken in 2019. That means cable internet providers will score a tad lower because cable naturally doesn’t offer fast upload speeds.

Data caps

Unfortunately, Mediacom does have data caps ranging from 400 GB to a jaw-dropping 6 TB.

In the last few decades, the internet has gone from being a fun novelty to being an essential utility. So having a data cap on your internet can feel like there’s someone threatening to turn off your electricity if use it too often.

But we don’t think many of us will go over that 6 TB data cap on Mediacom’s 1Gig plan. (If you do, we’re in awe.)

If you exceed your data cap with Mediacom, you’ll be charged $10.00 for every additional 50 GB increment (meaning that if you use 51 extra GBs, you’ll have to pay $20).

Mediacom contracts, equipment, and fees

I’ve just put on the kettle for some tea fee. Do you prefer surprise, hidden, or installation?

Mediacom requires a contract for its internet service, which may be one, two, or even three years. A three-year contract? Now that’s a long-term commitment when it comes to internet.

Mediacom service fees^2,3

• 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 contracts.
• 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’ve got a computer, a cable line, and an internet plan. Now you just need a modem, which you can rent from Mediacom for $12.99 a month or buy outright for almost $200. (We wouldn’t advise that, since you can probably buy your own router for much less.)

Along with a modem, Mediacom also offers its own Xtream Wi-Fi 360 mesh system. This is a good option for larger homes or anyone who has trouble getting their Wi-Fi to reach every corner of the house. Right now, Mediacom lets you rent the Xtream Wi-Fi mesh system for free for three months, after that it’s only $5.00 a 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’d like to avoid that fee (and who wouldn’t, honestly), then you can buy your own modem or mesh Wi-Fi system.

We recommend checking out the TP-Link model AC1750, available on Amazon, which works as both a modem and a Wi-Fi router. And you can check out our Google Nest Wi-Fi review to see why we recommend it as a mesh Wi-Fi solution.

Mediacom customer service

Mediacom customer service is just as bad as other ISPs.

It’s ironic that telecommunications companies have a reputation for being bad at—well, uh—communication. But that’s just the way it is, and Mediacom doesn’t buck the trend.

In fact, they are at the bottom of the bucket when it comes to customer satisfaction, with a score of just 59 out of 100 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s latest report.³

That doesn’t make us hopeful when we pick up the phone to call Mediacom. But sadly, it’s pretty much the same story for every internet provider.

If you do have to call Mediacom, we have some tips for surviving your customer service call without gaining 10 new gray hairs. Just be warned that you’ll likely need to sign into your Mediacom account if you try to get support on its website.

• Mediacom customer service phone number: +1-855-633-4226
• Twitter:@MediacomSupport
• Facebook: @mediacomcable

Our recommended Mediacom internet plans

Internet 100

Who it’s best for: Single professionals and small families

Why we picked it: This is one step up from Mediacom’s lowest speed tier, but for that extra $10.00 a month, you’ll get upload speeds that are twice as fast (going from 5 Mbps to 10 Mbps), and your data cap more than doubles (going from 400 GB to 1,000 GB).

Internet 1Gig

Who it’s best for: Huge families, home businesses, and multi-family homes

Why we picked it: If you’ve got a lot of people using the internet at once, you don’t want to be competing for bandwidth. With 1 Gbps speed, you’ll never need to worry about that. Just watch out for that data cap.

Recap: Is Mediacom good?

If you live in Mediacom’s service area, it’s a decent option for casual internet users. But don’t expect them to go the extra mile when it comes to customer service, and prepare your budget for the yearly price hikes. Oh, and don’t forget about that itty-bitty data cap if you grab the 60 Mbps plan.

Recap: Mediacom internet deals

• 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

<sup>Data effective 12/17/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* For the first 12 months.</sup>

Mediacom FAQ

Q: Does Mediacom have a mobile app?

Yes it does. The MediacomConnect app is good way to keep an eye on that monthly bill, and it’s available for iOS and Android devices.

Sources

1. Catherine McNally, Reviews.org, “The Fastest Internet Providers,” December 2020. Accessed December 17, 2020.
2. Mediacom, “Mediacom Service Commitment Agreement,” December 2014. Accessed December 17, 2020.
3. Mediacom, “Rate Card: Argos, Bourbon, Dewart Lake, Kosciusko County, Leesburg, Milford, North Webster, Pierceton & Tippecanoe, IN,” November 2020. Accessed December 17, 2020.
4. American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), “ACSI Telecommunications Report 2019-2020” June 2020. Accessed December 17, 2020.