WOW! Internet Review 2020

If you’re looking for a cheap internet plan in the South or Midwest, you should probably check out WOW! Internet.

While the company name may seem overly excitable (think “corny 1990s commercials for kids’ toys” excitable), WOW!’s prices and lack of data caps are pretty stellar if you ask us. And hey, WOW! even offers no-contract options for each of its plans.

So is WOW! a bit too over the top, or will this internet service provider (ISP) really make you say “Wow!”? Let’s find out.

WOW! Internet prices and plans

WOW!’s prices are reasonable, and we like that it offers no-contract plans.

Compared to other top ISPs, WOW! Internet pricing sits about smack dab in the middle. The nice thing about these prices is they’ll last for two years. (But after that, your bill will probably go up.)

WOW! also offers you four different download speeds to choose from, but we’d love to see some choices for folks who don’t need 100 Mbps or more. If you find yourself hopping online to check Facebook instead of stream Disney+, you may want to look to ISPs like Xfinity, Frontier, or Cox for a cheaper internet plan with less speed.

While WOW!’s prices aren’t the cheapest or the most expensive, we do love that it gives you the option to go contract-free. Of course, that option will cost you extra each month. Womp womp.

Here’s what you’ll pay for the convenience of that no-contract option.

Is WOW! internet in my area?

Here’s a full list of places where you’ll find WOW!.

• Alabama: Auburn, Dothan, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Valley
• Florida: Panama City and Pinellas
• Georgia: Augusta, Columbus, and Fort Gordon
• Illinois: Chicago and Chicagoland
• Indiana: Evansville
• Michigan: Detroit and Mid-Michigan
• Ohio: Cleveland and Columbus
• South Carolina: Charleston
• Tennessee: Knoxville

Coming soon: Parma, OH; Vermilion, OH; and Gulfport, FL

If you live in Parma or Vermilion, Ohio, or Gulfport, Florida, we’ve got good news! WOW! Internet plans on expanding to your area, hopefully by the end of 2018.

WOW! internet speed and data caps

It’s hard to get a peg on WOW!’s download speeds, but it does come with unlimited data.

As of December 2019, WOW! ranks fourteenth on Netflix’s ISP Speed Index.¹

To give you a better idea of what that means, that’s fourteenth out of 67 ISPs that Netflix analyzed to measure “prime time Netflix performance.” (But keep in mind this measure of performance won’t necessarily translate to other things you do online.)

We’d love to dive into WOW! Internet’s actual download speeds and compare them to its advertised speeds, but the latest Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report doesn’t cover WOW! service.

If your download speeds do start to suffer, try troubleshooting things on your end first—we’ve got an internet speed boost guide that can help. And if you’re still struggling to download new patches for League of Legends or can’t stream your Spotify playlist, give WOW! a call.

Data caps

A huge boon you can count on with WOW! is unlimited data.

Most ISPs cap your data at 1 terabyte (TB), but not WOW!. That’s perfect if you work from home and need to download large files (think PDFs and PowerPoint presentations) often—or if you enjoy file sharing or (legally) downloading movies.

Contracts, equipment, and fees

You can choose a two-year contract or no contract, but either way you’ll pay extra fees.

Like we always say, no contract is the best contract. WOW! took a baby step in that direction with its no-contract plans, and we’re proud of it. But we’d love to see it do away with contracts altogether—and the higher price for its contract-free options.

If you do go for the lower price and contract combo, you’ll be roped in for two years. That’s a pretty long time, so take advantage of WOW!’s 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied before your first month is up.

Service fees

Just like every other ISP out there, WOW!’s no stranger to fees. Here are some of the extra costs you might see on your first WOW! Internet bill.

• Installation fee: Normally $50, but if you order online you may land a free installation deal
• Whole-home Wi-Fi: Costs $9.99/mo. extra
• Early termination fee: Up to $345 or $15 for each month of service left on your WOW! contract

Equipment and fees

Signing up for WOW! Internet means you’ll need to purchase or rent a modem. If you decide to rent, the rental fee is $10 per month.

• Equipment rental fee: $10/mo.

To save money in the long run, we recommend buying your own modem (like this ARRIS SURFboard modem/router combo from Amazon). Of course, your modem will need to be compatible with WOW!, so it’s a good idea to check WOW!’s modem compatibility list before you get one shipped to your door.

Customer service

WOW! Internet reviews are like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get.

OK—time to address the elephant in the room. ISPs get a bad rap when it comes to customer service. We’re not saying those one-star reviews aren’t deserved, but we wanted to set some expectations for you. (TL;DR: don’t expect much.)

Now you can understand why we were surprised to see a mixed bag of reviews for WOW! Internet.^{2, 3}

Some folks had a rough time with the rental modem (another reason to buy your own?) and service outages. But other reviewers reported a fantastic experience with the performance and customer service.

If you do call WOW!, we’ve got a few tips to help you navigate its customer service department.

1. Use email or chat. Both online chat and email let you continue working, gaming, or just not walking around with a phone attached to your head. Plus you’ll get everything in writing for future reference.
2. Write everything down. Speaking of getting things in writing, we always advise everyone to take notes or save a copy of emails and chat transcripts. Make sure you date your notes and add the representative’s name too. These details may come in handy if you run into an argument later.
3. Ask for a manager. Having a tough time being understood? Don’t be afraid to ask to speak to someone else or a manager. It’s not rude, it’s simply advocating for yourself.

Need to contact WOW! Internet? Here’s how you can get a hold of them.

• Online chat and phone numbers
• Twitter: @WOWCare and @WOW_WAY
• Facebook: @WOWInternetCablePhone

Recap: Is WOW! Internet good?

WOW!’s two-year contract plans offer the best deal, so if you can live with it that long, go for it.

We like where WOW! is headed with its unlimited data and fast speeds. It’s no-contract plans are a step in the right direction too, but we don’t like that you’re forced to pay more per month just to be contract free.

In that light, we don’t recommend WOW! if you can’t agree to its two-year contract terms. (Instead, check out ISPs like Spectrum, Windstream, or  CenturyLink.)

But if you’re okay with that two-year contract, we think WOW! Internet is worth checking out.

WOW! Internet prices and plans recap

• Internet 100: $44.99/mo. with 2-year contract,* 100 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 200: $54.99/mo. with 2-year contract,* 200 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 500: $64.99/mo. with 2-year contract,* 500 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 1,000: $84.99/mo. with 2-year contract,* 1,000 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 100: $59.99/mo. with no contract, 100 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 200: $69.99/mo. with no contract, 200 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 500: $79.99/mo. with no contract, 500 Mbps download speeds
• Internet 1,000: $99.99/mo. with no contract, 1,000 Mbps download speeds

FAQs

Q: How fast is my WOW! Internet?

Curious how to test your WOW! Internet speed? It’s pretty easy.

Pay a visit to High Speed Internet’s online speed test—that’ll tell you exactly how fast your download and upload speeds are.

If your results on the speed test are lower than the speed you’re paying for, it might be time to give WOW! a call to see if it can fix the issue on its end.

Q: Why is WOW! Internet down?

Is WOW! down in your area, or is it just you? There’s nothing like a “No internet connection” notification to make us a bit paranoid that we’re the only ones out there with connection issues.

Luckily, you can check the status of WOW! on DownDetector.com. If there’s no WOW! Internet outage reported in your area, you should give WOW! customer service a call to let them know there’s an issue and get them working on a fix right away.

Q: Who owns WOW! Internet?

WOW! Internet is currently not owned by any other ISP or telecommunications company. However, WOW! did purchase Broadstripe LLC in 2011, Knology in 2012, and NuLink in 2016.^{4, 5, 6}

And by the way, you may also see it called WideOpenWest, Inc.—yup, that’s where the “WOW!” comes from.

Sources

1.   Netflix, “Netflix ISP Speed Index”
2.   DSL Reports, “WOW! Internet and Cable”
3.   Consumer Affairs, “WOW! Internet Cable and Phone”
4.   WOW! Internet, “Wave Broadband and WOW! Internet, Cable, and Phone to Acquire Broadstripe”
5.   PR Newswire, “WOW! Completes Knology Acquisition”
6.   PR Newswire, “WOW! Closes Acquisition of NuLink to Provide High-Speed Internet, Cable TV and Phone Service to Metro Atlanta”