Does Spectrum Have Separate Bandwidth for Upload and Download
Compare prices After 12 months Recommendations Upload speeds Telly pricing
Spectrum has 3 base cyberspace plans, with consistent pricing throughout the Us starting at $49.99/month and going up to $69.99 after the introductory period.
Equally of 2021, Spectrum has upgraded nearly of their regions to 200 Mbps base of operations plans, including major markets like California and Los Angeles.
Spectrum Plans Summary: Standard vs Ultra vs GIG
Spectrum offers three internet-merely plans: standard internet, Ultra, and "GIG."
| Programme Name | Download | Upload | New client price (promotional rate) | Existing customer cost (standard rate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet | 200 Mbps | x Mbps | $49.99/mo | $69.99 |
| Spectrum Internet Ultra | 400 Mbps | twenty Mbps | $69.99/mo | $94.99 |
| Spectrum Internet GIG | 940 Mbps | 35 Mbps | $109.99/mo | $129.99 |
The standard Spectrum internet plan is all-time for nigh homes, currently offering 200 Mbps download for $49.99 per month + a $five monthly WiFi router fee. The Spectrum Ultra plan boosts the download speed to 400 Mbps for $69.99 per month. The Gig plan has the fastest download rate, 940 Mbps for $109.99, and includes the router for gratis.
Withal, each plan has some caveats that touch the cost — ranging from the WiFi router leasing fee to the impact of promotional rates on long-term customers. In this postal service, I'll break downwards the performance and pricing differences in plain English.
There are ii of import things to note overall:
- Spectrum upload speeds are much slower than the download speeds (and are notably not mentioned in near of their marketing materials online). With Spectrum, the fastest upload speed you lot can get over a cablevision connection is 35 Mbps.
- Spectrum pricing changes dramatically afterwards the 12-month promo period (noted when you buy, but in tiny fine impress).
Quick Recommendations
- Spectrum Standard: This is the all-time plan for most customers, since 100–200 Mbps is sufficient for a family unit of four streaming video and using social media on daily basis. The WiFi router costs extra.
- Spectrum Ultra: This plan is simply $20/month more than standard, and offers twice the download. It'south worth it if you lot have multiple household members streaming Hard disk and 4K video from Netflix, Hulu, etc. It as well doubles your upload speed, which can make a big difference on video calls.
- Spectrum GIG: This plan is essentially more expensive, and while you become gigabit downloads, the upload is still capped at 35 Mbps. Therefore, this programme really only makes sense for "power users" who can actually do something with all that bandwidth. 95% of users will never notice the difference.
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Spectrum Ultra vs GIG upload speeds
Spectrum's cyberspace-simply plans offering a maximum upload speed of 35 Mbps, via the $109.99 per month GIG plan. The standard Spectrum internet programme only offers 10 Mbps upload, while the Ultra program offers xx Mbps upload.
I'm writing this post over Spectrum cyberspace, on a standard program in Los Angeles, and I usually see 5–9 Mbps upload over WiFi. Plugged into the router via ethernet, I generally get more than they annunciate, around 12–15 Mbps… but this is still crazy low when you're running a home office, doing video calls, uploading large files for YouTube, etc.
The reason for low upload speed on Spectrum cyberspace is that for most customers, the chief apply case of internet is for streaming video from Netflix, Youtube, and other Over-The-Top services, and scrolling high-definition images on social media. These services required loftier download speed to return visual content apace.
The only regular activities that require high upload bandwidth are video chat and file uploads — and for most customers, the occasional glitch while running a video chat is preferable to buffering on Netflix.
If you need faster than 35 Mbps upload speed, it'south worth checking for a fiber internet provider in your area. If no fiber provider is available, you can sometimes get faster upload speed past purchasing business organisation internet from wireless providers — but this is usually quite expensive, even relative to the priciest Spectrum GIG plan.
Let's look at the pricing for standard net vs the upgrade options with Spectrum.
All Spectrum plans come with "promotional pricing" for the beginning yr of service. Subsequently the first year, the price rises to a "standard rate" that'south as much every bit 40% higher than the promotional price.
This table shows the difference between the prices when y'all average the promotional and standard rates over two years of service:
| Programme Name | Downwards/Up | Promo/Standard Price | Avg price over 2 years | Toll increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet | 200/x Mbps | $49.99/$69.99 | $threescore/mo. | +40% |
| Spectrum Cyberspace Ultra | 400/20 Mbps | $69.99/$94.99 | $82/mo. | +36% |
| Spectrum Internet GIG | 940/35 Mbps | $109.99/$129.99 | $120/mo. | +eighteen% |
These prices assume you're buying your own router rather than leasing. For the Standard program, your cost goes up to $70/month over two years when you factor in the WiFi cost.
As you can see, the cheaper Spectrum plans come up with larger cost increases. If you're going to be a client for more than 2 years, the price divergence betwixt Spectrum Standard + the WiFi router and Spectrum Ultra (which includes a costless router) is only $12/calendar month. So the question is: is information technology worth $12 per calendar month actress to double your internet speed?
Standard vs Ultra/GIG Modem and Wifi router Fees
Spectrum makes their modem/router pricing very disruptive compared to most cyberspace providers.
On the Standard 200 Mbps and Ultra 400 Mbps plans, you tin can either buy your ain router or lease information technology from Spectrum for a $5 per calendar month fee. They annunciate these plans equally having a "free modem," merely the modem does *not* provide WiFi unless you also go a router. You lot demand both (or a good combo device) to get WiFi in your apartment.
The GIG plan includes the modem and router for gratuitous, but the monthly cost jump is considerable and simply worth it if you take a very complex smart domicile or admittedly need the upload bandwidth increase for domicile office use.
Spectrum WiFi router options past program
Spectrum standard plans offer a basic leased router, with the model varying based on what's available locally. Ultra and GIG plans come with a college-quality dual-band router (ordinarily Arris) with a wider range in the home and less overheating issues. The Ultra and GIG plans too come with a gratis modem, which is capable of treatment bandwidth up to 1,000 Mbps.
The router and modem provisioned by Spectrum depends on the stock locally, so you may wind upwards with a more avant-garde router than your plan in some cases. They will never give you a lower-rated router than your plan, since this would result in inability to deliver the speed being paid for.
Spectrum Television and Net Base of operations Prices and Speeds
When yous sign up for Spectrum net in California, the telephone agent or website is probable to promote their double-play Idiot box and internet plans heavily. Similar the cyberspace-merely plans, these come in 3 packages:
| Plan Proper noun | Speed | Promo Price | Channels | NFL Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Play Select | 200 Mbps | $89.98/mo | 125+ | Non Included |
| Double Play Silverish | 200 Mbps | $114.98/mo | 175+ | Included |
| Double Play Golden | 200 Mbps | $134.98/mo | 200+ | Included |
While TV plans from Spectrum are currently contract-free, they are still more expensive than cutting the cord and streaming online. The exception to this rule is big family homes and sports viewers, who tin can sometimes get a improve package rate with Spectrum compared with buying content straight from streaming providers. Double Play Select comes with 125+ TV channels, ranging up to 200+ channels on the largest packet.
Note that in the LA area, Television receiver bundles have a maximum net speed of 200 Mbps. This means that if you desire download speeds for your internet college than 200 Mbps, yous'll have to go with an internet-only plan like Ultra or GIG and combine that with streamed TV from a third-party like Netflix, Hulu, etc.
Spectrum Subsidized Plans for Depression-Income Households
Depression-income households tin access Spectrum'due south subsidized plans, which offer reduced speeds and bones service for a lower $17.99 monthly price and a $5 per month WiFi fee.
| Programme Name | Speed Down/Up | Monthly Price | WiFi Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Cyberspace Aid | 30/four Mbps | $17.99/mo | $5/mo |
Spectrum coverage area
Spectrum is the 2nd-largest cable cyberspace provider in the US, with a coverage area comprising all but 10 states and more than 100 1000000 consumers in-footprint.
California is their largest service area. As of 2022, 53% of California households take Charter Spectrum internet serviceability.
Exterior neighborhoods with AT&T or Sonic fiber, Spectrum is usually the only net provider with broadband upload speeds, and the only option for 100+ Mbps downloads, making them a de facto monopoly on broadband in much of their coverage expanse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Spectrum Ultra have information caps?
Spectrum Ultra does not have data caps. In fact, Spectrum does non employ data caps on any plans at this time. This was required as part of their merger with Fourth dimension Warner Cable. They currently have some requests in at the FCC to become data caps canonical once more, then this may change after 2021.
Is Spectrum Ultra worth information technology?
For nigh customers, Spectrum Ultra is non worth the additional cost. While the cost departure is small each month ($20 or so), information technology adds upwards to $200+ annually, which is not enough to justify the divergence of downloading a big file in 30 seconds rather than 1–2 minutes. Ultra also charges extra for the WiFi router, just like the Standard Spectrum 100–200 Mbps plans.
Is Spectrum GIG worth information technology?
The effect with Spectrum GIG is that the upload speed is still quite depression at 35 Mbps. If information technology was raised to at least l Mbps, this would be a really compelling plan. But as-is, there aren't many users who can really benefit from a firehose of download bandwidth paired with a trickle of upload. It seems probable that this plan is more than about boosting the 'fastest speed' shown in brand marketing materials than actually bringing an offer that competes with cobweb options like AT&T Cobweb or Sonic.
Source: https://www.connectcalifornia.com/internet-service/spectrum-pricing