CenturyLink review: Exceptional DSL with no contract required

CenturyLink features two promises to fame: a generous menu of high-velocity selections, which include fiber gigabit, and the potential to lock in a low fee for lifetime. Each are outstanding in the DSL world. 

Even extra impressive is the generous no-deal selection for all DSL speeds up to 100Mbps. Couple providers supply this kind of appealing high-velocity designs devoid of a motivation on your conclusion. 

To far better realize these offerings, we spent more than 4 months examining six well-known designs and comparing them across the 4 largest DSL providers. We found a support that offers extremely high speeds, nevertheless your knowledge will finally rely on your link and area.

Professionals:

• Minimal-expense Fiber Gigabit plan
• A extensive array of DSL speeds
• Value for lifetime on DSL designs

Cons:

• Confined bundling selections
• Mediocre purchaser support scores
• Minimal purchaser gratification scores

CenturyLink Internet designs and selling prices

Minimal-expense price tag for lifetime designs devoid of the deal.

Knowledge helpful 02/05/twenty

* Offer availability is dependent on area, selling prices might range. For extra particulars on these plans click here to learn extra from our lover internet site, Allconnect.

Fiber designs, velocity and details

CenturyLink offers one fiber plan: Fiber Gigabit. At a really competitive $65 per thirty day period, this absolutely limitless Fiber Gigabit plan is one of the cheapest gigabit offers we’ve noticed on the market. The catch? Not like other CenturyLink designs, Fiber Gigabit is not price tag-for-lifetime, that means it will improve more than time. 

Although CenturyLink does not provide any particulars all-around the fee adjust, most gigabit designs — this kind of as Verizon’s Fios Gigabit — commence all-around $eighty, and we would not be amazed to see this support comply with fit. 

Even with an eventual price tag hike, the commencing supply can make this gigabit plan a steal for greater households searching to stream, game, and down load across dozens of equipment.

DSL designs, velocity, and details

As far as DSL internet goes, CenturyLink offers an array of speeds ranging from one.5Mbps to 100Mbps. Though the majority of folks will knowledge considerably slower speeds, among ten to 40Mbps, these virtually unlimited no-deal designs are extra than enough for a household of consumers searching to surf the internet, observe movies, and perform games on line devoid of owning to endure extended load moments or fret about going more than a details cap.

Value for lifetime

CenturyLink offers a price tag lock on all speeds up to 100Mbps for as extended as you stay with them. This supply is really considerably unmatched amid DSL providers — and amid internet providers in typical — and could be particularly valuable if you are searching to retain your charges low for the extended haul.

Who is every single plan greatest for?

• one.5Mbps: Greatest for a solitary consumer with one-two equipment
• 10Mbps: Best for a solitary consumer with three-4 equipment
• 40Mbps: Best for two consumers consumer with up to 5 equipment
• 60Mbps: Best for 3 consumers with up to 6 equipment
• 100Mbps: Best for 4 consumers with up to 8 equipment
• Fiber Gigabit: Best for 5+ consumers with ten+ equipment

How quickly is CenturyLink Internet?

In the FCC’s most up-to-date report, CenturyLink’s precise speeds ended up lagging powering its advertised speeds, with eighty% of panelists only acquiring seventy seven.nine% of their advertised down load velocity, nicely underneath other providers like AT&T and Verizon. 

These results align with the low Overall performance and Reliability score from J.D. Power’s Pleasure Research having said that, it can be worthy of noting that the FCC only tested CenturyLink speeds up to 40Mbps in this report. Fiber-centered connections typically have a increased consistency in velocity and performance.

Internet availability

Extensively available DSL designs with a escalating fiber network.

With availability across 35 states, CenturyLink gives high-velocity internet in all 4 big locations of the U.S., with the greatest protection in the West. 

Although most CenturyLink prospects will be constrained to a DSL link, the organization is doing work on expanding the fiber network, which is at the moment constrained to 18 towns. Use our zip tool to verify if your tackle is serviceable.

Other components to take into consideration

Straightforward machines

Straightforward machines, with the potential to choose-out to avoid the every month payment.

The sort of modem, and its charges, will rely on your velocity and link sort, nevertheless most selection from $ten-15 per thirty day period. 

To avoid shelling out $one hundred twenty per calendar year on machines service fees, we suggest both purchasing the modem upfront ($100) or employing your possess. The upfront expense might seem like a good deal, but it will finally help save you hundreds of dollars immediately after the initially calendar year. 

Should really you choose to choose-out of CenturyLink’s machines fully, make confident your router is compatible. If you only have a fiber-focused link available, your outdated DSL modem might not be equipped to supply the speeds you happen to be spending for.

Noteworthy service fees

• Equipment lease payment: Up to $15/mo.*
• Qualified installation payment: Up to $125*
• Self-installation payment: $50 shipping and delivery/managing*

*At times waived for on line orders

No Tv set bundles

CenturyLink is particularly constrained in its bundling selections, supplying only one: internet and limitless nationwide residence cellphone. Given that providers like AT&T and Verizon supply their possess Tv set support, or at the really the very least, supply some low cost with partnered providers, CenturyLink falls considerably small. 

Nevertheless, it can be not all poor information. With an internet link and a compatible streaming unit, CenturyLink consumers can seem into one of the many TV streaming services that are typically much less expensive than standard Tv set deals. 

Mediocre purchaser support scores

Clients of any telecom service provider know the industry’s purchaser support could use some get the job done — which include CenturyLink. It really is obtained low-to-middling feedback from prospects across overview web pages and in third-get together surveys. 

ACSI’s 2019 report and recent J.D. Ability rankings both put CenturyLink underneath other big names like AT&T and Comcast Xfinity when it will come to purchaser knowledge. If you benefit purchaser support more than the price tag and velocity of your internet link, you might want to seem somewhere else.