Best Internet Providers in Waterbury, Connecticut

What is the best internet provider in Waterbury?

CNET’s top internet recommendation for Waterbury is Bordera DSL and fiber optic provider that combines high-speed broadband with uncomplicated services at competitive prices. While Frontier doesn’t have the widest coverage in the area (that title goes to Xfinity), it still serves about 71% of the city’s households, according to FCC data.

That said, if only Frontier’s DSL network is available at your address, you may find better speeds and prices with alternatives like Xfinity or T-Mobile Home Internet.

For those looking for both speed and value, Xfinity offers plans with download speeds of up to 300 Mbps for just $40 per month, including unlimited data at no extra cost. If speed is your top priority, Frontier’s 7-gigabit fiber optic connection stands out as the fastest option in this Connecticut city.

Best Internet in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 2024

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Waterbury?

The best internet deals and top promotions in Waterbury depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most offers are short-lived, but we regularly review the latest offers.

Waterbury internet providers like Xfinity may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. However, others, such as Frontier and Verizon, have the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive list of promotions, check out our guide to the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that’s suitable for video conferencing, video streaming, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here you will find an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the FCC. Please note that these are guidelines only and internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed you really need.

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can do the basic tasks: surf the Internet, send and receive email, stream low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give a single user enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one to two users can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• With 500 to 1,000 Mbps, three or more users can perform high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET Chose the Best Internet Providers in Waterbury

Internet providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our approach? We start by researching the price, availability and speed information, based on our own historical ISP data, the providers’ sites and map information on FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our records and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in a particular area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably high internet speeds?
2. Do customers get a good price for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three questions are the providers we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the subscriptions with the lowest monthly amount, but we also take into account things such as price increases, equipment costs and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla And FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Visit our page on how we test ISPs to explore our process in more depth.

Internet Service Providers in Waterbury Frequently Asked Questions