Best Internet Providers in Hickory, North Carolina

What is the best internet provider in Hickory?

If you’re a resident of Hickory, North Carolina, you have quite a few options to consider when it comes to choosing the best internet provider for you. Depending on your needs and budget, you might be looking for the fastest plan available or opt for a more budget-friendly option — even if it means sacrificing some speed. The area’s largest broadband provider, Spectrumis currently the best internet provider in Hickory, North Carolina, offering something for most householdsIn addition to its wide availability in the Hickory area, Spectrum is known for its fast download speeds, clear pricing, and TV and Internet bundles.

Spectrum isn’t the fastest or cheapest internet provider in Hickory, however. Fiber ISP Metronet offers the fastest speeds in Hickory, up to 5,000 megabits per second, and the cheapest plan, with service starting at $30 per month for speeds up to 100 Mbps. Considering its speeds and prices, Metronet is a contender for the best ISP in Hickory, but it lacks the same coverage as Spectrum, which is only available to about 15% of local households.

Brightspeed (formerly CenturyLink in the Hickory area) competes with Spectrum on availability, but its DSL service does not deliver speeds that would be considered broadband.

Likewise, fixed wireless internet is available in much of Hickory, but speeds often fall below the broadband threshold of 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. T-Mobile Home Internet and possibly Open Broadband, when it becomes available, are your best bets for fixed wireless broadband in Hickory. Verizon 5G Home Internet may also offer fixed wireless internet in Hickory, but availability is limited at this time.

Best internet in Hickory, North Carolina

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

How to Find Online Deals and Promotions in Hickory

The best internet deals and top promotions in Hickory depend on what discounts are available at any given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we regularly check for the latest offers.

Hickory internet providers, such as Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Internet, may offer lower introductory prices or other incentives for a limited time. Others, including Metronet, maintain the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive overview of all promotions, check out our guide to the best online deals.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

What is a good internet speed?

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

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

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can perform basic tasks: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality videos.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide enough bandwidth for a single user to meet the demands of modern teleworking, video streaming, and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one or 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 participate in high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET Picked the Best Internet Providers in Hickory, North Carolina

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen utensil, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So how do we approach this? We start by examining pricing, availability, and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the providers’ websites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t stop there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we account for every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and pricing are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get value for their money?
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 ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, though we also consider things like price increases, equipment costs, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla And FCC Reports.

If you would like to take a more detailed look at our process, please visit our How We Test ISPs page.

Internet Providers in Hickory, North Carolina, Frequently Asked Questions