Best Internet Providers in Melbourne, Florida

What is the best internet provider in Melbourne?

Spectrum is the best internet provider for most households in Melbourne, as recommended by CNET. Spectrum offers some of the cheapest prices for home internet service, with broad coverage and unlimited data on all plans. If Spectrum isn’t available where you live, AT&T Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet are also solid options.

We’ve also found the cheapest plans and fastest speeds for Melbourne residents. While Spectrum offers a $30 plan for select addresses, many can only get Spectrum’s Internet Ultra plan, which costs $50 per month. For speed, consider AT&T Fiber, which offers 2 gigabit and 5 gigabit symmetrical speeds for $145 and $245, respectively.

Best internet in Melbourne, Florida, in 2024

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Melbourne?

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

Melbourne internet providers, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, maintain the same standard prices all 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 can handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that’s good 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 Melbourne

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.

And 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 like 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?

The answers to these questions are often multi-layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three are the providers we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although 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 also consider real-world speed data from sources such as 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.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Providers in Melbourne