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What is the best internet provider in Hartford?
Considering speed and overall value, Frontier Fiber is the best internet service provider in Hartford, Connecticut. Frontier Fiber has the best fiber-optic coverage in Hartford, delivering fast, symmetrical speeds up to 5,000 megabits per second, the fastest in the area. Unlike most options from Xfinity, all plans include free equipment rental and unlimited data.
Speaking of Xfinity, the nation’s largest cable internet provider is also the largest, and essentially only, cable ISP in Hartford. Xfinity offers the cheapest internet plan in Hartford, starting at $25 for up to 200Mbps, as well as a selection of other competitively priced plans with speeds up to 1,200Mbps. Contracts and equipment fees may apply depending on your chosen plan, however, potentially bringing the overall value down a notch.
Other internet options in Hartford include fiber internet from GoNetspeed, though availability is limited, and fixed wireless internet from Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet. More Hartford households are likely to be serviceable for T-Mobile Home Internet, but if you can get Verizon 5G Home Internet, it could deliver more speed for a lower monthly cost.
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Hartford across several categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website.
Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Hartford. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like signing a term contract or bundling with multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet in Hartford, Connecticut
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per month
Our take – Fiber internet is easy to recommend, especially when it comes with free equipment, unlimited data and low pricing, like what you get with Frontier Fiber. The provider’s 500Mbps plan is a fast, budget-friendly plan for nearly any home, but if you want more speed, Frontier Fiber offers up to 5,000Mbps in the Hartford area.
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per month
75 – 2,000 Mbps
$20 – $120 per month
Our take – Xfinity has two things going for it in Hartford: low introductory pricing and high availability. Xfinity’s cheapest plan, starting at $25 per month for speeds up to 200Mbps, is available to nearly every Hartford household. Other plans are also priced low until the promotional rate expires after the first one to three years.
75 – 2,000 Mbps
$20 – $120 per month
Fixed wireless
85 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $70 per month
Our take – Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network covers much of Hartford, bringing a fast connection for your phones and possibly your home as well. Verizon 5G Home Internet offers speeds ranging from 50 to 300Mbps or 85 to 1,000Mbps, depending on your chosen plan. Both plans include unlimited data, free equipment and no contracts, plus a discount of $15 or $25 for qualifying Verizon mobile customers.
Fixed wireless
85 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $70 per month
Hartford, Connecticut, internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Fiber | Fiber | $45-$155 | 500-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 6.3 |
| GoNetspeed | Fiber | $50-$90 | 500-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $60 ($40-$50 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible mobile plans) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Xfinity | Cable | $25-$80 | 200-1,200Mbps | $15 (optional) | 1.2TB or unlimited | Optional | 7 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Hartford?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Hartford
The best internet deals and the top promotions in Hartford depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Hartford internet providers, such as Xfinity and T-Mobile Home Internet, may offer lower introductory pricing or perks such as streaming services and unlimited data for a limited time. Others, however, including Frontier Fiber, GoNetspeed and Verizon 5G Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Fastest internet plans in Hartford
| Plan | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Fiber 5 Gig | $155 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Frontier Fiber 2 Gig | $100 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Xfinity Gigabit Extra | $80 | 1,200Mbps | 35Mbps | 1.2TB | Cable |
| Frontier Fiber 1 Gig | $60 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| GoNetspeed 1 Gig | $90 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Xfinity Gigabit | $60 | 1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | 1.2TB | Cable |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet | $70 ($45 with eligible mobile plans) | 1,000Mbps | 75Mbps | None | Fixed wireless |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines — and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Hartford
Internet service 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’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
- Are customers happy with their service?
While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Hartford, Connecticut, FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Hartford?
Frontier Fiber is the best internet service provider in Hartford. With plans ranging from 500 to 5,000Mbps starting at $45 to $155 per month with equipment and unlimited data included, the 100% fiber-optic provider offers the best value of any major ISP in the area.
Is fiber internet available in Hartford?
Around 30% of Hartford residences are serviceable for fiber-optic internet service, according to recent FCC data. Serviceability is greatest to the south and in the northwest portion of the city, around the University of Hartford, though fiber service can be found in random pockets throughout the city. Frontier Fiber is the largest fiber provider in Hartford, while GoNetspeed also offers fiber service to a smaller portion of Hartford households.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Hartford?
Xfinity has the cheapest internet plans in Hartford, with three plans priced lower than Frontier Fiber’s cheapest plan. Xfinity Connect More, Fast and Superfast plans start at $25, $35 and $40 per month, offering speeds up to 200, 400 and 800Mbps, respectively. Depending on the plan, a contract may be required to get the lowest Xfinity pricing, and none includes equipment rental, which will add $15 to your monthly bill should you opt to rent.
Which internet provider in Hartford offers the fastest plan?
Frontier Fiber offers the fastest internet plan in Hartford with symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 5,000Mbps starting at $155 per month. Frontier’s next fastest plan, up to 2,000Mbps, is also faster than Xfinity’s speediest plan in Hartford, which tops out at 1,200Mbps. Frontier Fiber also has the advantage of symmetrical upload and download speed with every plan whereas Xfinity upload speeds are significantly slower than downloads.
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