Spectrum Business Internet Review 2023: Compare Pricing and Plan Options

The bottom line: Consumers may be cutting their cable television cords, but cable internet is alive and kicking. And for small-business owners, cable from providers like Spectrum lets you run your online business operations at high speeds and reasonable costs.

So is Spectrum internet a good investment for your business? According to our research, that depends on what type of business you run.

Spectrum offers several enticing internet bundles that include cable TV packages. Businesses that need to keep customers entertained while they wait, shop, or eat have the most to gain by taking advantage of these bundles.

But even for other company types, solo cable internet plans from Spectrum aren’t too shabby. That’s because the plans are fast and affordable, with no data caps, and they include lots of tantalizing tech features.

If you’re looking for a cheap internet option, you can’t do much better than Spectrum’s $49.99 per month Spectrum Internet plan. This plan gets you download speeds up to 300/10 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary).

Broadband cable debuted in the mid-twentieth century as a way to deliver television to viewers, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that the technology was repurposed for high-speed internet.¹ Since Spectrum (a Charter Communications brand) acquired Time Warner Cable in 2016,² the company has expanded its broadband cable and other internet services across the United States.

Above, we told you what we like about Spectrum—and there’s a lot of likes to give. But what about the not-so-greats? Here’s a rundown of the good and bad of Spectrum business internet.

Although cable internet can get you faster download speeds than many competitors in the DSL internet game, Spectrum’s cable upload speeds are unimpressive. The fastest upload speed Spectrum advertises is 35 Mbps, but that's a maximum upload speed—not an average. That means your actual upload speeds may not be that high.

Upload speeds are important for avoiding interruptions with large-file downloads and backups, VoIP service, videoconferences, and running cloud-based applications. If your business needs these services, you may run into trouble with Spectrum’s cable internet plans.

You should also be wary of Spectrum’s low customer satisfaction ratings, as reported by several organizations.

Ultimately, there are several things to like and dislike about Spectrum, so consider your business priorities before making a decision.

Spectrum offers a simple suite of internet plans—an upside or downside, depending on what you’re looking for. Cable internet plans range in download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary). Spectrum also offers fiber plans, but—as we’ll explain—details about fiber service are limited.

Starting at 300 Mbps download speeds, Spectrum cable comes in many flavors: Spectrum Internet 300, Ultra, and Gig. As we mentioned above, the upload speeds are lackluster, but the download speeds pack a punch.

Spectrum is building a fiber-optic network across the United States, so you may be able to snag one of these lightning-speed plans in your area. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to dig up particular plan and pricing details, but we did find a list of Spectrum fiber coverage maps.

Check out the maps to see if Spectrum fiber-optic internet has reached your business’s location, and then contact the company at 1-888-692-8635 to learn more.

Internet service providers love to offer bundles—and not just for residential customers. They’re savvy enough to know that if they offer discounts for combined services, you may be tempted to take advantage of the deal.

Fortunately, Spectrum’s business bundles are worth considering. These packages combine reasonably fast internet with long-distance calling or TV services—or both.

One shining facet of Spectrum’s prism of internet services is all the technology the company throws in for free. There are also a few paid services you can buy to truly tailor your business internet experience.

From cloud backups to web hosting, here are all the tech upgrades we found Spectrum serving up.

You should be able to count on a reliable connection from your business internet provider. Service outages—or downtime—result in interruptions to essential operations like email, file sharing, and point-of-sale systems.

Let’s see what kind of reliability you can expect from Spectrum business class internet.

Uptime is the percentage of time you can expect working internet, and Spectrum guarantees business internet uptime at 99.9%. That figure sounds nearly perfect, but there are higher uptime guarantees in the industry, like 99.99% uptime.

What does that mean in real time? Take a look at how several uptime guarantees translate into seconds, minutes, or hours of downtime over longer periods.

Latency is another marker of reliability. Sometimes called lag, latency is the amount of time it takes for a packet of data to make a round trip from one internet connection point to another. High latency—measured in milliseconds—is an especially noticeable problem when streaming video or conducting video conferences.

We didn’t find any information about Spectrum’s average latency, nor do they offer any latency guarantees. If latency is a top concern for your business, consider a company—such as Verizon—that offers a latency guarantee.

If something goes wrong with your internet connection or you’re not getting the service you expect, you need quick access to technical support.

Spectrum offers 24/7, US-based technical support by phone for its business customers. The company also provides a collection of Spectrum Business Support articles and answers to common technical questions.

Several national organizations are in the business of surveying internet service provider customers and reporting their findings to the public. Here are some recent ratings the industry gave Spectrum, which—spoiler alert—left us disappointed.

ACSI: In 2020, Spectrum received a 63 out of 100 from The American Customer Satisfaction Index—just under the average score.³

BBB: Spectrum isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an D rating.⁴ Spectrum also stumbled from several government actions against it, including New York’s revocation of an approved merger between Charter and Time-Warner Cable.

J.D. Power: Across all three business segments reviewed by J.D. Power in 2020, Spectrum scored fairly low. The ISP ranked fifth place out of eight for very small businesses, fifth place out of seven for small and midsize businesses, and sixth place out of six for large enterprise businesses.⁵

To be fair, most internet companies have a poor reputation in the United States, but even by the industry’s low standards, Spectrum ranks on the lower end.

Before signing up with any provider, make sure you understand any costs and other details beyond the sticker price. Up next is a breakdown of Spectrum’s fees, contracts, and equipment.

Spectrum charges a one-time activation fee of $99 for its cable internet service, which is lower than several competitors we’ve reviewed. We couldn't find any information on possible termination fees.

Spectrum Business class has some contract-free options. The only other business ISP we reviewed that offers no-contract business internet is AT&T, which offers the perk only for fiber plans.

What’s more, Spectrum will buy out your contract—up to $500—with your current provider, making the switch even easier.

You also have 30 days to try out Spectrum business internet. If you’re not satisfied, just contact Spectrum before those 30 days are up, return your equipment, and you’ll get a refund for the plan charges. However, the refund doesn’t include the $99 installation fee.

Unlike most business internet service providers, Spectrum will lease you a cable modem for free. This may make up for the fact that the company doesn’t allow you to use your own modem or TV equipment, even when trying out the limited-time offer.

Wondering if Spectrum allows self-installation with your account credentials? Read our FAQ section below.

Unless poor customer satisfaction ratings are a deal breaker, Spectrum is an affordable and fast option for your small business.

Lagging customer reviews are worth thinking twice about before you sign up your business for Spectrum internet. But because these plans come with contract-free options, if you experience serious trouble, it’s possible that you can simply cancel under Spectrum’s terms and conditions. Also, there are plenty of other great ISP options out there.

Not sure if Spectrum is right for you? Check out our top business internet picks to see how Spectrum measures up.

You might still have questions about business internet from Spectrum. Maybe our research will help answer your concerns.

Cable internet uses coaxial cables, just like the ones used to deliver cable television to millions of customers and connect to your business using a cable modem. Meanwhile, DSL internet is provided over the same copper wires used to provide phone lines. But unlike dial-up internet, DSL doesn’t interfere with phone service.

Here are the key advantages and disadvantages of DSL internet:

To determine the star rating, we looked at Spectrum's pricing,  bundles and packages, average internet speeds, and overall value, among other factors.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.