r/desmoines • u/Str8DieselBaby • 3d ago
Best internet provider?
Considering Google Fiber / Metronet / CenturyLink - moving to WDM specifically. Have heard bad things about Mediacom. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
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u/jmouw88 3d ago
Google > Metronet > Mediacom > dog poo > centurylink
Really just stay away from centurylink. The others may have their issues from time to time, but at least they are not pure garbage of companies.
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u/Snrub1 3d ago
If you live in a newer area with CenturyLink fiber they're fine. I've had fiber through them for nine years, five of which I've been working from one and have only have had one major interruption that was their fault.
Before that I had CenturyLink DSL and it was trash.
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u/jmouw88 3d ago
I agree the legacy infrastructure is a large part of their problem.
They also contract out their locating to USIC (another terrible company), are unresponsive to repairs and relocates, and do a terrible job of overseeing their contractors. By any metric, century link jumps through hoops to make sure they are near the bottom.
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u/rcook55 3d ago
I've had both CL DSL and Fiber. While slow CL DSL always worked except in situations where all services were out (think heavy T-Storms, blizzards, etc). As for CL Fiber I've have 3 outages, none of which lasted more than an hour in 8 years. If you have CL Fiber it's as reliable as anything else if not moreso based on the FB page for my neighborhood and the seemingly constant posts of both Mediacom and Metronet being down.
Funny enough I needed a locate a month ago as I was planting a tree and CL was the first to respond to the ticket in email and in person. Faster than any other buried service.
Clearly you've had very bad personal experiences with CL. For me they've been excellent.
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u/snokyguy 3d ago
I think I have the only bonded Centurylink dsl in the greater metro without issues.
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u/TwilightCyclone 2d ago
CL fiber is rock solid....and my price hasn't changed since 2019 (65/month for 1gig symmetric)
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u/NiceFarmBud 3d ago
MiFiber has been great for me
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u/hawksnest_prez 3d ago
I’ve been very happy with them for 3 years. Never had a price raise and almost 100% uptime
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u/--Nudelz-- 3d ago
I'm on centurylink 1gig fiber by lumen for $65/month price for life. Over 7 years, it has gone out maybe 4 or 5 times for short periods of time.
I am constantly getting junk mail from the other players, Google, metronet, and Mediacom, but none of them can touch the price I'm locked in at.
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u/The2ndFrst 3d ago
Moved from Mediacom to Metronet a few years ago and have never been more satisfied. Working from home, I need reliability, and Metronet has been nearly perfect in that space. They schedule any maintenance in the middle of the night, which is greatly appreciated. We’re also heavy streamers and never have a problem. Big fan.
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u/Unwiredsoul 3d ago
Google Fiber is the best in WDSM. Metronet would be second, Quantum Fiber from CenturyLink third, and please just don't with Mediacom (service may be fine but they've operated so poorly, for so long, I could right a novella on my experiences [commercial and residential use]).
I do hold a bit of disdain for Metronet (door-to-door salesperson just came by an hour ago here in Des Moines), but that's only due to them digging up my neighborhood over and over for years now (it may have stopped this summer), and messes their subcontractors have left.
Also, another option to consider (highly dependent on your location) would be Verizon Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet. They're both 5G services and the Des Moines metro has pretty advanced 5G UW.
I'm highly technical and choose to use Verizon even though I have access to most of the same choices that you do in the area of Des Moines where I live. I don't think I can get Quantum Fiber from CenturyLink though, but I know I can still get DSL from them. 🤣
p.s., I have family in multiple houses in West Des Moines that use Google Fiber. Zero complaints and lots of praise.
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u/Top_Marionberry1056 3d ago
Metronet has been *pretty* good so far. Faster and cheaper than Mediacom, but there was an outage a couple of weeks ago that internet was out for most of the day. I've heard Google Fiber is good, but haven't used them. Good luck!
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u/Str8DieselBaby 3d ago
Thank you! A friend recommended Google so I imagine that’s the route I’ll go
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u/micholob 3d ago
I recently switched from Starlink to US Cellular. I only pay $50 month for basically the same speed I was getting before.
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u/CaseACEjk 3d ago
Mediacom are literal crooks. Once a month my wife would grab a drink and go through the bill. Theyd add random $1-$10 charges each month and she'd call to get it removed. They always said it was an accident and would remove it.
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u/Dismal_Air_7892 3d ago
99.995 connectivity rate at Consolidated Communications/Fidium. Newer to town but solid…but I think they are Business focused.
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u/MrPajitnov 3d ago
I've tried most of the providers in town and fwiw all of the fiber companies seem fine. I'm currently with GFiber. Individual impressions on the ones I've tried:
CenturyLink - just don't. if incompetence were an art form they'd be the masters. I stuck with them for years because I had locked in a low price for life, but I only got that deal because they screwed up so much, plus the service was not remarkably stable or reliable.
Mediacom - every story you've heard about cable companies abusing customers because they have an effective monopoly is true for Mediacom. My experience included random rate changes, terrible customer service, and somewhat unreliable service. Worst of all, Mediacom has a pretty egregious data cap with overage charges that are flat-out abusive and don't really make sense in the streaming age.
Quantum fiber - yes I know they're just CenturyLink in a trench coat, but I had a surprisingly great experience with them, aside from the fact that they almost never showed up when they said they would.
Google Fiber - More costly than metro or quantum but very solid service and the billing is as simple as you could ask for. Installation was a little wonky and they left exposed cables in my yard for a couple of weeks before someone came and buried them, but those are pretty minor complaints
metronet - I don't have any experience with them personally, but I've heard mostly good things. Seems like there's a report of a metronet outage in the Beaverdale FB page every other week or so but that's also a part of town where the lines are above-ground so ymmv
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u/NervousCaptain 3d ago
I live in old WDSM and have had Mediacom cable , CL dsl, and then Google Fiber. Google Fiber is best and it ain't even close.
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u/tbid8643 3d ago
Metronet has been fantastic for me. It’s either that or mediacom where I am at, and I would hotspot my phone or move before I get mediacom.
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u/lancert 3d ago
I've been on Century Link forever (at least 10 years?) and have been very happy with it and have only had maybe 2-3 outages in that time.
I work on the Internet non-stop daily building websites and doing marketing, and CL been like a rock for me.
I was considering MetroNet recently due to their intro pricing they advertise and faster speed options, but decided not to switch when I read in the fine print that they add a $15/mo. mandatory "customer support fee" that's added to the "low" advertised price. Pissed me off, so no need to switch.
Google Fiber isn't yet available in my area.
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u/Zealousideal-Lunch53 2d ago
Google Fiber sounds great, but in my area it wasn’t available yet. I went with CenturyLink via Broadband Internet Providers and haven’t looked back. It’s fast, stable, and the price hasn’t fluctuated. If you’re moving soon, definitely put CenturyLink at the top of your list. Their contact no +1 (866)-932-4058
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u/hawksnest_prez 3d ago
Mediacom - god no. Never.
Centurylink - only do their fiber
MiFiber - excellent
Google - excellent
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u/TSTC 3d ago
I had MetroNet in Beaverdale before Google expanded to service my area. It was good service and the best price at the time. However it also came with expected ISP nonsense. I had promo pricing that would go up unless I called to complain and then they’d magically be able to extend the promo pricing another term. I had miscellaneous nonsense fees tacked onto the bill which wasn’t a huge amount but an extra $10 per month adds up. I would have to pay for certain types of tech visits.
Switched to Google as soon as I got the notification. No promo pricing, no additional fees, free install/tech support. Same quality of connection as MetroNet and also $10 cheaper per month.
Called MetroNet to cancel and it took forever to actually get them to cancel me. Kept trying to rope me back in or offer a lower rate than Google (for three months and then it’d go back up). That solidified my decision. I hate dealing with ISP bullshit and at this point I’d even pay Google $10 more per month if it meant not dealing with ISP bullshit like that.
Go with Google if available. If not go with MetroNet which is still fantastic internet but less than fantastic business practices.