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Frontier Fiber rating
How we calculated our rating
Pros
- Wi-Fi router rental included in the price
- Unlimited data
- Fast fiber speeds
Cons
- Spotty DSL speeds
- Poor, but improving, customer satisfaction record
- Term agreement required to get signup bonuses
Frontier fiber internet plans and pricing
| Plan | Monthly price | Max speeds | Fees and service details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber 200 | $30 | 200Mbps down, 200Mbps up | No equipment fees, data caps or contracts |
| Fiber 500 | $45 | 500Mbps down, 500Mbps up | No equipment fees, data caps or contracts |
| Fiber 1 Gig | $60 | 1,000Mbps down, 1,000Mbps up | No equipment fees, data caps or contracts |
| Fiber 2 Gig | $100 | 2,000Mbps down, 2,000Mbps up | No equipment fees, data caps or contracts |
| Fiber 5 Gig | $155 | 5,000Mbps down, 5,000Mbps up | No equipment fees, data caps or contracts |
Which Frontier Fiber plan is best?
Frontier Fiber offers five plans with speeds ranging from 200 megabits per second to 5,000Mbps, or 5 gigabits per second. You’ll notice a significant speed jump from one Fiber plan to the next, which can make it easier to find the right plan for your needs. Here are my recommendations for each plan:
- Fiber 200: Best for one to three users, up to 10 devices. Good for apartments and smaller households with a limited number of devices used for streaming or working from home.
- Fiber 500Mbps: Best for three to five users, up to 20 devices. Good for moderate use, such as streaming on multiple TVs at once, working from home and connecting smart speakers and security cameras.
- Fiber 1 Gig: Best for five to six users, 20 to 30 devices. Good for heavier use, including streaming in 4K, serious online gaming and connecting multiple devices per room. I have 1-gigabit internet (not from Frontier) and it exceeds my daily needs.
- Fiber 2 Gig: Best for six to 10 users, 30 or more devices. Good for larger households with multiple users working or learning from home and streaming on separate devices. Ideal for an arsenal of smart devices, from gaming consoles and TVs to speakers and cameras.
- Fiber 5 Gig: Best for a virtually unlimited number of devices and uses. An uncompromisingly fast connection to satisfy any home.
In most markets, pricing on all Frontier Fiber plans is month to month, so there are no set price increases. Some areas, such as Charleston, West Virginia, may have lower introductory pricing on select plans good for 12 months, after which the price increases to the standard (but still comparatively low) price.
Frontier Fiber data caps, contracts and fees
All Frontier Fiber plans come with free equipment rental, unlimited data and typically require no contract.
Frontier internet is not totally contract-free. Accepting a signup bonus, like a free gift card, will come with a term agreement. If you don’t want that, simply decline any special offers when you sign up.
As for added fees, Wi-Fi router rental is included at no extra cost. Whole-home Wi-Fi, which includes up to two mesh Wi-Fi devices, is available for an additional $10 per month.
I’d recommend starting with the free rental, then upgrading to whole-home Wi-Fi if you notice any areas with a slow or spotty connection. Upgrading to mesh Wi-Fi is an option if you want it later, and the $10 monthly fee is lower than many providers charge for simply renting a router.
Frontier’s fiber (purple) and DSL (pink) network coverage, per the most recent FCC data.
Frontier home internet availability and coverage
Frontier Communications is one of the nation’s largest internet providers, available in 25 states from Connecticut to California. Fiber service is currently available in 15 states, with serviceability largely reserved to metro areas, but ongoing expansion could bring Frontier Fiber to more states and locations in the future.
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Fiber availability is expanding
Until recently, Frontier Fiber was reserved for parts of California, Florida, Indiana and Texas. Thanks to recent fiber-optic expansions, the service is now available in areas of 15 states and growing.
Though availability is still somewhat limited, Frontier has acknowledged the need for more significant fiber expansion and plans to extend service to more areas in the near future. “Frontier is targeting substantial fiber upgrades over the next several years to locations in and near Frontier’s footprint,” a spokesperson said.
What about Frontier’s DSL service?
With Frontier Internet — that’s the DSL service — customers have one plan option starting at $65 monthly for the fastest speeds available.
That’s typical for a DSL provider, but Frontier doesn’t advertise speeds for its DSL service at all, so there’s no telling what speeds you’ll get until you sign up. I can set your expectations a bit. Recent FCC data shows that virtually no service areas are eligible for broadband speeds of 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up.
If your address is only serviceable for DSL, you may want to also explore other rural internet alternatives such as Starlink or 5G home internet. I’m not saying Frontier’s DSL service in particular is bad. I wouldn’t recommend DSL internet from any provider.
How does Frontier internet compare?
As a DSL provider, Frontier may be a viable home internet option in rural areas. As a fiber internet provider, Frontier’s pricing and service terms are as good as any and better than most.
In all likelihood, you won’t have the option of other DSL or fiber providers in Frontier service areas. Competing internet providers of the same technology typically avoid offering internet to the same address. You will find cable internet providers such as Spectrum or Xfinity available in many of the same areas as Frontier.
Cable beats DSL, fiber beats cable
Cable internet providers that you’ll find in Frontier service areas include Mediacom, Optimum, Spectrum and Xfinity, among others. Compared with cable internet, Frontier Internet (DSL) is going to be slower and more expensive, especially considering the cost per Mbps.
Most cable internet providers offer gigabit download speeds whereas Frontier Internet will come nowhere close to that. While cable internet plans can reach $100 a month or higher, the speeds you get for the price are likely to be a much better value.
Cable internet versus Frontier Fiber is a coin toss, depending on which cable provider is in your area. For example, Frontier Fiber has pricing similar to Xfinity’s cable internet plans on comparable speed tiers — both providers offer gigabit service starting at or around $70 per month, for instance — but you’ll get faster upload speeds and unlimited data with Frontier Fiber.
Ultimately, if Frontier Fiber is available in your area, I’d recommend it over cable internet service, especially if you’re considering the higher 500Mbps or gigabit speed tiers. The pricing is likely to be on par with or lower than similar tiers from a cable provider, and the straightforward pricing and unlimited data give Frontier Fiber an advantage over most providers in general.
Frontier customer satisfaction is improving, slightly
Customer satisfaction scores are never pretty for cable and internet providers, but Frontier’s were downright ugly for a while.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked the provider last in 2019 and 2020 with scores of 55/100 in both years. In 2021, Frontier broke out of the bottom spot with a score of 57/100, edging out (former Altice brand) Suddenlink’s 55. In last year’s ACSI rankings, Frontier improved with a score of 61/100, passing CenturyLink, Mediacom and Optimum along the way. Frontier’s score was still below the industry average, but at least it has shown signs of improvement.
In the most recent ACSI report, scores were divided between fiber and non-fiber providers. Frontier Fiber still fell towards the bottom of the list at 74 — one point shy of the category average — but it’s worth noting that the score is drastically higher than the 61 Frontier received overall last year.
The good news stops there. As a “non-fiber provider” (read: Frontier Internet, the DSL service), Frontier again scored a 61. Again, that was below the category average and competing DSL providers including AT&T (72), Kinetic (70) and CenturyLink (62).
Recap of Frontier internet service
If you can overlook the low customer satisfaction ratings and slow DSL speeds, Frontier is worth considering, especially if fiber service is available. Frontier Fiber internet offers speeds and pricing comparable to or lower than many other top providers, and fiber’s fast upload speeds and reliability give it an edge over cable internet service.
Depending on the available speeds, Frontier’s DSL-based service could be the best internet option in rural areas where satellite is the only other way to connect. Reports of slow service may make you want to give satellite internet another look.
Frontier internet FAQs
What’s the best Frontier internet deal?
Starting at $45 per month, Frontier’s entry-level Fiber plan offers speeds up to 500Mbps — plenty of speed for streaming, gaming and browsing the web on multiple devices at once — and comes with unlimited data and no additional equipment costs. The fastest Frontier Fiber plan, Frontier 5 Gig, is arguably the best deal if you don’t mind paying $155 for internet each month. At around $0.03, the plan has the lowest cost per Mbps of any Frontier Fiber plan.
Is Frontier internet good for gaming?
A fiber connection like the one you get with Frontier Fiber is excellent for gaming. Not only are speeds fast enough to support intense gaming on multiple devices, but the low latency also makes for a smooth connection with less lagging.
How do I reset my Frontier router?
Keep in mind that fully resetting your router will likely return it to factory settings and potentially delete any custom settings. If you just want to reboot your Frontier router to remedy slowed speeds or a spotty connection, you can do so by unplugging the device and plugging it back in after 10 seconds. This will avoid a factory reset and help to save your custom settings.
If you’re certain you want to fully reset your Frontier router, locate the reset button on the back of the device and use a small instrument such as a paperclip to press and hold the button for 10 seconds.
