Is CenturyLink worth it?
CenturyLink is worth it due to its focus on offering high-speed internet, phone services and TV. For the DSL services you have maximum speeds of up to 100Mbps and 940Mbps for the fiber internet plans. The company also offers a price for life data plan that ensures that you are locked in to that price for the entire time you use their services.
CenturyLink has its origin in the 1930s where it begun as a telecommunications company. The company is available in over 36 states. For its data plans you get connected to the fastest speeds in your area which is very cool when you are looking for high download/upload speeds.According to FCC data CenturyLink DSL service clocks a latency of 36 m/s. This may not be the best for gamers but works okay for residential households with mild internet needs.
Table of Contents
Why CenturyLink is worth it
Internet Plans
CenturyLink offers two main internet plans: CenturyLink Internet which is the DSL service and the Fiber Gigabit which is their fiber plan. You do not need long term contracts with the service plans as they are month-to-month. For customers this is nice as you do not have to worry about termination fees. If you are looking for a fast internet package then go with the fiber option. However, the DSL will slower is okay for most residential households with moderate browsing needs. According to the FCC data survey, CenturyLink clocks a latency of 36 m/s which is quite slow for gamers but totally okay for most households who need an internet service for mild internet use.
Plans |
Monthly Cost |
Connection
Type |
Download
Speed |
Upload
Speed |
Data
Cap |
Contract |
CenturyLink Internet |
Starts at $49 |
DSL |
100Mbps |
N/A |
1TB |
No |
Fiber Gigabit |
Starts at $65 |
Fiber |
940Mbps |
N/A |
No Cap |
No |
The DSL internet plan provides a maximum speed of 100Mbps. Their prices are one of the lowest in the market with price for life guarantee. What this means is that once you have signed up for a DSL plan the price you get remains the same all through the contract. This offer is only available for the DSL plan not the fiber. While the price for life offer is great the problem is you do not get to know which speed you are on.
How CenturyLink compares with competitors
Provider |
Monthly Price |
Download Speeds |
CenturyLink Internet |
$49 – $65 (applicable to new customers) |
15 – 940Mbps |
AT&T |
$35 – $60 (Applies for the first 12 months |
100 – 940Mbps |
Xfinity Internet |
$19.99 – $84.99 (applies for the first 12 months with some packages requiring 1 or 2 year contracts |
The best part about the CenturyLink DSL is that it hooks you up with the fastest download speeds in your area at the same price. You can surf at up to 100Mbps speeds. The data cap for the DSL data plans is capped at 1 TB but the fiber option is unlimited. While very few home owners will consume more than the 1 TB data cap if you are into heavy internet use you may want to switch to the fiber option plan.
Availability
CenturyLink scores big on offering low prices and is available in 36 states. These include Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Colorado, North Carolina among others. Those in states like California and New York will have to wait for them to be connected.
Contracts and equipment
One key benefit of getting into a CenturyLink data plan is that there are no contracts meaning you do not get charged/fined for early termination fees. However, note that if you opt out of the data plans for DSL you also have to say goodbye to the price for life guarantee. For the CenturyLink equipment you will need to pay a monthly rental fee of $9.99 to access their modems. The other option is to pay a one-time purchase fee of $99.99 for the modem. If you prefer to purchase your own equipment, CenturyLink has its own set of modems for purchase like Zyxel C3000Z, Zyxel C1100Z, Greenwave C4000LG, GreenwaveC4000XG and the Technicolor C1100T. When you are purchasing a router for your fiber ensure it will support speeds of up to 940Mbps.
CenturyLink is quite transparent when it comes to its service fees and you will not see them charging you for stuff out of the blues. You will get charged a one time fee of $59.99 for installation of your internet devices. The company does charge for promotional discounts for these installations so you may want to keep yourself updated if one crops up.
CenturyLink customer service does not do so well when put to the test by ASCI as it scores 63 out of 100. There have being complaints of the team not being as responsive as expected to challenges of some never showing up during installation. Other challenges with the customer service will include the internet being down for several days and it taking forever for it to be installed. If you want prompt responses from the company then you may want to try out their social media pages instead of calling and their live chat. The company is also quite responsive on email.
Conclusion
CenturyLink is worth it for those with large families and are in need of affordable internet services. The packages also work great for content creators who can take advantage of the companies 940mbps plan. This package is the most ideal for heavy gamers and people who stream a lot. The download and upload speeds are fast meaning you can work on various projects without experiencing speed problems.
FAQ
Is CenturyLink good for streaming?
Depending on the package you go for you should expect to get speeds of 80Mbps to 100Mbps which is quite good for moderate internet surfing. This is also sufficient for households with two or three persons.
How reliable is the ISPs company?
CenturyLink is quite reliable as you can do your streaming and downloading without much interruption. The company’s offering of the 940Mbps is what really makes a difference for streamers.
