Best ISPs in Butler, Ohio

What is the best ISP in Butler, Ohio?

Spectrum is CNET’s top pick for Best ISP in Butler. It tops our list because it offers the fastest and cheapest plans in town. It’s also affordable to nine out of 10 homes, making it an easy choice for most residents. However, Spectrum has one huge drawback: prices increase by $30 per month after the first year.

If this makes you want a Spectrum alternative, T-Mobile Home Internet is the best fixed wireless Internet provider in Butler. It doesn’t have the same kind of availability as Spectrum, but it has affordable plans and speeds that should be enough for most households.

Starlink is the best rural ISP in Butlerbut it comes at a premium. Monthly rates start at $120, and you’ll need to pay an additional $349 upfront for the satellite dish. Some addresses also have a one-time $100 congestion charge.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Butler

The best internet deals and the best promotions in Butler depend on what discounts are available during a given time period. Most deals are short-lived, but we’re often on the lookout for the latest deals.

Butler ISPs like Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Internet may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including Starlink, have the same standard fares throughout the year.

For a more extensive list of promotions, see our guide to the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

What is 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 include video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more stable connection. Here’s an overview of recommended minimum download speeds for different apps, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only and that internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you really need?.

• 0 to 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide a single user with enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one or two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1000 Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET chose the best ISPs in Butler

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest ones smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information using our own historical data from ISPs, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t stop there: we go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we account for every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer relatively fast internet access?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answer to these questions is often layered and complex, but the vendors that come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Butler FAQ