Best ISPs in Watertown, NY

What is the best ISP in Watertown?

Watertown isn’t the most well-equipped town when it comes to internet options, but you can still get access to solid speeds at reasonable prices. CNET’s top pick for the best ISP in Watertown is Spectrumwith two plans that include unlimited data, no contracts and widespread availability. Actually according to the latest Federal Communications Commission data, Spectrum offers the widest coverage reaching around 94% of households.

For those looking to save, Spectrum’s recently added $30 per month plan offers download speeds of 100Mbps, though prices typically go up after two years. To avoid price gouging, Verizon and T-Mobile you have plans between $50 and $60 per month, with even lower prices for eligible mobile customers. Finding alternatives to fast internet in Watertown can be difficult since Spectrum is the only provider in the area that offers gig speeds.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

What is the cheapest internet plan in Watertown?

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Watertown

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

Watertown ISPs like Spectrum and Verizon may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, like T-Mobile, however, have the same standard rates year-round.

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

Fastest internet plans in Watertown

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 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, 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 satisfy 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 Watertown

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. So what is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information, drawing on our own historical data from ISPs, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we’re looking at 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?

While the answer to these questions is often layered and complex, 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. (Disclosure: 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.

Watertown Internet Providers FAQ