Optimum Internet Prices: What You Should be Paying for WiFi

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Optimum internet is available to 12 million people spreading throughout the greater NYC area, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. But do they have hidden costs behind their Wi-Fi prices? Are they worth it? In this article we review what you should be paying for Wi-Fi and examine the different Optimum internet prices.

Pros and Cons of Optimum Internet

Pros	Cons
Optimum requires no contracts so you don’t have to worry about early termination fees	Optimum markets what is called their introductory prices but these prices are only available to new customers former customers who haven’t used Optimum for at least 30 days which can be misleading
Purportedly Optimum gives you unlimited data which makes it great for streaming and gaming	There are a lot of fees and surcharges that are not made clear and these can increase at any time so while you don’t need a contract, that also means your cost can go up month to month
They are ranked third for customer satisfaction among internet providers	They charge you an additional rental fee for the modem
They give you an opportunity to use the Price for Life option which keeps your price the same for life

Optimum Internet Cost Per Plan

The Wi-Fi prices are marketed as follows for the three different plans:

Package	Starting Price	Maximum download speed	Maximum upload speed
Optimum 300	$40 per month	300 Mbps	35 Mbps
Optimum 500	$60 per month	500 Mbps	35 Mbps
Optimum 1G	$65 per month	940 Mbps	50 Mbps

However, this pricing does not include taxes or additional fees. The fine print for Optimum also makes it clear that the pricing varies based on your location and availability.

What most customers don’t realize is the fine print also states that these prices can change at any time. This is the one downside to having no contract; at any time Optimum can increase the prices without warning.

Other issues customers have with Optimum internet is that the speeds aren’t guaranteed either. You might pay extra for maximum download speeds and upload speeds, but what you actually get especially during peak hours is not guaranteed which teams to somewhat defeat the purpose of paying for high-speed internet.

Is the low cost high internet speed worth it?

The starting plan is best for a household with multiple devices, especially houses that like to play games on their computer or stream. One of the odd things about the different plans is that Optimum only allows you to register a set number of devices using that internet.

The Optimum 300 plan for example can register up to 15 devices while the Optimum 500 can register up to 20 devices and the Optimum 1-gig can register up to 25 devices but you can’t have more than that. This is not a common limitation among internet providers and if you have lots of family over for a holiday who are all trying to use your internet, it might prove cumbersome.

The company also advertises that you can lock in your price for life, but the fine print stipulates this only applies to the most expensive plan. With this plan you can use the price for Life promotion and presumably use the service for the rest of your life without the prices going up. If you use the Optimum 500 plan you can lock in your price for 2 years. But if you have the lowest cost high internet speed, the Optimum 300 plan, there is no guarantee on the price so it can go up without warning.

Is There a Hidden Wifi Cost?

There are two extra fees that they don’t make very clear when you first sign up.

The first is for your equipment. You can choose to buy or rent a router and modem from Optimum. If you rent the modem they give you the Wi-Fi router for free, purportedly. The rental fee is $10 each month and if you want a Wi-Fi extender for your home that increases the cost of the rental fee.

If you choose to bundle your services, you also have an extra $20 fee every month for your television equipment.

While you can buy your own modem it’s up to you to make sure it’s compatible with Optimum internet services and they will not give you customer support for that modem.

The second hidden fee pertains to installation. Standard installation is $99 but if you order online, they waive this fee. However, it only covers the installation of a coaxial cable, the setup of one of your devices wirelessly, and two outlets. There’s no option for you to circumvent this by installing it yourself. The only alternative is the premium installation which, if you need that, you cannot waive by ordering online.

Does Optimum have unlimited internet with no upfront cost?

Technically Optimum does have unlimited internet, in the sense that they offer unlimited data in some of their plans. But, the upfront costs can take the form of installation fees and the purchase of equipment.

How does Optimum internet cost compare to other providers?

Provider	Starting price	Internet speeds	Data cap	Contract
Optimum internet	$40 per month	300-940 Mbps	None	None
Cox internet	$29.99 per month	10-1000 Mbps	1TB	1 year
Spectrum internet	$49.99 per month	60-940 Mbps	None	None
Verizon FiOS Internet	$39.99 for months	200-940 Mbps	None	None
Xfinity Internet	$29.99 per month	15-2,000 Mbps	1TB	Contingent upon the plan

Problem with your Optimum internet cost?

If you signed up for low cost internet with Optimum, but there was a problem with your service, your speeds weren’t what you paid for, or there were hidden fees behind your plan, we can help.

At Fairshake, we can help you get a resolution to your problem with Optimum quickly and easily.