Category: Review – Service

Buckeye’s prices start out low on most plans, but prices for the Starter, Essential, and Ultimate Plans double after all of the promotions expire.
The lowest tier plan, the Starter Internet Plan, costs $19.99 per month during the promotional period. You can even use your own modem (or rent one from Buckeye for $10 per month). Sounds like a great deal right? Well, it would be, except for the fact that the price goes up to $39.99 after that 6-month promo period. Plus, to get unlimited data, you incur an add-on cost of $30 per month for this plan.
While the Starter Internet Plan sounds like an ideal budget plan, if you need additional services, like modem rental and unlimited data, your monthly base costs can eventually reach as high as $79.99 (ouch!)
Let’s say you go with the Ultimate Internet Plan, which has an introductory price of $59.99. You can still use your own equipment and you even get unlimited data during the promo period with this plan, so there’s no tacked on fee there. However, after six months, your monthly base cost goes up to $79.99, and you have to pay for half of the cost of unlimited data.
But that’s only for months seven through twelve. After a year, you pay for the full cost of the plan, which is a whopping $119.99. The Essential plan has a similar structure: a 6-month promotional cost, followed by a higher cost for months seven through twelve, and then the full rates after a year.
Each plan has its own caveats. But the most straightforward of the plans is the Internet Supreme plan, which starts at $99.99 and goes up to $119.99 after three months. After the promo period, the regular price for this plan is $139.99. You can use your own equipment just like you can with the other plans.

Still have questions about Xfinity? Let’s see if we can help.

Does Comcast Xfinity offer COVID-19 relief?

Xfinity’s pledge to Keep Americans Connected officially ended on June 30, 2020. That means no more free unlimited data—but the ISP did permanently boost its data caps to 1.2 TB.
Additionally, Xfinity is continuing to offer a few resources that might help anyone still undergoing financial hardship due to COVID-19. These resources include:

Free Wi-Fi hotspot usage for anyone through the end of 2021
Two free months of Internet Essentials service for new customers, as long as you’re approved by June 30, 2021
Flexible payment options for customers whose income is affected by the coronavirus pandemic (be sure to chat with an Xfinity rep to let them know you may need a flexible payment plan)

What kind of modem does Xfinity use?

Almost always, Xfinity will give you an xFi Gateway modem and router combo if you choose to rent from it. There are various models of the xFi Gateway, and if you need to troubleshoot or get started setting yours up, we recommend checking out this xFi Gateway support page.
If you prefer to bring your own modem, you’ll need to make sure it’s a cable modem. And we’ve got Xfinity cable modem recommendations right here if you need help shopping.

Which router should I use with Xfinity?

We’re big fans of TP-Link and NETGEAR routers for our Xfinity internet service. You can see our specific Xfinity router recommendations in our guide.

How can I check my speed with Xfinity?

Our internet speed test will tell you your download and upload speeds and how much latency you experience.

Are Comcast and Xfinity the same thing?

Pretty much. “Comcast” and “Xfinity” are often used interchangeably, but Xfinity is specific to Comcast’s cable TV, internet, voice, mobile, and home security services.

What is Xfinity Blast! Pro and is it good for gaming?

The Blast! plan (formerly known as Blast! Pro Plus is available in all regions and offers 400 Mbps download speeds.
Those speeds should cover you no matter how hectic a battle you get into. Want to see how other ISPs compare when it comes to MMOs or FPS games? Check out our Best Internet for Gaming review.

Does Xfinity have bundles?

A perk to Xfinity is that it offers multiple services you can bundle together: internet, TV, home security, and mobile. Bundling is a great way to save money each month, and you may also find bundle-specific Xfinity discounts.
But aside from cable TV, Xfinity’s other home services might be a bust. Here’s what our fellow experts had to say about other Xfinity services:
Xfinity cable TV: “Xfinity might have a lot of fees, but at least you won’t be disappointed by Xfinity’s service. This cable TV company is reliable, widely available, and you’ll get most, if not all, of the channels you and your family want.” —Chantel Buchi, TV and streaming expert
Xfinity Home security system: “Xfinity Home’s prices are hard to pin down, most of the equipment lags behind other brands, and its customer service (through Comcast) may be the worst we’ve ever encountered.” —Brianne Sandorf, home security expert
Xfinity Mobile: “A solid, cheap [option] for those already in the Xfinity universe, though you have to deal with data throttling, slowdowns, and poor video streaming quality.” —Easton Smith, mobile expert

Does Xfinity have Wi-Fi hotspots?

Another major benefit Xfinity customers enjoy is thousands of wireless hotspots across the US. And if you’ve got Xfinity Mobile or a Performance internet plan or faster, you get Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspot access for free.
This is a huge boon if you’re on vacation and can’t find a Starbucks to siphon wireless internet off of. Not to mention access to all those Wi-Fi hotspots is a lifesaver if your home internet goes down and you’ve got an assignment due the next morning.
You can access the wireless hotspots through the Xfinity Wi-Fi app, which uses your Xfinity username and password.

Can I get Xfinity internet only? How much does it cost?

Yes, you can get Xfinity internet without TV or other services. The cost for just Xfinity internet depends on where you live, but in general the price ranges from $29.99–$79.99 a month in the Northeast, $19.99–$70.00 a month in the West, and $25.00–$70.00 a month in the Central US.

Does Xfinity offer student internet packages?

Xfinity doesn’t offer a specific student internet package, but it does regularly offer student discounts.
Comcast also offers a low-cost internet plan called Internet Essentials, which costs $9.95 a month for 50 Mbps speeds. Families with students may qualify for this plan if someone in your household is enrolled in a program like the National School Lunch Program.

Is Xfinity internet unlimited?

No, sadly Xfinity internet doesn’t come with unlimited data. Instead, your data is capped at 1.2 TB each month with options to buy more data if you need it.

How can I get $10 a month internet?

Comcast Xfinity offers internet for about $10 a month with its Internet Essentials plan. The cost is $9.95 a month, and you get 50 Mbps download speeds. To get it, you’ll need to meet eligibility requirements, such as the following:

You or someone in your household is enrolled in housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, the National School Lunch Program, or others
You haven’t had Xfinity internet within the last 90 days

P.S. If you owe money on a past Xfinity internet bill, you may still qualify.

How fast is Comcast $10 internet?

Comcast’s $10 (technically $9.95 a month) Internet Essentials plan gets you 50 Mbps download speeds.

How can I get unlimited internet for free?

There are quite a few ways to get free internet, but you may or may not run into data caps along the way. We don’t know of any truly free internet plan with unlimited data though.

Google Fiber prices and plans

Google Fiber prices are excellent for the speeds you get.

Google Fiber has two types of plans: Fiber and Webpass. Fiber operates like most other internet service providers (ISPs): It hooks up individual residences to the internet.
And recently, Google Fiber introduced a second fiber internet plan with speeds up to 2,000 Mbps. Both its 1 gig and 2 gig plans are priced reasonably compared to the competition and come with unlimited data. And both plans offer enough speed for a large family, home full of roommates, or even a small business.

Webpass is unique because it’s available only in certain apartment and office buildings located in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Nashville, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.
But the Webpass service is pretty straightforward, even though your price and download speeds depend on where you live.

Data effective 8/12/2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.Terms and Conditions: Plus taxes and fees. Service not available in all areas. If you live in an apartment or condo, Google Fiber’s ability to construct and provide Fiber is subject to the continued agreement between Google Fiber and the property owner. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc

For example, some Webpass cities offer a discounted price if you pay for a year in advance—in one case we found that equaled out to a $700 payment up-front. But if you don’t have that much cash on hand, you can still opt for the up to $70.00 month-to-month payment plan.
We even found an apartment building in San Francisco where Google Fiber Webpass was included as an amenity, meaning you’d pay nothing for gigabit speeds if you lived there. (Though you’d still pay those sky-high San Francisco real estate prices.)
Webpass speeds also depend on your building’s infrastructure. So you may get speeds slower than 1,000 Mbps—but Google plays fair by discounting your monthly cost if your building can’t support gig speeds.
We saw this fair play at work at another apartment building in San Francisco where the fastest speed was 500 Mbps. Because that’s slower than the max Google Fiber Webpass speed of 1,000 Mbps, the monthly cost was discounted to $60.00 a month.
You’ll need to check your specific address to find out which payment plans and speeds are available to you.

Is Google Fiber internet cheap?

If you know you don’t need gigabit speeds, you may want to check out other ISPs with slower and cheaper internet plans, like Xfinity or CenturyLink.

But we should mention that Google’s Fiber 1000 plan is one of the cheaper gigabit-speed plan available in the United States, putting it alongside big names such as Verizon Fios Home Internet and AT&T Fiber.

Where is Google Fiber and Google Fiber Webpass available?

You can get Google Fiber if you live in one of these major US cities or metro areas:

Huntsville, AL
Orange County, CA
Atlanta, GA
West Des Moines, IA (coming soon)
Kansas City, KS and MO
Charlotte and The Triangle, NC
Nashville, TN
Austin and San Antonio, TX
Provo and Salt Lake City, UT

Google Fiber Webpass is also available these cities:

Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco, CA
Denver, CO
Chicago, IL
Miami, FL
Nashville, TN
Austin, TX
Seattle, WA