The best internet providers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

What is the best internet provider in Harrisburg?

Verizon Fios is our pick for the best internet provider in Harrisburg because it offers a fast and symmetrical download and upload speed. It is essential for homes with a lot of games and video conferencing. The Internet provider gives you a price guarantee for two to four years, depending on your chosen plan. If you need higher download speeds, Xfinity is the fastest internet provider in Harrisburgwith a 1,200Mbps plan available in the city. That said, their upload speeds are much slower than Verizon, and prices increase significantly after promotions expire. T-Mobile Home Internet is another affordable option in the area that is ideal for smaller families, and they will never raise the price for when you are a customer.

The best internet in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other Internet providers available in Harrisburg

• Satellite Internet: Satellite internet is always an option – it’s just not something I’d recommend unless you live in a rural area with no other internet options. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional choices; both have high prices, low data allowances, and slower speeds. Starlink it provides faster speeds — up to 220 Mbps — but requires a $249 upfront equipment purchase and costs $90 a month later.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon offers two different Internet products in Harrisburg. Like T-Mobile, Verizon’s 5G Home Internet service uses its cellular network to deliver wireless Internet to your home. There are no data caps or contracts, but wireless connections are generally less reliable than wired ones. Still, it’s a solid alternative to T-Mobile and offers speeds up to 250 Mbps at some addresses.

Cheap internet options in Harrisburg

The cheapest internet plans in Harrisburg come from Xfinity, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. Every provider offers plans at $50 a month or less, but that’s a bit tricky with Xfinity. Its Connect More plan begins at $30 monthly, but you’ll pay $40 in year two and $93 in year three. The extra Xfinity gigabit plan increases to $85 in year two and $123 in year three.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How to find Internet deals and promotions in Harrisburg

The best deals on the Internet and the best promotions in Harrisburg depend on what discounts are available at that time. Most offers are short-lived, but we often look for the latest offers.

Harrisburg Internet providers like Xfinity may offer a lower introductory price or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Verizon Fios and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard annual price.

For a more extensive list of offers, check out our guide on the best deals on the internet.

How much is Harrisburg broadband?

According to FCC data100% of Harrisburg residents have access to 250/25Mbps speeds – higher than Pennsylvania (91.6%) and the United States. (90.4%). Four gig speed plans are available in Harrisburg, which is on par with nearby Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Source: CNET analysis of provider 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 accommodate video conferencing, video streaming or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here is an overview of the minimum recommended download speed for different applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines – and that Internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed do you really need

• From 0 to 5 Mbps lets you tackle the basics – surfing the Internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you superior video streaming and video conferencing.
• From 40 to 100 Mbps should give a person enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one to two people to engage in high bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming. simultaneously.
• 500 to 1,000 Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming simultaneously.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Harrisburg

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latter smartphones, laptop, router o kitchen toolit is impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what is our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability, and speed information that draws from our ISP historical data, partner data, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov .

This guide uses an internal artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific Internet service providers that our writers can use to determine and present our choices for a given guide. Check it out CNET’s AI policy for more information on how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.

Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC website to check the primary data for ourselves and be sure to consider every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options available to residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate as of the time of our pre-publication fact-check.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to a reasonably fast internet speed?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to selecting the cheapest Internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts Choosing the fastest Internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and also take into account 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, you can visit our How we test ISPs page

What is the latest word on internet providers in Harrisburg?

Harrisburg has fewer Internet options than other cities of its size, but you can’t go wrong with what it does have. Verizon Fios is one of the best providers anywhere in the country, and it’s an easy choice if you live in the middle of town where you can get it. If not, Xfinity is a decent backup option – just be prepared for the annual price increase. If your home doesn’t use multiple devices at once, T-Mobile Home Internet provides excellent value and won’t raise your price as long as you’re a customer.

Internet Providers in Harrisburg FAQs