Spectrum does not enforce a hard data cap on its residential, fiber, and business internet services. The mobile plans have a 5.0, 20, and 30 gigabytes (GB) soft data cap. I’ll provide details in this guide.
As an internet enthusiast, data caps matter most when choosing internet or mobile plans. I compiled information to tell us whether their services enforce data caps.
As you read on, you’ll find the following information:
- Whether Spectrum has a data cap
- Does Spectrum throttle
- Internet packages & speeds
- Spectrum mobile’s soft data cap
- How to reach Spectrum customer support
- How Spectrum’s data cap enforcement compares to competitors
Read on and learn more.
Does Spectrum Internet Have a Data Cap?
Charter Spectrum doesn’t have a hard data cap on any of their internet packages.
With no data cap, your household can use an unlimited amount of data without paying data overage fees. Many providers will have around a 1.0 terabyte (TB) data cap. And once you pass it, you’ll have to pay “X” dollars per “X” additional gigabytes you use.
Are you a business? Review these next sections.
Spectrum Fiber Data Cap
Spectrum Enterprise fiber optic internet plans do not have a data cap.
New Spectrum Enterprise customers should call 877-794-1376 to get started. For now, let’s talk about data caps for the little guys. Small businesses.
Spectrum Business Data Cap
Business Internet plans provided by Spectrum do not come with a data cap. Employees, small business owners, and contractors can use data to their heart’s content.
Homes and businesses MAY encounter an issue, though. Let’s see whether the following is a concern.
Spectrum Throttling Policy: Does Spectrum Throttle Internet?
Spectrum does not throttle home or business internet speeds. You should not have slower internet speeds at peak usage hours.
For instance, you shouldn’t have sluggish internet speeds when everyone’s getting off work.
Here’s an image to save you from having to visit their page [1]:
If you’re suffering from low internet speeds, what could cause your issue, then? Read on to find out.
Ways To Speed up Spectrum Internet
The quickest way to get the most significant speed improvements is to plug a device into your Wi-Fi router with an Ethernet cable. It’s not susceptible to wireless signal interference or physical object obstacles.
Test your internet speeds with your device plugged in as well. To get the most accurate results.
Before proceeding with these other steps, test your internet speeds with the Ethernet cable plugged in. Speaking of accuracy, use Spectrum’s internet speed test tool. You’re using their servers.
Thus, you should have the best results.
Do your tested speeds match the maximum supported speeds of your plan?
If not, read a guide we wrote on troubleshooting slow Spectrum speeds.
Before you go, I want to cover a couple of additional tips.
Exit out of or disable software that’s running in the background. Say you have automatic updates enabled on World of Warcraft. It’ll likely download patch updates in the background if it’s Tuesday. Thus, sucking data out of your bandwidth.
Go into app settings and disable automatic updates or background syncing. Where you’ll find these settings will vary by app, game, or software.
Speaking of software, let’s talk about virtual private networks (VPNs). They can slow your internet speeds by 10–20% [2]. The amount of lowered speed depends on the server and encryption you selected.
If a VPN isn’t mandatory, turn it off. Can’t disable it? You’ll need to tinker with your server and encryption settings.
Test your internet speeds on a wired connection after each setting adjustment you test. Using a quicker encryption method may result in a less secure connection.
Keep that in mind.
When you tested your internet speeds, you may have seen you’re getting advertised speeds. If that’s not enough, it’s time to upgrade. Check out your options.
Spectrum Internet Speeds, Plans, & Prices
Charter Spectrum home internet plans you can upgrade to include [3]:
| Tier | New Customer Price | Max. Speed (DL/UL) | Best For |
| Internet | $49.99/mo. | 300/10 Mbps | Online gaming & video streaming |
| Internet Ultra | $69.99/mo. | 500/20 Mbps | 4K video streaming & cloud gaming |
| Internet Gig | $89.99/mo. | 1,000/35 Mbps | Frequent large file downloads & remote work |
Other than having no data cap, other tidbits for these plans include:
- Contract-free: no cancellation fees
- Hundreds of thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots
- Free antivirus software
- It gives you access to Spectrum Mobile
The antivirus doesn’t provide anything of value. It’s only downloadable on Windows OS. Yet I can’t find any features that make it more viable than Windows Defender.
Spectrum internet customers will gain access to a low-cost mobile provider, Spectrum Mobile. They use Verizon cellular towers, which means you’ll have excellent 4G LTE coverage. The soft data caps aren’t the best for most cases, though.
I’ll emphasize in a bit.
Before doing so, the free Wi-Fi hotspots will help conserve what you contribute toward the soft data caps.
Here’s an example of when it’s useful.
You’re at a coffee shop waiting for a date, yet the café has no Wi-Fi. However, there’s a new episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+. And you want to watch it while waiting for them to arrive.
To prevent wasting data, log in to a Spectrum access point.
It’ll give you access to unlimited data at a decent speed. The download and upload rates will vary by location. I will talk about these hotspots more in a separate guide.
You should check out Spectrum’s internet router for now.
Spectrum Internet Wireless Router Overview
Spectrum offers a 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) router that’s $5.00 per month. The only notable feature it includes is the ability to manage who’s on your wireless network. Otherwise, it’s useful if you’re not tech savvy.
Or if you want Spectrum customer support for your router.
I recommend using a third-party wireless router or network gateway. You’ll save money over time. And you could use these with any internet service provider.
Does Spectrum Mobile Have a Data Cap?
Every Spectrum Mobile plan has a soft data cap. Once you use “X” gigabytes (GB) of mobile data, you won’t even have enough internet speeds to stream 480p SD.
It requires 1.1 Mbps for a buffer-free stream [4].
What are Spectrum Mobile’s normal data speeds?.
Their normal 5G speeds range from 5.0–450 Mbps (download) and 2.0–50 Mbps (upload) [5]. 4G LTE speeds are 5.0–12 (DL) and 2.0–5.0 Mbps (UL).
Compare those speeds to the following table:
| Tier | Soft Data Cap | Max. Speed After Exceeding Cap | Price |
| Unlimited | 30 GB per Line | 1.0 Mbps (DL) 512 Kbps (UL) | $29.99/mo. per Line |
| Unlimited Plus | 20 GB per Line | 1.0 Mbps (DL) 512 Kbps (UL) | $39.99/mo. per Line |
| By The Gig | 5 GB per Line | 256 Kbps (DL & UL) | $14 per GB |
The difference between Unlimited and Unlimited Plus lies in the soft data cap.
You’ll get 10 more gigabytes for an extra $10 monthly for the $39.99 plan. Unlimited Plus is useful if you want to stream an additional 14 hours of 480p SD content [6].
Like most cellular providers, Spectrum Mobile doesn’t offer much wiggle room with their soft data cap. I recommend only using your mobile data for the following:
- Online mobile gaming
- Browsing social media (not long- or short-form video)
- Googling stuff
- Checking emails
To use these services and apps for longer, use ad blockers.
For now, let’s see how you can contact Spectrum’s customer service.
How Do I Contact Spectrum Internet Customer Service?
Here are phone numbers to contact different Spectrum customer service areas:
- Existing internet, TV, and landline customers: 833-267-6094
- New customers: 855-366-7132
- New & existing Mobile customers: 833-224-6603
- Current business internet customers: 844-493-4458
- New business internet customers: 855-750-5002
Charter Spectrum has additional ways to reach their customer support. I listed those in a separate guide. Check it out.
For now, let’s compare other providers and their data caps.
Other Internet Providers That Don’t Have a Data Cap
Before considering other internet service providers, look at their data caps:
| Provider & Plan | Data Cap |
| Spectrum Fiber/Cable Hybrid | None |
| Cox Cable Internet | 1.25 TB |
| Xfinity Cable/Fiber Hybrid Internet | 1.20 TB |
| Frontier Fiber Internet | None |
| Viasat Satellite Internet | 12–150 GB |
| Astound Fiber/Cable Hybrid Internet | 300–1,000 GB |
Internet service provider data caps compared.
Frontier and Spectrum offer the best value since they have no data cap and offer decent plans. However, those in rural areas may only have access to satellite internet.
At that point, you’re limited.
Think you’re safe from data caps by going with Starlink? They added a 1.0 terabyte (TB) data cap during peak hours [7]. It bests Viasat in speed, but still not ideal.
Xfinity locks their unlimited data usage behind “paywalls.” Either pay $25 monthly for their network gateway rental. Or $30 a month for an add-on.
Cox doesn’t offer any ways to disable the data cap.
Data caps won’t have too much of an impact on your household’s internet usage. So long as you don’t download files, stream 4K video or use cloud gaming services. Those services could burn through your data cap in a week.
In almost all scenarios, I recommend choosing providers without these caps.
FAQs: Charter Spectrum Data Cap
Read on to find frequently asked questions about Spectrum’s hard and soft data caps.
How To Limit Bandwidth on Spectrum Router?
Log into your Spectrum router, click “Wireless Settings,” find ‘QoS’ settings, set your rules, and reset your router.
How Slow Is Spectrum Mobile After 20 GB?
Once you use 20 gigabytes (GB) of data on Spectrum Mobile Unlimited, you’ll have internet speeds of 1.0 Mbps and 512 Kbps (DL/UL).
Wrapping Up
Charter Spectrum doesn’t enforce a hard data cap on their home or business services. Their cellular plans have soft data caps that’ll lower your speeds after using a number of gigabytes.
Without these caps, you won’t need to worry about downloading large files. Or streaming 4K video.
I suggest learning more about Spectrum Internet and Mobile services. Check out an overview I wrote.
