Windstream Review 2024: Internet, TV, Plans, & Price

I want to find an internet service provider who offers the most value. I’ve compiled all available information to see whether Windstream can take this crown.

Throughout this guide, I’ll cover these points:

• Pros & cons
• Home internet packages
• Business internet plans
• TV service
• VoIP service
• Home security
• Availability
• Bundles
• Deals
• How to get started
• How it does against the competition

Let’s begin.

Windstream Pros & Cons

Wins and losses for Windstream’s internet products are as follows:

Pros:

• No data cap
• Affordable for the first year
• No contract
• Symmetric speeds for most of their fiber plans

Cons:

• Not transparent pricing
• VoIP doesn’t offer noteworthy features
• Not much internet coverage
• Not the best customer service rating

Why didn’t I cover their voice or “TV” products? Because they don’t have television plans. Windstream act as salespersons for YouTube and AT&T’s live TV streaming services.

And their voice product is a typical voice over internet protocol (VoIP) product with nothing special.

Windstream Kinetic Internet Plans, Pricing, & Features

Here are Windstream’s residential internet plans:

Tier	* Starting Price	Standard Price	‡ Max. Speed (DL & UL)	Best For
Kinetic Internet	$39.99/mo.	† $55–$85	100 Mbps	Homes with <3 people
Kinetic Fiber	$39.99/mo.	$54.99/mo.	500 Mbps	Homes with >4 people
Kinetic Fiber Gig	$69.99/mo.	$84.99/mo.	1,000 Mbps (DL) 35 Mbps (UL)	Constant file downloads
Kinetic 2 Gig	$169.99/mo.	NA	2,000 Mbps	Home server management

* Does not include taxes and other fees. These will vary by region. Pricing already accounts for discounts when enabling automatic payments.

† Actual internet speed will vary by connectivity method (e.g., Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet) among other factors.

‡ This price is an estimate. I couldn’t find any numbers stating the standard pricing for their DSL plan.

Important tidbits include:

• No contracts
• No data caps
• Plan prices increase by $15 after 12 months
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Let’s talk about internet speed. Before considering a DSL plan, understand the weaknesses of digital service line (DSL).

It’s attenuation. The further you are from Windstream’s Digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), the higher the latency and lower speeds you’ll get.

A DSLAM is your ISP’s network device that connects multiple homes to their network center.

In most cases, you won’t know where Windstream’s DSLAM resides. You may get much slower than 100 Mbps speeds. And can lead to unpredictable results when trying to do stuff online.

Like buffering when streaming video. Or lag when gaming and video chatting.

Plus, the pricing is the same as their fiber 500 Mbps plan. If you can’t get fiber in your area, but can get DSL, consider another ISP.

500 Mbps fiber connections will accommodate most homes’ internet needs. Someone decides to download or back up files from cloud services. Then you may want to upgrade to the 1.0 or 2.0 Gbps plans.

I couldn’t find much information on their 2.0 Gig plan. And research suggests it’s only available in a few areas. Though, I couldn’t find said areas.

Windstream Data Cap

Windstream does not enforce a data cap on any of their internet plans. No need to worry about incurring data overage surcharges.

Windstream Internet Hidden Fees

Additional fees and add-ons for Windstream include [1]:

Equipment	Fee
Kinetic Secure	$14.99/mo.
Activation fee	$60
Professional installation	$35
Phone Jack Installation	$65

The activation fee applies to fiber optic internet packages.

Kinetic Secure is anti-malware software that also includes 24/7 remote support. And parental controls. The antivirus and parental controls aren’t appealing. There’s a lot of free antivirus software. And many routers include parental controls.

But the technical support could prove helpful for those who aren’t the most tech-savvy.

Here’s what your shopping cart will look like if you choose a Windstream fiber plan:

I’ll cover the equipment fees now.

Windstream Internet Equipment

Windstream fiber optic packages don’t use a modem, unlike their DSL plans. They use an optical network terminal (ONT). It’s a fiber modem that converts light signals into digital ones.

ONTs don’t require a monthly fee. But they’re partially the culprits for high installation fees. 

Here are all the fees for their equipment:

Equipment	Fee
Gateway rental	$8.99/mo.
Unreturned Equipment Fee	$100
Indoor/Outdoor Camera	$30
Motion Sensor	$30
Video Doorbell	$120
Yard Sign	$10

Get your own router (for fiber) or modem/gateway for DSL plans to remove the hardware rental fee. Since fiber plans use optical network terminals (ONT), you won’t need a modem. But DSL plans require you to purchase Windstream-compatible devices.

We’ve reviewed and listed compatible modems and gateways in a separate piece. Use it to help with your research.

It doesn’t matter what router you choose. So long as it supports your Windstream plan’s speeds. Say you choose the 1,000 Mbps plan. Ensure the device supports WIRELESS speeds up to 1,000 Mbps.

Sometimes shops say their devices can support “X” Mbps, but they mean it for wired speeds. You’ll achieve these maximum speeds if you connect a device to your router via an Ethernet cable.

If you’re renting a Windstream Kinetic router or modem, ensure you return when you cancel your service. Otherwise, you’ll incur an unreturned equipment fee. It’s the easiest fee on this list to avoid.

Windstream Business Internet Plans Packages

Windstream Kinetic offers the following business products:

† Tier	* Starting Price	Price w/ Business Phone	Best For
25 Mbps	$64.99/mo.	$84.99/mo.	Checking emails
50 Mbps	$64.99/mo.	$84.99/mo.	1–2-person offices
100 Mbps	$64.99/mo.	$84.99/mo.	Restaurants without free Wi-Fi
200 Mbps	$64.99/mo.	$84.99/mo.	2–5-person offices
400 Mbps	114.99/mo.	$134.99/mo.	Restaurants with free Wi-Fi
1 Gig	$163.99/mo.	$183.99/mo.	Cloud file management

* Does not include taxes and other fees. These will vary by region. Pricing already accounts for discounts when enabling automatic payments.

† Actual internet speed will vary by connectivity method (e.g., Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet) among other factors.

You’ll need to pay a $10 a month fee to rent their router. Despite trying to sell a product, Windstream sure doesn’t like to provide information to convince me to get it. They require you to call for a quote on almost every product or add-on.

The time it takes to deal with their customer service alone makes me want to recommend almost any other business internet plan. However, I do love the backup LTE internet.

Regarding speeds.

They don’t give you much to work with. Restaurants, clinics, and small offices could work with these speeds for tasks like checking emails, managing security cameras, and POS systems. But not file management.

The maximum 1.0 Gbps speeds will throttle your company’s productivity when it comes to backing up files. In that case, you’d have to go with Windstream Enterprise. And they don’t specify speeds they support.

Most ISPs at least say, “our enterprise product supports up to “X” Gbps speeds.”

Anyway:

Windstream Kinetic Business internet offers these add-ons:

Add-on	Price	Purpose
LTE Backup Internet	$39.99/mo.	Provides internet connection during internet outage
Internet Security	$4.99/mo.	Anti-malware suite through McAfee
OfficeSuite UC	$19.95/mo.	Cloud-based communications platform
SD-WAN	Requires you to call	Bandwidth optimization & network analytics
Managed Router	Requires you to call	Ongoing maintenance & repair
Managed Network Security	Requires you to call	Threat-management
Wi-Fi & LAN Management	Requires you to call	Micromanage guest Wi-Fi
Static IP Address	Requires you to call	Easier management of servers & other networking equipment

I couldn’t find any pricing pages. This is the most information I can provide regarding their add-ons.

Windstream TV Packages & Channel Guide

Windstream doesn’t have television packages. They act as a middleman for live TV streaming services like DirecTV Stream and YouTube TV.

YouTube TV is better for homes with 3 or fewer people who want unlimited cloud DVR storage free. DirecTV Stream charges an additional $10 monthly for 20 hours of cloud DVR storage.

However, it’ll provide more value for homes with more than 4 people. Because YouTube only supports simultaneous streams on up to 3 devices. DirecTV Stream supports unlimited devices.

These plans require internet bandwidth to work.

DirecTV Stream demands 8.0 Mbps of downstream bandwidth per device [2]. YouTube TV needs at least 3.0 Mbps [3].

YouTube TV’s Base Plan is $64.99 a month. And their Spanish-language package is $34.99 monthly. Go with the Base Plan now, and you’ll get a $10 monthly discount the first 3 months. And a $10 a month discount the first 6 months with their Spanish Plan.

Here are the DirecTV Stream packages:

Package	Price	Channels
Entertainment	$69.99/mo.	65+
Choice	$89.99/mo.	90+
Ultimate	$104.99/mo.	130+
Premier	$149.99/mo.	140+

No matter the package, you’ll get STARZ, EPIX, Cinemax, and SHOWTIME free for 3 months. Perfect for testing whether your household would actually watch these channels.

Speaking of additional channels:

YouTube TV sells channel packages as add-ons. For instance, sports networks, premium channels, and other random networks. And DirecTV Stream sells individual channels and packages.

Windstream Tv Channel Lineup

Windstream doesn’t have their own cable, satellite TV, or live TV streaming products. They instead refer customers to YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.

I’ll cover channel lineups of these services to help you figure out whether DirecTV Stream and YouTube TV are worth getting.

YouTube TV Channel Lineup

Channels included with YouTube TV’s Base Plan are [4]:

Local news networks	Univision	UniMas	CW11	Telemundo
BTN	CBS Sports Network	ESPN	ESPN2	ACC Network
ESPNews	SEC Network	ESPNU	FS1	FS2
Galavision	Golf Channel	MLB Network	NBA TV	NFL Network
TUDN	KUNS	ABC News Live	BBC America	BBC World News
CNBC	CNN	Cheddar News	FOX Business	FOX News
HLN	LiveNOW from FOX	Local Now	MSNBC	NBC News NOW
TYT Network	AMC	BET	BET Her	Bravo
CMT	Comedy Central	Comet TV	Cozi	Dabi
Discovery Channel	E!	FOX SOUL	FXM	FX
FXX	Food Network	Galavision	HGTV	HSN
Hallmark Drama	Hallmark Channel	Hallmark Movies & Mysteries	IFC	ID
MTV	MTV CLassic	MTV2	MotorTrend	Nat Geo Wild
National Geographic	NewsNation	OWN	Oxygen True Crime	Pop
paramount	QVC	SYFY	Start TV	SundanceTV
TBC	Turner Classic Movies	TLC	TNT	TV Land
Tastemade	Travel Channel	USA	VH1	WE tv
TruTV	Animal Planet	Cartoon Network	Disney Junior	Disney XD
Disney Channel	Freeform	Nick Jr.	Nickelodeon	Nicktoons
PBS Kids	Smithsonian Channel	TeenNick	Universal Kids

YouTube TV Base Plan channel lineup.

DirecTV Stream Channel Lineup

Here are the channels included in DirecTV Stream’s packages:

Channel	Entertainment	Choice	Ultimate	Premier
A&E	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ACCN HD		⬤	⬤	⬤
AccuWeather	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ActionMAX				⬤
AMC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
American Heroes Channel			⬤	⬤
Animal Planet	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Aspire			⬤	⬤
AXS TV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
BabyFirst HD	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
BBC America	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
BBC World News			⬤	⬤
BET	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
BET Her			⬤	⬤
Big Ten Network		⬤	⬤	⬤
Black News Channel	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Bloomberg HD	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Boomerang	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
BOUNCE TV		⬤	⬤	⬤
Bravo	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Cartoon Network East	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
CBS Sports Network			⬤	⬤
Cheddar News			⬤	⬤
Cinemax East				⬤
CleoTV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
CMT	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
CNBC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
CNBC World		⬤	⬤	⬤
CNN	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
CNN En Espanol	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
CNNi	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Comedy Central	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Comedy TV		⬤	⬤	⬤
Cooking Channel		⬤	⬤	⬤
Cozi TV		⬤	⬤	⬤
C-SPAN	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
C-SPAN2	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Destination America			⬤	⬤
Discovery	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Discovery Family Channel			⬤	⬤
Discovery Life			⬤	⬤
Disney Channel East	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Disney Junior	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Disney XD	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
E!	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ESPN	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ESPN2	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ESPNU		⬤	⬤	⬤
ESPNEWS		⬤	⬤	⬤
FM			⬤	⬤
Food Network	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Fox Business Network	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Fox News Channel	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
FOX Sports 1	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
FOX Sports 2			⬤	⬤
FOX Weather	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Freeform	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Fuse		⬤	⬤	⬤
FX	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
FX Movie Channel			⬤	⬤
FXX	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
fyi,			⬤	⬤
GAC Family		⬤	⬤	⬤
Galavision	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Game Show Network		⬤	⬤	⬤
Golf Channel		⬤	⬤	⬤
GRIT		⬤	⬤	⬤
Hallmark Channel	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries	⬤			⬤
HBO East				⬤
HBO 2 East				⬤
HBO Family East				⬤
HBO Latino				⬤
Heroes & Icons		⬤	⬤	⬤
HGTV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
HLN	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
HSN	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
IFC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Investigation Discovery	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ION East HD	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Justice Central		⬤	⬤	⬤
Lifetime	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
LMN			⬤	⬤
Logo HD			⬤	⬤
Magnolia Network			⬤	⬤
MLB Network		⬤	⬤	⬤
MotorTrend	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
MSNBC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
MTV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
MTV Classic			⬤	⬤
MTV2	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Nat Geo WILD			⬤	⬤
National Geographic	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
NBA TV		⬤	⬤	⬤
Newsmax HD	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
NewsNation		⬤	⬤	⬤
NHL Network			⬤	⬤
Nick Jr.		⬤	⬤	⬤
Nickelodeon East	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Nicktoons		⬤	⬤	⬤
Olympic Channel			⬤	⬤
Ovation	⬤		⬤	⬤
OWN		⬤	⬤	⬤
Oxygen			⬤	⬤
Paramount TV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
PBS Kids	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
POP		⬤	⬤	⬤
QVC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
QVC 2	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Reelz	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Revolt	⬤		⬤	⬤
RFD-TV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Science		⬤	⬤	⬤
SEC Network		⬤	⬤	⬤
Shop LC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
ShortsTV		⬤	⬤	⬤
SHOWTIME East				⬤
SHOWTIME 2 East				⬤
SHOWTIME EXTREME				⬤
Smithsonian Channel			⬤	⬤
Sportsman Channel			⬤	⬤
STARZ				⬤
STARZ ENCORE Action			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE Black			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE Classic			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE East			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE Family			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE Suspense			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE West			⬤	⬤
STARZ ENCORE Westerns			⬤	⬤
STARZ KIds & Family				⬤
SundanceTV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Syfy	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Tastemade		⬤	⬤	⬤
TBS	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
TCM	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
TeenNick	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Tennis Channel HD		⬤	⬤	⬤
The HISTORY Channel	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
The Weather Channel		⬤	⬤	⬤
TLC	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
TNT	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
Travel Channel		⬤	⬤	⬤
truTV	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
TUDN			⬤	⬤
TV Land	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
TV One	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
TVG		⬤	⬤	⬤
UniMas		⬤	⬤	⬤
Universal Kids			⬤	⬤
UNIVERSO			⬤	⬤
Univision East	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
UPtv		⬤	⬤	⬤
USA Network	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
VH1	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
VICE	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤
WE tv	⬤	⬤	⬤	⬤

Windstream Voice Packages, Pricing, & Features

Windstream voice is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service that’s $20 a month and serves as an add-on for your internet plan. It’s a helpful feature for those who live in areas with spotty cellular coverage.

Or if you want 911 operators to find your home easier during an emergency.

Features you’ll get with this product include:

• Spam call alert: useful for identifying scammers
• Caller ID
• Call Waiting

Get unlimited minutes when calling folks inside the States and many unincorporated U.S. territories. These areas include the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

What about international calling rates?

When terminating calls to landline numbers, you’ll pay $0.14–$10.99 per minute [5]. Terminating on mobile numbers will result in fees between $0.36–$10.95 a minute. Rates will vary by country you call.

Windstream Home Security

Windstream Kinetic offers the following home security packages:

Package	Service Fee	Equipment Fee	Includes
Video Doorbell	$7.00/mo.	Installment: $20/mo. One-time: $120	Video doorbell
Kinetic Secure Home	$10/mo.	Installment: $20/mo. One-time: $60	2 cameras & yard sign
Kinetic Secure Home Plus	$30/mo.	Installment: $20/mo. One-Time: $240	Hub, 1 camera, 2 key fobs, yard sign, & 2 entry sensors

Only the Kinetic Secure Home Plus includes 24/7 professional monitoring and a battery (and LTE) backup system. Otherwise, all plans include these “features”:

• Video sharing & saving: great for subtly letting people know you caught them red-handed
• Save video history for up to 14 days: useful for surveillance
• Motion-activated notifications: know when someone triggers a sensor
• Two-way talk: talk to & listen to people through your cameras

The installments reduce the amount you’ll pay for your equipment upfront. Here’s an example of your monthly bill. You’ll pay $30 a month total if you want Kinetic Secure Home and want to get on the payment plan.

This doesn’t include sales tax.

Windstream Coverage Map & Availability

Windstream is available in the following states [6]:

Alabama	Arkansas	Florida	Georgia
Iowa	Kentucky	Missouri	Mississippi
North Carolina	Nebraska	New Jersey	New Mexico
Ohio	Oklahoma	Pennsylvania	South Carolina

Windstream fiber and DSL internet availability throughout these states will vary. Enter your address at Windstream.com to see whether they offer support in your ZIP code.

Here’s a coverage map for Windstream Kinetic:

Windstream TV & Internet Bundles

Windstream doesn’t officially offer bundles, but here are what prices would look like if you bundled their products and third-party services:

Bundle	* Starting Price	Internet Speed	Channels
Kinetic Internet + Phone	$59.99/mo.	100 Mbps	0
Kinetic Fiber 500 Internet + Phone	$59.99/mo.	500 Mbps	0
Kinetic 1 Gig Internet + Phone	$89.99/mo.	1,000 Mbps	0
Kinetic Fiber 500 + YouTube TV Base Plan	$104.98/mo.	500 Mbps	100+
Kinetic Fiber 500 + DirecTV Stream (Entertainment)	$109.98/mo.	500 Mbps	65+
Kinetic Fiber Gig + DirecTV Stream (Premier)	$219.98/mo.	1,000 Mbps/35 Mbps	140+

* Does not include taxes and other fees. These will vary by region. Pricing already accounts for discounts when enabling automatic payments. This column lists new customer pricing, not standard.

You won’t get discounts when bundling Windstream Kinetic internet products with YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream plans. However, the latter 2 servers will save you a lot of money if you switch from cable or satellite TV.

Since you won’t need to pay broadcast TV, regional sports, and TV box rental fees. Stream through each service on any PC, smartphone, or other “smart” media player (e.g., Roku).

The Voice plan tacks an additional $20 to each internet plan. Again, no discounts when bundling.

Windstream Internet, TV, & Voice Deals

New Windstream Kinetic internet customers get a new customer price. This shaves $15 off your monthly bill for the first year. Saving up to $180.

New Windstream internet customers will get either a $100 or $200 prepaid card. I’ve only seen $100 card offers on their website, though this page shows both offers exist. Maybe it’s based on areas.

If you enable automatic payments, Windstream will give you a $5.00 monthly discount. However, it’ll take at least a couple months for the discount to appear on your bill after enabling the feature. Enough time for them to make an extra $10 off you.

Then there’s the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). It’s a government program that’ll apply a $30 recurring credit to your internet bill. In my experience, most people don’t seem to know about the ACP.

However:

You must meet qualifications by participating in one of the following programs:

• Women, Infants, Children (WIC)
• School Breakfast Program (SBP)
• Head Start
• Medicaid
• Food Stamps (SNAP)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance
• VA Survivors or Veteran’s Pension
• Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Tribal TANF
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
• Federal Pell Grant
• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance

If you receive one of these benefits, visit my.gokinetic.com/consumer/acp/eligibilityverifier?p=NV and see whether you qualify. If so, enroll in the ACP and claim your credit.

If you already qualify for the Lifeline program, Windstream says you can’t apply both credits to your plan:

How to Contact Windstream Customer Support

Here’s how to reach Windstream’s sales and customer help departments:

• Sales: 833-970-2476
  • Available Monday–Friday 7:00 am–10:00 pm (Eastern Time)
  • Saturday: 8:30 am–8:00 pm
  • Sunday: 9:00 am–7:00 pm
• Account support: (800) 347-1991
  • Monday–Friday: 7:00 am–8:00 pm
  • Saturday: 8:30 am–5:00 pm
• Twitter: @GoKineticHome
• Live chat: Windstream.com/support
• Service support: (800) 347-1991
  • Available 24.7
• Contact form: Windstream.com/contact-us/form
• Financial support: (800) 537-7755
  • Monday–Friday: 8:00 am–6:00 pm
  • Saturday: 8:30 am–5:00 pm
• Order updates: (800) 481-5441
  • Monday–Friday: 8:00 am–6:00 pm

And if you have questions about their privacy policy, email [email protected].

How to Get Started With Windstream 

You’ll need to schedule a professional installation appointment if you’re getting Windstream fiber. DSL customers will need to order their self-installation kit. It’ll take 3–5 business days to receive this kit.

Upon receiving your kit, check to ensure it contains the gateway (modem/router combo) and a phone cable, Ethernet cable, and AC adapter. Plus these into your wall’s power and phone outlet and wait for your device to activate on the date you specified.

Here’s a visual [7]:

If you’re getting fiber internet, the technician will do everything for you. Unless you get a third party router.

Keep reading if you brought your own router to Windstream’s DSL or fiber plans.

DSL customers must use an Ethernet cable to connect the router’s WAN port (it’s usually yellow) and one of the ports on your modem. Then plug your router into the wall and wait for the “Internet” light to emit a solid green/blue/white glow.

The LED indicator you should watch out for depends on your router model.

If you’re using an Ethernet cable with a fiber plan, you’ll run the Ethernet cable from your router to the wall instead.

Grab another Ethernet cable and run it from your modem or router to a PC. Then look for an internet speed test tool. Compare your results against the plan’s speeds you purchased.

Are they much lower?

If you’re using DSL, your internet signal could have weakened since you live further from Windstream’s DSLAM. There’s no solution to this issue.

Otherwise, slower internet speeds could result from having a VPN enabled, firewalls on your network, or many devices consuming bandwidth simultaneously. Or you could have a router that doesn’t support your internet’s maximum speeds.

Say you have a router that supports 600 Mbps maximum download speeds. And you’re using the 1.0 Gbps plan. You’re never going to achieve 1,000 Mbps speeds with your router. Thus, you must upgrade.

If you paid for Windstream’s router or gateway, it should support all speeds their plans offer. That’s part of the sales pitch for renting these devices. At that point, you should call Windstream’s technical support for help.

Windstream Internet vs. The Competition

Let’s see how Windstream does versus competing ISPs:

Provider	Starting Price Range	Speeds Offered (Download)	Internet Type	Best For
Windstream	$54.99–$89.99	300–2,000 Mbps	DSL, dial-up, & fiber	Affordable fiber internet
Spectrum	$49–$89/mo.	300–1,000 Mbps	Cable	4K video streaming
Xfinity	$19–$299/mo.	10–6,000 Mbps	Cable & fiber	Highest speeds offered
Mediacom	$19.99–$59.99/mo.	100–1,000 Mbps	Cable	1080p video streaming
HughesNet	$64.99–$174.99/mo.	25 Mbps	Satellite	Backup internet

* Does not include taxes and other fees. These will vary by region. Pricing already accounts for discounts when enabling automatic payments.

** Actual internet speed will vary by connectivity method (e.g., Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet) among other factors.

The following sections will pit Windstream Kinetic’s internet services against other popular ISPs.

Windstream Internet vs. Spectrum

Get Windstream internet because:

• No throttling
• Faster upload speeds

Choose Spectrum if:

• You want cable internet over DSL
• To get Spectrum Mobile

Windstream offers a better pricing scheme, higher download and upload speeds, and lower average latency than Spectrum. Though I can’t find the actual numbers for Windstream’s latency, fiber internet, on average, has lower latency than cable.

Making it better for online gaming and video calls. Since you’ll less likely encounter lag.

The biggest perk Spectrum offers is their Mobile service. It’s a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses Verizon’s towers and doesn’t charge much for their plans.

You’ll have to choose between these 2 if you live in these states:

Alabama	Arkansas	Florida	Georgia
Iowa	Kentucky	Missouri	Mississippi
North Carolina	Nebraska	New Jersey	New Mexico
Ohio	Pennsylvania	South Carolina

Windstream Internet vs. Xfinity

Windstream is a better contender because:

• Much faster upload speeds
• No throttling
• No data cap

Choose Xfinity if:

• You want to bundle cable TV & internet
• You want cable internet over DSL
• More speed

Windstream’s fiber services offer a better value than most of Xfinity’s products due to much higher upload speeds, lower latency, and no data cap. While more expensive upfront, Windstream’s plans don’t come with sneaky fees like data overage surcharges or add-ons to remove data caps.

Xfinity’s 6,000 Mbps plan provides symmetric internet speeds and over triple the maximum speeds Windstream offers. Giving households who manage home media servers much more speed to work with.

DSL internet is unpredictable because of attenuation. As is the throttling that comes with cable internet plans. In most cases, cable internet offers higher average speeds and lower latency than DSL.

If your home doesn’t mind Xfinity Comcast’s 1.2 terabyte (TB) data cap, or needs high upload speeds, you may find more value with Xfinity.

Windstream and Xfinity compete in these states:

Alabama	Arkansas	Florida	Georgia
Kentucky	Missouri	Mississippi	North Carolina
New Jersey	New Mexico	Ohio	Oklahoma
Pennsylvania	South Carolina

Windstream vs. Mediacom

Windstream works better because:

• No data cap
• No throttling

Choose Mediacom if:

• Windstream isn’t available
• You prefer cable internet over DSL

Windstream DSL and fiber products offer much higher speeds without a data cap. Making these plans more appealing to homes who frequently stream online videos or download files. Otherwise, these tasks would burn through Mediacom’s low 300–6,000 Mbps data caps.

Mediacom’s prices also skyrocket after the first year. For instance, their 100 Mbps plan rises to $39.99 after year 1. And $69.99 after the second year.

However:

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that DSL’s signals weaken when you live further from your provider. If you don’t want to risk lower speeds, consider Mediacom’s cable internet. But then you’re susceptible to throttling.

A weakness cable internet faces. It’s when many users within the ISP’s fiber node use the internet simultaneously. This leads to lower internet speeds and higher latency.

Mediacom and Windstream share availability in these areas:

• Iowa
• Georgia
• North Carolina
• Missouri
• Kentucky
• Alabama
• Florida
• Mississippi

Windstream vs. HughesNet

Here’s where Windstream wins:

• Higher speeds
• No data cap
• Much more reliable internet
• More affordable

Choose HughesNet if:

• No other internet provider is available
• You need a backup internet connection

Windstream beats HughesNet in every category except availability. You get MUCH higher download and upload speeds without paying an arm and a leg.

Pitting Windstream and HughesNet against one-another is like comparing apples and oranges.

HughesNet offers availability in all the same areas as Windstream.

FAQs: Windstream

Skim through these Windstream FAQs to learn more.

Conclusion

Windstream offers decent value for their fiber services, despite the $15 price increase after the first year. I can’t say the same for their DSL plans, though. They don’t provide much information on these products.

I always recommend choosing fiber internet over cable because of higher and symmetric speeds. And lower average latencies. These perks give it an enormous advantage over big dog cable providers like Xfinity and Spectrum.

Windstream may have not had the most appeal, though. No worries. We’ve reviewed many other fiber internet providers. Check them out.