Astound Broadband (Formerly RCN) Internet Review (2024)

Astound Broadband's prices range from $25 to $70 a month, making it one of the cheapest internet providers out there. But, depending on your city, you might see different pricing compared to other cities Astound serves.

Astound Broadband (formerly RCN) doesn’t offer the same plans everywhere, so before you take the plunge, know what’s available to you.

For example, a 600 Mbps plan in New York City costs $40 a month, while a similar 940 Mbps plan is $50 a month in Chicago.

Astound Broadband internet remains cheap despite muddying the waters with regional price changes. Here's a quick look at its prices for Chicago, IL:

Anything below 100 Mbps is great for people like my grandparents, who just send me pie recipes and emails with subject lines like “RE: RE: The truth about UFOs”. But, honestly, we wouldn't recommend those slow download speeds for most folks.

On the other hand, Astound Broadband's higher-speed plans are perfect for most families with kids who want to play Xbox in the basem*nt and parents who want to stream Max upstairs. (Or finish up that work project at home.)

At the top of the speed charts is Astound Broadband’s 1500 Mbps plan, with enough power to fuel a small business and to compete with some of the best ISPs for gaming.

Is Astound Broadband internet cheap?

Astound Broadband’s prices make our wallets smile, and they still look pretty low compared to the competition.

For example, Verizon Fios Home Internet offers a 300 Mbps plan for about $50 a month. Astound's price for the same speed is literally half the cost.

Another ISP you'll find in the same areas as Astound Broadband is Xfinity and Optimum, which both offer pretty good deals for the speeds you get. Xfinity also offers a 400 Mbps plan, but Astound's 300 Mbps plan is about $30 cheaper.

Astound Broadband offers download speeds anywhere from 300 to 1500 Mbps, though the exact speeds depend on where you live.

Its slower-speed plans, like 300 Mbps Internet, plans are a great place to start for a small family—and the speeds just get better from there.

Astound Broadband data caps

Does Astound Broadband throttle its traffic?

Astound Broadband contracts

Astound Broadband equipment

Your internet can only go as fast as the equipment hosting it.

Thankfully, Astound Broadband offers a modem rental option for $16.00 a month. And you can add an eero whole-home mesh Wi-Fi system for an extra $10.95 a month.

• eero Pro 6: $11.95 a month
• eero Whole-Home Wi-Fi system: $10.95 a month for one base and one beacon
• Additional Whole-Home Wi-Fi beacons: $5.00 a month
• NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro gaming router: $12.95 a month
• Standard modem/gig modem: $16.00 a month

If you prefer to buy your own gear, then make sure that you get a DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1 compatible modem. Also, keep in mind that a whole year of renting Astound's gaming router will cost you about $155, so buying your own modem-router combo might be a better deal.

Astound Broadband service fees

Just because you avoid those infamous early termination fees with Astound Broadband doesn’t mean you’re out of the haunted fee forest quite yet.

• Installation fee: $79.95, but Astound regularly offers free installation deals.
• Activation fee:$9.99
• Early termination fee: None
• Service call fee: $79.95

Astound Broadband customer service

It’s one of the great mysteries of our age: internet companies can bring the entire world to our fingertips almost instantly, but somehow, they cannot answer our basic technical questions.

Astound Broadband is sadly no exception to this unwritten rule. In its latest customer satisfaction report, HighSpeedInternet.com reported Astound received a 3.6 out of 5 for customer service.

If you do need to call Astound Broadband customer service, we've got some tips to help you keep your cool, plus a few different ways for you to get a hold of a service rep:

• Astound Broadband customer service phone number: 1-800-RING-RCN (1-800-746-4726)
• Online chat
• Twitter:@RCNConnects
• Facebook:@RCN

Recap: Is Astound Broadband internet good?

Astound Broadband Internet offers some great perks: no contracts, fast download speeds, and extremely low promotional prices.

But you could also call it inconsistent. Astound is available only in a handful of large cities; its prices and policies vary by location; and its customer service could be better.

This means that Astound Broadband might not be the best overall, but it’s still a great option for those in specific areas of the US who want fast, no-contract internet at a fair price.

Methodology

When reviewing internet services, such as those provided by Astound Broadband, we go above and beyond simple metrics.

We heavily emphasize technical details such as overall download speeds, upload speed, and any included data caps. However, we also consider overall availability, affordability, and contracts involved.

Here are the factors we considered when reviewing services:

• Overall download/upload speeds
• Price of each provider’s plans
• Whether contracts are required
• Geographic service availability
• Included equipment and fees