Best Internet Providers in Dothan, Alabama

What is the best internet provider in Dothan?

Find the best Internet provider in Dothan, Alabama with the help of CNET’s experts. After considering the available options, CNET recommends WideOpenWest (WOW) as the best internet provider in Dothanthanks to wide availability, low introductory fees, fast speeds and customer-friendly terms. Covering over 70% of Dothan households, WOW offers the area’s most affordable Internet, with plans starting at $25 per month for speeds up to 300 Mbps.

For additional cable options, Spectrum and Xfinity are also available in parts of Dothan. Spectrum, with wider local coverage, serves over half the homes in the area and is ideal for those interested in combining internet and TV.

Among fiber providers, C Spire stands out as Dothan’s largest, offering speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps, the fastest available locally. Brightspeed also offers limited fiber service in the region, but C Spire leads in both speed and coverage.

Best Internet in Dothan, Alabama

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find deals and promotions online in Dothan

The best internet deals and top promotions in Dothan depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are short-lived, but we often look for the latest deals.

Dothan Internet providers, such as C-Spire and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory prices or other incentives for a limited time. Many, including WOW, Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Internet, have the same standard prices year-round.

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

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 stronger connection. Here’s a summary of the minimum recommended download speeds for various apps, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Note that these are guidelines only and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

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

• 0 to 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics: web browsing, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you the highest quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give a user enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommunications, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• 500 to 1000 Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET picked the best Internet providers in Dothan, Alabama

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen appliance, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching price, availability, and speed information based on our historical ISP data, provider sites, and map information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t stop there: We go to the FCC website to check our records and make sure we account for every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is correct as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three key questions:

1. Does the provider provide access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting good value for what they are paying?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page on how we test ISPs.

Internet Providers in Dothan, Alabama FAQ