Verizon Fios vs Spectrum tl;dr:
In Verizon Fios vs Spectrum Internet connectivity, Verizon Fios is significantly better for the same price with more bandwidth, more free stuff, and less outages.
- For TV: Spectrum (because of their Apple TV app for live TV, Verizon doesn’t have anything like this and forces you to get their STBs)
- For Internet: Verizon (Spectrum had multiple outages in my area and Verizon’s 1:1 for upload and download is fantastic)
- For cost: Depends on the customer agent you get
- Free stuff: Verizon (Amazon Echo Show and Ring)
In my recent attempts to solve for my slow Internet speeds, I upgraded my WiFi router and recently changed my ISP from Spectrum to Verizon primarily for 2 reasons:
- Verizon’s Fios 1Gbps just simply has more reliable service
- I was getting tired of Spectrum’s outages and my constant slow speeds due to the Amplifi HD
Spectrum
My overall time as a Spectrum customer was disappointing.
The sign up process:
Signing up for Spectrum wasn’t exciting but still perfect. I had an online chat with their agent for a new connection, they agreed to get the equipment shipped and technician sent for the wiring. The best part about getting Spectrum was that I didn’t need to get an STB. I bought the Apple TV from Spectrum instead. Here’s the Spectrum package I signed up for:
Internet connectivity:
of course @Ask_Spectrum will go to <50mbps in speed on Christmas. My recommendation to anyone is to not get Spectrum.
— Manan ????? (@manan) December 25, 2020
My overall time as a Spectrum was disappointing. Their service had several outages in my area and the speeds weren’t great. The speed was definitely, in part, Amplifi HD’s fault but with Spectrum’s outages and inconsistencies, I can’t tell if Spectrum was also at fault. Either way, Spectrum was not consistent with their connectivity and it was frustrating for me and my wife to keep having to switch to our phones as hotspots.
The TV experience:
This was probably the best part about Spectrum:
- I didn’t have to pay for a useless STB but I paid for an Apple TV
- The Spectrum Apple TV app works on every Apple TV you have so you’re not forced to pay for more STBs to get live TV (tsk tsk Verizon)
- The app in itself works great as well
Verizon
1Gbps consistently on the main router and 500Mbps+ on wireless devices, 880Mbps+ on wired. Totally love it.
The sign up process:
This was fantastic. The chat agent spent over an hour trying to make the Verizon Internet + TV package fit in my budget. Probably one of the best customer support experience I’ve had. Here’s the package I signed up for with Verizon:
Internet connectivity:
I love it. 1Gbps consistently on the main router and 500Mbps+ on wireless devices, 880Mbps+ on my wired HP Pavilion gaming desktop. Totally love it. I’ve had no connectivity issues at all (knock on wood). I have no complaints, the Amplifi Alien write-up has a lot more details on my speed tests.
The TV experience:
This is just terrible. I mean, just horrifyingly terrible. Here’s why:
- Verizon forced me to get an STB for getting the TV subscription
- The STB requires the Verizon router to be connected and active
- Every TV in the house requires an STB for regular cable
- There is no Apple TV Verizon app for regular cable
- The Verizon Stream TV Android box is trash: The Fios app on Android installs as a system app and there’s no way to use it to watch cable TV other than logging into every network’s respective app–just garbage