The best internet providers in Poughkeepsie, New York

What is the best internet provider in Poughkeepsie?

In Poughkeepsie, Verizon Fios is CNET’s top pick for the best InternetR. In addition to having the fastest speed in the city – up to 2,300 megabits per second – Fios offers several plans with symmetrical speeds, which means upload speed they are just like the downloads. This symmetrical service is thanks to his Fiber internet network, making it the best choice for speed, reliability and overall value.

While Verizon Fios offers free equipment, unlimited data and no contracts, it’s not the only ISP with these perks. You’ll find similar benefits from other local providers – Spectrum includes a free modem, Optimum gives you both a modem and router at no cost, and neither has contracts or data caps.

Looking for the Internet the cheapest in Poughkeepsie? Optimum’s plans start at $40 a month for speeds up to 300 Mbps — $10 less than Verizon Fios for the same download speed plan. Spectrum is also a solid alternative, offering a 500 Mbps plan for $50 a month, but charging an additional $10 for a router. All in all, Optimum will come out as the cheapest cable internet provider in Poughkeepsie.

Fixed wireless providers such as Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet are also available in Poughkeepsie. Since Verizon Fios already covers much of the area, Verizon’s 5G home service has limited availability here. If you are considering fixed wireless Internet, T-Mobile Home Internet will probably be your best choice.

The best internet in Poughkeepsie, New York

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Poughkeepsie

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

Poughkeepsie Internet providers, such as Optimum and Spectrum, may offer a lower introductory price or other incentives for a limited time. Others, however, including Verizon Fios, run the same standard prices year-round.

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

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 more robust connection. Here is an overview of the minimum recommended download speed for different applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines – and that Internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

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

• From 0 to 5 Mbps lets you tackle the basics – surfing the Internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you superior video streaming and video conferencing.
• From 40 to 100 Mbps should give a person enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000 Mbps allows three or more people to engage in broadband activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Poughkeepsie, New York

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latter smartphones, laptop, router o kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our approach? We begin by researching pricing, availability, and speed information based on our historical ISP data, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also gather local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this information located, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to a reasonably fast internet speed?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, the providers who are closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest Internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in 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 such as 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 how we test the ISP page

Internet Providers in Poughkeepsie, New York, FAQ