Internet choices for the greater Omaha area

Cup of Cheese · Post by **Cup of Cheese** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:56 pm

It seems like Cox and Centurylink are the two main ones. No ATT. What are your experiences with the two, or any other? Looking for 50+MBPS speeds. Is there one that is more common in the newer areas?

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:29 pm

I’ve had Cox High Speed internet for years.. No major issues to speak of. It’s served my household well..especially during the pandemic where for the past 14+ months, I worked exclusively from home.. Now, I split time between working from the office and working from home..

I’m satisfied with their product…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

swinquest · Post by **swinquest** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:35 pm

I had CenturyLink but never got fast speed for the 10 years I was a customer. Right when COVID hit, I switched to Cox and have been happy. My wife and I, along with a kid in college and one in high school were on it heavily and we have not had any issues yet. I am paying double, but my service is much more reliable than CL and happy to pay more for it. Would not mind wanting to see what ATT would have to offer as I have 5 cell phones, security system and streaming through them.

Dundeemaha · Post by **Dundeemaha** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:00 am

I had Cox for years but switched to Century Link when they rolled out fiber to our neighborhood. It's been fantastic and is incredibly cheaper. Plus they don't tack on a ton of extra fees. Exactly $60/mo.

ita · Post by **ita** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:30 am

Dundeemaha wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:00 am I had Cox for years but switched to Century Link when they rolled out fiber to our neighborhood. It's been fantastic and is incredibly cheaper. Plus they don't tack on a ton of extra fees. Exactly $60/mo.

Exact same experience. Centurylink Fiber has been great for us.

Cup of Cheese · Post by **Cup of Cheese** » Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:49 pm

Dundeemaha wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:00 am I had Cox for years but switched to Century Link when they rolled out fiber to our neighborhood. It's been fantastic and is incredibly cheaper. Plus they don't tack on a ton of extra fees. Exactly $60/mo.

What kind of speeds are you getting with their service

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:18 pm

I get a gig directly wired to the modem but about 200 MHz by WiFi. Though my son installed a regulated system so the various internet devices get a fixed piece of the bandwidth. Plenty fast. $60/month flat and indefinite.

Cup of Cheese · Post by **Cup of Cheese** » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:28 pm

bigredmed1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:18 pm I get a gig directly wired to the modem but about 200 MHz by WiFi. Though my son installed a regulated system so the various internet devices get a fixed piece of the bandwidth. Plenty fast. $60/month flat and indefinite.

Nice. Which company?

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:08 am

Centurylink fiber.

Original · Post by **Original** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:03 am

If you can get CL Fiber, it will be fine. CenturyLink DSL is usually sub-par.

Cox is probably fine, but they can also be frustrating to work with. At my previous house, I purchased a modem and ran it and my own router for 5 years with no problems, then I needed to upgrade because I was partly working from home (~2016), got a new DOCSIS3.0 modem, no problems. Moved in 2017, and had lots of drop outs, issues, etc, especially when it rained. I was highly confident, due to my background doing IT support and networking, that my equipment was fine (since my local network was working with no issues, and logs on the modem showed that TX/RX quality would degrade) and that there was an issue between my demarc and the outside box. I humored the techs once, buying their 'Panoramic WiFi' modem, but still had issues when it rained heavily. Couldn't ever get past 1st line tech support or a tech that came out that was willing to do anything other than say, "Just rent a new modem from us". My neighbors had similar issues 4-5 years ago and had already switched to CenturyLink DSL, which wasn't great but reliable.

Switched to CL Fiber since it had become available in my area and no issues since then (~1 yr).

Long story to say, at this point, either are probably fine, but Cox' physical infra on the 'last mile' is older, and getting them to do anything about it is not easy. If you have the ability to go CL fiber, do that.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 11:57 am

Original wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:03 am If you can get CL Fiber, it will be fine. CenturyLink DSL is usually sub-par.

Cox is probably fine, but they can also be frustrating to work with. At my previous house, I purchased a modem and ran it and my own router for 5 years with no problems, then I needed to upgrade because I was partly working from home (~2016), got a new DOCSIS3.0 modem, no problems. Moved in 2017, and had lots of drop outs, issues, etc, especially when it rained. I was highly confident, due to my background doing IT support and networking, that my equipment was fine (since my local network was working with no issues, and logs on the modem showed that TX/RX quality would degrade) and that there was an issue between my demarc and the outside box. I humored the techs once, buying their 'Panoramic WiFi' modem, but still had issues when it rained heavily. Couldn't ever get past 1st line tech support or a tech that came out that was willing to do anything other than say, "Just rent a new modem from us". My neighbors had similar issues 4-5 years ago and had already switched to CenturyLink DSL, which wasn't great but reliable.

That's almost mirrors my experience with Cox, I too used to have problems when it rained. At first I thought I was just imagining things, but then started to keep record. I eventually had a decent technician come out to my place to review, and it turns out it was an issue with the outside box (pardon, I don't recall the exact issue anymore). Once that was fixed, however, my time with them as the provider has been somewhat painless with the exception of whatever they were doing over the course of the spring as it cut out on me over the course of several weeks back in, I believe, March.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Jan 29, 2024 10:20 pm

We have been looking around at internet providers and have been surprised to see a couple internet companies that serve the neighboring communities (Papillion, Gretna, etc) but not Omaha? Is there something keeping competition out of Omaha?

Renovator2559 · Post by **Renovator2559** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:29 am

There's already a healthy dose of competition for Fiber providers. We have these fiber 1 gigabit providers; Centurylink, Allo Communications, Great Plains Communications, FiberFirst, Earthlink and Google Fiber (entering market).

FiberFirst and Earthlink are listed as some service providers but I don't know if these two are just commercial providers.

Someone told me about this Omahan service provider called Americom Networks. Americom is going to offer 1Gb up and down fiber for just $39. No data caps, unlimited, no contracts, and no shared bandwidth like Cox and Centurylink. I sure hope this service provider expands, as this looks like the competition we need.
They are also going to offer packages of 2 Gigabits and 5 Gigabits too.

https://americomnetworks.com/

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:17 am

Renovator2559 wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:29 am There's already a healthy dose of competition for Fiber providers. We have these fiber 1 gigabit providers; Centurylink, Allo Communications, Great Plains Communications, FiberFirst, Earthlink and Google Fiber (entering market).

I live near 90th and Center and as far as I can tell, we only have access to Cox...

Renovator2559 wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:29 am
Someone told me about this Omahan service provider called Americom Networks. Americom is going to offer 1Gb up and down fiber for just $39. No data caps, unlimited, no contracts, and no shared bandwidth like Cox and Centurylink. I sure hope this service provider expands, as this looks like the competition we need.
They are also going to offer packages of 2 Gigabits and 5 Gigabits too.

https://americomnetworks.com/

I like that price but it looks like they are only available in 2 buildings in Downtown Omaha?

Post by **nebugeater** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:29 am

Doesn't any provider need a franchise agreement ( IE, tax/fee) with the city to be able to install and provide service if it is not through the air? I know that when Allo announced they were coming to Gretna, that was a big part of the timing.

There may be a workaround if a provider is leasing space on existing infrastructure and remarketing it, but I'm not sure.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:38 am

nebugeater wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:29 am Doesn't any provider need a franchise agreement ( IE, tax/fee) with the city to be able to install and provide service if it is not through the air?

Must be one heck of a fee in Omaha. These new services are offering 1G service for $40-$60 a month. We are paying cox $90 a month for half that speed...

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 9:10 am

We are getting about 1/2 GB speed from cox and its only $60. I know these other providers are offering these great rates, but most likely they are going to increase their rates in coming years.

Post by **nebugeater** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 9:44 am

Brad wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:38 am
nebugeater wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:29 am Doesn't any provider need a franchise agreement ( IE, tax/fee) with the city to be able to install and provide service if it is not through the air?
Must be one heck of a fee in Omaha. These new services are offering 1G service for $40-$60 a month. We are paying cox $90 a month for half that speed...

Have you called COX to see what your options are.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:45 am

skinzfan23 wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 9:10 am We are getting about 1/2 GB speed from cox and its only $60. I know these other providers are offering these great rates, but most likely they are going to increase their rates in coming years.

I think we were paying cox $60, but its now $90. That's why we are looking around.

WBR_Tom · Post by **WBR_Tom** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:27 am

Brad wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:38 am
nebugeater wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:29 am Doesn't any provider need a franchise agreement ( IE, tax/fee) with the city to be able to install and provide service if it is not through the air?
Must be one heck of a fee in Omaha. These new services are offering 1G service for $40-$60 a month. We are paying cox $90 a month for half that speed...

Cox pays the City a 5% annual franchise fee for cable TV, internet and phone, which is usually around $5 million. That barrier to entry is what kept other competitors out of the market previously. Cox tried to delay Google's entry to the market by saying it would cost taxpayers money, because Google won't have to pay any fee at all thanks to a 2019 state law encouraging internet access.

https://omaha.com/news/local/government ... 7117f.html

I hear good things about Verizon's 5G home internet; my in-laws have it and consistently test at 350-400mb down, and 25-30mb up for $50 a month. The only downsides I can see are that they limit how many people in your neighborhood have it (so that they can keep speeds as high as possible) and they give priority to phone traffic. That's what kept me from jumping ship on Cox to it -- our neighborhood is maxed out and they wouldn't let us sign up. Though I guess when you think about it, that's maybe a good thing that they're protecting data speeds for current customers versus signing up as many people as possible.

Cox has about 6-12 months before competition is going to force them to change tactics and price more aggressively. Omaha will have Google Fiber later this year depending on which neighborhood you live in. Bellevue already has Fastwyre and Quantum fiber available in most of the city. Papillion, La Vista and Gretna will have Allo fiber available later this year. Coupled with 5G home internet from Verizon and T-Mobile and the existing CenturyLink stuff, most everyone in the metro will have 4-5 options (or more) to pick from/use as negotiating chips very soon.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:36 am

WBR_Tom wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:27 am Cox has about 6-12 months before competition is going to force them to change tactics and price more aggressively.

I hope so. We still don't even have CenturyLink in our neighborhood...

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:42 am

I actual thought about switching to Cox for mobile as well. They have an unlimited plan for $45 per month for 1 line.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 10:49 am

I’ve been a Cox customer since they introduced service to our neighborhood in 1981.
Yes you read that right.
Way back then cable TV was about $40 a month for about as many channels, including HBO or any other premium add on. Of course back then no one had computers or cell phones and WiFi was an unheard of concept.
Fast forward 40+ years and the world has changed. So has my Cox bill. But recently when I needed to update my Modem I chatted with one of their reps in their Dodge Street store and decided to add a totally unnecessary extra mobile phone to our household. The phone cost $67 or something like that but by bundling the phone and making a few other small changes to our account my Internet price dropped in half to $45 per month for 24 months, for 500 GB of speed. Even with the extra phone line our monthly cost for Cox drops by about $38 or so. Still too much but that adds up over time.
Only one of our TVs remains hooked to cable, but by subscribing to cable all of our TVs can access multiple other TV services (MAX, CNN, CNN International, HBO and others) without having to pay extra subscription fees. Our tablets can also access those services.
I do hope that with the added competition prices will drop or at least not rise over the next few years.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 8:07 pm

I've had good luck with T-Mobile, but I have an unobstructed line of sight to the tower. I average around 200 megabits down, sometimes 300 on stuff I use Ethernet on.

Unless people are downloading files, they don't need a lot of the bandwidth they're paying for.

cchandler790 · Post by **cchandler790** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 9:38 pm

Cox is such a rip off. I have Verizon 5g and it's only $30 a month with no fees, and a 3 year price lock in. They provide the wifi router. You do have to have a Verizon plan for $30. I get really fast speeds, no lagging. Around 600 download and 80 upload speeds, I also got a $200 Home Depot gift card.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Feb 04, 2024 8:42 am

cchandler790 wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2024 9:38 pm Cox is such a rip off. I have Verizon 5g and it's only $30 a month with no fees, and a 3 year price lock in. They provide the wifi router. You do have to have a Verizon plan for $30. I get really fast speeds, no lagging. Around 600 download and 80 upload speeds, I also got a $200 Home Depot gift card.

We are currently testing the T-Mobile version. Sucked at first, but the customer service person said the tower we want to pick up is on the north side of our house at Westside Highschool and we should move our router to the north side of the house and it did make a difference.

Athomsfere · Post by **Athomsfere** » Fri Feb 09, 2024 8:50 pm

I had Cox forever, and had zero issues. Besides the annual call to get the plan switched around so that I wasn't paying $100+ a month.

Tried to go CL, but I didn't like their customer service on the sales side. My motto: If the sales department sucks, you're really going to hate their technical service.

I decided to give Verizon 5g a shot.

That's from my desktop that sits closest to the router (Wifi). I imagine the little server plugged into the router would do the same or better.

I will say though: I see big speeds in speed. Best of times: 1Gbps, bad days: 500 Mbps. So never bad, just big swings.

ita · Post by **ita** » Wed Mar 27, 2024 2:37 pm

Google Fiber set to turn on service in Omaha’s Aksarben Village

Google Fiber is launching in Omaha’s Aksarben Village. The Omaha City Council approved the company to become a provider in the city in October of 2022.

“So whether you’re creating content or consuming content you can have that speed come into your home,” said Andy Simpson, General Manager for Central Region, Google Fiber.

Google is adding itself to the mix of competition, which Andy Simpson says is a good thing for customers.

“Typically we find that when we center a new city or a new market, all the competition increases speeds and decreases prices so we feel like it’s a win-win for everyone.”

The first area to be turned on is in Aksarben Village. 6 News reported the crews working to lay down the network infrastructure last summer.

Google Fiber’s plans:

1 Gig Service: $70/month
2 Gig Service: $100/month
5 Gig Service: $125/month
8 Gig Service: $150/month

OPlaya · Post by **OPlaya** » Mon Apr 29, 2024 8:13 pm

Ubiquity and Ervin Cable have been laying down fiber in my area around Paxton Blvd for FirstFiber to start offering service, they already got service going in other parts of North O. I'm ready to say adios to Cox.

Renovator2559 · Post by **Renovator2559** » Mon Apr 29, 2024 9:54 pm

Americom Networks is also poised to compete in the Nustyle development complexes throughout downtown.

500 Meg Unlimited Fiber $30/month
1 Gig Unlimited Fiber $40/month
2.5 Gig Unlimited Fiber $140/month
All with no contracts. A local Omaha company. As per their website.

The Fiber provider competition is brewing, we have a bright future ahead of us.

OPlaya · Post by **OPlaya** » Mon Apr 29, 2024 11:56 pm

Yep break Cox's grip on this city once and for all.

riceweb · Post by **riceweb** » Wed May 01, 2024 12:39 pm

So many neighborhoods still not served by Verizon or T-Mobile home internet or by any of the fiber providers. It's especially weird when new construction in the suburbs isn't served by it.

Post by **Brad** » Wed May 01, 2024 12:59 pm

riceweb wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 12:39 pm So many neighborhoods still not served by Verizon or T-Mobile home internet or by any of the fiber providers. It's especially weird when new construction in the suburbs isn't served by it.

In February we switched to T-Mobile because it was the only alternative to Cox A few months later we now have Quantum, Lumen or whatever CenturyLink is calling themselves now, and there are also signs at the other end of the neighborhood saying Cox fiber is being installed in our neighborhood now.

Surprisingly T-Mobile has been great for Download Speed, but Upload it's a bit slow. Even with 2 to 3 TV's streaming and a couple phones and/or computers running, we don't really have many issues with buffering. I have learned to live with the upload speed more the most part. I usually start uploads before bed and just hope its done by morning.

Post by **Brad** » Mon May 20, 2024 8:52 pm

Got a notice that Ubiquity is going to lay fiber in the ground on our street soon. Interesting part, all our power and communications are above ground on a pile in the back yard and this company is going to bury fiber along the street in the front yards.

Ubiquity
https://ubiquitygp.com/

S.O.Boy · Post by **S.O.Boy** » Tue May 21, 2024 7:05 am

Athomsfere wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 8:50 pm I had Cox forever, and had zero issues.

How?

The last 4 months of service with cox, we suffered through DAILY outages.

Athomsfere · Post by **Athomsfere** » Tue May 21, 2024 7:35 am

S.O.Boy wrote: Tue May 21, 2024 7:05 am
Athomsfere wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 8:50 pm I had Cox forever, and had zero issues.
How?

The last 4 months of service with cox, we suffered through DAILY outages.

Outages? So the infrastructure down?

In the home: I've always provided my own equipment.

It seems midtown / downtown have more reliable service too (anecdotally). But weren't you also here on the good half of town?

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Tue May 21, 2024 8:58 am

We have had Cox for a dozen years as well with very little interruption.

Every single person I know that has had Centurylink always has problems. Thankfully there are a lot of more options available now.

S.O.Boy · Post by **S.O.Boy** » Tue May 21, 2024 1:54 pm

skinzfan23 wrote: Tue May 21, 2024 8:58 am We have had Cox for a dozen years as well with very little interruption.

Every single person I know that has had Centurylink always has problems. Thankfully there are a lot of more options available now.

We left cox due to having constant problems. Went with Centurylink 22 months with out a problem, It did go down for an hour yesterday.

Two years ago I was saying cox has done 0 maintenance on their lines in the area. When cox replaced the line to the house, technician commented records showed it was 30 years old and he said squirrels had been eating it.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Wed May 22, 2024 9:44 am

cox is a rip. Consistent, sure, but waaaay more money for slower speeds. A friend of mine has century link (or whatever) and pays 70 a month for twice the speed. I pay 130, so i can't wait to get google fiber

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Wed May 22, 2024 9:50 am

thenewguy wrote: Wed May 22, 2024 9:44 am cox is a rip. Consistent, sure, but waaaay more money for slower speeds. A friend of mine has century link (or whatever) and pays 70 a month for twice the speed. I pay 130, so i can't wait to get google fiber

You pay $130/month for internet? Ours is $60 and we get 500 mbps, so basically 1/2 gig.

You may have to call them and get a lower rate....that is the one thing I hate. Each year I always have to call and talk to their retention team to get our rate lower.