Best Internet Service Providers in Lima, Ohio

What is the best internet provider in Lima, Ohio?

CNET recommends it The Spectrum as the best internet provider in Lima, Ohio. This cable internet network covers 92% of the city and offers the most affordable plans in the area, starting at $30 per month. Although the service is flawed due to significant price increases after the first year, it remains the definitive choice for fast and reliable internet in Lima.

Light speed is the fastest internet provider in Lima, followed by TSC. Both providers offer equivalent fiber internet, but have relatively lower coverage than Spectrum. Brightspeed delivers fast speeds, up to 2,000Mbps, while TSC has a maximum speed of 1,000Mbps. Additionally, the two companies offer equal pricing without price increases or contracts.

If you have a small family that doesn’t connect multiple devices at once, T-Mobile Home Internet is a variant of Spectrum. Although it costs $50 a month, T-Mobile’s prices remain relatively stable compared to Spectrum, which tends to go up after a year or two. Also, discounts are available if you bundle with a mobile plan.

For rural residents who don’t have access to Spectrum or T-Mobile, I recommend considering satellite service providers like Starlink. Starlink offers much faster speeds than DSL Internet or other satellite options. However, please note that you will need to purchase a satellite dish in advance, which costs at least $349.

The best internet in Lima, Ohio

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find online deals and promotions in Lima

The best online deals and top promotions in Lima depend on what discounts are available at a given time. Most deals are temporary, but we often check for the latest offers.

Lima Internet providers, such as Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Interent, may offer low introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including TSC and Starlink, use standard fares throughout the year.

For the most comprehensive list of promos, check out our guide to the best online deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is the best internet speed?

Most Internet connection systems 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 an overview of the minimum recommended download speeds for various apps, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only — and that Internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

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

• 0 to 5Mbps lets you handle the basics — browsing the Internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you high quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should provide a single person with enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telephony, video streaming and Internet gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to participate in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Lima

Internet service providers are many and varied. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen appliance, it is not possible to manually check every ISP in a particular city. So what is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our historical ISP data, provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.

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

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

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

While the answer to those questions is often buried and complicated, the providers who come closest to saying “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also take into account factors such as price increases, equipment costs and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit the How We Test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Lima FAQs