Xfinity is the best internet provider in Lansing, with extremely low starting prices, fast download speeds and equipment fees included in most plans. That said, prices increase significantly after the promotional period ends, and you’ll have to commit to a contract on most plans to get the best price.
AT&T Fiber is the fastest internet provider in Lansing, with symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 5,000Mbps, unlimited data and no equipment fees. Unfortunately, it isn’t as widely available as Xfinity. T-Mobile Home Internet isn’t as fast as Xfinity or AT&T Fiber, but it costs only $50 per month, and that price is locked in for as long as you remain a customer.
Xfinity offers some of the cheapest and fastest internet plans in Lansing, and it’s available at 96% of homes in the city, according to FCC data. Like with all cable internet providers, you’ll have to deal with slow upload speeds, which could be a problem for gamers or remote workers. Xfinity’s prices typically increase in the second or third year (or both) and sometimes require committing to a contract to get the best price. Still, Xfinity received above-average customer satisfaction scores from J.D. Power in Lansing’s region.
When AT&T Fiber offers service in a city, it’s almost always our top recommendation. It’s not as widely available as Xfinity in Lansing — coverage is best in neighborhoods like Colonial Village and Old Forest — but if you can get it, you absolutely should. All AT&T Fiber plans offer the same upload and download speeds, equipment is included in the price and your bill won’t automatically go up after a year or two.
If you’re sick of dealing with the traditional ISPs, T-Mobile’s fixed wireless internet is a refreshingly simple alternative. There’s only one plan available for $50 per month, there are no hidden fees and they won’t ever raise your price. Because it uses a wireless signal, T-Mobile is more prone to network congestion than other providers. Still, most people are happy with their service — T-Mobile has the highest customer satisfaction score of any non-fiber ISP in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s survey.
Metronet’s fiber internet plans are available to 27% of Lansing residents, starting at just $30 per month. Normally, that combination of fiber internet at low prices would be enough to grab our top spot, but Metronet has some frustrating shortcomings. There’s a monthly $12 “Tech Assure” fee on all plans, and prices increase multiple times on each plan.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Lansing
The best internet deals and the top promotions in Lansing depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Lansing internet providers such as Xfinity may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile and Metronet, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines — and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Lansing
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. 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 as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
Are customers happy with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come 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, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
Internet providers in Lansing FAQs
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Updated on Oct. 24, 2023
CNET staff — not advertisers, partners or business interests — determine how we review the products and services we cover. If you buy through our links, we may get paid. Reviews ethics statement
Joe Supan is a senior writer for CNET covering home technology, broadband, and moving. Prior to joining CNET, Joe led MYMOVE’s moving coverage and reported on broadband policy, the digital divide, and privacy issues for the broadband marketplace Allconnect. He has been featured as a guest columnist on Broadband Breakfast, and his work has been referenced by the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, National Geographic, Yahoo! Finance and more.
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