When Does Optimum Push Out Firmware Updates

When Does Optimum Push Out Firmware Updates

In this article

On the surface, Optimum appears to exist one of the better internet options in the NYC expanse for fast speeds, depression prices and high overall value. Add in that its plans come with unlimited data, a depression equipment fee and no required contracts, and choosing Optimum for your habitation net service seems like a no-brainer.

Dig a niggling deeper, nevertheless, and you may discover that what makes Optimum highly-seasoned — depression pricing and fast speeds — can change abruptly. Unclear toll increases and a
mid-2021 motility to lower upload speeds

(for the worst possible reason) show that the client can sometimes come up 2nd for Optimum and parent visitor Altice.

Like




  • High speeds with depression introductory pricing



  • No data caps, no contracts



  • High-tech, low-priced Wi-Fi



  • Cobweb service available to 1 million homes

Don’t Similar




  • Unpredictable price increase after 12 months



  • Already low upload speeds drop lower for new customers



  • Customer satisfaction numbers are on the decline

Optimum internet plans and service details

Nearly Optimum service areas will accept three options, including a gigabit plan. Some locations, particularly those outside the New York area, may only have ii plan options with no gigabit service. Additionally, speeds volition vary past location. Like the gigabit program, Optimum’southward 100Mbps plan is non bachelor in all areas, and some sites volition only exist eligible for 200Mbps instead of 300Mbps, or 400Mbps in place of the 500Mbps plan. Here’south a look at those plans.



Plan Max speeds Starting price (kickoff year) Equipment fee Contracts Information cap
Optimum Advantage Internet 50Mbps download, 3Mbps upload $15 per month None None None
Optimum 100 100Mbps download, 5Mbps upload $20 per month $ten per month (skippable) None None
Optimum 300 300Mbps download, 20Mbps upload $30 per month $10 per month (skippable) None None
Optimum 500 500Mbps download, 20Mbps upload $twoscore per month $10 per calendar month (skippable) None None
Optimum 1 Gig 940Mbps download, 35Mbps upload $l per month $ten per calendar month (skippable) None None

Optimum FlexAbility plans break up the package (and the savings)

Most Optimum plans — especially Optimum 300, 500 and 1 Gig — are a pretty good bargain if you just want internet. If you lot’re hoping to bundle with TV to take reward of bundle savings though, the new FlexAbility plan construction volition exist less of a steal.

Via the new FlexAbility plans, Optimum lets you cull the internet programme you want and add together a Television receiver package and a mobile information plan. Here’s how it works: discover out what Optimum plans are available at your address; choose the internet plan yous want; add the TV package or mobile data plan you lot want, or not.

It’southward pretty similar to the

Verizon Fios Mix and Lucifer

plan structure where you choose an internet programme, then add private Idiot box or telephone packages instead of selecting from prebuilt bundle packages.

Spectrum

does something like, only without whatsoever of the perky marketing names.

The existent betoken of FlexAbility plans seems to be that Optimum isn’t trying to lock you lot into a item bundle bundle with services you don’t need — a less frequent but all the same common practice of

cable net providers

— or any trap pricing schemes that will take you upgrading to a more expensive programme every year or so (
looking at you lot, Cox
). It also ways that the bundle savings, which are typically the incentive for signing up for a bundle package, are also gone. Once again, that won’t matter much if yous’re but interested in internet service, merely if you want to add together TV, know that information technology will be more expensive without the bundle savings.

Read:  Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router Firmware Update

Beware the arbitrary price increase

The introductory pricing is excellent, but what about downward the road? Optimum imposes a price increase after 12 months of service like many ISPs. But unlike nearly all major ISPs, the company won’t commit to what the toll increment will exist.

An Optimum spokesperson tells CNET that customers volition receive a notification with an anticipated modify to their rates earlier the introductory pricing’s expiration. How much that is, exactly, is “subject to change.” At that place’s no indication of how much the price increment volition exist when that fourth dimension comes, or if your increase will be the same as your neighbor’southward.

Thankfully, Optimum doesn’t lock yous into a contract and force you to determine betwixt the mysterious standard toll or an early termination fee. If the cost increase is besides much (or more than y’all’re willing to pay), you can cancel without punishment. Hopefully, another provider will have more transparent pricing

bachelor in your surface area
.

Upload speeds are competitively depression

Cable internet upload speeds will be lower than the download speeds. That’s merely the nature of a cablevision internet connexion. Optimum cyberspace is no different, but parent company Altice decided to have its upload speeds downwards even farther in 2021. On July 12, 2021, upload speeds on Optimum plans

dropped by 15 to 30Mbps
, depending on the plan.

Current Optimum customers won’t have to worry about their upload speeds falling, for the time being, that is, unless they change their plan by upgrading or downgrading their speeds. New customers, nevertheless, are stuck with the slower upload speeds. It’s a bold movement by Altice and ane that won’t do any favors for the millions of people who continue to work and larn from habitation, only surely the conclusion was made for adept reason, correct?

Altice claims that the speed decrease is not the result of limited network capabilities or difficulty keeping up with demand. Instead, the visitor voluntarily lowered upload speeds to ensure they “are in line with other ISPs and aligned with the manufacture.” And so basically, Altice reduced upload speeds on all Optimum plans for new customers and existing customers who changed their plans to better match the slower upload speeds of other major cable internet providers.

That is cool.

Simply hey, no data caps or contracts

On the bright side, Optimum internet is gratis of data caps and contracts, regardless of the service type or program. That’s a nice contrast to rival providers

Cox

and

Xfinity
, each of which charges overage fees up to $50 or college for going over your data assart. The no-contract requirement is another prissy perk compared to Cox and Xfinity, which typically require a term understanding of at least one year to get the everyman pricing.

Read:  Nintendo Switch Firmware Update Dock Mode 921 Mhz

I should mention that Optimum internet isn’t completely unlimited. The Acceptable Utilize Policy states that “excessive use of bandwidth, that in Altice’s sole stance, places an unusually large brunt on the network or goes in a higher place normal usage” could lead to service disruptions. Most ISPs have a similar policy, and you’d have to go out of your manner to use that much bandwidth, especially consistently. If you’re using the internet for streaming, gaming, working and learning from home, then on (i.e., the aforementioned as whatever other household), you shouldn’t take a problem.

Optimum Wi-Fi equipment and fees

At $ten per month, Optimum’s Wi-Fi equipment rental fee is a bit cheaper than many providers, including Verizon Fios. The equipment you get isn’t half bad, either. While the model you lot get depends on the plan you choose and the network type (cable or cobweb), select Optimum plans and those in fiber markets may come with a

Wi-Fi 6 router
, which tin can offer amend Wi-Fi performance than older routers. Regardless of the Optimum Wi-Fi router that comes with your service, the equipment fee remains the same.

As for installation, standard installation is included at no extra price when y’all order online. If yous’d prefer professional installation, including Wi-Fi configuration on up to 6 devices and hardwiring on one device, it’ll add a modest $59 to your initial costs.

Using your own equipment

Optimum is ane of several providers that allows you to use your own equipment and skip the monthly equipment rental price. You’ll demand to provide your own compatible modem and router (or modem/router combo device) at installation. Using your own equipment will also limit service upgrades and technical support.

If y’all already own uniform equipment, using what yous take could salvage you some money on your neb. On the other paw, if you’re considering purchasing your own equipment upfront, consider that it may be many months before the $x-per-month savings make upward for the initial buy cost.



optimum-coverage-map


FCC/Mapbox

Optimum home internet availability

Optimum covers two boroughs in the greater New York Metropolis area —

Brooklyn

and the Bronx — and just a stretch beyond. Due north to s, serviceability runs from Dutchess County, New York, to Toms River, New Jersey. East to west, Optimum is available from the tip of Long Isle and past Bridgeport, Connecticut, to a sliver of Pennsylvania along the New Jersey border to the west. Similar much of Queens and Staten Isle, there are some pockets in between that are not serviceable for Optimum internet.

It’s primarily cable, with some FTTH mixed in

Equally mentioned in a higher place, Optimum primarily uses a cable or cable hybrid network to deliver service. Cable isn’t necessarily bad as it can offer

gigabit download speeds
, but the technology fails to compare to the speed and consistency y’all go with a cobweb connection.

Near a tenth of those in Optimum service areas can become cobweb service, but the company is looking to change that. Altice acknowledges that

fiber internet

— specifically fiber-to-the-domicile service — is the firsthand future of home cyberspace and has thus worked to build and expand a fiber network.

Read:  What Is Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver

An Optimum spokesperson tells CNET that Optimum FTTH service is already available to more 1.iii million homes, around a tenth of those serviceable for Optimum net, with more to come as “fiber deployment continues at a rapid pace.” Cobweb service comes at no extra price compared to Optimum’s traditional cable net and has symmetrical or near-symmetrical upload speeds. (Altice did not lower the upload speeds on its fiber service.)

Optimum vs. Verizon Fios


Optimum and Verizon Fios

share much of the same service areas, so pricing, speeds and service terms stay relatively competitive between them. Here’s a look at how the two compare:

Pricing

Optimum has the advantage of lower program pricing, at least for the first 12 months of service. The Optimum 300 plan is around $x per month lower than Verizon’south lowest-priced plan, which also offers max speeds of 300Mbps. Optimum’s gig service is besides cheaper, starting at $50 per month compared to $xc with Verizon. Additionally, Optimum’s equipment rental fees are $5 less per month than Verizon’s. Later on 12 months, Verizon Fios may be the cheaper option, simply since Optimum doesn’t divulge standard pricing, I tin can’t say for sure.

Speeds

While both providers have gig speeds, I’ve got to give the advantage to Verizon Fios hither.

Verizon recently unveiled a Fios 2 Gigabit Connection in New York
, which it plans to roll out nationally later in 2022. Also, Verizon Fios employs a 100% fiber network, which supports symmetrical or near-symmetrical download and upload speeds. Optimum does have a fiber network, but not to the scale of Verizon. About Optimum service areas are cable or cobweb/cable hybrid, significant drastically lower upload speeds than Verizon Fios.

Information caps and contracts

Neither provider enforces data caps or contracts. Call information technology a draw.

Customer satisfaction

Verizon Fios leads all providers, including Optimum, in ACSI ratings and J.D. Ability’s rating in the East region.

All things considered, Optimum and Verizon Fios are closely matched. If introductory pricing drives your decision, Optimum is probable to be your better pick, just if standard pricing, upload speeds and customer satisfaction are more of a concern, you may want to consider Verizon Fios.

Optimum vs. other cable providers and DSL internet

At that place is a little overlap betwixt Optimum and cable providers

Spectrum

and

Xfinity
. For the most function, Optimum has lower introductory pricing than both, though Xfinity may take the absolute cheapest plan in some areas. However, neither Spectrum nor Xfinity can come close to Optimum’south mid-tier and gig plan pricing.

Xfinity has faster max speeds than Optimum (and Spectrum), but you lot tin get gigabit from whatsoever three. Optimum has a larger fiber footprint in the greater New York City area than Spectrum or Xfinity, and then you’re likely to go faster upload speeds with Optimum.

I won’t dive much into Optimum versus

DSL

service from providers like

CenturyLink

or

Frontier
. Just know that if DSL is an option in your area forth with Optimum, go with Optimum — it’s likely to be cheaper and faster.


isp-customer-satisfaction-2020

American Customer Satisfaction Index

Customer satisfaction takes a bad turn

The
American Customer Satisfaction Index gave Optimum a client satisfaction score of 60 out of 100 in 2021, a v-betoken drib over the previous twelvemonth and the biggest decrease of any provider. The new score came in slightly above

Frontier Communications

— a company notorious for poor client satisfaction ratings — and

Suddenlink
, another Altice make. Information technology’southward worth noting that Altice brands account for two of the lesser iii spots and share the bottom with a company that is currently beingness
sued for misleading customers
.

Among all net providers scored past J.D. Power, Optimum was second-worst in the US East region, notching a customer satisfaction rating of 655 out of 1,000.



J.D. Power

Optimum also did not fare well with
J.D. Power, which placed the provider below the 714 boilerplate for the East region with a score of 655 out of 1,000. Optimum customer satisfaction came in above Frontier (614) but roughshod only beneath Spectrum (676) and well below Cox (708), Xfinity (725) and Verizon (758).

It’southward unclear what exactly led to Optimum’s subpar client satisfaction score with J.D. Power every bit the visitor evaluates customer feedback on several factors, including service reliability, customer service experiences and billing, but I can make a guess. For starters, it’s unlikely that service reliability is a major concern among customers. The websiteDowndetector.com, which tracks user complaints about service outages, lists numerous Optimum outages for 2021 — but that’south true of most every provider, and with Optimum, almost none of these apparent outages appeared to be widespread.

Additionally, the
Federal Communications Commission establish that Optimum consistently delivers bodily speeds at or in a higher place advertised speeds
(on speeds upward to 200Mbps). If speed and service reliability aren’t major culprits bringing the score down, it’south plausible to presume that bad customer service experiences and billing issues — like the lack of pricing transparency — go a long way to affect customer satisfaction.

Upwardly until terminal twelvemonth, there wasn’t annihilation also alarming most Optimum’s scores that would push button me one style or the other. The drastic five-point drop year-over-year in ACSI ratings may exist cause for business concern, though, especially considering that no other provider saw a decrease of more than than two points.

Optimum, in summary

If Optimum is available in your area, it’s likely to be one of your better cyberspace options. Optimum offers a multifariousness of download speeds from 100Mbps to 940Mbps for lower pricing than you’ll observe from almost whatsoever competitor with like speed tiers. The lack of contracts or data caps adds to the overall value of the service, as does the relatively low equipment rental fee. Just sentinel out for that price increment after 12 months, and don’t await upload speeds faster than you’d get from whatever other cablevision net provider.

Optimum internet FAQs

How do I go in touch with Optimum customer service?

Optimum technical back up is available 24/7, while general client service is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays 9 a.chiliad. to ane p.m. The Optimum customer service number varies by location. Find the appropriate number at
optimum.net/support/telephone-listing. You can too find answers to common questions and alive chat with an Optimum customer service representative
here.

What is Optimum Advantage Internet?

Optimum Advantage Net is a discounted internet service available to qualifying Optimum and Suddenlink customers. The program comes with download speeds upwardly to 50Mbps and upload speeds upwardly to 3Mbps, starting at around $15 per month. Equipment is included at no boosted cost and as with all Optimum internet plans, there is no data cap or contract.

What happened to Cablevision?

Altice acquired networks previously operated past Cablevision in 2016. Since the acquisition, Altice has transitioned service in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania to the Optimum brand.

When Does Optimum Push Out Firmware Updates

You May Also Like