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Are You Getting Spectrum’s Upgraded Broadband Speeds?

Spectrum Communications, one of the largest cable television and broadband internet providers, upgraded their default internet speeds at the end of 2017. The new default speed if you sign up for their broadband service is 100mbps (megabits per second) for downloads and 10mbps for uploads. However, if you were an existing customer, you won’t just automatically get these new speeds.

If you’re a Spectrum customer, and you want the new speeds, here’s what you need to do:

Contact Spectrum

Whether you call their customer support number or initiate an online chat, you need to contact Spectrum to request the higher internet speeds. They will have to change your package, but it will likely be exactly the same price with potentially some minor changes to your cable channels if you have it bundled with cable television.

Check Speed

You can check your internet speed using a tool on the actual Spectrum website. Sometimes the speed change happens immediately, but sometimes it may not take effect until midnight. You may also have to power cycle (unplug, replug power) your cable modem. You should see your download and upload speeds near or at 100mbps for download and 10mpbs for upload.

Verify Bill

In my experience, Spectrum/Charter is notorious for messing up your bill when service is changed. Even though the package name and price is the same (or very close), your bill will be super confusing. They will likely have to:

• Charge you for the entire month on your old package
• Refund you a prorated amount for the partial month after you switched
• Charge you for the entire month on your new package
• Refund you a prorated amount for the partial month before you switched

If you can’t decipher what they did, and your bill is abnormally higher than it was before, chances are they messed up your bill.

With an upgrade to the default broadband speeds, one would assume it would just happen automatically, especially since you cannot even signup for a service with the old speeds. However, an action is needed on your part to get the new, faster speeds. The price is the same, so if you don’t do it, you’re overpaying for an outdated service.

How about you, Clever Friends, are you a Spectrum customer? Did you know about the upgraded broadband speeds?