Like many rural towns in Ohio, Dover residents don’t have a lot of options when it comes to the Internet. There are only three high-speed internet providers operating in Dover, but they all have broad coverage in the city. CNET’s top pick for best overall internet provider in Dover is Frontier Fiber, which has the highest speeds and lowest prices. If you can’t get Frontier, you could do a lot worse than Spectrum and T-Mobile as backups, but both come with their own drawbacks.
Our team takes into account speeds, prices, customer service, and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Dover across various categories. Our evaluation includes a spot check of local addresses to ensure service is available. We also carefully read the terms and conditions of service providers and, where necessary, will contact ISPs to verify details.
However, our process has some limitations. Pricing and speed data vary: Some addresses may qualify for different levels of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to determine your specific options is to plug your address into your service provider’s website.
Note that rates, speeds and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards show the full range of provider prices and speeds across the U.S., according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Dover. Prices referenced in the text of this article are from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month – a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions may also be available for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a mobile phone plan.
To learn more about how we review ISPs, visit our full methodology page.
Best Internet Service Providers in Dover
Dover residents have three options when it comes to home internet: Frontier Fiber, Spectrum, and T-Mobile Home Internet. This is lower than most places, but the good news is that high speeds are available almost everywhere. According to FCC data, 98% of Dover households have access to 250 Mbps speeds, compared to 83% in Ohio and 87% in the country as a whole.
Border fibers
Best internet provider in Dover overall
Price range
$40 – $155 per month
How fast
500 – 5000 Mbps
communication
Fiber
basic information
Unlimited data, no contracts, no equipment fees
Fiber Internet is always the best choice for Internet in any area, and most Dover residents have access to Frontier’s fiber plans. These give you fast upload and download speeds, and their prices are on par with other providers in the region. However, Frontier scored below the national average for fiber providers in the most recent US Customer Satisfaction Index survey.
Availability: Frontier fiber internet is available to 71% of homes in Dover.
Plans and pricing: There are four Frontier Fiber plans in Dover: 500 Mbps download speeds and 500 Mbps upload speeds for $40 per month, 1000/1000 Mbps for $60, 2000/2000 Mbps for $100, and 5000/5000 Mbps per second for $155.
Fee and service details: There are no contracts, data caps, or equipment fees with Frontier.
Read our Frontier Home online review.
Domain
Cheapest internet in Dover
Price range
$30 – $70 per month
How fast
100 – 1000 Mbps
communication
cable
basic information
Unlimited data, simple rates, no contracts, including modem, and free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots
If you can’t get Frontier Fiber at your address, Spectrum cable internet service is a solid backup option. The main drawback is low download speeds. On the 500Mbps Spectrum plan, upload speeds are only 20Mbps; The same level of Frontier reaches up to 500Mbps in download and upload speed.
Availability: Spectrum is available to 93% of Dover residents.
Plans and pricing: Spectrum offers three plans in Dover: 100/10 Mbps for $30 a month, 500/20 Mbps for $50, and 1000/35 Mbps for $70. At some addresses, the cheapest plan available will be the 500Mbps Spectrum plan. The price is guaranteed for two years. Then Spectrum may increase the price.
Fee and service details: Spectrum charges $5 a month to rent a router, but you can also use your own to skip the fee. There are no data limits or contracts required.
Read our Spectrum Internet review.
T-Mobile home internet
Best 5G home internet in Dover
Price range
$50 per month ($30 for eligible mobile customers)
How fast
72 – 245 Mbps
communication
Fixed wireless
basic information
Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees
If you want to try something different than Spectrum and Frontier, T-Mobile Home Internet is a newer option in Dover. It uses the T-Mobile cellular network to send Internet to your home wirelessly. Its speeds may not be enough for larger households, and it’s more susceptible to network congestion than cable or fiber internet, but people are generally happy with the service: T-Mobile ranked No. 1 for non-fiber providers in the latest US Customer Satisfaction Report. Clear the cursor.
Availability: 80% of Dover residents have access to T-Mobile Home Internet.
Plans and pricing: There is only one T-Mobile plan available. It costs $50 per month and gives you download speeds of up to 245 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 31 Mbps. This price is guaranteed as long as you maintain the service. Eligible T-Mobile cell phone customers can also get a lower price of $30 per month.
Fee and service details: There are no equipment fees, contracts, or data caps with T-Mobile Home Internet.
Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.
Compare ISPs in Dover
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | How fast | Monthly equipment costs | Data ceiling | a contract | CNET Review Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| border | Fiber | $40 – $155 | 500-5,000 Mbps | no one | no one | no one | 6.3 |
| Domain | cable | $30-$70 | 100-1,000 Mbps | $5 (optional) | no one | no one | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile home internet | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 with qualifying mobile plans) | 72-245 Mbps | no one | no one | no one | 7.4 |
Store providers
Source: CNET analysis of provider data
Other residential internet providers available in Dover
Other than the three providers mentioned above, there aren’t many other options for internet in Dover. Below are other ISPs operating in the area:
- Satellite Internet: We recommend using satellite Internet only in rural areas where there are no other options available. You can get HughesNet and ViasatEverywhere in the city, but speeds are low, prices are high, and limited data caps make things like streaming and online gaming impractical. Starlink is a newer satellite provider with faster speeds, but it costs $120 per month for service and $599 for equipment.
- Watch communications: This local fixed wireless provider offers plans ranging from 10/2 Mbps for $60 a month to 100/20 Mbps for $120. It’s a slight step up from Satellite, but we wouldn’t recommend it in any other situation.
Pricing for ISPs in Dover
Internet prices in Dover are about average for a city of this size. The introductory plans for Spectrum and Frontier are cheaper than you’ll find in a lot of places, but there are only four plans in Dover that cost $50 or less. Low-income families can also take advantage of the Affordable Connection Program, a federal subsidy that provides a $30 per month discount on home internet.
What is the cheapest internet plan in Dover?
Store providers
How fast is Dover broadband?
If you’re looking for high-speed internet, Dover has a number of plans available. There are four party speed plans available in the city. That’s more than Cleveland (which has two), and the same as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Fastest internet plans in Dover
Store providers
Source: CNET analysis of provider data
How CNET chose the best ISPs in Dover
ISPs are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers or kitchen appliances, it’s not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our approach? We start by looking at pricing, availability, and speed information based on our own historical ISP data, provider locations, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To assess how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look to sources including the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.
Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider provide access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Are customers getting adequate value for what they pay?
- Are customers satisfied with their service?
While the answer to these questions is often multi-layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three questions are the ones we recommend.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our How to Test ISPs page.
What is the final word for ISPs in Dover?
There aren’t a lot of options when it comes to internet in Dover, but the options available all offer good value and are widely available in the city. Frontier Fiber is the clear winner – they don’t have any super cheap plans, but 500/500Mbps for just $40 a month is an excellent deal. Spectrum is the best option if you’re looking for the cheapest internet possible, with a 100/10 Mbps plan for just $30. T-Mobile Home Internet is another good backup option if you can’t get Frontier Fiber, with decent speeds at a fair price that’s guaranteed to never increase.
Internet providers in dover faq
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