What is the best internet provider in Kent, Washington?
Xfinity is the best internet service provider in Kent. It offers the fastest and cheapest plans in the city and is available almost everywhere. The main downsides are the presence of data caps and Xfinity’s steep price increases after a year or two.
It’s not widely available, but Quantum Fiber offers the best fiber internet in Kent. It gets you upload speeds as fast as download speeds, and equipment is included in every plan. Wireless internet from Verizon or T-Mobile is another decent option for smaller households, and you can save by bundling with an eligible cellphone plan.
Our methodology
Speed range
150 – 6,000Mbps
Price range
$20 – $300 per month
Our take – Xfinity is the only wired internet provider — cable or fiber — that’s widely available in Kent. That means it will be the default option for most people. It’s a pretty good option as your default: Its starting prices are incredibly cheap, equipment is included on most plans, and Xfinity has above-average customer satisfaction scores from J.D. Power and the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The main downside is Xfinity’s steep price increases — prices go up by as much as $41 per month after the promotional period ends.
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Check with Xfinity
Speed range
150 – 6,000Mbps
Price range
$20 – $300 per month
Connection
Fiber
Connection
Fiber
Speed range
85 – 1,000Mbps
Price range
$50 – $70 per month
Our take – Wireless internet is a good backup option if you want something other than Xfinity and can’t get Quantum Fiber. Both Verizon and T-Mobile offer wireless home internet plans in Kent. Verizon’s speeds go up to 300Mbps, which is plenty for most households. You can also get great discounts by bundling with an eligible cellphone plan. That said, wireless internet tends to be more prone to network congestion than cable or fiber.
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 Kent, Washington
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 answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that 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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Kent FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Kent?
Yes, fiber internet is available to 5% of Kent households, according to FCC data. Quantum Fiber is the only fiber provider in the city.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Kent?
Quantum Fiber offers the fastest internet plan in Kent, with upload and download speeds up to 1,200Mbps.
