What is the best internet provider in Carmel, Indiana?
AT&T Fiber is the best internet service provider in Carmel. Fiber is the gold standard for internet connections, and in Carmel, you have your pick of a couple of different fiber providers. We recommend AT&T Fiber for its straightforward pricing — equipment is included and your bill won’t suddenly double after a year or two — and excellent speeds.
If you’re looking to pay the lowest prices possible, Metronet is the cheapest internet provider in Carmel. The fiber provider’s plans start at just $30 per month, but fees add on another $12.50, and the prices increase in the second and third years. Xfinity also offers ultra-cheap plans in the area, but only about one in 10 households can access them.
Our methodology
Speed range
300 – 5,000Mbps
Price range
$55 – $250 per month
Our take – AT&T Fiber is one of the best internet internet providers in the country, so it’s usually an easy choice when it’s available at your address. You’ll get fast, symmetrical upload and download speeds — ideal for activities like online gaming and videoconferencing — and prices don’t automatically increase after a year or two. That straightforward pricing is part of the reason AT&T earned the highest customer satisfaction scores of any provider from both J.D. Power and the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
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Speed range
300 – 5,000Mbps
Price range
$55 – $250 per month
Connection
Fiber
Connection
Fiber
Speed range
300 – 1,000Mbps
Price range
$50 – $80 per month
Our take – Spectrum is available almost everywhere in Carmel — 91% of residents have access to it, according to FCC data — and it’s a good option to have as a backup. It uses a cable internet connection, so its upload speeds are significantly slower than our other two picks. Spectrum also increases prices by as much as $55 monthly after the promotional period ends. That’s the main reason it has below-average customer satisfaction scores from J.D. Power and the ACSI.
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 Carmel
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, and 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 Carmel FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Carmel?
Yes, fiber internet is available to 76% of Carmel households, according to FCC data. AT&T Fiber and Metronet both offer fiber service in the city.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Carmel?
AT&T Fiber offers the fastest internet plan in Carmel, with upload and download speeds up to 5,000Mbps.
