Best Internet Providers in Dothan, Alabama

What is the best internet provider in Dothan?

High availability, low introductory rates, fast speeds and customer-friendly service terms make WideOpenWest, or WOW, the best internet service provider in Dothan. A cable internet service available to more than 70% of Dothan households, WOW offers the cheapest internet in the area at $30 a month for speeds up to 300 megabits per second.

Competing cable providers Spectrum and Xfinity are also available in parts of Dothan. Spectrum has better local coverage of the two and is available to more than half of local residences. It’s an ideal choice if you are looking to bundle internet and TV together.

Regional ISP C Spire is Dothan’s largest fiber internet provider, although Brightspeed also offers fiber service to a limited portion of the area. Along with greater availability, C Spire boasts higher speeds, up to 8,000Mbps, the fastest internet in Dothan.

For additional internet options in Dothan, consider fixed wireless service from T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. Verizon may offer a bit more speed, but T-Mobile has the best local 5G home internet coverage.

Best internet in Dothan, Alabama

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Dothan

The best internet deals and top promotions in Dothan depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Dothan internet providers, such as C-Spire and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or other incentives for a limited time. Many, including WOW, Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

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 Federal Communications Commission. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and 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 Dothan, Alabama

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. 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.

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:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who 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, although 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 Dothan, Alabama, FAQs