Metronet Fiber Internet Deals Overview
Metronet is a relatively new player in the Fiber Internet market. However, they've quickly gained a name for themselves, and are frequently compared to larger providers like Google Fiber in terms of service quality.
As a smaller company, they are known for friendly and local customer service. When tech support shows up to install service, you can expect a knowledgable professional who actually lives in the neighborhood.
Which Metronet Internet Speed is Best?
Virtually all of Metronet's Internet offerings are "Fiber to the Home" (FTTH). Slower Internet options like cable and DSL use copper cables to deliver Internet service. This slows them down, since copper has a low bandwidth ceiling. Metronet's fiber lines are designed specifically for Internet service, and are much more reliable.
Aside from reliability, the main advantage of fiber Internet is speed. Metronet offers plans from 100 Mbps download all the way up to gigabit speeds (around 1,000 Mbps).
Here's a rough outline of which speeds are enough for which type of users:
- 100–200 Mbps: plans in this range are enough for a household of 1–5 people that each have a laptop, tablet, and smartphone. These speeds can handle streaming Netflix for "cord cutters." If you have more than one widescreen TV and enjoy 4K video, you might want to consider more speed.
- 200–500 Mbps: plans in this range are great for larger households that stream a lot of HD/4K video. It's also a good range for home offices, techies who like to use lots of devices, and people who need to upload large files or videos.
- 500–1000 Mbps: once you get up into the gigabit range, it's mainly worth the extra money for people that have specific uses for it. Videographers, gamers, and other power users who want the absolute best Internet available are the target audience for gigabit plans.
Renting vs Buying your Metronet Modem and Router
Metronet doesn't charge a fee for the modem and router that comes with your service. However, you are able to use your own equipment if you want to do so for any reason. As of 2019, their equipment is capable of most modern features like bridge mode, 5G, etc.
Metronet Contracts, Fees, and Fine Print
Metronet doesn't have minimum contract lengths, making them a solid choice for students and renters.
All Metronet Internet plans, even the promotional deals, currently require a $9.95/month "technology fee." Unfortunately, you can't get rid of this fee by just using your own router or foregoing any other services/equipment. That said, their prices are pretty low compared to the competition in the speed range, so just mentally add $10 or so to the prices you see when shopping. Remember that some plans are on timed promotional rates, and might rise after the first 12 months or so.
Installing Metronet Service
Being a new provider, most new Metronet customers will need to have a technician come out and install service at their address. In some cases, this means extending a fiber line from the utility pole outside and connecting it to a fiber box on the house. We recommend blocking out an afternoon of time at least to meet the technician, establish what wiring needs to be installed for service, and stick around while they do the work.
If you are getting Metronet's Fiber TV service, make sure the areas around your TVs are clear. Also consider scooting furniture the TV is resting on away from the wall so the technician can easily access and install wiring, plugs, etc.
Metronet Internet Availability
Metronet is a relatively small provider, and service is limited to a few local areas around Indianapolis, outside Chicago, and some smaller metro areas in between. Their coverage area extends to 647,000 people, mainly in Illinois and Indiana. You can check availability using our address validation tool at the top of this page. You can also view an interactive map of Metronet's coverage area on our Metronet information page.