RCN is a medium-sized cable company with Internet, TV, and digital voice coverage in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and four other states.
Finding The Plan That’s Right For You
While RCN has a variety of deals and plans, the availability of these services may vary based on where you’re located. While it’s impossible to recommend a specific plan due to the high amount of variables, there are some tips and guidelines to keep in mind to ensure you arrive at a plan that’s right for you.
Find the final price. RCN is rather unique in that they offer an excellent combination of speeds and pricing. However, many of the rates they advertise on their main pages are only applicable for 12 months. The combination of a price increase after a year as well as miscellaneous fees such as equipment rentals can make the plan more expensive than you expected. Always look for the rate you’ll be paying eventually and make sure you can afford the service.
Consider bundle deals. While many providers provide bundles for service with the condition that you sign a long contract, RCN gives discounts to those who combine services without any long-term commitment. If you’re in the market for more than just Internet, combining your service with TV or Phone can lead to some serious savings with very little downside.
Consider how much Internet you actually need. While it can be tempting to opt for the highest tier plan, you can often save a lot of money by only buying the service you’ll need on a day-to-day basis. Conversely, buying the lowest tier plan can also create problems if you’re a heavy streamer or gamer. Take a look at your usage, and buy the plan that meets the requirements in order to save money and potential frustration.
Is RCN Internet Reliable?
The best speeds in the world won’t mean anything if you can’t continually take advantage of them. The reliability of different Internet networks can vary based on the technology they use in order to deliver service.
There are three main types of modern Internet infrastructure.
Digital Subscriber Lines, or DSL, are the slowest yet most reliable of the three. By using existing telephone lines to deliver service, DSL providers can offer service to a wide area which makes it a viable option for rural customers. The speeds provided by DSL are low, yet you’ll generally experience uninterrupted service and enjoy the same speeds at all times of the day.
Cable Internet delivers service through the coaxial cables that hook up to your TV. This technology offers very quick speeds, and was previously the gold standard of internet. The network is relatively widespread, but while it can provide some pretty impressive connections, it’s also the least reliable of the three modern options. While service should generally be reliable, the speeds you’ll experience are often dependent on the usage of those around you. That means that if your neighbors are heavy streamers, you’ll see your maximum speeds take a hit. Keep in mind that the majority of internet plans offer speeds “of up to” a certain amount, which means you have no real recourse if your connection is sometimes slower than advertised.
Fiber Optic networks are the current go-to tech for an excellent combination of speed and reliability. By transmitting data through light that bounces between glass or plastic rods, these connections are able to deliver incredible speeds of up to 1000 Megabits per second (Mbps). In practical terms, that means that a high-end fiber optic connection could download a standard length High Definition movie in less than a minute! While this technology is considered the best around, it’s not nearly as widely available as the alternatives due to the incredible expense of installing a fiber network. This means that you’ll generally only have access to Fiber service if you’re around an urban area.
RCN offers Cable Internet in many areas with Fiber Optic connections in select locales. Both connections are fast and pretty reliable, but you may notice dips in speed if you live in an area only served by their Cable service.
RCN Internet Equipment Options
In order to connect to the Internet with RCN, you’ll need a modem, router, or a combination of the two known as a “gateway.” A modem allows you to connect to the internet, while a router lets you connect multiple devices to the same connection — usually with a wireless network.
RCN is relatively straightforward with their pricing, and offers a modem, router, and modem / router combo. Both the modem and router are currently listed for $10, but you can also get a modem and router combination for the same price. Basically, unless you’re interested in just connecting one computer to the internet, it’s highly recommended that you opt for the gateway option.
RCN “1 Gig” internet, which is a 1000 Mbps connection offered through their Fiber Optic network, requires a higher tech modem which is also available to rent for $10 per month.
RCN, unlike many other providers, gives you clear and upfront information on how to bring your own equipment onto the network. They give the guidelines below in order to ensure you buy a modem and router that suit your needs.
| RCN Internet Speed | Modern DOCSIS Type | Downstream Channels |
| Up to 300 Mbps | DOCSIS 3.0 | 24 Channels |
| 500 Mbps or higher | DOCSIS 3.1 | 32 Channels |
To further explain these specifications, the two columns on the right are dependent on your Internet speed:
With speeds of up to 300 Mbps, you’ll want a router with DOCSIS 3.0 and 24 downstream channels. Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, or DOCSIS, is a set of telecommunications standards that give providers and equipment manufacturers a way to offer the same sort of service capabilities. DOCSIS 3.0 is an older set of standards that isn’t optimized for speeds of over 500 Mbps, so you’ll need DOCSIS 3.1 equipment for faster speeds. Downstream channels are the way in which RCN delivers the content through your gateway, and each channel can carry about 38 Mbps. You’ll need 32 to function comfortably on a connection of over 500 Mbps.
It’s important to keep in mind when buying your own modem and router that it will take a while for the investment to pay off. With equipment available for rental from RCN for just $10 per month, you’re looking at close to two years before you break even. If you’re confident you’ll have RCN service for quite some time, however, it may be worth the initial cost upfront for the long-term savings.
RCN Ratings
As of 2020, 3,556 visitors we've been able to IP-verify as current RCN customers have rated the company's performance. 65.5 percent of those ratings were positive, as compared to the cable industry average of 48.3. RCN generally fares better on consumer ratings than other cable companies since their slightly smaller size compared to the big-name corporations allows them to offer more localized and personal customer service and support.